Excellent video Billy! SOTA is my fav... Thanks for being one of my most inspiring HAMs I've yet to contact! Love your videos!!!

@ModernHam

Жыл бұрын

We need to make that change!

Nice work, Billy, and thanks for sharing your activation. Looking forward to more.

Thanks for sharing your hike & SOTA activation. Made that hike several times when a student at Berea. 73 AF4B

Sounds like great workout that lead brick. Great video and thanks for sharing.

Great activation. Amazing what VHF can reach with a little power and some altitude on your side. My wife is from Lexington and sitting here watching this video with me. She enjoyed hearing points of interest she is familiar with. Thanks for taking us along.

@ModernHam

3 жыл бұрын

Cool stuff! Love to see some locals on the channel.

Great video- thanks for sharing

I was expecting to see an HF rig but was pleasantly surprised to see the VHF/UHF radio. There is a KZread channel out of California called the 2 meter crew who chat and activate with 2 meters. I have been working POTA as here in Texas there are very few SOTA sites. After years of HF radio I am just now getting into VHF/UHF radio. Keep up the great work!! One suggestion: Lithium Phosphate. Expensive but WAY lighter. 73!! de KE5ES

Nice work on the activation!

Nice to see. I have put up a channel with SoTA & Sailing in Norway. Love this and your Channel mate 📡😊📡

Wow this looks pretty fun, I'm in the process for studying for my license. I just got a uv-5r 8w a few days ago and I'm just listening, trying to learn all of the correct terms and etiquette and whatnot.

@scootdawg3535

4 жыл бұрын

this sounds like my story about 2 months ago. Now I'm a general class license holder and looking to grab all the knowledge i can from every source available. If your serious about getting licensed i suggest watching "W4EEY's" series of vids and studying the test pool questions on "Clay County Radio Club's" channel. Can't go wrong...good luck man!!

@andrewhamop6665

4 жыл бұрын

@@scootdawg3535 Thanks! I can now consistently get an 80-90% on the practice test, I just have to wait till this whole covid 19 thing blows over. What a time to get back into ham radio lol...

wow, you hauled the whole kitchen up there ;)

I guess that 146.520 is the national simplex calling frequency ?

@ModernHam

4 жыл бұрын

Yes sir. I realized the other stations couldn't hear each other after thinking about it.

Great activation. Wish I still lived in Berea. I’d be up there every weekend. Used to bring the HT up there and talk into Lex on simplex no problem. Elevation there is about 1,500 ft I think. 73

Enjoy the video thank you 73s

So much fun! Thank you for advancing the art and sharing the adventure. 73 KO4HRE

Good video!!

Nice Video! Looking to get into SOTA soon as the weather improves here in KY. 73

Like your channel!

That was really cool

Nice job😎

Nice all 146.520. I"m KD1S now also living in 4 land in DeKalb County, GA.

That a nice video Billy. We don't do a lot of SOTA overhere because I live in a very flat country The netherlands or holland as they call it everywhere.I live nearby the Northsea and the highest point here is about 60 meters and its called "Het Kopje" nerby Bloemendaal. Keep up the good work and 73s PD0FSH

Good work. My first few summits were with a yaesu 857d, tuner, 2 crappy slabs and it was hard going. Since then I've upgraded to a kx2 with internal tuner and a little lipo. If i take 3L of water it weighs more than my sota kit and i can take food too ;-)

Awesome demonstration! I am a Paint Lick native tech class operator currently in Lexington.

@ModernHam

4 жыл бұрын

Seeing a lot of locals here recently! Welcome to the channel.

I made the same mistake by trucking a SLAB and an Ft-897 up a 900ft precipice on a 10K ft summit. Tiny rigs, wire antennas, and LiFePo4 are going to be your new friends if you keep it up.

@ModernHam

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, yeah the lifepro is on the list. Gotta save for it though.

wooooow nice job my friend very good job 73 nice hobby

Nice video, I activated that summit on Dec, 11 2019 great hike!

@ModernHam

4 жыл бұрын

Glad to see some more local hams here! Maybe after this stuff blows over, we can do a SOTA together.

@dylanbright2419

4 жыл бұрын

ModernHam that’d be great! I’m about an hour and a half away from Berea but can hit the KF4OFT repeater on big hill mountain which is very close to the pinnacles

Interesting watching your battery voltage drop as you transmitted. We need a good compact lithium battery for these treks. So I am testing a noco genius jump box . We will see, first test is the ISS voice when a good pass for Florida comes by. I Enjoy your videos , thanks. Kn4vkax

That's a high altitude. I've been there once. Long walk

Nice job the battery weight issue is a thing to sort out maybe check out a few SOTA ops videos or blogs to see what they use. I use kx3 for hf mostly and Hobby King LiFe batteries 4200 mAh is plenty of current to run my rig mostly at 8 watts. Total pack weight for me is 8 kg with enough water and gear to make a summit hike. Its great fun congratulations for starting SOTA vk5cz ..

Awesome video! Hope all is well, bro. Keep it up, Ranger lol.

@ModernHam

4 жыл бұрын

What's up William's! Lol I saw the ranger comment and it took me a minute to realize who you were. Thanks!

Make yourself a roll-up J-pole antenna that will save you some weight and like others said eventually get a lithium battery, you might also try your HT with the J-pole. Thanks for the video!

Get a lightweight folding dolly from harbor freight and add handles to it with hose clamps. Its narrow enough to take up hill up the path. Put your gear on it, it holds up to 150lbs. You can haul quite a bit of gear. You can put a strap across the handles and that can fit across you in the front through your belt loops and just walk with it. New subscriber to your channel.

Nice first activation. I am looking at attempting my first very soon.

@ModernHam

3 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Good luck!

I live not too far from the Pinnacles. Would love to do a SOTA activation from there on HF. I have a FT-818, just need a portable antenna.

Great work Billy! 73 KN6IWN

good stuff man!!

Great work bud, 73 KG5AUB

@ModernHam

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks 👍

Lot of success just running VHF! I suppose it goes to show you don't need an HF rig to do SOTA as long as you've got a mobile with decent wattage.

I enjoyed this video. The lead-acid battery can be swapped out with a Lifepo4 battery which is lightweight and more appropriate for SOTA / POTA activations. Of course, the Lifepo4 batteries are $$$. Also, is your fiance interested in getting her license? It would be fun having videos where the two of you interact on ham radio topics. Ham radio needs more female representation in the hobby!

@ModernHam

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I'd love to have a Lifepro, but they are just out of my range of price. She's not as interested as I am, but I'll keep harassing her about it. I agree though, it would be cool to see more females in the hobby!

Billy, get yourself a LiFePo4 battery. I picked mine up on ebay or maybe it was Amazon for around $250. They are excellent in terms of weight AND longevity. I'm build a LiFePo4 battery using twelve 40152s cells in a 4s3p format. Check out Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries.

Very nice activation Billy! I just came across your channel and Twitter earlier today and look forward to seeing your ham ventures. Have you considered maybe getting a Bioenno battery to use for SOTA activations? I have one and it works pretty well. 73 KG5SDE

@ModernHam

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I'd love to have one of those to pack around, but it's just a bit out of my budget right now. Hopefully in the future! 73 KN4MKB

@BradSnyder1

4 жыл бұрын

ModernHam Oh I totally understand. Definitely worth it when you can. 73

Nice man. Scrap that lead acid and get the smaller battery. It isn’t KY without gun fire all the time. Lol

@ModernHam

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah that's on the list! Those lifepro batterys get a little expensive.

Hi Billy, just came across you channel, ive hiked the Pinnacles multiple times. Im new to han, no call sign yet. Any way I could tag along sometime to learn a bit. Im from The Lexington/Jessamine area. Let me know if we can get in contact... can’t find any too many people are age interested in ham. Thanks

Should have went with a lifepo4 battery- not near as heavy as a sealed lead acid batt

Hi. I have a ham buddy that lives in Berea. Ky. His call is N4CQR. His name is Craig Still. Anyway, 73 de N5DWE, Doug in Nederland, TX.

good activation... first thing get rid of that lead acid battery and look at getting bioenno batterys your back will thank you 7 3

1:35 lead acid battery 🔋!? Why? Get some lithium based for the weight savings! 👍

@bthemedia

3 жыл бұрын

Cost 💵 is a factor, true. So suggest a backpack, put the weight as close to your back (and high) as possible. 👍

@johnnyutah6996

3 жыл бұрын

I agree, its a cost factor. My batteries cost $30 and charger is much cheaper. If you been in the military, what he was carrying is nothing, your young suck it up. If your old, this will keep you in shape.