hf portable operation presented to the cres club, june 16, 2011, by dave brown k8ax and steve katz...
TRANSCRIPT
HF Portable Operation
Presented to the CRES Club,June 16, 2011,
by Dave Brown K8AXand Steve Katz N8WL
with thanks to Al Mecozzi WA8LBZ
Examples
Field Day Emergency Operations and Drills Special Event Stations OSPOTA and similar events Dxpeditions QRP in the Park
Portable Op's Wish List
Light weight Maybe low power (so usually CW) Ease of setup/use Effective but small antenna Reliability
Portable
Means different things In the 1950s the Collins 75A-4 might have
been considered portable, compared to rack-mounted, homebrew gear of the day.
Portable
Means different things In the 1960s the KWM-2 was a leap in
portability. In the 1970s, the Kenwood TS-820S
leapfrogged it.
Portable - continued
In the 1980s the TS-430S leapfrogged again. In the 1990s the TS-50S and IC-706
leapfrogged yet again
Portable - continued
In 2001 the Yaesu FT-817 leapfrogged yet again. Today we have an abundance of small, low-
power, trail-friendly radios (TFRs), • ready built
• in kit form
Ready-built examples
Icom IC-706MkIIG, IC-7000, IC-9200, IC-703+
Yaesu FT-100D, FT-857, FT-817ND,
Kenwood TS-480S
Elecraft (New KX3), TenTec (R4020/R4030), etc.
Kit Examples
Elecraft (K1, K2, KX1, KX3) Hendricks Kits Wilderness Radio Juma Oak Hills MFJ Small Wonder Labs Many others
Antennas
Long wire and tuner Dipole and no tuner End Fedz half wave End fed quarter wave Buddi-pole Ham Sticks Many others
Power
Commercial Mains Battery Small generator Solar panel(s) Wind/hydro Other
Other stuff to take
Paper, pens/pencils, logs, computer & power supply Table, chair(s), tablecloth, tent/canopy/umbrella Hat, sunscreen, jacket, rain gear, other apparel Handouts (if in public place) Ham license UTC clock, lantern/flashlights Food and beverages
Summary
Lots of choices in gear – from under $100 for single band QRP kit and homemade antenna to over $1K for IC-7000, tuner, and power supply.
Decide what you want to do and how much you want to spend...
Then collect the gear, test it out, and...
GO PORTABLE!