I was lucky enough to win Salty Walt's (K4OGO) Antenna Sketchbook during his stream with the Ham Radio Kid's Table a few weeks ago and then I met the man himself at Hamvention! After flipping through the pages I was inspired to make one of his antennas, the Coastal 20, during my vacation in Myrtle Beach over Memorial Day weekend. I didn't want this to be a long drawn out video so I pulled out my first contact as well as a DX contact to Chile! It was super fun operating on the beach and I wish the weather cooperated so I could do it some more. I hope this inspires you to get out there and operate in environments that are new and challenging. Let me know what some of the coolest spots you've operated at in the comments! I'm still working on making my videos better so bare with me. Hope you enjoy!
Ordered my copy over the weekend (Amazon) and am thoroughly enjoying this gem of a booklet. Walt's writing style and easy-to-understand explanations, plus his outstanding illustrations, make for a great tutorial. This book should generate a good deal of interest amongst new hams, or even folks who've been around the hobby for a while and are looking to reinvigorate their interest or simply explore and enjoy this aspect of amateur radio. SOTA and POTA enthusiasts will benefit, as well. Bottom line: this book is every bit as enjoyable as Walt's YouTube channel.
Great video! I met Walt at Hamvention & picked up his book too. Built the Coastal 20 & tried it out in the backyard with excellent results. Looking forward to using at the beach later this summer. Also plan on using it for a SOTA activation. Thanks for posting your results with it.
Amen to that. Walt is such a good dude and great at explaining how he's making his antennas in his videos and in the book. So far I've made 2 of them and plan on getting through most of them this summer.
Thank you for watching! I was actually wondering how it would work just out in my back yard in Ohio. I haven't popped it up yet, but I may have to soon.
