Just wondering if there are any ham operators on here that have built portable go stations for field communications ? If so, I would like to see some of them.
Printable View
Just wondering if there are any ham operators on here that have built portable go stations for field communications ? If so, I would like to see some of them.
I haven't gotten around to getting my license yet, but I do have one of these on my 'must have' list: https://greatscottgadgets.com/hackrf/
It's not a standalone system, but an incredibly versatile backbone for tons of applications. A USRP would be my first choice, but is far more expensive and overkill.
The "gadget" only goes down to 10mhz, and I operate down to 1.8mhz - wouldn't do me much good. Anyway, I'm looking more at self contained stations with no computer needed. I've basically got everything I need but looking for ideas on how to package it for grab and go. My core radio will either be a Yaesu FT-817 or my Icom 703. The 817 is an all mode, all band radio that does 5 watts out and the 703 is HF only at 10 watts out but sports a built in auto antenna tuner. My main interest is HF operation and the 703 will cover that with more power, but the 817 also covers HF, 6 meters, 2 meters, and 70cm - the extra bands are handy plus the 817 is smaller but does require either a resonant antenna or a separate ATU.Quote:
Originally Posted by canid
For lower bands I have cheaper, or interoperable options. Also, a computer, though very handy, for which I like the portable and low power Beaglebone Black, is not strictly necessary either. Ultimately, it is a building block for a radio communication system, not an end product.
With the beaglebone and a battery pack, an entire system could easily fit into a handheld enclosure. You don't have to use such a system, but you don't have to rule it out either.
I mostly cruise 40m, so 7mhz is for me... Id rather just have a dualband mobile for V/UHF and a 40m 12w field radio from MFJ for HF. An SWR for all band RX so you can hear whats on shortwave and I think that sums it up. The mobile dual band radio I have in mind is the TYT programmable, or maybe Wouxun... Either way, I an program ALL ham freqs, and MGRS, FRS and MURS into it also...
EB
Yeah, I like 40 meters too but mostly for CW, I use the little MFJ Cub radio I built from a kit - about 2 watts out and I have worked all over the US and some DX with it into a simple speaker wire dipole. It runs on an 8 pack of AA alkaline batteries for quite some time. Go a small Pico keyer I'm going to add to it soon so I can use it with a small set of paddles for full iambic operation and the keyer has a beacon mode that can be programmed with a short emergency call.Quote:
Originally Posted by ElevenBravo
But check out the neat little SSB rigs here: http://www.larvell.net/ Looks like I might order one of these for a winter project.
I carry a Yaesu VX-6 when in the field. It's waterproof so I don't have to worry about it getting wet.
The only problem with the 817 is the low power and lack of filters. I had an 817 and it was ok under optimal conditions but the rest of the time it sucked. I knew a guy that put a back pack set up together using the 857 and was much happier so I purchased the 857 and a few weeks after sold the 817. I could build antennas, battery systems for running at low power, etc. but if more power was needed or the bands were noisy and I needed a filter, I was out of luck with the 817. If I could have had more power in the 817, even maybe 25 Watts and filtering, I probably would have stuck with that but the 857 was only a little bigger and the extras were well worth it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lamewolf
Know what you mean about the 817 needing filters, but since I already have it, I can buy filters cheaper than I could buy the 857. I would love to have the 857 but its not in my budget right now. I really don't see any problem with low power since most of my operations are on CW and I usually run less than 5 watts anyway - 2 watts on average most of the time. But I have made tons of contacts on SSB with he little 817 at 5 watts with simple wire antennas but most of them have been on the higher bands like 17, 15, 12 & 10 meters. W4RT sells a nice dual filter for the 817 that does both CW and SSB and a lot of folks that have used them, swear by them. I also have 2 older Yaesu FT747GX radios and I have modified one of them to be easier on batteries by changing out the dial lamps and replacing them with LEDs - shaved a couple hundred milliamps on receive by doing that plus I have the max power set to 30 watts. The 747GX is a fairly light weight radio since the case is plastic, but then it needs bigger batteries than the 817. I modified it for field day operation and at 30 watts it does great at that power level. Anyway, lots of ideas running through my head and I think the 817 will most likely be the core of my project due to its size and band coverage. Just got to figure out how to package it all. I don't want to have to unpack it to use it, but don't want it to be so heavy I wouldn't want to pack it along.Quote:
Originally Posted by karatediver
Yeah, THATS NICE! Price is good, and its full bore 10W (which is just 3db down from 100W if Im correct...), so it has all the power you need! Run it though a short section of coax and you should get better performance out of it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lamewolf
I ran a sloper one time out of a resonant dipole, low end was 3ft and tall end was 30ft, it will favor the direction of the forward arc... It was easy to setup and I was told I was booming in so thats a nice option, and somewhat directional.
Thanks for that link, Ill have to save up for that!
EB
One of the things I found out on our recent trip is that it's pretty easy to find out what frequencies national park/national forest personnel use. If you are hiking in back country that's helpful if you have a problem but don't have cell service. for Yellowstone the primary emergency channel is 146.520 MHz with 52.525, 223.5, 446.0, and 1294.5 Mhz used as backup frequencies.
Grand Teton National Park frequencies - 171.675 and 172.425
That's because those frequencies are recognized national call frequencies and are used just about everywhere in the US.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick
My favorite antenna for the field is an end fed half wave wire. With it you can get by without the coax by attaching the small ATU to the transceiver via a double ended PL259 or even just a very short coax jumper. No counterpoise needed either. Some folks will argue that the counterpoise is needed, but I have experimented hundreds of times with the end fed half wave both with the counterpoise and without it and it has never shown any detectable difference in performance. The end fed half wave is nothing more than an ordinary half wave dipole, the only difference is that it is fed at the high impedance, low current end instead of the low impedance, high current center. It just requires a simple matching device to convert the high impedance to 50 ohms and the circuit consists of a small toroidal inductor and a small variable capacitor to fine tune it with. The wire can be deployed in any configuration desired such as a sloper, inverted V, inverted L, or a vertical depending on available supports. I use one with my little MFJ Cub 2 watt CW rig and work all over the world with it ! Google the end fed half wave antenna - tons of info on them out there and I have info on my website about them too.Quote:
Originally Posted by ElevenBravo
While that may be true that's not what they use in Grand Teton. My point was if you intend to visit a park you might check the net to see what frequencies the park uses. It's easy to find out. Yellowstone had dozens of frequencies listed. Some used daily some used only on certain occasions.
Oh; check this project/device out: http://hackaday.io/project/1538-portablesdr
The built in antenna analysis functionality is probably particularly well suited to emergency antenna improvisation.
My 857D has worked very well.....have not had it out of the shack yet but it works South Africa and Russia etc, etc, just fine on a 20 meter dipole......after 60 days of ownership I am liking it more every day.
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/...r/SDC10595.jpg
Packed for walking.
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/...r/SDC10603.jpg
Set up and running - 20M was wide open.
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/...r/SDC10605.jpg
Fun location at base of glacier.
Apparently it's good down to 1mhz and belowQuote:
Originally Posted by Lamewolf
From the site:
We've decided to advertise the fact that HackRF One operates all the way down to 1 MHz, not just to 10 MHz. This isn't a change to the hardware design; it is simply an acknowledgment that the hardware has always worked at such low frequencies and that we support operation down to 1 MHz.
https://greatscottgadgets.com/
Yeah but what about the one you lost while trying to rescue the twinkies?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick
I have an old Icom 706 with the original backpack for it, TNC, Small computer, spy key, batteries and solar panels with an old military portable antenna tower and multi-band Aussie antenna that does most everything that I need... But it is putting all of your eggs iin one basket so to speak. Still; I can only carry so much stuff... Here lies the problem. Me thinks that a Ford Excursion may be in order?
Not to mention the 706 eats batteries for snacks at over 2 amps on receive alone ! Good radio, I have one but would really need big batteries to operate portable. For portable operation I prefer my Icom 703 which looks and operates the same but designed for battery operation and only does 10 watts out. 10 watts is not a problem because I've always been able to work anyone I can hear.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildernesstech
Working on it now, piece by piece as money allows...
Sent from my UFO mother ship
бене585привCHAPUnitяпонЖукоМальсообСороукраPeteспецRoseС-12
МатюNX04ВелицветКерепрессостS900TescмаршСедоХоджвыдеMarkMore
LikeустаНезнremiStarФокоПрокБозыграмErnsClivпоэтGreeTescPrel
PameпрофFeatAmarКожуtourWillGiveMarcМоскMarkязыкStanLafaVent
NikiPaulGIUDBretYoshSideсобсGaleSieLSusaФедоELEGдокускепдвиж
PierменяVentELEGZoneZoneВедеNoraГозеAndrDougлюбвбибл*ыднShim
ZoneСуржВасюZoneLongцеркLASTZoneZoneZoneZone5001lfgaXVIIZone
жизнZoneСергZoneпродиллюПова03-0ZoneZoneZoneпапикрышDTMFжизн
факуRifaNordCharЕремаппе9904PETETropОбъеКитаКитаBELLARAGAUDI
хородругElecтексинстдекоакадигруWinxGullOrenWindwwwnупакBosc
BoscШекоFrisСтавЛит*Лит*МоскЛит*Лит*Лит*KissЛит*бошяискуСидо
ученМикидетеТрубСучкСове*огоDeadDaviстатчитаTattHughWattJohn
побеPsikJacqкадрСтепДавыКуроязыкWillPortуказ*обоМолоComm*аки
пороМиндЖелт*астузнавозр109-ТопоЩукиWindDTMFDTMFDTMFSergInst
АртиЛукиНибеGeorПлакпредязыкхудочитаШушкtuchkasптенпрев
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтtuchkasсайтсайт
прев174.2покаBettПетрУлыбАндрТатьXIIIГольSandValeБобкTherJewe
сапоStevСодеProjSideZoneкрасJohaСеспПовеWereHannWereSuitСысо
издаJenn(*ожEastнаукинтеVoltenitRobeПослВолгXVIIБлудBlacВаси
больВолкXVIIпрепКоллКрудГильМикивещеBlinFallFallКнязБлиз*адч
неблМастКобрСкулМигаMarcгрупГачеСупоКолеОлигТарчШепеСодепроц
ЦветПерв*омаЧернМузесамоСодеCommZoneCravIntrлюбиунивWintWoul
ИллюСалыZoneZoneBattReacZoneБурм(193ValeБелоКулеКоствопрПиро
мальпремZoneОлейунивГринИллюZoneИродНикоSupeFrag1930KOSSгорл
PhotSeleShagСамсwwwrЕфимИтал9044PolaDeviArto*осс*епиБармзаво
клейдыхаmediSonsErneEnieотлипредAliaWitcNeyaWindJeweBerlBosc
ClorEvafTriothisСмирЛитвЛит*Лит*AgatIntrЛит*ЛафйфайлСолобалл
ЧехоЗуевWongдрамRisiписаCyntNikothirтеатнастДовлнапеAndySarc
альбавтоХолмФормполовыруКараЮрчуHarrНадтВиноАликFionShonинфо
класазбуJeweThomДемчЛеонBubbMPEGДушкМиндKOSSKOSSKOSSLifeВолы
WaitSansTracSaleЕфреMaryдеятThisкалоВернtuchkasЯворПляц
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт
сайтсайтсайтсайтсайтtuchkasсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайтсайт