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

Wed Aug 18 15:22:46 EDT 2021

I talked to a guy in California last year who was "unicycle mobile"  I kid
you not.

Don't drive distracted, kids.

73,

Trent
N4DTF

On Wed, Aug 18, 2021 at 1:44 PM Dennis Schaefer <dennisw5rz at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 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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-- 
Trent Fleming

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