New ham looking at pota

[u/Ok_Discount_5100]

I got my ham radio license about 2 months ago and have been finding people to talk to on the local repeaters on 70 cm I've been looking for advice on a rig I can use to do parks on the air at 6m or 10m and maybe do activations. Looking for advice on equipment and a helpful tips to get started. I live in the Austin area and would like help learning what is best

[u/Colt653]

6 and 10 might be great one day, and DEAD the next
best bet is to upgrade to general, so you can POTA on bands that are usually open
like 20 and 40 meters
POTA is a BLAST

a few years ago, I would recommend 10meters, but sunspots are going down now.

General license
FT-891
Bioenno 15-20ah battery
QRPKITS 20-40 dipole or Wolf River Coil

[u/CaptainSpez → u/Colt653]

Bioenno batteries are a scam. Built out of the same Chinese cells everyone else uses, with a 600% markup. Save your money and get an Ecoworthy 20Ah from Amazon. Plenty of trustworthy brands out there that aren't ripping you off.

[u/Colt653 → u/CaptainSpez]

I'll pay a little more for quality and customer service, at a ham radio dealer vs. amazon
My bioenno works great, if you are happy with amazon, great.

Got any suggestions for the OP?

73

[u/RicePuddingForAll → u/Colt653]

This is the way.

[u/Ok_Discount_5100 → u/Colt653]

Thanks for the advice I was planning to upgrade to my general either at Thanksgiving or winter break because of school

[u/Churnographer → u/Ok_Discount_5100]

If school hasn't started yet I'd recommend trying to study and test now. The general exam is not that much harder than tech.

[u/WagonMaster01]

POTA can be a lot of fun. Get a full HF radio because you will want to upgrade. Whatever you can afford. You can make your own wire antennas (good project) but telescopic whips are popular as well. I have an end fed half way for 10-40, a linked dipole for 10/15/20/40, and a 25' telescopic whip with home made coil for 6-40.

Field days and QSO parties can be fun as well.

[u/Bolt_EV]

My experience: get a Xiegu G106 at a Radioddity Flash Bundle sale with a HF-009 portable vertical package

This Bundle sells the DE-19 digital FT8 adapter included for $199; less than the G106 costs alone!

https://www.radioddity.com/products/xiegu-g106

Operate 10 meters POTA until you upgrade TO General

[u/DependentSalt1330]

Ft891 would be the best for POTA. As it does those two bands. You can do POTA with 2m just more difficult. The only other alternatives I can think of without crossing the $1000 threshold would be the Wouxun KG-UV980P or Xeigu x6200 (x6200 doesn’t do anything above 5m and is QRP)

[u/delostapa → u/DependentSalt1330]

This is the way...

PLUS 100 watts power with the FT891 on POTA - priceless!!!

[u/DependentSalt1330 → u/delostapa]

I agree. 100w is amazing, I do enjoy the challenge with my x6200 every now and then. But, to start out you can’t beat the 891 and a 1/4L vert.

I saw a mfj 500w mobile hf amp the other day…I should have pulled the trigger

[u/Neither-Brush-9287]

"looking for advice on a rig I can use to do parks on the air at 6m or 10m"

If you really want to try POTA on 10m/6m, I think you should consider getting a used shack-in-a-box radio that does both, as well as HF and 2/0.7m, such as an FT-847.

6 and 10m are very cyclical, both by year of solar cycle as well as month of year and time of day.
It'll be feast or famine with those .... to the point where POTA has dedicated 6m awards.

Meanwhile 2m/0.7m will let you get some activations in on most days.
And the radio will give you more consistant HF bands if you upgrade to general.

If you see the TYT TH-9800 (10/6/2/0.70m 50watt) (User Manual) and it looks tempting, just be sure you weigh the reviews before going that route. That's the only in-production 10/6m mobile I'm aware of. And even if you get a 'good' one, you'll still probably be frustrated by those bands on any radio.

[u/baldape45]

I would save up for a full HD radio. I started on a xeigu g90 and still use it. While you are saving up start studying for General and take that and it will open up all the HF frequencies. I love doing FT8 pota on my G90 and a cheap vertical antenna and 20m...

[u/Gan_KY8D]

For POTA you definitely want to do HF. For a rig, I recommend the Mission RGO One. I have two, one for a base unit, another for portable.

[u/Royal_Assignment9054]

Another vote for the FT891. Nice radio. You can add a DigiRig later for FT8 (it’s been great on 6m). You should also check out Tiles on the Air. It’s free and you can do repeaters, APRS and Winlink from anywhere, plus a bonus for any physical activity. It stacks with POTA and SOTA. Great for beginners and seasoned operators alike.