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!