Jack:
Great story!
The radio of choice for portable operation seems to be the Yaesu FT-817.
It runs 2.5W on internal battery and 5 W on external power People seem
to really like them, though I hear that the receiver overloads in the
presence of very strong signals, and some folks do not like the menu
structure. I've never tried one myself. Most of the other amateur
radios advertised as "portable" draw 1 to 1.5 amps on receive, not too
good for a battery power budget. At the other end of the spectrum are
the military packsets, like the AN/PRC-104. They are cool, rugged, and
expensive, even on the surplus market. Good for spot frequency use, but
tuning the band won't be that much fun using the frequency selection
switches. Again, I've never tried one. In the middle is Ten Tec. While
they don't seem to be marketing the Argonaut VI as a portable rig, Ten
Tec has made efforts to keep the receive current drain down and 10 W is
a more practical level that 2.5 or 5 W, especially for working SSB. A
lower cost alternative, if you can find one would be the T-T Scout or
Argosy. I have successfully used my Scout portable on several
occasions. I crank the power back to 25-30 W and it will run fine on CW
on a 7 Ah battery for at least a couple of hours. A bigger battery, like
those automotive jump starting packs, will give you longer run time.
Running the Scout at lower power will also make it run cooler, which
helps prevent VFO drift. The receive current drain for the Scout is 600
mA. I think that the Argo VI would be better, especially if one can buy
or fabricate a pack or handles for it.
What do you use for antennas? My portable preference is simple dipoles
instead of the short, loaded dipoles and verticals. I made a reel-out
dipole from surplus AN/CRT-3 antenna reels and a smaller version using
plastic "campers clothesline" reels. Here are some antenna ideas from
N6CC: http://www.n6cc.com/antenna-system-ideas
73, and let's hear more stories!
Bob WB2VUF
On 4/6/2013 10:10 PM, Jack Emerson wrote:
Hey de Jack W4TJE in Fancy Gap, VA. Radio-wise, today has been a blast. You know
it’s going to be a good radio day when ur working a strong Russian station on
15m cw just after ur sunrise, and he tells you that he is running a ten tec stn (Omni
V). I think in all my years on air, that is the first Russian ever worked running Ten
Tec gear. Note to Ten Tec: Send me an e-mail, and I will send you his call sign. He
deserves a mug, or at least a cap.
Then, at mid-morning, my buddy Todd, N4LA, drove up from NC with his backpacks
and portable gear, and he and I then drove a few miles up the road, parked, and
climbed to the top of Buffalo Mtn in Floyd County, VA. Todd and I are the same
age (49), from the same town originally in NC (Siler City), grew up together,
both learned radio together, and even have common relatives by marriage. After
school, he joined the Navy, while I joined the Marine Corps, so it did my heart
proud today to show the U.S. Navy how a Marine humps to the top of a mountain
peak (SINGING THE MARINE CORPS ANTHEM WHILE CARRYING BOTH BACKPACKS).
So a full hour after I (USMC) had made it to the top carrying all of the gear,
Todd (Navy) finally arrived, and we were ready to get on air. We set up at the
summit at 3970 feet, with me (USMC) doing all the work, while Todd (USN)
drinking coffee and telling sea stories (LIES) about how rough life at sea was
for him.It was then that I was introduced to the world of the Summits On The
Air (SOTA). IT WAS AWESOME.!! We operated both phone and cw and put that peak
on the air for only the second time. We had stns calling us from Europe to the
West Coast, and put over 70 of them in the log before shutting down and
climbing down the mountain ( I had to carry Todd, he had ran out of both coffee
and sea stories ((LIES)) by then).
So now, I’m all pumped about operating SOTA, and checking their web site tonight
tonight I see that there are quite a few peaks near me that are rare or have never even been
activated. I’ve never been into qrp, but am intrigued by the Argo 6 for use as a SOTA
portable rig, but am also interested in the Eagle for the same use. So any Argonaut 6 or
Eagle owners, pse tell me any pros and cons for portable use. I am very interested in knowing
what ur opinions are, esp with respect to battery use/power drain.
And finally, tnx to Todd for introducing me to SOTA today, and don’t get mad
when you read how I picked on you here on this reflector.
73 de Jack W4TJE
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