My buddy Jonathan (KM4CFT) made a giant announcement this morning.
He’s been working tirelessly for the reason that begin of the 12 months, designing and testing a brand-new field-portable CW transceiver he’s dubbed the CFT1.
As of this morning, you should purchase the transceiver package on HamGadgets.com.
Jonathan first talked about his plans to design a CW transceiver again once we had been doing a joint POTA activation on the finish of December 2023. On the time, it was simply an concept. When he mentioned he deliberate to have it prepared on the market in 2024, I used to be skeptical. I imply, he had a day job and had by no means designed a radio earlier than. How may he pull that off in such a brief timeframe?
Quick ahead to 4 Days in Could/Hamvention in Could 2024, and wouldn’t you recognize it, Jonathan had a working prototype on show! I used to be blown away. Inside a few weeks, he was contacting us beta testers, wanting to get revision one items into our palms.
I bought my CFT1 in June and instantly put it by way of its paces within the shack. Even in beta, this little radio was rock stable – I used to be significantly impressed!
I completely examined the CFT1 within the shack, each on a dummy load and with my QTH antenna. In case you’re into SOTA or POTA and I labored you in June, chances are high it was with the CFT1.
I even took the CFT1 out for a spin on Area Day. Vlado (N3CZ) and I had been each impressed with how nicely it carried out in that loopy RF setting. Keep in mind, this isn’t a contest radio, but it surely didn’t appear to overload in any respect. Spectacular!
Once I heard Jonathan was launching the CFT1 at the moment, I figured I’d do a fast POTA activation to showcase this superior little radio.
Yesterday morning, I used to be heading to Mission Hospital in Asheville to go to a member of the family who had simply been admitted. I noticed I had sufficient time for a fast activation on the Folks Artwork Heart on the best way.
I arrived on the car parking zone round 8:30 AM. It was fairly empty aside from the grounds crew. I arrange at my common picnic desk.
I paired the CFT1 with my KM4CFT Finish-Fed Half-Wave, trimmed for 30M with a 40M linked extension. I hoped for some 40-meter motion early within the morning. Setup was a breeze. My throw line cooperated fantastically – the 40M EFHW was virtually vertical!
Naturally, I filmed the entire course of: setup, activation, and pack-up. Earlier than I began the activation, I spent a couple of minutes speaking concerning the CFT1 – its design philosophy and what I like about it. Hopefully, it will aid you resolve if it’s the proper radio for you.
Gear:
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I noticed myself on 40 meters and began calling CQ utilizing the CW message reminiscence I’d already programmed with “CQ POTA DE K4SWL.”
Thankfully, the band was wholesome–not less than, wholesome sufficient to answer to numerous hunters.
I logged my first ten contacts in eight minutes.
I continued logging stations till I crammed my sheet–a complete of 18 in 16 minutes.
I want I’d have had extra time to work stations, but it surely was time to maneuver on!
Right here’s what this five-watt activation appeared like when plotted out on a QSO Map:
Right here’s my real-time, real-life video of your complete activation. As with all of my movies, I don’t edit out any components of the on-air activation time. As well as, I’ve monetization turned off on YouTube, though that doesn’t cease them from inserting adverts earlier than and after my movies.
Notice that Patreon supporters can watch and even obtain this video 100% ad-free by way of Vimeo on my Patreon web page:
Click on right here to view on YouTube.
In case you’re a SOTA or POTA activator who enjoys easy, compact CW radios, you’ll love the CFT1. The controls and menus are self-explanatory and actually require no reference sheet—it’s that intuitive.
The radio is offered as a package, however there are alternatives for pre-wound toroids which can make the method go a bit of extra shortly. The entire beta testers who constructed their very own items commented that it was well-documented and a enjoyable construct.
I’m happy with Jonathan for making a radio this efficient on his very first try at designing a radio.
Thanks for becoming a member of me throughout this activation!
I hope you loved the sphere report, my feedback concerning the CFT1, and my activation video as a lot as I loved sharing them!
After all, I’d additionally prefer to ship a particular due to these of you who’ve been supporting the positioning and channel by way of Patreon, and the Espresso Fund. Whereas not a requirement, as my content material will all the time be free, I actually respect the help.
As I discussed earlier than, the Patreon platform related to Vimeo makes it doable for me to share movies that aren’t solely 100% ad-free but additionally downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account additionally serves as a 3rd backup for my video information.
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me! Have an excellent week forward!
Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)
