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Sota Beams - Lightweight 2 metre & 70cms Yagis, Dipole, Accessories & Poles
SOTA Beams
Lightweight 2 metre &
70cms Yagis, Dipole,
Accessories & Poles
www.sotabeams.co.uk




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Sota Beams - Lightweight 2 metre & 70cms Yagis, Dipole, Accessories & Poles
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Lightweight 2 metre &
70cms Yagis, Dipole,
Accessories & Poles
www.sotabeams.co.uk


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Sota Beams - Lightweight 2 metre & 70cms Yagis, Dipole, Accessories & Poles
SOTA Beams
Lightweight 2 metre &
70cms Yagis, Dipole,
Accessories & Poles
www.sotabeams.co.uk




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PORTABLE OPERATING
    /P


Fancy going portable to escape the man made electrical QRM and the ever encroaching blight on the radio spectrum by BT Vision Broadband by Power Line Adapters - (PLT), HomePlug, and other disastrous BPL devices?

Well, after viewing Diana Eng's inspiring video (below) I was prompted to look into what's required and so I started compiling a list of ideas which I noted down and have now presented on this page in case it may help others:


Setting up an HF rig for SOTA by Diana Eng, KC2UHB


Here is a superb video article made by Diana Eng KC2UHB. Diana's video shows how to set up an Amateur Radio station for Summits On The Air (SOTA) activating Summit W2/NJ008. Diana was accompanied by W2VV in the making of this excellent video.

Her video is also featured in the October issue of the online publication Make Magazine in an article titled 'How-To: Set up an HF portable radio while hiking'

Watch Diana's excellent video:



MAKE Magazine describes itself as the first magazine devoted entirely to DIY technology projects, it unites, inspires and informs a growing community of resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages, see http://makezine.com/

Diana Eng, KC2UHB's excellent video prompted me to find out more about what's required for /P. So here is a list of information that I compiled and have presented here in case it can help others too.



PORTABLE EQUIPMENT

A suitable Transceiver; Appropriate Aerials (h.f. / v.h.f. / u.h.f.); Support poles, Masting, Telescopic fibreglass fishing pole etc; Guy ropes and Pegs; Ground spike; Counterpoise wire(s); Feeder cables; ATU; VSWR meter; Patch Leads; Adapters - e.g. BNC to SMA, BNC to PL259, PL250 to N type or PL259 to SMA etc; Power - often in the form of a sealed lead acid Battery or Batteries or NiMH Battery Pack; Power Cables; Headphones; Morse Key; Tools needed for erecting aerials and adjusting aerial wires etc; Nylon Cord / Rope, cleats (e.g. Clam Cleats Line-Loks), Carrying Bag or Case; Map and Compass; Log Book; Check List.

Other things: Perhaps something like a picnic table and chair to rest on;
GPS / Satellite Navigation; Shelter - parasol / tent / car / van / caravan / motor home etc; suitable clothing - waterproofs, boots, jumper etc.


TRANSCEIVER

Perhaps the obvious first choice for simple lightweight portable operation might be a handheld transceiver such as a Yaesu FT-60, VX-6, VX-7, Icom IC-E90 or IC-T70E, Kenwood TH-F7E, Alinco DJ-C7E or, indeed, any other 'handie'. A handheld is inexpensive, small, lightweight and obviously easily transportable.

Handies can be single band, either 2 metres or 70cms but will often be dual band giving access to 2m and 70cm from one transceiver. Some models provide the bonus of additional bands such as 6metres or 23cms. The limitation of handheld transceivers is that they can only provide access to a limited number of VHF and UHF bands, generally only provide FM as the mode of transmission and have low transmitter power, typically only 5 watts.

SSB is far more efficient, especially for DX, and will also consume considerably less power than when operating using FM which is a very important consideration when operating /P in a remote location with a limited power supply. SSB will therefore enable the battery to last much longer. To work SSB a multi mode transceiver will be required, the transceiver will also need to be small and light enough to be carried around. Many small multi-mode protable and mobile transceivers will also give access to the HF bands - escaping the QRM of a populated area!

Yaesu FT-857D multi-mode, multi-band amateur radio transceiver
Yaesu FT-857D multi-mode, multi-band amateur radio transceiver


The most popular transceiver for portable operations is possibly the FT-817 a QRP rig by Yaesu. The FT-817 provides 5 watts on HF, 6m, 2m and 70cms and has a built in battery pack. The Elecraft is a popular HOther mobile radios such as the Yaesu FT-857D, FT-897D and Icom IC-706mkIIg, IC-7200 and IC-7000 are a little larger and heavier, of course, but are also attractive transceivers for portable operations, bearing in mind that they all need a separate external power supply. All these rigs offer the HF bands plus 6m, 2m and 70cm (
except the IC-7200 which misses 2m and 70cm) and with much higher power capabilities than the FT-817. Other rigs to consider might be the popular Elecraft K2 or KX3 or the compact Alinco DX-SR8.


POWER

Yuasa NP7-12 12 volt 7AH SLAB
Power can be supplied from the car or van battery if working in close proximity to the vehicle, but this might not be the best solution since there is always the possibility of flattening the battery and getting stranded! It's not a good idea to flatten a car battery anyway as this can cause damage.



S.L.A.B:  For QRP operation many operators use a compact sealed lead acid battery known as a SLAB. Typically a SLAB will need to have a capacity of around 7 Amp hours to 12 AH to provide enough power for several hours work. The battery is charged at home using a mains charger.
Yuasa produce good quality batteries while Ansmann produce suitable sealed lead acid battery chargers.

NiMH Battery Pack: Power could also be derived from a pack of high capacity rechargeable NiMH cells, as is demonstrated in the excellent video by Diana Eng, KC2UHB that is featured near the top of this page.
Leisure / Marine Battery
For longer or higher power use a battery with higher capacity is needed.
A standard car battery is unsuitable for this type of use as it is not designed to be fully discharged and re-charged repeatedly as this type of treatment will damage the plates of an ordinary lead acid car battery, a 'leisure battery' should be used.

Leisure Battery: Leisure Batteries are also known as Marine or Motorhome Batteries and are designed with thicker plates that are more able to withstand being regularly discharged and recharged. Such a battery may have a capacity of around 75 to 110 AH. As with other rechargeable batteries a leisure battery would generally be recharged using a mains recharging system.

Deep Cycle Battery: A true Deep Cycle Battery is more substantial than a leisure battery and are even more able to withstand regular discharge and charge cycles.


POLARITY: Always take car with the polarity of power leads and connectors when using batteries - a simple rushed mistake can be very VERY costly indeed! 30 Amp Anderson Powerpole connections are excellent for use in amateur radio. G0HWC has some superb information here:
http://www.g0hwc.com/anderson-powerpole.html
Anderson Powerpoles - modular polarised power terminals
Anderson Powerpoles - modular polarised power terminals
Excellent information here:  http://www.g0hwc.com/anderson-powerpole.html
Manufacturer website: http://www.andersonpower.com/products/singlepole-connectors.html
UK Supplier: http://www.torberry.co.uk/superbasket/category/1/Single+Modular+Connectors


PORTABLE AERIALS


Supports and Poles

When operating /P a good lightweight pole or mast may be required to support the aerial. The simplest tall support might be a tree, as suggested in Diana's video (above). A lightweight and handy alternative is a telescopic fibreglass fishing pole of somewhere between 7 and 10 metres in length. The top two or three sections of a fishing will be too thin and flexible to support a substantial aerial such as a Sotabeam or the centre of a wire dipole so, for example, a 7m long telescopic fishing pole will support a Sotabeam vhf/uhf aerial at about 4m a.g.l., while a 10 metre long fishing pole will support a Sotabeam vhf/uhf aerial at about 7m a.g.l. , while the full 10m length could be used to support a single vertical wire of a 1/4 wave ground plane antenna or an end fed half wave antenna for HF work.

Other options would include sturdier, but heavier, aluminium or fibreglass telescopic poles or, alternatively sectional swaged poles of either aluminium or fibreglass that may be bought from suppliers such as
Sandpiper, Moonraker and other well known amateur radio suppliers. These will be strong enough to support standard type vhf and uhf beam aerials.

Spiders or guy rings will also be required together with guy ropes and pegs that are suitable for the supports being used.


VHF and UHF AERIALS

As usual, the convention is that vertical polarisation is generally used for FM while horizontal polarization is adopted for SSB working.

Pretty much any typical 2m or 70cm aerial such as a dipole, yagi, ZL Special or 'slim jim' or other vertical etc could be used for portable operations as long as the size and weight can be accommodated. If walking, rather than driving, to a remote location such as a hill top, then a compact, easily dismantled and very lightweight aerial will be appreciated - there are some aerials that are specially designed for this purpose:

Sotabeams: Perhaps the most famous lightweight portable aerial system is from Sotabeams -
http://www.sotabeams.co.uk - the current version is the SB270 which is a 3 element beam for 2m with 6dBd gain and 6 element beam for 70cm with about 8dBd gain. The SB270 is designed to be mounted on a telescopic fibreglass fishing pole. The SB270 is a superb design that is very well engineered and produced. The SB270 is shown below.

Sotabeams also produce a simple lightweight dipole called the Multi Function Dipole MFD for when very light weight portable working is required, without the need for a directional yagi. The MFD is also shown below.

SB270 from Sotabeams  SB270 from Sotabeams
SB270 from Sotabeams
http://www.sotabeams.co.uk

Sotabeams MFD - Multi Function Dipole
The Sotabeams Multi Function Dipole - MFD
http://www.sotabeams.co.uk

Sandpiper: Sandpiper Aerial Technology produce a huge range of aerials, some of which are especially suitable for portable work. Shown below is the Sandpiper 145 / 435 Dual Band Yagi with 7.3 dBd gain on 2m and 8.9 dBd on 70cm.

Also shown are the Sandpiper Dual Band Portable and the Dual Band Open Sleeve Dipole:

Sandpiper Dual Band Yagi
Sandpiper 145 / 435 Dual Band Yagi
http://www.sandpiperaerials.co.uk

Sandpiper portable     Sandpiper Dual Band Open Sleeve Dipole
Sandpiper Dual Band Portable Yagi and Dual Band Open Sleeve Dipole
http://www.sandpiperaerials.co.uk

Lam Fox JS270 dual band 2m & 70 cms portable yagi aerial
Lam Fox JS270 dual band 2m & 70 cms portable yagi aerial
uncannily similar to the Sandpiper yagi (could be made by Sandpiper?)
http://www.lamcommunications.net


SIMPLE H.F. AERIALS


Norcal Doublet: A simple, easy to erect, portable HF antenna might be a doublet aerial, as described by the NORCAL QRP Club. This is a simple aerial fed from an ATU and balun via twin feeder for low loss. As described, the Norcal Doublet is 44 feet long i.e. 22 feet per leg. The Norcal Doublet is made from a length of 4 conductor computer cable, but other methods could be used. The ends could be supported by nearby trees, and/or the centrepiece could be supported by a lightweight fibreglass telescopic pole.

If using a
telescopic fibreglass fishing pole to support the centre of the aetial, fix the centre of the doublet at the bottom of the top section, or the bottom of the next section down for more stability and guy the pole using light tension so that the pole sections do not collapse.

Norcal HF Doublet - http://www.norcalqrp.org/norcaldoublet.htm
The Norcal Doublet by
Doug Hendricks KI6DS, Jim Duffey KK6MC/5 and Dennis Foster KK5PY

Norcal HF Doublet - http://www.norcalqrp.org/norcaldoublet.htm
Norcal HF Doublet - http://www.norcalqrp.org/norcaldoublet.htm

Norcal HF Doublet - http://www.norcalqrp.org/norcaldoublet.htm
The wire ends are connected to the balanced line terminals on the
a.t.u. or to a separate balun


Link or Fan Dipole:
A lightweight Link Dipole or Fan Dipole could also be suspended with the help of a nice telescopic fibreglass pole, or other support, at its centre. If using a
telescopic fibreglass fishing pole fix the centre of the dipole at the bottom of the top section, or the bottom of the next section down for more stability and guy the pole using light tension so that the pole sections do not collapse.

Fan Dipole - ARRL
Multi Band Resonant Link Dipole - very efficient and simple


Long Wire: A fibreglass telescopic fishing pole (Sota Pole) can be used to support a long wire, end fed, aerial. A wire that is a 3/8th wavelength for the lowest frequency of operation can be used as the radiator, fed against a counterpoise wire of the same length run out along the ground.

The aerial wire is suspended in an inverted V shape
, attached to the pole at the bottom of the top section, or the bottom of the next section down for more stability and guy the pole using light tension so that the pole sections do not collapse.

Long Wire aerial sopprted by a 'Sota Pole'

Sotabeams
( http://www.sotabeams.co.uk ) suggest that a wire of about 9 meters might be sufficient for this type of use.



End Fed Half Wave Antenna

Allan Copland, GM1SXX very helpfully comments: "....There are many choices and permutations, but in general, dipoles are centre fed at a point of current maximum (and minimum voltage). A normal dipole is current fed but of course can be voltage fed instead. This is what’s done in the End Fed Half Wave Antenna, or Fuchs aerial, where a resonant half wave wire is fed at one end (max voltage / min current) from an L/C tank, against a very short counterpoise wire.

The End Fed Half Wave Antenna (EFHWA) is fed at a voltage node via a parallel resonant circuit against a ‘short counterpoise’, it is a favourite of backpackers and outdoor types.  It can be considered as a half wave dipole that’s end-fed at a voltage node rather than the current node, as is more usual. This is a very handy arrangement for portable QRP work."

EFHWA Link: http://www.aa5tb.com/efha.html



End Fed Half Wave Antenna by AA5TB
End Fed Half Wave Antenna by AA5TB
http://www.aa5tb.com/efha.html


W3EDP Antenna


W3EDP Antenna
Frank, G3YCC comments on his website: The W3EDP needs a simple matching unit is needed to couple the wire to the rig and a counterpoise is required for some bands, however there is room for experimentation. It has been shown that different lengths or removal of the counterpoise altogether, can improve performance, as described in RadCom, August 1996 by G3LCK.

The Tuning capacitor in the AMU can be a 365 - 500pF broadcast type or a miniature version is OK for QRP use.

Counterpoise lengths: 3.5 & 7.0Mhz - 17ft ; 14Mhz - 6.5ft ; 28Mhz - none

Tuning Unit: Values for coils in the unit, based on a 2 inch former and 16 swg wire:
3.5Mhz 21 turns ; 7.0Mhz 7 turns ; 14.0Mhz - 5 turns.

K3HRN Notes: "Some folks have told me the modifications below make the antenna something other than a W3EDP. I can tell you that it works very well with 5 watts. Create a "bundle" of counterpoise wires, 1/4 wave length for each band you will use. Attach the bundle to the tuner in place of the counterpoise pictured above. Be cautious, 1/4 wave length elements can have high RF voltages present, even at QRP power levels. I've been able to work 160-10, including WARC bands with this type of antenna".



Off Centre Fed Dipole (OCFD) - Windom Antenna

The "Windom Antenna" was described by Loren G. Windom W8GZ. It could be an ideal wire aerial for use in restricted spaces for multi-band operation. It may also be an good candidate for portable work.

It is a wire antenna, similar to a dipole, but unlike a dipole or doublet which is fed at the exact centre, a Windom or Off Centre Fed Dipole, as the name suggests, has the feed point off center. Current versions of the Windom have a balun at the feed point which is fed with coaxial cable. As with all aerials the aerial should be as high as possible. With the feed point at between 20 and 40 feet above ground the typical claimed impedance will be somewhere in the region of 200 Ohms so a 4:1 balun will typically be required. At greater heights, and depending upon the exact position of the feed point, the impedance may be higher and a 5:1 or 6:1 balun might be a better choice although balun losses will be greater.

The point at which a Windom is fed in the original design, which used an open wire to feed the aerial, was 15 percent off-centre. The current designs, which are fed with coaxial cable, are typically fed about 33 percent off centre, so one leg is 67 percent of the total length and the other leg is 33 percent of the overall length of the aerial.

The bands that are covered depends upon the overall length of the aerial:

11 metres long (approx) should cover 20m, 15m and 10m and the WARC bands with a tuner.

21 metres long (approx) should cover 40m, 20m, 15m and the 10m bands and WARC with a tuner.

41 metres long (approx) should cover 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m and WARC with a tuner.

80 metres long (approx) should cover 160m, 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m and WARC with a tuner.

Cut the aerial for the lowest band to be used. In imperial measurements using a familiar formula:
The longer leg will be 468 divided by the frequency and multiplied by .67 = length in feet
The shorter leg will be 468 divided by the frequency and multiplied by .36 = length in feet

Given the fairly simple formula it should be quite easy to make an OCFD Windom - however a Windom can be purchased at very reasonable cost commercially, for example from M0CVO at http://m0cvoantennas.webs.com


Windom design - Buckmaster



Delta Loop
: Using fibreglass fishing poles (Sota Poles) again. Two 7 metre long poles can be erected in an inverted V shape and used to support a 20 metre delta loop which will be useable on 20m to 10m and also adaptable for use on the 40 metre band.

The two aerial wires used are connected directly to a 4:1 balun which is, in turn, connected to an ATU such as the Z-11 Pro or Z-100 via coaxial cable. See
this page which shows the W6ZO delta loop to get for the general idea of what will be achieved. The finished aerial will be very much like the commercially available DMV-Pro.

W6ZO Delta Loop - 40m to 10m
W6ZO Delta Loop - fed with 4:1 Balun - 40m to 10m
http://www.fros.com/KI0GU/w6zodelta.htm


Resonant H.F. Vertical: A telescopic fibreglass (not carbon fibre) fishing pole makes a great support for a lightweight VHF or UHF aerial or a doublet or dipole, but it can also be used to make a very effective vertical for HF. e.g. a 10m long fishing pole could support a vertical wire of 10 metres in length, approximately the correct length for a resonant antenna for the 7 MHz band. The aerial feeder would be connected to a connection point at the base of the pole along with a 10 metre long counterpoise run out along the ground away from the base.

Similarly a vertical aerial for the 14 MHz band would have a vertical radiator approximately 5.5 metres long and for the 18 MHz band the wire for the vertical radiator would be about 3.9 metres long etc.

Maybe more ground radial wires could be used for a more effective ground-plane.


Non-resonant broadband antenna - "Untenna" ? Alternatively a non-resonant design could be employed using a 10 metre radiator and 10 metre counterpoise fed to the ATU by a 9:1 unun at the aerial's base - commercial examples are available from
GWhip Antenna Products and ProAntennas - similar to the non resonant Comet CHA250B design. This arrangement may not be as efficient as a resonant aerial due to quite considerable power losses on most bands, but at least it could get one on the air from 80m to 10m. (Martin G8JNJ, suggests that a slightly better way to home-brew a broadband HF aerial might be to cut a vertical aerial for about 8.5 MHz, i.e. not a resonant 1/4 wave on any amateur band, but optimised to present a moderate impedance on as many bands as possible. In which case the vertical wire would be about 8.8 metres long, working against the counterpoise, and fed to the a.t.u. via an unun - perhaps 6:1 or 9:1 - this is all open to further research and experimentation! See http://g8jnj.webs.com/currentprojects.htm).

G0KYA has also written a couple of interesting pieces about using a 9:1 unun and a length of wire. He found that a wire length of 19.8 metres offered a good compromise for a multi band aerial. Read G0KYA's blog here:  http://g0kya.blogspot.com/search/label/antennas

Interestingly 2W0SAK of Snowdonia Radio Company recommended an antenna wire length of 7.13 metres with their 9:1 unun - or for better efficiency a wire that is 19.8 metres long which would be run out as a horizontal wire. Both the 7.12 m and 19.8 metre lengths should cover the 80m to 10m bands.


G-Whip supply the excellent WideBander antenna that uses a very high quality 9:1 UnUn for best efficiency together with a 17 metre long radiator wire, see below.


Commercially Available Portable Antennas

Half Wave End Fed Zepp Antennas:  G-Whip single band End Fed Zepps are resonant, mono band antennas available for 4 6 10 12 15 17 20 and 40 metres and employ top quality construction techniques.

G WHIP "EFZ" - High efficiency, resonant, mono band half wave End Fed Zepp antenna
G WHIP "EFZ" - High efficiency, resonant, mono band half wave End Fed Zepp antenna
http://www.gwhip.co.uk


Multi-Band non-resonant antenna using an UnUn: G-Whip WideBander

G-WHIP WideBander Antenna
G-WHIP WideBander Antenna
http://www.gwhip.co.uk


Sandpiper Aerial Technology offer a huge range of aerials at a very reasonable cost such as the Sandpiper Buttie Pole or Walkabout MkII and others. Sandpiper products are usually good value.
http://www.sandpiperaerials.co.uk

Moonraker have a wide range of antennas available that may be worth investigating.
http://www.moonrakerukltd.com


Some commercially made aerials can be very expensive indeed, but other options might include
the TW2010 from Transworld Antennas, The Sigma 5 from Force12 and aerials from SuperAntennas. ProAntennas offer the interesting DMV-Pro and the I-Pro (similar to the Sigma5 and TW2010), or well known GWhip products for example. Many other portable antenna products are available - just check out your local ham radio emporium.

More Links: I have put some links further down this page.

ProAntennas I-Pro antenna
ProAntennas I-Pro antenna
http://www.proantennas.co.uk/

More Ideas:

Field Deployable Antennas by Eric McFadden WD8RIF : http://home.frognet.net/~mcfadden/wd8rif/field-antennas.htm#w3edp



A.T.U.
LDG Z-11 Pro
Depending on the type of HF aerial being used an ATU may be required. LDG make some excellent automatic ATUs that are very compact and lightweight an that have extremely low power consumption making them ideal for battery operated portable operation.

Examples include the LDG Z-11 ProII and LDG Z-100 Pro.

Visit the LDG website at:
http://www.ldgelectronics.com


Elecraft T1 autotunerElecraft offer the very compact T1 autotuner which measurs only 5 x 3 x 1 inches.

The T1’s 7-inductor, 7-capacitor L-network provides a wide matching range, and its re-tune time from memory is just 1 to 2 seconds and can be used with any 0.5-W to 20-W transceiver covering bands in the 160-6 m range. This includes kits, home-built rigs, and commercial transceivers such as the FT-817, IC703, Ten-Tec Argonaut, SG2020, etc. More information from
http://www.elecraft.com


MFJ also produce some very small manual ATUs that are ideal for /P. Examples are the MFJ-901B, MFJ-904H, MFJ-941E, MFJ-945E.
http://www.mfjenterprises.com




Connectors - Feeder - Cable_- Other things


Ensure that the necessary feeders and cables are available along with any adaptors that will be needed such as BNC to SMA, BNC to PL259, PL250 to N type or PL259 to SMA etc.

Ground Spike, Counterpoise wires as necessary. Perhaps a VSWR / Power Meter if the a.t.u. does not have one. A Morse Key for CW. The necessary power cables. Log Book. Equipment Check List. 


Coleman Bayside Tent
http://www.singersoutdoors.co.uk

Diana Eng KC2UHB - operating  /P
Diana Eng KC2UHB - operating  /P
http://www.qrz.com/db/kc2uhb
http://makeprojects.com/Topic/Ham_Radio


Sky Blue Leisure : Vango Alpha 250 - 2 Berth Tent
http://www.skyblueleisure.co.uk

Line-Lok guy runners from ClamCleats
Line-Lok guy runners from ClamCleats
Line-Lok guy runners from ClamCleats  -  fantastic for guying antenna masts quickly and successfully
http://www.cleats.co.uk                                          http://www.clamcleat.com


Nylon Hose Clamps - Nylon Clips
Nylon Hose Clamps - Nylon Clips
Reusable Nylon Hose Clip / Reusable Circular Clamps
Useful for securing telescopic fibreglass poles
- e.g. holding each
section in place in windy weather or to use as a guying ring (spider)
(Herbie Clips)  (Kaf-flex Nylon Clamps)
http://www.malpasonline.co.uk
http://news.thomasnet.com
http://www.hclfasteners.co.uk/acatalog/Herbie-Clip.html
http://www.cheapham.com/products/S9V31-Replacement-Clamps.html



SOME USEFUL LINKS
and SOME MORE VIDEOS FOR YOU....



Richard Newstead G3CWI of Sotabeams demonstrates
how to erect an H.F. field antenna in under two minutes!
http://www.sotabeams.co.uk



Operating H.F. QRP From A Campsite
with KA1YBS




How To: Backpack QRP HF Portable With The Yaesu FT-817



Portable QRP Operating with the Yaesu FT-817
from KI4KSY


LINKS to suppliers and other information
:


Summits On The Air SOTA :  http://www.sota.org.uk                  http://www.sotabeams.co.uk

Line-Lok guy runners for support pole guy ropes by ClamCleats: http://www.cleats.co.uk         http://www.clamcleat.com/cleats/cleats.asp?menuid=7

Reusable circular nylon clips / reusable hose clamps / Herbie Clips / Kaf-Flex Clips: http://www.malpasonline.co.uk  http://news.thomasnet.com
- good for securing telescopic fibreglass poles or making guying rings. http://www.hclfasteners.co.uk/acatalog/Herbie-Clip.html Also try ebay.
http://www.cheapham.com/products/S9V31-Replacement-Clamps.html
http://rotocon.homestead.com/shoponline2.html
http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/hoses/hoses.php
http://export.rsdelivers.com/product/rs/nylon-66-plastic-hose-clip-65-79mm/0291587.aspx
http://www.modelfixings.co.uk/ties_and_clamps.htm


VHF / UHF Antennas

SOTA Beams - portable VHF and UHF antennas.telescopic poles and useful amateur radio accessories: http://www.sotabeams.co.uk

Sandpiper Aerial Technology offer various 2m, 4m, 6m and 70cms aerials including ZL Special: http://www.sandpiperaerials.co.uk

Moonraker offer various aerials for 2m, 4m, 6m and 70cms including ZL Special aerials: http://www.moonrakerukltd.com

Homebrew VHF antenna: http://www.vhfman.freeuk.com/radio/antennas.html

Portable 2 metre - 145 MHz - Pocket Beam by Richard Price BSc, MSc, GW0VMW :
http://mw0idx.co.uk/2mPortPockBeamGW0VMW.html

Homebrew horizontally polarized 2 metre halo stack: http://www.kr1st.com/2mhalo.htm

Homebrew horizontally polarized 70cms halo stack: http://www.kr1st.com/70cmstack.htm


Poles and Supports

'Sota Poles' - lightweight telescopic fibreglass fishing poles available from: http://www.sotabeams.co.uk

Tecadi - for heavy duty fibreglass pole sets: http://www.tecadi.de

Sandpiper Aerial Technology offer various supports: http://www.sandpiperaerials.co.uk

Moonraker - a range of aluminium & fibreglass poles and tripods:  http://www.moonrakerukltd.com

Skyblue Leisure: http://www.skyblueleisure.co.uk/acatalog/Telescopic_Poles.html

see: Bowmanarcher on ebay for 7 metre and 10 metre long telescopic fibreglass 'roach poles'


Portable HF Antennas

LDG Auto Antenna Tuners + baluns etc - excellent products:  http://www.ldgelectronics.com

GWhip Antenna Products:  http://www.gwhip.co.uk

Norcal Doublet Antenna:  http://www.norcalqrp.org/norcaldoublet.htm

Sandpiper Aerial Technology offer various portable antenna options: http://www.sandpiperaerials.co.uk

Moonraker antennas:  http://www.moonrakerukltd.com

ProAntennas:  http://www.proantennas.co.uk

ProWhip Antennas: http://www.prowhipantennas.co.uk/

N4JTE Ribbon (fan) Dipole Design:  http://n4jte.blogspot.com/2009/04/n4jte-6-band-ribbon-antenna-35.html

More ideas on the Antennas 4 page and more links on the links page here and here


QRP Antenna Ideas

Field Deployable Antennas: http://home.frognet.net/~mcfadden/wd8rif/field-antennas.htm

Portable Antenna on a fibreglass pole: http://www.amqrp.org/projects/crappie/crappie.htm

Reflective Sky - QRP Portable: http://www.reflectivesky.co.uk/qrp.html



4 Metre Transverters

Spectrum Communications: http://www.spectrumcomms.co.uk


4 Metre Tranceivers

GAREX - A British manufacturing company. Suppliers of transceivers, PMR radios plus Patch Leads, Components, Aerials, and VHF UHF Accessories. http://www.garex.co.uk


Cables - Feeder - Patch Leads - Adapters

W H Westlake: http://www.whwestlake.co.uk/


Portable Transceivers

Yaesu
FT-60, VX-6R, FT-817 or FT-857D or FT-897D etc:
Yaesu UK: http://www.yaesu.co.uk  Yaesu America: http://www.yaesu.com  Vertex Standard Japan: http://www.vxstd.com 

Icom IC-E90, IC-703, IC-706mkIIG, IC-7000, IC-7200 etc:
Icom UK: http://www.icomuk.co.uk    Icom America: http://www.icomamerica.com   Icom Japan: http://www.icom.co.jp

Alinco: Alinco UK: http://www.alinco.co.uk   Alinco USA: http://www.alinco.com   Alinco Japan: http://www.alinco.com

Kenwood:  Kenwood UK: http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk  Kenwood USA: http://www.kenwoodusa.com

Elecraft:  A range of popular high performance tranceivers such as the K2 and KX3:  http://www.elecraft.com



Portable Power

Sealed Lead Acid Batteries and Deep Cycle Leisure Batteries & Chargers

Tayna:  http://www.tayna.co.uk

Hardware Express for Ansmann chargers and Yuasa, Ritar & CSB s.l.a.b. batteries: http://www.hardwarexpress.co.uk

MDS Battery: http://www.mdsbattery.co.uk

Alternative Energy Store: http://www.alternativeenergystore.co.uk


Amateur Radio Dealers

See our links page here: Suppliers


Tents

http://www.singersoutdoors.co.uk

http://www.cheaptents.com

http://www.worldoftents.co.uk

http://www.millets.co.uk

http://www.outdoorworld.co.uk

http://www.tents-direct.co.uk








Mike Smith - MDS975.co.uk © 2003 - 2012





M0MTJ
Subjects covered on this page:
Amateur Radio; Ham Radio; Radio; Transceivers; HF; VHF; UHF; Data Modes; Morse Code; RTTY; PSK31; SSTV; FSTV; Amtor; Sitor
Antennas; Aerials; Cable; Coaxial Cable; Twin Lead; Masts; Poles; Propagation; Computer; PC; USB Computer Interface; Microphone
Loudspeaker; Filters; Noise Reuction; DSP; Digital Signal Processing; Morse Key; SWR ; Inverted L; Inverted V; Dipole; Doublet;