By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM
I had intended to travel light; I really did . . . but I betrayed my best intentions.
Instead of a “minimal” radio go-bag, I had stuffed a small cross-body bag with: a ham radio handi-talkie (a Yaesu VX-6R) with high-performance antenna, extra batteries for the handi-talkie, a car plug-in adaptor for the handi-talkie, a scanner (Uniden 436) with high-performance antenna, extra batteries for the scanner, a CCrane Skywave SSB, and a CCrane CC Buds Solo In-Ear Single Earbud.
But when I got near the shore of Lake Ontario, what did I actually use . . . what gear brought me the most radio joy? The CCrane Skywave SSB and the Solo Earbud. In particular, during the early morning hours with sweltering heat, epic humidity, and threatening severe thunderstorms, I found myself happily listening to a trio of NOAA weather radio stations, one of which included a marine forecast for Lake Ontario, and all of which helped us to plan our activities.
Then, at 2130Z, on June 21, I took a crack at hearing the 2024 BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica. Here’s my report:
Listening from Sodus, NY, near the shores of Lake Ontario, on a barefoot CCrane Skywave SSB, AM mode (tried SSB, it didn’t help). No recording.
9585, 9870 — heard nothing.
11,685 — very difficult copy, surging static. Could hear male and female voices but couldn’t discern what they were saying, occasional music (?)
Around 2140 — child’s voice saying “we miss you.”
Music at end.
So would it have been easier to copy the Midwinter Broadcast with my Big Gun SW receiver and the 50-foot horizontal room loop? Of course.
Was it fun to try anyway with a shirt-pocket-sized radio and a dinky whip antenna? Absolutely.
Sometimes traveling light delivers fun despite its limitations.
For some traveling light is the only option since not all can afford the extra gear. That’s my case: I always carry my PL-310ET and thats it. The only thing maybe worth considering, is getting a simple longwire antenna 4 to 8mts long that you can just throw into that light kitwhich in theory will give more joys to radio listening 🙂
Have a great weekend! 73s
DXPedro,
Enjoy your radio adventures . . . traveling light!
Cheers, Jock
For an even more compact solution when simply out-and, one might consider an affordable UV-K5(99) 144/440 handheld with the Si4732-A10 HF mod board and aftermarket firmware.
More details about the HF V2 mod board:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARlpLA-wjpQ
It is hardly a high-end solution as either a handheld or a receiver, so be realistic about performance. It is a $25 amateur handheld, $10 mod board, and $5 telescoping antenna. That is not bad for a casual HF listening solution if already used to carrying around a HT anyway.
Robert,
As Arte Johnson used to say on Laugh In: “Verrrrry interesting.”
Cheers, Jock
Hi Jock,
I have the same problem when I travel – what radio and how many extra items to carry. Looks like you have a nice setup there for minimum traveling.
But if you really wanted to go minimum, you could just take the Yaesu VX-6, some length of wire, a sma connector to connect the wire to the VX-6. I have found that the VX-6 has a fairly hot receiver on most bands. You get almost all the frequencies you’d ever wish to listen to. With a little time pre-programming it you can place the different frequency types in different banks. Then just select the bank and scan. I have many shortwave stations in one bank, a weather bank, a marine bank, a grms bank, an air band bank, etc.
Of course, you won’t have USB/LSB and the audio may not be the best. but it is certainly lightweight.
The last few trips I just took the VX-6 and the little Tecsun PL-330. Worked great.
73
Bill WD9EQD
Smithville, NJ
Bill,
You’re right; I “kind of” forgot that the VX-6R has some pretty decent shortwave receive capability, plus a lot of other goodies.
Thanks, as always, for your thoughtful comments.
Cheers, Jock
Hi Jock,
Nice post. You captured the most important part of the Midwinter Broadcast – everything else would have just been icing on the cake, as they say. Cheers!
Robert,
“You captured the most important part of the Midwinter Broadcast – everything else would have just been icing on the cake”
I heard most of the Midwinter Broadcast last year, and the personal messages just grab the heart.
Cheers, Jock
Hi Jock,
I too would have picked the CCrane Skywave SSB for the road trip. Maybe just pack a 15’ or 20’ length of AWG 22 to stretch along the shore of Lake Ontario. I was all set to try for the BBC transmission, but the grandkids decided to take us to IHOP at the appointed time.
As for the Uniden 436, I gave that to my son a year or so ago, told him to sell it on eBay for whatever he could get and take his wife out to lunch. I enjoyed it for a couple of years, but the rapid-fire technology changes got to the point where the local services were impossible to track. I can’t imagine trying to relax and program it on-the-fly on a vacation trip. The once popular 436 group on groups.io has only had 11 postings this year.
Bob
Bob,
Yes, a few yards of wire might have made a big difference. Where to hang it in my sister-in-law’s living room, however, might be another issue . . . (grin)
I brought the 436 because I was hoping to hear loads of marine traffic, but didn’t.
Nevertheless, the Skywave SSB delivered needed info from NOAA weather radio and a touching moment from the Midwinter Broadcast. Sometimes, it’s just fun to try.
Cheers, Jock
Nice, magical to pick up the voices and hear “we miss you”.
Frans,
For me, that’s part of the magic of radio . . . you never know what you might hear.
Cheers, Jock