perfect conditions... sun a nice breeze and prop, great fun by the looks of it.

When I was a little kid my brothers somehow got ahold of an aluminum box kite that had been used by downed aviators to communicate for rescue. What I remember is how that box kite set itself almost straight up and stayed there like it was anchored in place. It had some pull also.

Very interesting video. You can ask CAA for permission to fly a kite higher. They give permission for a given location, for an agreed height and you can ask for this permission to cover a time period as well as a fixed day. They might require markers at points on the line but those are easy to set up.

@AmateurRadioUK

6 ай бұрын

I know it is possible to get a special dispensation from the CAA. I'm not sure how easy it is or what's involved but having dealt with the CAA in the past, my guess is that it's going to be very bureaucratic! I'm guessing they'll want me to give them a good reason for why i want to do it & I'm not sure that "I want to film it for a small KZread channel" is a good reason. I suspect it would be a bit different if I was the BBC! It might be worth asking the question though, if only out of curiosity.

@Crusty_Camper

6 ай бұрын

@@AmateurRadioUK I have just applied online to fly a kite up to 100m above the ground at my local beach. I have asked for the whole of January due to the weather conditions not being predictable and you have to apply at least 2 weeks in advance. I explained I wanted to use it to suspect an antenna and that it would only be in daylight hours, so no lights will be fitted. I am waiting for the reply and I will let you know how it goes.

Excellent demonstration.Thank you

A great vid James, showing another way to get on the air. 👍

Good video James and a nice run of contacts as usual. Even the weather was kind to you this time. 73 Chris M0RSF

Brilliant James 😊… And a cool tip for taking the kite down too!

Love a bit of kite action!

Nice work 👍👍

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Thanks.

Walking the kite down!👍

James.. First off, top banana video mate. First class. And you beat me to it! Just the other day I thought, "Bet you that DX50 would make a great kite antenna" and then KZread read my mind and showed me your video! Would you do a Zoom / StreamYard call with me one day in about 3-weeks time? I would love to introduce this concept to other folks too? And I have my own questions I would love to ask. Let's catch up on email! 73. Callum.

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Such high praise from the man himself! I would absolutely love to join you on a Zoom call. I've never actually used StreamYard before but I'm sure I could make that work if you prefer. I've just sent an email to the address on your QRZ page. Thanks Callum.

very cool ! nice to see so many contacts - don't think i would have the patience or skill to do radio and a kite, but never say never ! great watching it all happen and the QSO's just flooding in tho. amazing. 73 2e0fwe

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Thanks. I wouldn't say that it takes much patience or skill. As long as you've got a decent breeze, it pretty much looks after itself once you've got it in the air. It can also give you a talking point for your QSO's. I think it's the novelty factor more than anything!

Hi James. Enjoyed the presentation. I've also been building up the kit to have a go. I used a delta kite but it struggled a bit to lift my long length of wire so ive got a coady box kite waiting to try. Its massive 😂 dont thing it will be an issue. Cheers David.

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Hi David, a couple of people have mentioned box kites. I don't know how practical they would be on a SOTA summit. I'm not sure how small they pack down but my guess is that they're probably a bit big and bulky to carry up a mountain? However it could be an option for a non-SOTA operation where you are close to the car. Would be interested to know how it works out.

Placed an order and mentioned with Kite World I heard about them from here.

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Awesome, thanks. Will be interested to know how you get on.

@tobyticehurst

Жыл бұрын

@@AmateurRadioUK I will report back in a few weeks 👍. Thanks James. M3TJT

Oh fantastic work James this could be something I try in the future. The personal issue I have with antennas is the footprint. My next maybe a slidewinder type of antenna setup. Great work and efforts. Motters M7TRS 73 mate

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Kite antennas do take up a lot of space, so there's only a select few summits that I would try this on. As you know, I've used the Slidewinder antenna setup many times. It's probably the most compact & light. It becomes a pretty big compromise on the lower bands (ie 40m & 30m) but on the higher bands (say from 20m upwards) it works very well. It's not recommended by the manufacturer due to the risk of the wind loading damaging the coil but I did manage to get some 60m contacts on it using a longer whip (the Moonraker MRQ-213), although that was a massive compromise & performance was pretty poor to be honest.

@m7trsradio

Жыл бұрын

@@AmateurRadioUK as alway James great work and always take on board the things you say and recommend. I have currently 40m efhw in a inverted V but with z like legs at the end. Not long had a couple of QSO's into Italy 57/8 report with 5w. Feels like a lifetime since I've been out sota. I went over to the park last week with my children and took everything to see how it was just in the park. I got set up then found out I had left a so259 to bnc at home. No radio that day lol Stay safe mate. 🙏

Fantastic ! I bought two antenna lifting kites about 5 years ago and have several 80-10 EFHW antennas and have been wanting to do this for years, but have never got round to it. You really can't ask for a better portable antenna with that height. I would love to have seen SWR plots for each of the bands with this kite system.

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Hi John. SWR on these is generally pretty flat. Probably around 1.2 or 1.3 across the band. The SWR does sometimes change a little bit with the wire moving closer to the ground in lighter winds. I think the worst I've seen is around 1.5

Is that a summit.? Kites are perfect antenna if the weather decided to participate..... 😊

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Yep. It's a SOTA summit - Waun Fach (GW/SW-002). Kite antennas are light weight, easy to carry & work fantastic as long as you have a decent breeze. Luckily, SOTA summits are usually quite windy!

Nice 1 , really need too try the kite dx out , what model version of kite do you use

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Thanks. I've just added a link to the kite in the description.

Nice vid,whats the swr like on the bands?

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Pretty flat across the resonant bands (at least in the SSB sections). Usually around 1.2 to 1.3 The SWR can change a bit as the antenna moves around with the kite when the wind changes. The worst I remember seeing was about 1.5

Great video and content .... I need to try ... would you mind sharing the kite brand ... a link even better ... how long was your antenna wire ? Thanks Niels OZ1CGQ

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Hi Niels, I use the HQ KAP Foil 1.6m www.kiteworld.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000004.pl?WD=kap&PN=HQ%2dKAP%2dFoil%2d1%2e6%2ehtml#SID=96 It's probably not the cheapest option but it works well for me. The antenna wire is an EFHW cut to be resonant on 40m, so approximately 20m (give or take a bit of trimming to get it resonant) with a 49:1 transformer at the base.

How long is the wire?

@AmateurRadioUK

Жыл бұрын

Approximately 20m long. It's cut to be a half wave on 40m. The transformer is a 49:1 It's essentially an EFHW vertical (or perhaps sloper would be a more accurate description).