[ADXA] Somewhat Off Topic Question on Recumbent Bikes and Potential for DX radio

Wed Aug 18 14:42:54 EDT 2021

Scott,

I’ll reply to the group in case anyone else is interested..

I used to ride a lot, almost entirely on trails.  I had a Trek bike with a large frame and I would occasionally take a QRP rig out into the far reaches of a park and work CW.  I did this a couple of times during NPOTA in 2016 and other times.  I would also sometimes carry a collapsible fishing pole and small tackle box.  As I aged, it got harder to throw my leg over the bar of the bike and I had to take off the carrier rack on the back so I could get my leg over that way.  However, that precluded carrying much with me.  

I recently got a “step-thru” bike and it is much easier to get on, and quicker to bail out of if I started falling.  I don’t know how many years I’ll be able to ride it, but I’m doing OK now.  The local dealer will be putting a rack on the back when it comes in, so I can again use it as a ham radio/fishing platform as well as just enjoying the kick of traveling under my own power.   

There is a guy who has a recumbent trike who rides in one of the same parks.  He goes like the wind!   His bike is lightweight and looks very high-tech.  I don’t remember the brand because it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him.  It would be excellent for what I do and I may end up with something like that before too long.  Right now, my deteriorating balance affects me more in my kayak than on the bike, so that is something I may have to give up.  Or put on outriggers - we old folks sometimes have to be resourceful!

I used to have a 3/8 X 24 mount on the back of my bike and could strap a QRP CW rig to the handlebars and actually operate CW while moving.   That was just an occasional thing, but it worked.   I put a Hustler 20M mobile antenna on the mount and grounded the coax shield to the bike frame.   More often, I’d carry a small EFHW antenna for 20 meters and throw the end up in a tree.  I used green jute string, which looks biodegradable and is hard to see and easy to break.  I learned that lesson years ago after getting a piece of bright white nylon string and a weight stuck in the top of a tree in a park!   Fortunately, that was at a demo at a community fair, and  3 or 4 other guys were available and we either pulled it out or broke it off.  

I’ve used a Yaesu FT-817, an LNR Precision MTR-3b and MTR-4B v2, an MFJ-9220, and other small rigs this way.   The MTRs  will run for a couple of hours with a 9 volt battery at 1 watt.  I have a plastic Whiterook paddle that weighs almost nothing and works OK for CW, and also a Palm iambic paddle.  I have a headset/mic for the 817 and could easily work SSB but QRP SSB is a little challenging for me compared to CW.  FT8 with a netbook might be interesting, though.  

I just use my call with nothing added.  It gets confusing for Lotw confirmations, etc, when people append stuff to their calls, and legally it is not required.  I’ve seen people use /M for mobile and be reminded that M is a prefix for the UK and they shouldn’t do that.  I think signing /P for portable used to be a European thing, probably required, and it has been widely adopted here, but definitely not required.   I don’t do it.   On SSB, I would probably say “pedestrian mobile” or “bicycle mobile” just for explanation and bragging rights but not as part of the callsign.  

Interesting stuff - and glad you have plenty of trails to ride.  

73,
Dennis, W5RZ

> On Aug 18, 2021, at 12:26 PM, Scott Branyan <sbranyan at cox.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> When I was young, I loved to bike. As I approached retirement I started thinking, I'd love a mountain bike for trails at Hobbs and to take travelling. And then I started hearing from customers who had had bike wrecks and major injuries. I can definitely tell my balance is not what it used to be, so I backed off the idea. Then e-bikes came along and I started thinking again about biking. And I saw a statistic on older Americans on e-bikes and injuries. It was NOT encouraging. My wife and I recently have started looking into recumbent bikes which are easy on joints and body parts and have a low center of gravity and three wheels! We are investigating further.
>  
> We are blessed with many miles of interconnected greenway trails here in Northwest Arkansas. Also I am thinking it would be a great platform for VHF or better yet, QRP DXing with a hamstick for the flag pole. Wondering also how I would sign that? I assume W5AAJ/P for stationary operating, but for moving would it be W5AAJ/BM (bike mobile) or W5AAJ/TM (trike mobile)? That might be a little confusing though for DXing. Hi.
>  
> So, the question is: Does anybody have any recumbent bike experience and any thoughts on using it as a portable/mobile platform? Email me direct if you don't want to reply to the group.
>  
> Thanks es 73,
> Scott/W5AAJ
>  
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