Delorme InReach SE

I decided to retire my trusty old Iridium 9505A and replace it with a Delorme InReach SE. I seldom needed the phone part of the 9505A, and the messaging was cumbersome (and the subscription expensive).

Ordering the unit was a breeze, it arrived by courier here in Norway after five days.

My initial impressions were that the system is a bit unusual, since all the messages are sent through a Delorme server, and you can´t actually send text messages or emails directly. The receiving end of the message must have a broadband internet connection to be able to see your position and interact with you. It is possible to send SMS-messages to mobile phones, but the position isn´t added in the message, leaving you to type it in manually. This all means, that to be able to send a message from the InReach SE to anyone in the field, the receiver either needs an internet connection, or mobile phone coverage at the least. The only possibility to send messages between two stations outside mobile coverage, would be if they both have an InReach SE unit.

Anyway, I mostly use the unit for telling my wife and friends where I am and that I´m OK, so for me the unit fulfills my needs. The subscription fee is acceptable, and I have unlimited tracking points available.

InReach SE mounted on my bike saddlebag

The battery life expectancy is around 100 hours, and it´s easy to charge it in the field if you bring along a external battery. It´s lightweight, waterproof and easy to carry around, either on my backpack while hiking, my belt while running or on my bike saddlebag while biking. That way my wife or friends can easily track me and get in touch with me when I´m out and about.

To see where I am (if the system is enabled) check out my MapShare page. You might need a password, depending on time and situation.

LD1XG - dstar access node

I have activated a experimental simplex DSTAR node in JO59EK. Callsign is LD1XG-B, radio is an IC7000 putting out around 20 watts to a HL6111 vertical antenna (95 masl) on 433.675 MHz. The system covers the whole central eastern norway area.

The software is (Windows) DV-RPTR Repeater and irdDDB Gateway from G4KLX, and the hardware is DVRPTR_V1.

Open DV website


The node being experimental, uptime can vary according to my experiments.

See the ircDDB status page for current status, and check out DCS13 on xreflector  to see activity.

Begali Magnetic Traveler Light

Today I received my long awaited Begali Magnetic Traveler Light.

From before I have the  Bencher BY-2 Chrome, and the Kent TPKA. I started out my "paddling" career with the Bencher, as everywhere I turned I was told that it was the best of the best. As my sending speed increased however, I became very aware of the serious limitations of that paddle. A fellow ham had a Kent paddle he didn't use, I tried it, liked it and bought it. The difference was like night and day, compared to the sloppy Bencher (I do know how to adjust it). I could manage fairly high speeds (30-35wpm) for longer periods of time without messing up. I still use the Kent, and will never part with it.

The Begali keys are a entirely different beast. They are as close to perfection as possible, I believe. Precision ball-bearings, and opposing magnetic fields instead of springs, removes most variables that can cause a paddle to deteriorate over time. All adjustments are super tight, and stay that way. It can be adjusted with so close spacings that sneezing towards it can make it trigger. With this thing the only limitation is the operator.

The Traveller is designed as a fold up device to make it survive being thrown in a suitcase, or in my case a huge duffel-bag. I have brought this paddle along on a lot of trips, both to sea and around the world, and there is not a single scratch on it. It's a bit on the light side, so it sometimes moves under my too heavy hand. This is by design however. Compared to the Bencher and Kent I'd say it's about the same weight. Mind you, this is not a small paddle, like ex. the Palm Radio paddle (wich I also own by the way), it's more like one-third of a brick.

I highly recommend it for anyone travelling. If I was to use it only at home, I would probably have bought the Magnetic Classic or the Sculpture instead. For for mountain hiking where weight is an important issue, I still use my featherweight Palm Radio mini paddle.

Six-meter opening in the Barents Sea

In July 2012 I was out in the Barents Sea on the research vessel HU Sverdrup II, and did quite a few QSO´s as LA5EKA/MM. The culmination of that operation was a six-meter opening from KQ80 to central Europe during the NAC VHF six-meter contest ! I had 19 qso´s during the opening, and I think I can safely say that it was probably the first operation ever on six from KQ80 (being in the middle of nowhere).

The equipment was as it always is at the time, my Elecraft KX3, fully equipped, and a 2x12.5 trapped dipole - up about 10 meters.

If you look closely, you can see the antenna (tip: look for the traps).

Elecraft KX3

Received my Elecraft KX3 S/N 196 today.


Initial impressions, a bit bigger than I had imagined, the accompanying paddle had connection-issues and there some BC intermod present. Also there is a high frequency whining present in the audio at all times (noticeable only on high quality speakers/phones).  Other than that a excellent radio, at least as good as my IC7700 (bar the TX power). Compared to my IC7700 it seems equally sensitive, the audio is silky smooth. The IC7700 has a bullet-proof front end, but other than that the KX3 is quite en par. There are a few fimware issues, but they will probably be ironed out shortly.




It will not replace my Elecraft KX1 for extreme portable use, but probably for everything else. See the images for a size comparison between the KX3, KX1, Elecraft T1 and a old android phone.

I have also tested running PSK31 and RTTY using the built in encoder/decoder and a paddle. It works surprisingly well. I am a CW guy, to sending via the paddle is second nature to me, it might be a bit more fiddly for those not accustomed to sending via a paddle.

Portable in Jotunheimen - July 2011

During a weekend in the wilderness I brought my trusty Elecraft KX1, a fishing rod and a homerolled 2x14.5m dipole fed with 300 ohm twin-lead. As expected the setup worked good, and I got quite a few QSO´s, both DX and local.

The fishing rod (8m long) was guyed to the lavvo guys (!), and the twin-lead fed through on of the air inlets. Simple, quick and functional. It took around twenty minutes to get it all up.

QS1R SDR Receiver

Set up a QS1R SDR to connect to the Reverse Beacon Network. Decoding 192 kHz swaths of all relevant amateur radio bands.