Jeff,
What other rigs are there out there that work 80/40/20/15/10 and possibly even
160, yet require only a couple hundred mA on RX?
I only know of the KX3, with its 250mA.
I'm sure there are loads of rigs with only a couple of bands, but I don't know
of any other all band rigs like that.
73
Rick, DJ0IP
-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Herr
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2013 5:27 PM
To: 'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment'
Subject: Re: [TenTec] A Fun Day with Ham Radio, and a Question about Portable
Operating
This is an outdated perception. Look at the kx3.
No "portables" draw much more than 250mils on recv these days....and a lot do
with less.
-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bwana Bob
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2013 07:15
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Cc: Jack Emerson
Subject: Re: [TenTec] A Fun Day with Ham Radio, and a Question about Portable
Operating
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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