Monday, 28 August 2017

Midland 4001 - Rig Review

Rig Review


Midland 4001

The Midland 4001 is equipped with a range of features including Mic Gain and RF Gain as well as a number of switch controls.  Our speciman performed really well and was a pleasure to use.

As with the other cb radios in the Precision range, it has a high degree of build quality and much like the other radios in the Precision range, comes with the dark blue and elephant grey finish and distinctive green LED channel display which is found on all Midland CB Radios


Type          40 Channel FM
Design       8/10
Price          7/10
Usability    9/10


Overall    24/30

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Midland 4001




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Monday, 21 August 2017

DX Activation Plans - Part Eight


DX Activation Plans

Part 8

Overnight Camping


Camping comes in many shapes and forms and can be as minimal or as luxurious as you desire.   For some a heavy Bivvy bag and a tarp is enough for an overnighter while ag the other end of the scale you can bring as much equipment as your veichle can carry and generally speaking the more equipment you can carry has some corolation as to your degree of comfort. 

Camping allows you to consider DX locations that are further away from home without the need of having to return at the end of the day. 

So when considering a Sunday DX. One alternative would be to spend the Saturday traveling to the general region of your chosen DX spot, camping overnight and then travelling to the now nearby DX spot (which might still take a good distance to get to.) in time for the kick off of a net.

The kit you bring for an overnighter will ultimately depend on the amount and weight of kit you will specifically carry and different set ups are preferred for either a lightweight set up, a bigger rucksack and extra kit) or a full set of equipment when camping close to your car.












Lightweight set up

With a tarp and a groundsheet you would have enough to provide a decent enough overnight shelter particularly in the summer. The addition of a lightweight sleeping bag alongside the general stuff you would have in your standard day bag would allow a day out to an overnighter. 
When thinking about wild camping a smaller, lighter more stealthy set up would normally be preferred














Tents

I own 5 tents in all, 1 one man, 1 two man tent, 1 4 man tent and a huge family tent which can hold at least 4 with ample living space and pretty much all mod cons.  With all of the camping kit we own we can quite easily camp for a week when needed.

The one man tent is also good for DX trips because of its small size but I tend to take a two men tent when I camp as I generally would overnight near my car.











All mod cons

If you where planning to stay for two or three nights you will need a good amount of time xtra equipment which is less of a problem when camping close to your car. 

Additional items like camp beds. Folding tables, larger water containers and other types of camping furniture can be accommodated when car camping.  This too helps to extend the amount of time you my wish to go camping. 




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Sunday, 13 August 2017

Hawk FM-4000 - Rig Review

Rig Review


 

Hawk FM-4000

I had never heard of the Hawk FM-4000 until I bought one to review.  It was in pretty good order for its age and comes with a reasonable amount of features including Delta Tune.

It had a reasonable build quality but looks like a pretty cheap model.  It does however come with a number of the features that generally comes with higher end rigs.  The design also might be considered not standard since it has the signal meter in the middle of the rig.


Type          40 Channel FM
Design       6/10
Price          6/10
Usability    8/10


Overall    20/30

You Tube Video

Hawk FM-4000




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Sunday, 6 August 2017

DX Activation Plans - Part Seven


DX Activation Plans

Part 7

Shelters

Second only to the radio kit itself, the most important piece of kit to carry when out doing a DX Activation is a shelter of some kind. As you may be some distance from any form of man made cover and you will need to protect both your self and your radio equipment from wind, rain or sun a shelter of some kind is essential.

With your pack already laden down with your radio equipment and other types of kit different options around packing some kind of shelter are possible.













Basha/Tarpaulin

The most lightweight and compact shelter system is most likely to be a similar tarpaulin.  Favoured by military personnel around the world, a single waterproof sheet can be erected in a number of different configurations for different weather requirements.  They can be packed down into a very small space and will add very little to your overall pack weight.
















Polish Lavvu

Another popular choice for temporary shelters is the polish lavvu. Used originally by the Polish Army these shelters can be created by combining two army ponchos. 

Constructed from a heavy duty canvas material the polish lavvu comes in at some considerable extra weight when co pared to the army basha but has the added benefit of bring completely self supporting thanks to the collapsable pole which comes with it. 

This means that there is no need to carry additional poles, cordage or bungees which are required for some basha configurations. 

The power lush lavvu creates a fully enclosed shelter which does a great job at shielding you from wind and rain and could be a useful alternative to a tent in some situations.
















One Person Tent

There are single skin tents that are really cheap nowadays.  There are also super lightweight one man tents which although more expensive can provide good cover for either a temporary shelter or an overnight camp.

A single skin tent has no flysheet and so is easy to erect and because of the lack of extra sheets and poles can be fairly compact and light in weight.  So where weight and bulk are important factors when considering what to carry in a backpack.

A small tent can be relatively water tight and provide a fully enclosed compartment which can be ideal for shelter in moderately heavy winds and rain and can provide good shelter for you and your radio equipment in heavier weather.




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