I’ve always been a big fan of 40 meters. I love the regional aspect of its coverage and it offers DX opportunities when the conditions are right. Putting a good 40 meter antenna on the air also isn’t overwhelmingly difficult. Back last year when I bought my first Chameleon SS25 whip, I instantly saw the 40 meter possibilities of it, which led me to pull out my old Wolf River SB1000 coil to put it on the air. Which led me down another rabbit hole.
Wanting the convenience of the Sporty Forty coil for my SS25, I built my own version. It worked great. But ever since I made that video about building your own coil for the 25 foot whip, I received emails from individuals wondering if I would build coils for them. As enticing as that would sound, I unfortunately didn’t have the bandwidth to add that into my list of all that I do.
Fortunately, Chameleon Antennas came to the rescue and released their version of a 40 meter coil for the SS25 whip. Called the M25 Coil, this coil provides just right amount of loading to fully extend your 25 foot whip for the 40 meter band. That’s the subject of this week’s video: EXPAND your 40 meter ham radio coverage with this simple add-on https://youtu.be/McsKxX-nHkM
So now you have two options, you can follow my video and build your own 40 meter coil, or if you don’t have the time, tools, or inclination to make your own, you can buy one off the shelf. Both options work great and I won’t judge.
Yaesu FT-891
This last week I posted an excerpt from our September Livestream about the Yaesu FT-891. A viewer wanted to know if this transceiver was still relevant now in 2025.
That’s a great question and one that needs to be asked, considering that Yaesu introduced their FTX-1, a combination QRP transceiver with 100 watt add-on module. And icom announcing their upgrade to the IC-7300.
While the FTX-1 does a lot more than the Ft-891, you can buy three 891s for the price of a single FTX-1 Optima setup. I think newly announced IC-7300MkII may give the 891 a run for the money. The IC-7300 is a favorite POTA rig, although not as portable at the FT-891 and the announcement of the new model will drive 7300 prices down. It’s interesting that both rigs are 10 years old and their core technology has held on this long without much need for upgrade.
Suffice to say, the FT-891 is loaded with features and is at a price point that no one is currently touching. As long as critical parts are still available (we’ve seen other great transceiver be discontinued because certain power transistors were no longer made), I think that rig will still have a long and profitable life.
Finishing up
The 3rd annual Wisconsin Ham Radio Campout is just a few weeks away. This year we will be at Buckhorn State Park near Necedah, WI October 3-5. If you are looking to attend, but haven’t been able to get a campsite, I’ve seen a few cancellations open up sites this week. You can make a reservation at Wisconsin.goingtocamp.com I also encourage you, if you are interested in the event, to join our email group: https://groups.io/g/WI-Hamradio-Campout This is how all information is shared for the campout.
Wisconsin POTA, or WIPOTA is this weekend. This operating event is an annual celebration of Wisconsin Parks on the Air and will be Saturday September 20 from 11am to 6pm central time. Dave and I are camping at Lake Wissota State Park US-1460 and will be on the air for the entirety of the event using the special event callsign W9P. I think it’s gonna be a great weekend.
I hope to catch you on the air soon
MichaelKB9VBR
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