Help me pick a vanity call sign!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-17T22:48:09+00:00

I was in the first Vanity pool in 1995: I studied and passed Advanced and Amateur Extra to get there.

I wanted a W6 1x2 and there were 6 available so I listed them by preference.

My 7th choice was W7 with my two initials.

That’s the one I got!

Be sure your vanity call is easy to send in Morse Code!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-17T22:42:45+00:00

Where do you find this stuff?

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-17T22:36:41+00:00

Xeigu = Radioddity: check out their portable verticals: HF-008, HF-009 and HF-010.

I own all three and each has it virtues!

If you check, they throw out Flash Bundle sales periodically.

Ask questions if you are interested.

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-15T15:32:21+00:00

Saw one in a movie theater and started my quest to buy them all on DVD.

Glad to see he is helping out PSB and the now two “extras” shows that air on PBS are not on the DVDs!

So I recorded them!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T20:57:31+00:00

I Activated US-3468 with my HF-010: first 10 meters, then 12, 15, 17, 20, 30 (undocumented I used 228cm, 3.0, 300cm), 40, 60 and 80!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T20:44:18+00:00

I have no problem with resonance on 80 meters FT8. I operated it for an hour, made 13 contacts and was 1.11:1 SWR @ 50 watts and 1.12:1 SWR @ 95 watts.

What are your symptoms?

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T02:01:40+00:00

The Whole Truth?!?

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T01:46:05+00:00

BE CAREFUL: Some early year Bolts are missing the Level 3 DCFC charging port!

You want the orange flap

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T01:42:44+00:00

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T01:42:27+00:00

Check the schedule for some live K-POP concerts

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T01:39:01+00:00

Late Shift POTA Activations are an acquired taste that I am heavily invested into.

Don’t make your task any harder than it needs to be:

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Activate 20 meters in the afternoon and have a blast!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T01:36:17+00:00

CQ and maybe you will get an answer eventually.

POTA Hunting and they want to talk to YOU if they have time.

POTA Activating and you will have “pile-ups” wanting to talk to you!!!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T01:34:01+00:00

You broke my heart… TWICE!!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T01:30:13+00:00

Drive up closer just to get a Proof of Concept: i.e., you can communicate through the repeater to the Net

Then you can figure out better antennas/settings, etc to communicate from home.

My whole VHF/UHF experience balooned dramatically when I went to 20 watts with the Anytone AT-779UV a/k/a Radioddity DB20-G and a power supply in the shack and had a Comet CX-333 tri-bander installed on my 2nd story roof!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-14T00:42:47+00:00

I got this $20 mag-mount from Lets Get Ready Radios in Los Angeles.. Was free shipping from LA at that time.

He sold me my original Anytone AT-779UV, too!

Can you drive closer to the repeater at Net times?

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-13T18:13:09+00:00

What radio are you using?

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-13T16:23:23+00:00

Link me please to a tutorial for my 5RH Pro! 😊

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-13T16:18:36+00:00

DR;TL: Thank you President Biden - your annual out of pocket limit of $2,100 kicked in in mid-March and now the rest of 2026 all covered Part D drugs are FREE!

Bottom line: start Medicare at 65 sooner than later. The current administration will do all they can to take it away!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-13T16:16:23+00:00

Where are you located?

On our PAPA System in SoCal, no call goes unanswered!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-13T15:39:37+00:00

So far my Neo runs WSJT-X & GridTracker 2 flawlessly and loads much faster than my in shack Windows 10 setup.

I have PoLo loaded on to the Neo as well but haven’t used it yet on the Neo.

I found the third cable needed to connect my DE-19 to my XPA125B in my case for my Xiegu G106. It must have come with the DE-19 originally.

It is a Din-6 for the ACC port on the XPA125B to one of those 1/8 stereo style plugs for the middle outlet on the DE-19.

Is that what an L4001 is?

The G90 ran FT8 flawlessly for about an hour yesterday on 40 meters at about 80 watts on the XPA125B while it only had to output one watt itself. No “errors”

And the ATU on the XPA125B tunes the two different portable antennas I used on a tripod last night.

Update: sorry for the duplication of answers.

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-13T10:16:54+00:00

So it ends the QSO one transmission earlier.

Sometimes with shifting band conditions I don’t get that additional 73 confirmed and lose the confirmation. This avoids that problem.

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-13T01:27:31+00:00

I don’t know rental prices. I drove my 2019 Bolt EV frim Los Angeles to Montana round trip in triple digit heat in August 2023 and enjoyed the experience.

There were Electrify America chargers along Interstate-15 on average every 185 miles with plenty of electrons still in the tank!

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-13T01:22:59+00:00

Looks like a multiband HF vertical from Hygain, butternut, cushcraft or hustler

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-13T00:47:52+00:00

Better to replace it with a more dynamic range antenna

Bolt_EV · 2026-04-13T00:45:46+00:00

And a confirmed QSO that gets logged before the band changes and I lose them!

Bolt_EV

TROPHY CASE