Here is another one. ? 
? 
? 
That’s about 6000 words worth.? I have others, but you get the idea.
? ? ? ? Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC. El Paso, Texas - DM61rt. SOTA W5T-Texas Association Manager. ? ? ? ? ?
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Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Brad KK7FIM via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 10:33 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [qfox] Xiegu G90? I would like some information on that wrist key. ? On Wed, Apr 30, 2025 at 6:53?AM Mike Olbrisch via <mike-2025=[email protected]> wrote: One further note.? I very much value a modular radio system.? I know some want a radio that has everything in one package.? Radio….. tuner…… and a kitchen sink with hot and cold running water if possible.? I am active in a lot of arenas.? If I am doing SOTA, often my backpack weight matters a great deal.? The IC-705 can run on a small internal battery @ 5-watts to save weight.? If I am doing POTA and the walk from the vehicle to a picnic table isn’t far, weight is not an issue.? Add an external 12v battery and you get 10-watts. But the ability to pick and choose pieces to pack for the mission profile is important to me.
SOTA summit:? Some of the summits I frequent are a significant hike and climb.? If you are familiar with the Magnetic Loop antenna you know they are not snake-oil, they are Magical!? One antenna, 60m thru 10m, low SWR on all bands, better signal than the usual short verticals, no tuner, no radials.? So I will often pack just the radio, the antenna and a light-weight tripod.? This was at Christmas Mountain high-point in the Texas Big Bend.? While a quality Mag-Loop is the best of the compromise antennas, it is still a compromise antenna.? The only gear in the pack is the radio with Mic and Key, the coax and the loop with tripod, about 5 pounds total without the tripod.
If I am operating in a VHF/UHF contest environment, often from a significant SOTA summit (elevation helps), again the ability to leave the un-necessary gear at home and pack only the essentials is a very desirable.? In this mission profile a tuner for HF would just be absolute dead-weight with no purpose at all.? I was alone on this activation so no photo of me operating, it was a V/UHF contest in Europe.? The mountaintop is named The Wasserkuppe, the head-waters of the Fulda River starts here.? It is SOTA DM/HE-001 and POTA DA-0161. At 950m uNN (3,117-ft ASL) in central Germany one can catch a dozen or more countries easier than catching states in the USA.? The antenna on top of the tripod is a home-built 6m 3-element Yagi It has 6-dB gain, 18-dB F/B, weighs only 3 pounds and folds up small enough to fit inside my backpack.? What isn’t initially easily visible it about ?-way down the white mast is a little 4-ele 2m-Yagi, one of the Arrow Antennas products made from arrow shafts.? And down at the bottom about at the rail-fence level is a 7-element 70cm Yagi, again made from aluminum arrow shafts.? Several dozens of contest QSOs were logged on this outing.? My nephew DJ5KC was running a SOTA/POTA HF station a few hundred meters away on the other side of the summit.? I have won the ARRL West Texas Section and the West Gulf Division as a QRP-portable a few times.? Never placed high in Europe, they take that stuff way serious and I’m just a visitor.? I do a couple of hours and then go back to the in-laws home….. the big stations go the full period.
Sometimes you really want to make some contacts but the weather just sucks.? This summit was DM/BM-241, AKA Kreuzberg at 925m uNN (3,035-ft ASL).? This summit is the monastery that many have heard of where the monks make the good bier (German spelling for beer).? In the rain and fog we climbed to the summit with just the Yaesu FT-817ND and the rubber-duck antenna.? I made a couple of dozen 2m-SSB contacts in the contest while my brother-in-law DG7NFV logged for me.? Imagine trying to hold a heavier radio up like that.? I actually had the battery in a pocket to keep the weight out of the radio.? Ever hear of DB6NT?? He was in my log that day.? He builds some of the finest transverters available to the amateur markets. I didn’t place in the top-10 of the contest.? But I wasn’t last either.
When weight doesn’t matter and the mission profile dictates, I will pack the antenna tuner along.? But even here, the Icom AH-705 tuner allows for a weight reduction.? Beside the fact that it is small and light-weight, it is also a REMOTE automatic tuner.? Because the tuner is placed out at the antenna (not inside the radio) it actually matches the antenna to the 50-Ω coax instead of just fooling the transmitter into seeing 50-Ω while the coax absorbs the loss. This allows me to get away for short runs of RG-174 with less than 1-dB loss total.? This photo is on POTA US-0770, right on the Mexican Border.? This park, Chamizal National Memorial, has a very interesting history.? At one point there was nearly an assassination attempt on two Presidents over this park.? President Kennedy ended the conflict.? The red line was added to highlight the 136-ft Inverted-L antenna.? The fiberglass mast is 46-ft tall, the rest of the wire gets tossed into the trees.? This was a WINTER FIELD DAY entry, and contacts were made on 160m through 23cm this day.? The Icom AH-705 tuner was mounted to the base of the mast with about 15-ft of RG-174 coax running from the IC-705 to the tuner.? If you look to the right of the picnic table you’ll see one of those folding wagons to transport the gear several hundred feet from the JEEP to the operating location.
That’s how I roll.? The IC-705 and the AH-705 allow me the flexibility to meet any mission profile easily.? Presently I don’t see any other radios on the market that could to all that I do as well as this system does it.
I’ll leave you with this thought.? Any radio that you buy is better than no radio at all.? And if you don’t like it, sell it and get something else.? So you lost $100.? Did you have fun playing with it?? The antenna that you have today is better than the perfect antenna on the drawing board.? It is nice to have the cool gear for high-speed and low-drag operations with the ability to match the gear to the mission.? But it is more important to get out and have fun with what you have.? I hope you find the right gear to match your mission profile, whatever that is. OH – one last thing.? Doing Morse Code when portable….. I have found this to be the best way for me to handle my keyer paddle.? It is never in the way, but always “right there” when I need to send.? I just reach across my chest and start sending.? I do not know of any manufacturer that makes this, I made it myself.? But it isn’t difficult.
QUESTIONS? Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC. El Paso, Texas - DM61rt. SOTA W5T-Texas Association Manager. ? ? ? ? Great post Mike! Thanks for sharing your experience, I enjoyed reading your comments.? Bruce, N9WKE? ? On Apr 29, 2025, at 9:31?PM, Mike Olbrisch <mike-2025@...> wrote:
? OK – here is the full 100% story.
I built the W5-SOTA program in 2009.? But I did plenty of portable long before SOTA, long before NPOTA and POTA.? I was a professional soldier from 1975 to 1995.? I have carried ham gear in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa and central/south America.? Often my ham gear was a link to home for my troopers, but often enough it was just a hobby as well.
About 2008 I picked up a Yaesu FT-817ND.? I did all the W4RT mods – including both Collins SSB and CW filters, the speech processor and the BHI-DSP.? It was and still is a mighty fine portable QRP radio.
When the Elecraft KX3 was first announced, I was ready to buy in.? But as the details came out it became less enticing.? Only 160m – 6m.? The howl from my friends in Europe where VHF/UHF mountain-topping is a thing got their attention I guess, because Elecraft announced a rather anemic 2m transverter board, at like 2.5-watts.? At the same time a German engineer did it better and at a full 5-watts.? So the KX3 sold some in Europe with the German board as an accessory.? I got to play with one and decided to keep the FT-817ND.? What I notices was the Elecraft cabinet feels real cheesy, I guess that is how they get the weight down.? But the real surprise was the after-market protection panels and the accessory heat-sink that many say is necessary if you run the radio at full power.? Elecraft could have at least put a proper heat sink on it even if that did make it heavier than the FT-817ND.? You can research that – those parts are still available.
Needing a new home radio, I picked up a Yaesu FTdx5000MP.? At the time it was the finest receiver I had ever used, and it got me name a pelt cranked down to 5-watts.? From 2012 to 2023 I was happy with the 5000.? But about 2022, just before our annual trip to visit the in-laws in Germany, I picked up an Icom IC-705 for my SOTA/POTA activities with my nephew DJ5KC.? It was lighter and more capable than the FT-817ND.
Back home one Sunday evening on the local 2m-SSB net I was running that little IC-705 at 10-watt-SSB on 2m.? And I got a call from a ham up the valley.? He said it was the BEST EVER sounding radio I have put on the air on any band, and to use this radio all the time.? So the IC-705 stayed in the shack instead of going back into the backpack.? And that got very expensive!? Because I discovered that the IC-705 had a better receiver than the FTdx5000MP!? Its only flaw was that it was QRP.? Well, I was due a new radio at home, so the FTdx5000MP was handed down to my daughter in trade for house-sitting our Great Danes when we travel….. and I got a new Icom IC-7610 to replace the 5000.? The 7610 and 705 share a lot of common settings and it was easy to get the 7610 sounding as good as the 705 on all bands.
The IC-705, coupled with the AH-705 auto-tuner is by far the finest and most versatile portable rig I have owned or used to date.? And I’m fortunate and blessed that I can afford this stuff!? With our area being active in SOTA and POTA, I get to see a lot of radios.? Presently, there is nothing out there I would give up the IC-705 for.? Here is a look at my backpack.? I can hike to a summit and make contacts on every band 160m through 23cm.? The 1.25m and 70cm are FM only……. Everything else is all-modes.? Since 2023 this gear has made thousands of contacts in 10-states and 11-countries.? In all my travels I have only lost one battery.? BTW – the gray telescoping mast is 34-inches packed, 38-ft when extended.? It makes a great Inverted-L with a couple of radials.
QUESTIONS: ?????
? ? PS.. that IC-705 is an awesome looking radio!? I don't have anything near that league currently, just my older Icoms and a Yaesu 1000MP.. I love all those radios and the Japanese sure make some fine rigs..? ?not sure why I'm entertaining a G90 again, I've talked myself out of it a few times.. hi? 72, W0JOE??
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The key?? Not much to tell.? The actual key was made by N0SA.? He makes a batch and sells a few, then months later he makes something else and sells a few…….? Seems like never more than 10 and never the same.? I have a few of them.
The wrist strap is my own work.? A picture is worth 1000 words…..
 ? 
? ? ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Brad KK7FIM via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 10:33 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [qfox] Xiegu G90? I would like some information on that wrist key. ? On Wed, Apr 30, 2025 at 6:53?AM Mike Olbrisch via <mike-2025=[email protected]> wrote: One further note.? I very much value a modular radio system.? I know some want a radio that has everything in one package.? Radio….. tuner…… and a kitchen sink with hot and cold running water if possible.? I am active in a lot of arenas.? If I am doing SOTA, often my backpack weight matters a great deal.? The IC-705 can run on a small internal battery @ 5-watts to save weight.? If I am doing POTA and the walk from the vehicle to a picnic table isn’t far, weight is not an issue.? Add an external 12v battery and you get 10-watts. But the ability to pick and choose pieces to pack for the mission profile is important to me.
SOTA summit:? Some of the summits I frequent are a significant hike and climb.? If you are familiar with the Magnetic Loop antenna you know they are not snake-oil, they are Magical!? One antenna, 60m thru 10m, low SWR on all bands, better signal than the usual short verticals, no tuner, no radials.? So I will often pack just the radio, the antenna and a light-weight tripod.? This was at Christmas Mountain high-point in the Texas Big Bend.? While a quality Mag-Loop is the best of the compromise antennas, it is still a compromise antenna.? The only gear in the pack is the radio with Mic and Key, the coax and the loop with tripod, about 5 pounds total without the tripod.
If I am operating in a VHF/UHF contest environment, often from a significant SOTA summit (elevation helps), again the ability to leave the un-necessary gear at home and pack only the essentials is a very desirable.? In this mission profile a tuner for HF would just be absolute dead-weight with no purpose at all.? I was alone on this activation so no photo of me operating, it was a V/UHF contest in Europe.? The mountaintop is named The Wasserkuppe, the head-waters of the Fulda River starts here.? It is SOTA DM/HE-001 and POTA DA-0161. At 950m uNN (3,117-ft ASL) in central Germany one can catch a dozen or more countries easier than catching states in the USA.? The antenna on top of the tripod is a home-built 6m 3-element Yagi It has 6-dB gain, 18-dB F/B, weighs only 3 pounds and folds up small enough to fit inside my backpack.? What isn’t initially easily visible it about ?-way down the white mast is a little 4-ele 2m-Yagi, one of the Arrow Antennas products made from arrow shafts.? And down at the bottom about at the rail-fence level is a 7-element 70cm Yagi, again made from aluminum arrow shafts.? Several dozens of contest QSOs were logged on this outing.? My nephew DJ5KC was running a SOTA/POTA HF station a few hundred meters away on the other side of the summit.? I have won the ARRL West Texas Section and the West Gulf Division as a QRP-portable a few times.? Never placed high in Europe, they take that stuff way serious and I’m just a visitor.? I do a couple of hours and then go back to the in-laws home….. the big stations go the full period.
Sometimes you really want to make some contacts but the weather just sucks.? This summit was DM/BM-241, AKA Kreuzberg at 925m uNN (3,035-ft ASL).? This summit is the monastery that many have heard of where the monks make the good bier (German spelling for beer).? In the rain and fog we climbed to the summit with just the Yaesu FT-817ND and the rubber-duck antenna.? I made a couple of dozen 2m-SSB contacts in the contest while my brother-in-law DG7NFV logged for me.? Imagine trying to hold a heavier radio up like that.? I actually had the battery in a pocket to keep the weight out of the radio.? Ever hear of DB6NT?? He was in my log that day.? He builds some of the finest transverters available to the amateur markets. I didn’t place in the top-10 of the contest.? But I wasn’t last either.
When weight doesn’t matter and the mission profile dictates, I will pack the antenna tuner along.? But even here, the Icom AH-705 tuner allows for a weight reduction.? Beside the fact that it is small and light-weight, it is also a REMOTE automatic tuner.? Because the tuner is placed out at the antenna (not inside the radio) it actually matches the antenna to the 50-Ω coax instead of just fooling the transmitter into seeing 50-Ω while the coax absorbs the loss. This allows me to get away for short runs of RG-174 with less than 1-dB loss total.? This photo is on POTA US-0770, right on the Mexican Border.? This park, Chamizal National Memorial, has a very interesting history.? At one point there was nearly an assassination attempt on two Presidents over this park.? President Kennedy ended the conflict.? The red line was added to highlight the 136-ft Inverted-L antenna.? The fiberglass mast is 46-ft tall, the rest of the wire gets tossed into the trees.? This was a WINTER FIELD DAY entry, and contacts were made on 160m through 23cm this day.? The Icom AH-705 tuner was mounted to the base of the mast with about 15-ft of RG-174 coax running from the IC-705 to the tuner.? If you look to the right of the picnic table you’ll see one of those folding wagons to transport the gear several hundred feet from the JEEP to the operating location.
That’s how I roll.? The IC-705 and the AH-705 allow me the flexibility to meet any mission profile easily.? Presently I don’t see any other radios on the market that could to all that I do as well as this system does it.
I’ll leave you with this thought.? Any radio that you buy is better than no radio at all.? And if you don’t like it, sell it and get something else.? So you lost $100.? Did you have fun playing with it?? The antenna that you have today is better than the perfect antenna on the drawing board.? It is nice to have the cool gear for high-speed and low-drag operations with the ability to match the gear to the mission.? But it is more important to get out and have fun with what you have.? I hope you find the right gear to match your mission profile, whatever that is. OH – one last thing.? Doing Morse Code when portable….. I have found this to be the best way for me to handle my keyer paddle.? It is never in the way, but always “right there” when I need to send.? I just reach across my chest and start sending.? I do not know of any manufacturer that makes this, I made it myself.? But it isn’t difficult.
QUESTIONS? Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC. El Paso, Texas - DM61rt. SOTA W5T-Texas Association Manager. ? ? ? ? Great post Mike! Thanks for sharing your experience, I enjoyed reading your comments.? Bruce, N9WKE? ? On Apr 29, 2025, at 9:31?PM, Mike Olbrisch <mike-2025@...> wrote:
? OK – here is the full 100% story.
I built the W5-SOTA program in 2009.? But I did plenty of portable long before SOTA, long before NPOTA and POTA.? I was a professional soldier from 1975 to 1995.? I have carried ham gear in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa and central/south America.? Often my ham gear was a link to home for my troopers, but often enough it was just a hobby as well.
About 2008 I picked up a Yaesu FT-817ND.? I did all the W4RT mods – including both Collins SSB and CW filters, the speech processor and the BHI-DSP.? It was and still is a mighty fine portable QRP radio.
When the Elecraft KX3 was first announced, I was ready to buy in.? But as the details came out it became less enticing.? Only 160m – 6m.? The howl from my friends in Europe where VHF/UHF mountain-topping is a thing got their attention I guess, because Elecraft announced a rather anemic 2m transverter board, at like 2.5-watts.? At the same time a German engineer did it better and at a full 5-watts.? So the KX3 sold some in Europe with the German board as an accessory.? I got to play with one and decided to keep the FT-817ND.? What I notices was the Elecraft cabinet feels real cheesy, I guess that is how they get the weight down.? But the real surprise was the after-market protection panels and the accessory heat-sink that many say is necessary if you run the radio at full power.? Elecraft could have at least put a proper heat sink on it even if that did make it heavier than the FT-817ND.? You can research that – those parts are still available.
Needing a new home radio, I picked up a Yaesu FTdx5000MP.? At the time it was the finest receiver I had ever used, and it got me name a pelt cranked down to 5-watts.? From 2012 to 2023 I was happy with the 5000.? But about 2022, just before our annual trip to visit the in-laws in Germany, I picked up an Icom IC-705 for my SOTA/POTA activities with my nephew DJ5KC.? It was lighter and more capable than the FT-817ND.
Back home one Sunday evening on the local 2m-SSB net I was running that little IC-705 at 10-watt-SSB on 2m.? And I got a call from a ham up the valley.? He said it was the BEST EVER sounding radio I have put on the air on any band, and to use this radio all the time.? So the IC-705 stayed in the shack instead of going back into the backpack.? And that got very expensive!? Because I discovered that the IC-705 had a better receiver than the FTdx5000MP!? Its only flaw was that it was QRP.? Well, I was due a new radio at home, so the FTdx5000MP was handed down to my daughter in trade for house-sitting our Great Danes when we travel….. and I got a new Icom IC-7610 to replace the 5000.? The 7610 and 705 share a lot of common settings and it was easy to get the 7610 sounding as good as the 705 on all bands.
The IC-705, coupled with the AH-705 auto-tuner is by far the finest and most versatile portable rig I have owned or used to date.? And I’m fortunate and blessed that I can afford this stuff!? With our area being active in SOTA and POTA, I get to see a lot of radios.? Presently, there is nothing out there I would give up the IC-705 for.? Here is a look at my backpack.? I can hike to a summit and make contacts on every band 160m through 23cm.? The 1.25m and 70cm are FM only……. Everything else is all-modes.? Since 2023 this gear has made thousands of contacts in 10-states and 11-countries.? In all my travels I have only lost one battery.? BTW – the gray telescoping mast is 34-inches packed, 38-ft when extended.? It makes a great Inverted-L with a couple of radials.
QUESTIONS: ?????
? ? PS.. that IC-705 is an awesome looking radio!? I don't have anything near that league currently, just my older Icoms and a Yaesu 1000MP.. I love all those radios and the Japanese sure make some fine rigs..? ?not sure why I'm entertaining a G90 again, I've talked myself out of it a few times.. hi? 72, W0JOE??
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2025 WI QSO Party Results Published!
The results for the 2025 WI QSO Party have been published on the WIQP website.? You will find the results at .? Thanks again to all who participated and your electronic log submissions.? See you in ’26! The updated county activation file is available as well.? The WIQP Team, Chuck Dellis, W9WLX Tom Macon, K9BTQ Howard Smith, WA9AXQ Jeff Pahl, W9JSP
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I have a G90 and it works well for me, great tuner, good RX, dual pass band filtering. Easy to use, small and compact, the front panel is detachable, bottom line, you get way more rig than your paying for?
72’蝉 Bert N0YJ?
Hello, quick off topic question now that winter fox season is done... anyone out there have a Xiegu G90?? I've
been thinking about ordering one before they start going up in price (noticed it already a bit) but not sure?
about it..? any thoughts and we can go direct if not allowed on the fox list..?
72, W0JOE
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I would like some information on that wrist key.
Brad KK7FIM
On Wed, Apr 30, 2025 at 6:53?AM Mike Olbrisch via <mike-2025= [email protected]> wrote: One further note.? I very much value a modular radio system.? I know some want a radio that has everything in one package.? Radio….. tuner…… and a kitchen sink with hot and cold running water if possible.? I am active in a lot of arenas.? If I am doing SOTA, often my backpack weight matters a great deal.? The IC-705 can run on a small internal battery @ 5-watts to save weight.? If I am doing POTA and the walk from the vehicle to a picnic table isn’t far, weight is not an issue.? Add an external 12v battery and you get 10-watts. But the ability to pick and choose pieces to pack for the mission profile is important to me.
SOTA summit:? Some of the summits I frequent are a significant hike and climb.? If you are familiar with the Magnetic Loop antenna you know they are not snake-oil, they are Magical!? One antenna, 60m thru 10m, low SWR on all bands, better signal than the usual short verticals, no tuner, no radials.? So I will often pack just the radio, the antenna and a light-weight tripod.? This was at Christmas Mountain high-point in the Texas Big Bend.? While a quality Mag-Loop is the best of the compromise antennas, it is still a compromise antenna.? The only gear in the pack is the radio with Mic and Key, the coax and the loop with tripod, about 5 pounds total without the tripod.
If I am operating in a VHF/UHF contest environment, often from a significant SOTA summit (elevation helps), again the ability to leave the un-necessary gear at home and pack only the essentials is a very desirable.? In this mission profile a tuner for HF would just be absolute dead-weight with no purpose at all.? I was alone on this activation so no photo of me operating, it was a V/UHF contest in Europe.? The mountaintop is named The Wasserkuppe, the head-waters of the Fulda River starts here.? It is SOTA DM/HE-001 and POTA DA-0161. At 950m uNN (3,117-ft ASL) in central Germany one can catch a dozen or more countries easier than catching states in the USA.? The antenna on top of the tripod is a home-built 6m 3-element Yagi. It has 6-dB gain, 18-dB F/B, weighs only 3 pounds and folds up small enough to fit inside my backpack.? What isn’t initially easily visible it about ?-way down the white mast is a little 4-ele 2m-Yagi, one of the Arrow Antennas products made from arrow shafts.? And down at the bottom about at the rail-fence level is a 7-element 70cm Yagi, again made from aluminum arrow shafts.? Several dozens of contest QSOs were logged on this outing.? My nephew DJ5KC was running a SOTA/POTA HF station a few hundred meters away on the other side of the summit.? I have won the ARRL West Texas Section and the West Gulf Division as a QRP-portable a few times.? Never placed high in Europe, they take that stuff way serious and I’m just a visitor.? I do a couple of hours and then go back to the in-laws home….. the big stations go the full period.
Sometimes you really want to make some contacts but the weather just sucks.? This summit was DM/BM-241, AKA Kreuzberg at 925m uNN (3,035-ft ASL).? This summit is the monastery that many have heard of where the monks make the good bier (German spelling for beer).? In the rain and fog we climbed to the summit with just the Yaesu FT-817ND and the rubber-duck antenna.? I made a couple of dozen 2m-SSB contacts in the contest while my brother-in-law DG7NFV logged for me.? Imagine trying to hold a heavier radio up like that.? I actually had the battery in a pocket to keep the weight out of the radio.? Ever hear of DB6NT?? He was in my log that day.? He builds some of the finest transverters available to the amateur markets. I didn’t place in the top-10 of the contest.? But I wasn’t last either.
When weight doesn’t matter and the mission profile dictates, I will pack the antenna tuner along.? But even here, the Icom AH-705 tuner allows for a weight reduction.? Beside the fact that it is small and light-weight, it is also a REMOTE automatic tuner.? Because the tuner is placed out at the antenna (not inside the radio) it actually matches the antenna to the 50-Ω coax instead of just fooling the transmitter into seeing 50-Ω while the coax absorbs the loss. This allows me to get away for short runs of RG-174 with less than 1-dB loss total.? This photo is on POTA US-0770, right on the Mexican Border.? This park, Chamizal National Memorial, has a very interesting history.? At one point there was nearly an assassination attempt on two Presidents over this park.? President Kennedy ended the conflict.? The red line was added to highlight the 136-ft Inverted-L antenna.? The fiberglass mast is 46-ft tall, the rest of the wire gets tossed into the trees.? This was a WINTER FIELD DAY entry, and contacts were made on 160m through 23cm this day.? The Icom AH-705 tuner was mounted to the base of the mast with about 15-ft of RG-174 coax running from the IC-705 to the tuner.? If you look to the right of the picnic table you’ll see one of those folding wagons to transport the gear several hundred feet from the JEEP to the operating location.
That’s how I roll.? The IC-705 and the AH-705 allow me the flexibility to meet any mission profile easily.? Presently I don’t see any other radios on the market that could to all that I do as well as this system does it.
I’ll leave you with this thought.? Any radio that you buy is better than no radio at all.? And if you don’t like it, sell it and get something else.? So you lost $100.? Did you have fun playing with it?? The antenna that you have today is better than the perfect antenna on the drawing board.? It is nice to have the cool gear for high-speed and low-drag operations with the ability to match the gear to the mission.? But it is more important to get out and have fun with what you have.? I hope you find the right gear to match your mission profile, whatever that is.
OH – one last thing.? Doing Morse Code when portable….. I have found this to be the best way for me to handle my keyer paddle.? It is never in the way, but always “right there” when I need to send.? I just reach across my chest and start sending.? I do not know of any manufacturer that makes this, I made it myself.? But it isn’t difficult.
QUESTIONS?
Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC. El Paso, Texas - DM61rt. SOTA W5T-Texas Association Manager. ? ? ? ? Great post Mike! Thanks for sharing your experience, I enjoyed reading your comments.? Bruce, N9WKE?
On Apr 29, 2025, at 9:31?PM, Mike Olbrisch <mike-2025@...> wrote:
? OK – here is the full 100% story.
I built the W5-SOTA program in 2009.? But I did plenty of portable long before SOTA, long before NPOTA and POTA.? I was a professional soldier from 1975 to 1995.? I have carried ham gear in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa and central/south America.? Often my ham gear was a link to home for my troopers, but often enough it was just a hobby as well.
About 2008 I picked up a Yaesu FT-817ND.? I did all the W4RT mods – including both Collins SSB and CW filters, the speech processor and the BHI-DSP.? It was and still is a mighty fine portable QRP radio.
When the Elecraft KX3 was first announced, I was ready to buy in.? But as the details came out it became less enticing.? Only 160m – 6m.? The howl from my friends in Europe where VHF/UHF mountain-topping is a thing got their attention I guess, because Elecraft announced a rather anemic 2m transverter board, at like 2.5-watts.? At the same time a German engineer did it better and at a full 5-watts.? So the KX3 sold some in Europe with the German board as an accessory.? I got to play with one and decided to keep the FT-817ND.? What I notices was the Elecraft cabinet feels real cheesy, I guess that is how they get the weight down.? But the real surprise was the after-market protection panels and the accessory heat-sink that many say is necessary if you run the radio at full power.? Elecraft could have at least put a proper heat sink on it even if that did make it heavier than the FT-817ND.? You can research that – those parts are still available.
Needing a new home radio, I picked up a Yaesu FTdx5000MP.? At the time it was the finest receiver I had ever used, and it got me name a pelt cranked down to 5-watts.? From 2012 to 2023 I was happy with the 5000.? But about 2022, just before our annual trip to visit the in-laws in Germany, I picked up an Icom IC-705 for my SOTA/POTA activities with my nephew DJ5KC.? It was lighter and more capable than the FT-817ND.
Back home one Sunday evening on the local 2m-SSB net I was running that little IC-705 at 10-watt-SSB on 2m.? And I got a call from a ham up the valley.? He said it was the BEST EVER sounding radio I have put on the air on any band, and to use this radio all the time.? So the IC-705 stayed in the shack instead of going back into the backpack.? And that got very expensive!? Because I discovered that the IC-705 had a better receiver than the FTdx5000MP!? Its only flaw was that it was QRP.? Well, I was due a new radio at home, so the FTdx5000MP was handed down to my daughter in trade for house-sitting our Great Danes when we travel….. and I got a new Icom IC-7610 to replace the 5000.? The 7610 and 705 share a lot of common settings and it was easy to get the 7610 sounding as good as the 705 on all bands.
The IC-705, coupled with the AH-705 auto-tuner is by far the finest and most versatile portable rig I have owned or used to date.? And I’m fortunate and blessed that I can afford this stuff!? With our area being active in SOTA and POTA, I get to see a lot of radios.? Presently, there is nothing out there I would give up the IC-705 for.? Here is a look at my backpack.? I can hike to a summit and make contacts on every band 160m through 23cm.? The 1.25m and 70cm are FM only……. Everything else is all-modes.? Since 2023 this gear has made thousands of contacts in 10-states and 11-countries.? In all my travels I have only lost one battery.? BTW – the gray telescoping mast is 34-inches packed, 38-ft when extended.? It makes a great Inverted-L with a couple of radials.
QUESTIONS: ?????
? ? PS.. that IC-705 is an awesome looking radio!? I don't have anything near that league currently, just my older Icoms and a Yaesu 1000MP.. I love all those radios and the Japanese sure make some fine rigs..? ?not sure why I'm entertaining a G90 again, I've talked myself out of it a few times.. hi? 72, W0JOE??
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Me too, Mike and thank you for your service! Dave W4QDV?
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On Apr 30, 2025, at 10:03?AM, Mike Olbrisch <mike-2025@...> wrote:
? I agree that 20-watts seems to be a sweet spot for portable ops.? And I put a hard-wire limiter to this radio so that going above 20-watts is impossible.? When doing this, it disables the cooling fans and reduces total current consumption, a big deal when on battery power.? Just another of the “activities” I participate in.? As a proof of concept in 2017 I entered the ARRL Field Day as a QRP mobile.? I got 20 miles per gallon….. that is…… I walked 25-miles during Field Day and drank 5-quarts of iced tea.? How did I do?? I placed #5 overall in the USA standings, in the top 10% for sure!
The ability to catch people on 2m and 70cm-CW helped a lot.? Being QRP-CW helped a lot. The 40m band cooperating at night helped a lot too.
<image003.jpg> I had heard the G90 doesn’t like neighbors, but never experienced that myself because I was solo when I played with it.
Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC. El Paso, Texas - DM61rt. SOTA W5T-Texas Association Manager. ? ? ? ? I own a G90, and really enjoy the rig.? ?The 20 watts seems to get out well, and audio reports are positive.? I own a number of different rigs including a FT891, 991A, and FTdx10.? ?The receive capability of the G90 does not reach the level of the FTdx10, but clearly beats the FT891 and FT991A.? I own a number of 5-watt radios, and I clearly feel the impact of the reduce power with those radios.? However, with the G90's 20 watts, I don't feel that I am missing out on much.? This is obviously subjective, but the 20 watts seems to be a sweet spot for a portable radio, balancing power need and consumption with the ability to be heard. There is one aspect that I would have liked to have known before I purchased mine.? The radio does not work great in a RF crowded environment.? I do POTA activations with two other gentlemen.? ?We work 20, 15 and 10m and separate our antennas by 50 to 100 yards.? Even with the use of a band pass filter, I get interference from one of my partners when I use the G90.? However, the FT891 works without issues in the same setup.?? I enjoy the G90 so much so that it is my go-to rig when I go out solo.? However, I fall back to the FT891 when I have friends join me in the parks.??
Hello, quick off topic question now that winter fox season is done... anyone out there have a Xiegu G90?? I've been thinking about ordering one before they start going up in price (noticed it already a bit) but not sure? about it..? any thoughts and we can go direct if not allowed on the fox list..?
|
Thanks Brian, I built/operated a K2 many years ago, and really enjoyed that radio.? ?Had a friend Dan, N0DT(sk) who helped me build it and get it on
the air, kinda wish I still had it.. I sold it hoping to acquire a K3 that Dan had built (he built several) but another ham talked me into letting him get it from?
Dan.. hi? ? I ended up getting a Yaesu FT900 from another close ham and used that for awhile then got lured into the Icom 706MKIIG at Dayton when it was?
released wanting to have the vhf/uhf capabilities.. still have an Icom 706mkiig (not same one I bought at Dayton) and I like having it around as a "do all" rig.
Never got back to the Elecrafts, they have sure put out some fine rigs over the years!? ?After all that the "mini" do all rigs were coming out left and right for?
several years.. it's amazing what has been put out by Yaesu and Icom..
|
I like my G90!? I picked one up last year after using one that a young Ham brought to Field Day.? Once you learn to correctly use the AGC, (in lieu of an RF gain), it's a pretty good radio.? I agree with Wilson on the 20 watt "sweet spot": If I hear 'em, I can work 'em (on CW).? It's a lot of rig for the money, and a lot less money than some of the rigs to which it is compared.??
?
72,
?
Don, K9DRP
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I agree that 20-watts seems to be a sweet spot for portable ops.? And I put a hard-wire limiter to this radio so that going above 20-watts is impossible.? When doing this, it disables the cooling fans and reduces total current consumption, a big deal when on battery power.? Just another of the “activities” I participate in.? As a proof of concept in 2017 I entered the ARRL Field Day as a QRP mobile.? I got 20 miles per gallon….. that is…… I walked 25-miles during Field Day and drank 5-quarts of iced tea.? How did I do?? I placed #5 overall in the USA standings, in the top 10% for sure!
The ability to catch people on 2m and 70cm-CW helped a lot.? Being QRP-CW helped a lot. The 40m band cooperating at night helped a lot too.
I had heard the G90 doesn’t like neighbors, but never experienced that myself because I was solo when I played with it.
Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC. El Paso, Texas - DM61rt. SOTA W5T-Texas Association Manager. ? ? ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of NT5AT - Wilson via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 20:57 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [qfox] Xiegu G90? I own a G90, and really enjoy the rig.? ?The 20 watts seems to get out well, and audio reports are positive.? I own a number of different rigs including a FT891, 991A, and FTdx10.? ?The receive capability of the G90 does not reach the level of the FTdx10, but clearly beats the FT891 and FT991A.? I own a number of 5-watt radios, and I clearly feel the impact of the reduce power with those radios.? However, with the G90's 20 watts, I don't feel that I am missing out on much.? This is obviously subjective, but the 20 watts seems to be a sweet spot for a portable radio, balancing power need and consumption with the ability to be heard. There is one aspect that I would have liked to have known before I purchased mine.? The radio does not work great in a RF crowded environment.? I do POTA activations with two other gentlemen.? ?We work 20, 15 and 10m and separate our antennas by 50 to 100 yards.? Even with the use of a band pass filter, I get interference from one of my partners when I use the G90.? However, the FT891 works without issues in the same setup.?? I enjoy the G90 so much so that it is my go-to rig when I go out solo.? However, I fall back to the FT891 when I have friends join me in the parks.??
Hello, quick off topic question now that winter fox season is done... anyone out there have a Xiegu G90?? I've been thinking about ordering one before they start going up in price (noticed it already a bit) but not sure? about it..? any thoughts and we can go direct if not allowed on the fox list..?
|
One further note.? I very much value a modular radio system.? I know some want a radio that has everything in one package.? Radio….. tuner…… and a kitchen sink with hot and cold running water if possible.? I am active in a lot of arenas.? If I am doing SOTA, often my backpack weight matters a great deal.? The IC-705 can run on a small internal battery @ 5-watts to save weight.? If I am doing POTA and the walk from the vehicle to a picnic table isn’t far, weight is not an issue.? Add an external 12v battery and you get 10-watts. But the ability to pick and choose pieces to pack for the mission profile is important to me.
SOTA summit:? Some of the summits I frequent are a significant hike and climb.? If you are familiar with the Magnetic Loop antenna you know they are not snake-oil, they are Magical!? One antenna, 60m thru 10m, low SWR on all bands, better signal than the usual short verticals, no tuner, no radials.? So I will often pack just the radio, the antenna and a light-weight tripod.? This was at Christmas Mountain high-point in the Texas Big Bend.? While a quality Mag-Loop is the best of the compromise antennas, it is still a compromise antenna.? The only gear in the pack is the radio with Mic and Key, the coax and the loop with tripod, about 5 pounds total without the tripod.
If I am operating in a VHF/UHF contest environment, often from a significant SOTA summit (elevation helps), again the ability to leave the un-necessary gear at home and pack only the essentials is a very desirable.? In this mission profile a tuner for HF would just be absolute dead-weight with no purpose at all.? I was alone on this activation so no photo of me operating, it was a V/UHF contest in Europe.? The mountaintop is named The Wasserkuppe, the head-waters of the Fulda River starts here.? It is SOTA DM/HE-001 and POTA DA-0161. At 950m uNN (3,117-ft ASL) in central Germany one can catch a dozen or more countries easier than catching states in the USA.? The antenna on top of the tripod is a home-built 6m 3-element Yagi. It has 6-dB gain, 18-dB F/B, weighs only 3 pounds and folds up small enough to fit inside my backpack.? What isn’t initially easily visible it about ?-way down the white mast is a little 4-ele 2m-Yagi, one of the Arrow Antennas products made from arrow shafts.? And down at the bottom about at the rail-fence level is a 7-element 70cm Yagi, again made from aluminum arrow shafts.? Several dozens of contest QSOs were logged on this outing.? My nephew DJ5KC was running a SOTA/POTA HF station a few hundred meters away on the other side of the summit.? I have won the ARRL West Texas Section and the West Gulf Division as a QRP-portable a few times.? Never placed high in Europe, they take that stuff way serious and I’m just a visitor.? I do a couple of hours and then go back to the in-laws home….. the big stations go the full period.
Sometimes you really want to make some contacts but the weather just sucks.? This summit was DM/BM-241, AKA Kreuzberg at 925m uNN (3,035-ft ASL).? This summit is the monastery that many have heard of where the monks make the good bier (German spelling for beer).? In the rain and fog we climbed to the summit with just the Yaesu FT-817ND and the rubber-duck antenna.? I made a couple of dozen 2m-SSB contacts in the contest while my brother-in-law DG7NFV logged for me.? Imagine trying to hold a heavier radio up like that.? I actually had the battery in a pocket to keep the weight out of the radio.? Ever hear of DB6NT?? He was in my log that day.? He builds some of the finest transverters available to the amateur markets. I didn’t place in the top-10 of the contest.? But I wasn’t last either.
When weight doesn’t matter and the mission profile dictates, I will pack the antenna tuner along.? But even here, the Icom AH-705 tuner allows for a weight reduction.? Beside the fact that it is small and light-weight, it is also a REMOTE automatic tuner.? Because the tuner is placed out at the antenna (not inside the radio) it actually matches the antenna to the 50-Ω coax instead of just fooling the transmitter into seeing 50-Ω while the coax absorbs the loss. This allows me to get away for short runs of RG-174 with less than 1-dB loss total.? This photo is on POTA US-0770, right on the Mexican Border.? This park, Chamizal National Memorial, has a very interesting history.? At one point there was nearly an assassination attempt on two Presidents over this park.? President Kennedy ended the conflict.? The red line was added to highlight the 136-ft Inverted-L antenna.? The fiberglass mast is 46-ft tall, the rest of the wire gets tossed into the trees.? This was a WINTER FIELD DAY entry, and contacts were made on 160m through 23cm this day.? The Icom AH-705 tuner was mounted to the base of the mast with about 15-ft of RG-174 coax running from the IC-705 to the tuner.? If you look to the right of the picnic table you’ll see one of those folding wagons to transport the gear several hundred feet from the JEEP to the operating location.
That’s how I roll.? The IC-705 and the AH-705 allow me the flexibility to meet any mission profile easily.? Presently I don’t see any other radios on the market that could to all that I do as well as this system does it.
I’ll leave you with this thought.? Any radio that you buy is better than no radio at all.? And if you don’t like it, sell it and get something else.? So you lost $100.? Did you have fun playing with it?? The antenna that you have today is better than the perfect antenna on the drawing board.? It is nice to have the cool gear for high-speed and low-drag operations with the ability to match the gear to the mission.? But it is more important to get out and have fun with what you have.? I hope you find the right gear to match your mission profile, whatever that is.
OH – one last thing.? Doing Morse Code when portable….. I have found this to be the best way for me to handle my keyer paddle.? It is never in the way, but always “right there” when I need to send.? I just reach across my chest and start sending.? I do not know of any manufacturer that makes this, I made it myself.? But it isn’t difficult.
QUESTIONS?
Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC. El Paso, Texas - DM61rt. SOTA W5T-Texas Association Manager. ? ? ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Bruce Pea via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 4:57 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [qfox] Xiegu G90? Great post Mike! Thanks for sharing your experience, I enjoyed reading your comments.? Bruce, N9WKE?
On Apr 29, 2025, at 9:31?PM, Mike Olbrisch <mike-2025@...> wrote:
? OK – here is the full 100% story.
I built the W5-SOTA program in 2009.? But I did plenty of portable long before SOTA, long before NPOTA and POTA.? I was a professional soldier from 1975 to 1995.? I have carried ham gear in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa and central/south America.? Often my ham gear was a link to home for my troopers, but often enough it was just a hobby as well.
About 2008 I picked up a Yaesu FT-817ND.? I did all the W4RT mods – including both Collins SSB and CW filters, the speech processor and the BHI-DSP.? It was and still is a mighty fine portable QRP radio.
When the Elecraft KX3 was first announced, I was ready to buy in.? But as the details came out it became less enticing.? Only 160m – 6m.? The howl from my friends in Europe where VHF/UHF mountain-topping is a thing got their attention I guess, because Elecraft announced a rather anemic 2m transverter board, at like 2.5-watts.? At the same time a German engineer did it better and at a full 5-watts.? So the KX3 sold some in Europe with the German board as an accessory.? I got to play with one and decided to keep the FT-817ND. ?What I notices was the Elecraft cabinet feels real cheesy, I guess that is how they get the weight down.? But the real surprise was the after-market protection panels and the accessory heat-sink that many say is necessary if you run the radio at full power.? Elecraft could have at least put a proper heat sink on it even if that did make it heavier than the FT-817ND.? You can research that – those parts are still available.
Needing a new home radio, I picked up a Yaesu FTdx5000MP.? At the time it was the finest receiver I had ever used, and it got me name a pelt cranked down to 5-watts.? From 2012 to 2023 I was happy with the 5000.? But about 2022, just before our annual trip to visit the in-laws in Germany, I picked up an Icom IC-705 for my SOTA/POTA activities with my nephew DJ5KC.? It was lighter and more capable than the FT-817ND.
Back home one Sunday evening on the local 2m-SSB net I was running that little IC-705 at 10-watt-SSB on 2m.? And I got a call from a ham up the valley.? He said it was the BEST EVER sounding radio I have put on the air on any band, and to use this radio all the time.? So the IC-705 stayed in the shack instead of going back into the backpack.? And that got very expensive!? Because I discovered that the IC-705 had a better receiver than the FTdx5000MP!? Its only flaw was that it was QRP.? Well, I was due a new radio at home, so the FTdx5000MP was handed down to my daughter in trade for house-sitting our Great Danes when we travel….. and I got a new Icom IC-7610 to replace the 5000.? The 7610 and 705 share a lot of common settings and it was easy to get the 7610 sounding as good as the 705 on all bands.
The IC-705, coupled with the AH-705 auto-tuner is by far the finest and most versatile portable rig I have owned or used to date.? And I’m fortunate and blessed that I can afford this stuff!? With our area being active in SOTA and POTA, I get to see a lot of radios.? Presently, there is nothing out there I would give up the IC-705 for.? Here is a look at my backpack.? I can hike to a summit and make contacts on every band 160m through 23cm.? The 1.25m and 70cm are FM only……. Everything else is all-modes.? Since 2023 this gear has made thousands of contacts in 10-states and 11-countries.? In all my travels I have only lost one battery.? BTW – the gray telescoping mast is 34-inches packed, 38-ft when extended.? It makes a great Inverted-L with a couple of radials.
QUESTIONS: ?????
? ? PS.. that IC-705 is an awesome looking radio!? I don't have anything near that league currently, just my older Icoms and a Yaesu 1000MP.. I love all those radios and the Japanese sure make some fine rigs..? ?not sure why I'm entertaining a G90 again, I've talked myself out of it a few times.. hi? 72, W0JOE??
|
I own a G90, and really enjoy the rig.? ?The 20 watts seems to get out well, and audio reports are positive.? I own a number of different rigs including a FT891, 991A, and FTdx10.? ?The receive capability of the G90 does not reach the level of the FTdx10, but
clearly beats the FT891 and FT991A.?
I own a number of 5-watt radios, and I clearly feel the impact of the reduce power with those radios.? However, with the G90's 20 watts, I don't feel that I am missing out on much.? This is obviously subjective, but the 20 watts seems to be a sweet spot for
a portable radio, balancing power need and consumption with the ability to be heard.
There is one aspect that I would have liked to have known before I purchased mine.? The radio does not work great in a RF crowded environment.? I do POTA activations with two other gentlemen.? ?We work 20, 15 and 10m and separate our antennas by 50 to 100 yards.?
Even with the use of a band pass filter, I get interference from one of my partners when I use the G90.? However, the FT891 works without issues in the same setup.??
I enjoy the G90 so much so that it is my go-to rig when I go out solo.? However, I fall back to the FT891 when I have friends join me in the parks.??
Regards,
Wilson (NT5AT)
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Show quoted text
Hello, quick off topic question now that winter fox season is done... anyone out there have a Xiegu G90?? I've
been thinking about ordering one before they start going up in price (noticed it already a bit) but not sure?
about it..? any thoughts and we can go direct if not allowed on the fox list..?
72, W0JOE
|
Great post Mike! Thanks for sharing your experience, I enjoyed reading your comments.?
72,
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Show quoted text
On Apr 29, 2025, at 9:31?PM, Mike Olbrisch <mike-2025@...> wrote:
? OK – here is the full 100% story.
I built the W5-SOTA program in 2009.? But I did plenty of portable long before SOTA, long before NPOTA and POTA.? I was a professional soldier from 1975 to 1995.? I have carried ham gear in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa and central/south America.? Often my ham gear was a link to home for my troopers, but often enough it was just a hobby as well.
About 2008 I picked up a Yaesu FT-817ND.? I did all the W4RT mods – including both Collins SSB and CW filters, the speech processor and the BHI-DSP.? It was and still is a mighty fine portable QRP radio.
When the Elecraft KX3 was first announced, I was ready to buy in.? But as the details came out it became less enticing.? Only 160m – 6m.? The howl from my friends in Europe where VHF/UHF mountain-topping is a thing got their attention I guess, because Elecraft announced a rather anemic 2m transverter board, at like 2.5-watts.? At the same time a German engineer did it better and at a full 5-watts.? So the KX3 sold some in Europe with the German board as an accessory.? I got to play with one and decided to keep the FT-817ND. ?What I notices was the Elecraft cabinet feels real cheesy, I guess that is how they get the weight down.? But the real surprise was the after-market protection panels and the accessory heat-sink that many say is necessary if you run the radio at full power.? Elecraft could have at least put a proper heat sink on it even if that did make it heavier than the FT-817ND.? You can research that – those parts are still available.
Needing a new home radio, I picked up a Yaesu FTdx5000MP.? At the time it was the finest receiver I had ever used, and it got me name a pelt cranked down to 5-watts.? From 2012 to 2023 I was happy with the 5000.? But about 2022, just before our annual trip to visit the in-laws in Germany, I picked up an Icom IC-705 for my SOTA/POTA activities with my nephew DJ5KC.? It was lighter and more capable than the FT-817ND.
Back home one Sunday evening on the local 2m-SSB net I was running that little IC-705 at 10-watt-SSB on 2m.? And I got a call from a ham up the valley.? He said it was the BEST EVER sounding radio I have put on the air on any band, and to use this radio all the time.? So the IC-705 stayed in the shack instead of going back into the backpack.? And that got very expensive!? Because I discovered that the IC-705 had a better receiver than the FTdx5000MP!? Its only flaw was that it was QRP.? Well, I was due a new radio at home, so the FTdx5000MP was handed down to my daughter in trade for house-sitting our Great Danes when we travel….. and I got a new Icom IC-7610 to replace the 5000.? The 7610 and 705 share a lot of common settings and it was easy to get the 7610 sounding as good as the 705 on all bands.
The IC-705, coupled with the AH-705 auto-tuner is by far the finest and most versatile portable rig I have owned or used to date.? And I’m fortunate and blessed that I can afford this stuff!? With our area being active in SOTA and POTA, I get to see a lot of radios.? Presently, there is nothing out there I would give up the IC-705 for.? Here is a look at my backpack.? I can hike to a summit and make contacts on every band 160m through 23cm.? The 1.25m and 70cm are FM only……. Everything else is all-modes.? Since 2023 this gear has made thousands of contacts in 10-states and 11-countries.? In all my travels I have only lost one battery.? BTW – the gray telescoping mast is 34-inches packed, 38-ft when extended.? It makes a great Inverted-L with a couple of radials.
<image002.jpg> QUESTIONS: ?????? ? PS.. that IC-705 is an awesome looking radio!? I don't have anything near that league currently, just my older Icoms and a Yaesu 1000MP.. I love all those radios and the Japanese sure make some fine rigs..? ?not sure why I'm entertaining a G90 again, I've talked myself out of it a few times.. hi? 72, W0JOE??
|
OK – here is the full 100% story.
I built the W5-SOTA program in 2009.? But I did plenty of portable long before SOTA, long before NPOTA and POTA.? I was a professional soldier from 1975 to 1995.? I have carried ham gear in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa and central/south America.? Often my ham gear was a link to home for my troopers, but often enough it was just a hobby as well.
About 2008 I picked up a Yaesu FT-817ND.? I did all the W4RT mods – including both Collins SSB and CW filters, the speech processor and the BHI-DSP.? It was and still is a mighty fine portable QRP radio.
When the Elecraft KX3 was first announced, I was ready to buy in.? But as the details came out it became less enticing.? Only 160m – 6m.? The howl from my friends in Europe where VHF/UHF mountain-topping is a thing got their attention I guess, because Elecraft announced a rather anemic 2m transverter board, at like 2.5-watts.? At the same time a German engineer did it better and at a full 5-watts.? So the KX3 sold some in Europe with the German board as an accessory.? I got to play with one and decided to keep the FT-817ND. ?What I notices was the Elecraft cabinet feels real cheesy, I guess that is how they get the weight down.? But the real surprise was the after-market protection panels and the accessory heat-sink that many say is necessary if you run the radio at full power.? Elecraft could have at least put a proper heat sink on it even if that did make it heavier than the FT-817ND.? You can research that – those parts are still available.
Needing a new home radio, I picked up a Yaesu FTdx5000MP.? At the time it was the finest receiver I had ever used, and it got me name a pelt cranked down to 5-watts.? From 2012 to 2023 I was happy with the 5000.? But about 2022, just before our annual trip to visit the in-laws in Germany, I picked up an Icom IC-705 for my SOTA/POTA activities with my nephew DJ5KC.? It was lighter and more capable than the FT-817ND.
Back home one Sunday evening on the local 2m-SSB net I was running that little IC-705 at 10-watt-SSB on 2m.? And I got a call from a ham up the valley.? He said it was the BEST EVER sounding radio I have put on the air on any band, and to use this radio all the time.? So the IC-705 stayed in the shack instead of going back into the backpack.? And that got very expensive!? Because I discovered that the IC-705 had a better receiver than the FTdx5000MP!? Its only flaw was that it was QRP.? Well, I was due a new radio at home, so the FTdx5000MP was handed down to my daughter in trade for house-sitting our Great Danes when we travel….. and I got a new Icom IC-7610 to replace the 5000.? The 7610 and 705 share a lot of common settings and it was easy to get the 7610 sounding as good as the 705 on all bands.
The IC-705, coupled with the AH-705 auto-tuner is by far the finest and most versatile portable rig I have owned or used to date.? And I’m fortunate and blessed that I can afford this stuff!? With our area being active in SOTA and POTA, I get to see a lot of radios.? Presently, there is nothing out there I would give up the IC-705 for.? Here is a look at my backpack.? I can hike to a summit and make contacts on every band 160m through 23cm.? The 1.25m and 70cm are FM only……. Everything else is all-modes.? Since 2023 this gear has made thousands of contacts in 10-states and 11-countries.? In all my travels I have only lost one battery.? BTW – the gray telescoping mast is 34-inches packed, 38-ft when extended.? It makes a great Inverted-L with a couple of radials.
QUESTIONS: ????? ?
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Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Moris Kod via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 19:56 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [qfox] Xiegu G90? PS.. that IC-705 is an awesome looking radio!? I don't have anything near that league currently, just my older Icoms and a Yaesu 1000MP.. I love all those radios and the Japanese sure make some fine rigs..? ?not sure why I'm entertaining a G90 again, I've talked myself out of it a few times.. hi? 72, W0JOE??
|
? Just my opinion but you can’t beat an Elecraft KX2. Small, self contained with battery and wide range ATU. ?Yes, it’s $$ but built in USA and supported by the designer and an avid user community. Mine has several Fox pelts to its credit. Worth a consideration at least.?
72, Brian, K0DTJ
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On Apr 29, 2025, at 17:29, Moris Kod via groups.io <moriskod@...> wrote:
? Hello, quick off topic question now that winter fox season is done... anyone out there have a Xiegu G90?? I've
been thinking about ordering one before they start going up in price (noticed it already a bit) but not sure?
about it..? any thoughts and we can go direct if not allowed on the fox list..?
72, W0JOE
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PS.. that IC-705 is an awesome looking radio!? I don't have anything near that league currently, just my older Icoms and a Yaesu 1000MP.. I love all those radios and the Japanese sure make some fine rigs..? ?not sure why I'm entertaining a G90 again, I've talked myself out of it a few times.. hi? 72, W0JOE??
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Yes, I've seen were quality isn't consistent with the G90.. that is a bit worrisome.? Thanks for your thoughts!
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JMHO – I’ll take a nice Japanese IC-705 before I get a chinese anything.? And FWIW, there are a lot of the G90s on POTA.? Some swear by them, and some swear at them.? Pretty much the same quality as the MAT tuners; if you get a good one it is fine.? If you get a bad one you’ll play hell getting tech support. ? Again – JMHO.? The one G90 I tried was not inspiring.? In fact, I wouldn’t trade my 15 y/o FT-817ND with the Collins SSB and CW filters for a G90. ? ? Vy73 ?– ?Mike ?– ?KD5KC – WRFF851 – ?El Paso – Texas ?– ?DM61rt. ? SOTA W5T-Texas Association Manager. ? The canyons are calling, colorful and deep. ?But I have promises to keep. And miles to go still in my Jeep...? ?And miles to go still in my Jeep... ? 
? ADVENTURE: ?The respectful pursuit of trouble.? ? An EXIT is really an ENTRANCE to someplace new. ? It isn’t an ADVENTURE until something goes wrong! ? ? ? ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Moris Kod via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 18:30 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [qfox] Xiegu G90? Hello, quick off topic question now that winter fox season is done... anyone out there have a Xiegu G90?? I've been thinking about ordering one before they start going up in price (noticed it already a bit) but not sure? about it..? any thoughts and we can go direct if not allowed on the fox list..?
|
Hello, quick off topic question now that winter fox season is done... anyone out there have a Xiegu G90?? I've
been thinking about ordering one before they start going up in price (noticed it already a bit) but not sure?
about it..? any thoughts and we can go direct if not allowed on the fox list..?
72, W0JOE
|
Re: K0DTJ Log for the FoxStravaganza
Hi John. Thanks for the contact! I lost the email where you posted the call you would be using and was hoping to find you. Seventy in the log here; fun event as usual.
73,
Brian, K0DTJ
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On Apr 28, 2025, at 06:18, John Laney via groups.io <k4bai@...> wrote:
?Hi Brian: Thanks for the W4AN/M QSO. 73, John.
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Re: K0DTJ Log for the FoxStravaganza
Hi Brian:? Thanks for the W4AN/M QSO.? 73, John.
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On 4/25/2025 3:20 PM, Brian K0DTJ via groups.io wrote: Hi John,
Thanks for your comments. The hunt started almost two hours before sunset here so absorption was still pretty high and my noise was low. My inverted V doublet doesn’t put much RF at the low elevation needed to reach the east coast as I found out during the winter season. I’m thinking of trying a vertical next year.
I’ll be playing in the FQP a little this weekend and hope to work you then.
GL & 73,
Brian, K0DTJ
On Apr 25, 2025, at 05:35, John Laney via groups.io <k4bai@...> wrote:
?Very sorry I didn't hear you last night Brian. Nice to know you could hear me. I heard noone west of CO. And if I couldn't hear W9CF, the conditions were truly bad. Will post my log in about an hour. 73/72, John, K4BAI.
On 4/24/2025 11:07 PM, Brian K0DTJ via groups.io wrote:
Let me try again ....
Pretty bleak from the west coast but about what I expected. Worked 3 and heard three others. Worked:
NK6A 0104 599/559 CA Don 5w
W9CF 0106 559/559 AZ Kevin 5w
KR0U 0136 559/339 CO Tim 5w
Heard NO2D, WC7S and K4BAI but no joy calling them.
Also was called QRO by W6JTI Frank CA. Asked him to QRP to 5w and he did. I explained what the "FOX" was all about and he said he'd check it out so maybe he will join us on 20 this summer.
72,
Brian, K0DTJ
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Mike Olbrisch
Dave Price
Bruce Pea