COOL STUFF FOR

 

PORTABLE

 

OPS



Whether you run QRP in the field, or 100 watts, radio operators around the world have come up with their own homebrew "Field" paks. Fortunately, the sharing nature of Ham radio allows the less inventive of us to copy their plans and even make modest modifications. That's what Hams do.

But what if you're not the hands on type of person and still want to go off grid? There are several companies that will help you out (for a price).

First, if you are trying to assemble your own pak you may have already picked up a rig that runs portable like the Yaesu Ft-818, or it's older brother the 817. If you have tried using this it's internal battery pack I guess you've found out that it doesn't take much time to run the battery down. An external battery certainly helps, and there are so many different types available it's sometimes difficult to figure out what you should get.

You can start with Facebook and join the FT-817 / 818 group and begin asking questions from other members of the group. I asked about decent batteries to buy and had several members recommend the TalentCell Rechargeable 12V 6000mAh/5V 12000mAh DC Output Lithium Ion Battery, available from Amazon.

In the field, your radio equipment should be well protected and several companies are here to do just that. Possibly the best / least expensive protection comes from Portable Zero.

FT-817 / 818

The rails protect all sides of your radio and looks cool too! It's just not for the FT-817 though. They offer rails for the 857-897-891 and even the FT-991.

FT-991 RAILS

Portable Zero offers setups for ICOM too(Check out their website for the models they cover). Once the money fairy visits me, I'll try these out myself but I've heard good things about them. Chameleon antenna, makers of quality EMCOMM antennas has a set of rails for the FT-817. They are heavy duty, and cost almost twice that of what you can buy from Portable Zero.

The biggest downside I have with these are that they don't widen out at the front of the rig. Personally, I need a little extra room to use the front panel controls and tuning knob on my 817. Secondly, while the openings on the rails allow access to your speaker and microphone jacks, I think I would prefer a wider gap, like the ones from Portable Zero. I will compare the two one day (once I pony up for the P.Zero rails). The Chameleon rails are available thru DX Engineering. Once again, let me point you to the EXCELLENT YouTube channel run by Julian - OH8STN to get a good idea on what to buy for the field.

What if you have money to burn and want and turnkey solution? Try looking into Hardened Power Systems. If you want something that will fit into an ammo can you will be happy.



HPS COMMANDER SERIES

 

This setup allows you to fit your FT-857 or 891 into a ready-to-go field kit. Just add the radio and ammo can and your set to go! Don't look for a review from me on this one - my wallet doesn't hold that much ($695 w/Free shipping in US). They offer Commander kits for the ICOM 7100 and 7200 as well.

73

Woody