I have taken the New Explore Backpack out on serval hikes and POTA activations . Now i am ready for my full review. Do you think i missed anything, let me know in the comments. Links: Gigaparts Explorer Backpack- https://www.gigaparts.com/nsearch/?lp=TANKRADIO Frank L.
Very nice- thank you for this. one question- what logging program are you using on your phone? HAMRS?
@ minute 5:55 - "...and I would, uh, buy it for the money..." Did you purchase this bag or was it given to you free of charge by Gigaparts? The operating schtick in the transmission starting @ minute 4:27 not only flies in the face of good operating procedure, but also tip toes right up to the line of taunting FCC 97.113(a)(2) and/or (3).
Camera could be positioned closer to the bag when you were working with it at the end of the video, maybe overhead? Also, flaws in bags aren't really detectable in short hikes, you need to be using it for a few hours before you can really tease out fit/comfort issues. This confirms my suspicion it wasn't really made for folks who take their gear out on long hikes but mainly need something to get the gear from the car to a picnic table. The modularity can be useful, but my experience is that too often makes the bag tedious to use in the field. It also looks like it could be a bit heavy for its capacity. Not terribly important. Many reviewers outside the amateur radio community buy little of the gear being reviewed. I don't care about the reviewer's recommendations as much as I want to see the gear in use with clear shots so I can make my own determinations. My specific use case might not be something a reviewer is aware of... Yeah, the spiel about tank radio gear was a bit out of place and should have been left out. To be honest, I didn't need to see any on-air activity at all since this was about a backpack. We could have stuck with just loading/unloading and discussion about the pack's capabilities, shortfalls, etc. Chris
Thanks Frank! I hope you got the bag for free just to piff off hammies! Enjoy a cigar, I'll be having a Punch Rare Corojo 6 x 60.
Frank, an interesting pack. Thanks for demo'ing it for us. Questions: -What kind of zippers does it have? Heavy Duty YKK or lighter duty. It tore open (unzipped) pretty darned easy! I'd be a little worried it might do that on the trail and start spilling stuff. -Gigaparts specs list the bag as 600D Polyester. Does it feel sturdy enough to take a fair beating? Last more than a couple of years of hard use before wearing thin? -How sturdy are the mesh pockets? Besides being a bit tight for some items might they start getting cut or snagged by semi-sharp items? I've had the mesh in "affordable" bags (similar price-point to this one) get torn by PL259s and the like. -What is the country of origin? Maybe I'm being picky but I REALLY hate when a zipper fails when at the site and I have to sew the bag up with paracord to take the walk back out. Or worse yet the zipper lets go or the bottom of the bag lets go on the trail! Have had it happen with "ordinary" packs from reputable outdoor dealers, fortunately on non-radio excursions. 73 and happy POTAing, Mac/WT4BT
Personally, and no offense to those who like back packs, i don’t like them, if I were doing Sota or Pota , definitely would get a Go box, this way my radio equipment is protected from bumps bruises. W6FRD.
I've got 90 SOTA activations under my belt and no damage other than some minor scratches that took place with the radio outside of the pack. I've done activations via hiking, mountain biking, and trail running (bit of a glutton for punishment). I do have the KX2 in a small padded case inside the backpack, but that also contains a number of small items specific to the KX2. Chris
[QUOTE="WN1MB, post: 6450427, member: 61592] The operating schtick in the transmission starting @ minute 4:27 not only flies in the face of good operating procedure, but also tip toes right up to the line of taunting FCC 97.113(a)(2) and/or (3).[/QUOTE] Yes found a group cut. No one wants to watch 3 minutes asking is thr frequency is in used. No wants to watch 45 minutes of thr raw video of the activitation. I have answered your question already in another thread and not rehashing it.
