Backcountry QRP

I've been spending a lot of time researching and preparing to buy a back country QRP rig. I plan on carrying my VX-7R with me on my next 50-miler (coming up in 9 months now), but I really want to have a rig with me that will reach out across longer distances. I want this for two reasons: improved emergency communications and good back country QSOs.

Improved Emergency Communications:
Being responsible for 10, 15 people on a trip is a daunting challenge. I really want to be sure our emergency response plan is solid--that starts with safety, which begins with planning.

• We plan a safe trip, with reasonable hiking distances and reasonable prep hikes. 
• We prepare by ensuring the boys have the skills to hike and camp in the high country of Utah. 
• Our group motto is "Don't be stupid" which really means to not take unnecessary risks. 
• We bring highly skilled leaders--skilled and fit. 
• We focus not just on reaching the goal, but having a good time along the way (hopefully ensuring no one wanders off because they're depressed, lonely, or mad). 
• We bring leaders with a strong first aid background, in case we have to respond to a disaster. 
• Our trip plan has an emergency evacuation plan for each day. 
• On top of that, two years ago we carried a 2m/70cm HT. 

In spite of all this preparation, I was still concerned that I wouldn't be able to reach out for help. Having a leader run back 15 miles to get to a sufficiently high location is one thing - having the trip leader do it, because he's the only licensed operator, is unacceptable. HF isn't a guaranteed QSO, but the options are much better. I can be buried in a drainage, set up a quick 40m NVIS antenna, and send out a signal. That's the hope, at least!


Better Back country QSOs
Let's face it, 2m radio just isn't friendly to the back-country. On these trips, we try to camp at lower elevations which means we're generally down in a drainage, near a lake. Now remember - in the mountains of Utah, 'down' means as low as 10,500 feet above sea level. We're still pretty high! But 2m operation requires line of sight to the nearest repeater, which turns out to be a 2m repeater linked to the Intermountain Intertie system. In order to see it, I have to be at high elevation to clear other mountains. On our last trip, there were about five points (10 miles apart) that met these criteria. With HF, I have a much better chance of sending out a signal--in fact, with an NVIS antenna I have a good chance of hitting people within my general region (Utah). With a standard antenna, well, the continental United States is pretty likely! Bottom line: if I'm carrying radio gear, I'd like to be sure I'm getting out and using it. I want the reward, but I'd also like the boys to get a taste of what's possible.


Operation Mode
So I've been reviewing back country options--obviously I've been into light QRP work, having picked up my 817 last year (and really enjoying the long-distance SSB conversations as far away as Seattle, BC, OH and AK). So of course my initial thoughts leaned toward just hauling my 817 and a big battery with me - and I even have a couple of scouts willing to help carry stuff. But as I added the weight up, I just wasn't sure... For the last long-distance hike, I was carrying about 50 pounds. I started above 65 pounds and come out 15 pounds lighter. And I was feeling it, the entire trip. This trip has to be different...


Meanwhile everyone I spoke with kept telling me the same things I'm reading: pound-for-pound, watt-for-watt nothing beats CW. PSK-31 and other digital modes can really reach out (how about Salt Lake City to Kamchatna on 5 watts?), but PSK means bringing my 817 AND a laptop AND a sound card interface! In the end, everything keeps pointing back to CW... I'm done fighting the trend and I've concluded that I need to learn CW and gain experience operating that mode. And thus, a plan is born...


CW Transceiver Options
Now that I'm going with CW, I have a world of options. Going back to my goals, I want 1) a radio that can communicate in the event of an emergency, without me having to hike to the highest point around, and 2) a radio which can communicate in the evenings when I can have an enjoyable QSO. Moving to CW means there are a number of radios which fit the bill--the challenge is figuring out which radio. Four kits have been highly recommended--I'll try to offer pros and cons of each.

• Elecraft K1: The Elecraft K1 is probably the gold standard for rugged QRP CW rigs. It's relatively small (2.2"H x 5.2"W x 5.6"D), includes an option for internal batteries, and under 1.4 pounds. If you mix and match just right, you can actually get 6 bands out of this tiny rig! Some drawbacks for me, though, are 1) price (nearly $700 with the options I'd want), 2) size (it's a tiny rig but still larger than I want to stuff into my pack), and 3) weight. Add up all the optional components and such and I think you're closer to 2.5 or even 3 lbs. If I didn't own an 817 and I wanted to operate QRP portable CW, I'd probably buy this puppy in a heartbeat. I may yet own one, in fact!
• Small Wonder Labs Rockmite: at the time of writing this, I'm expecting to find one of these under the tree--read my review in a few weeks. The Rockmite is a tiny radio designed for just what I'm talking about: very portable back country use. It's a 40m CW rig that outputs around .5 watts (500 milliwatts--QRPp) on two frequencies. It's ultralight-designed for emergency use. I really can't wait to build mine and start practicing. In fact, my son gave me a Sour Patch Kids tin to put the radio in! Problems are 1) the low output. You always compromise something for weight - in this case, I'm definitely compromising power. 2) dual frequency, single band. This is a purpose-built radio for emergency and probably for 'special interest use' only. NOTE: I am building one, I will use one... I'm not dissing it, I just don't think it'll do what I want.
• Elecraft KX1: I have been looking at the Elecraft KX1 for probably six months now. This is a slick little rig - seriously feature-rich radio packed in a tiny package! It's portable, it can be self-contained (power, tuner, etc.) and can handle up to 4 bands with optional kits. It can output just south of 4 watts with an external 12v battery, too. Normal operating wattage with internal batteries is only about 2 watts though. That's not bad for QRP CW--in fact, even 500 milliwatts can get the job done most of the time. Still, it's got some downsides. First, there's the cost... Fully kitted out (internal tuner, all 4 bands, attached paddles) it'll run close to $600--that's more than I paid for my 817! Second, feedback is that the internal tuner just isn't broad enough to tune everything you might throw at it. Finally, there are additional odds-and-ends to bring with: external power to boost output signal to 4 watts, balun, wire-to-bnc adapter, etc.
• QRPKits PFR3: my final option in this line-up is the QRPKits PFR3. This radio was inspired by the KX1. In fact, it's the build-out of a very experienced answer to "what's the perfect backcountry radio," as answered by Dr. Bob Armstrong (N7XJ). As a long-time owner of a KX1, he had a series of gripes about that radio. As QRPKits' Doug Hendricks listened to Bob present to a meeting of the Arizona ScQRPions club, he took notes. Good notes. And less than a year later, the PFR was born. The best thing about it is the price for performance. For half the cost of the KX1, the PFR delivers two bands (40 and 20), 5 watts, internal manual tuner (with a much wider tuning capability than the KX1), 8 AA batteries rather than six, and a bright yellow case that's just stunningly unique. 

In reviewing this round-up of radios, I've obviously caved and bought myself the Rockmite. That's just because I really want an Altoids tin radio! I've eliminated the K1 for size, weight, and cost. It came down to the KX1 and the PFR3. Frankly, I had eliminated the latter until last Saturday's meeting of the Davis County Amateur Radio club. After the meeting, Bob Cart WR7Q was chatting with me. When I told him I was saving up for a KX1, he referred me to Bob and said I'd love the PFR3. After a LONG thread on the QRP-L reflector, I'm sold - this is the way I'm going.

So I'm saving up, waiting patiently, and anticipating the chance to build out the PFR and report on it. Hope the above really helps - lots of info, but it might save someone else a ton of time researching and saving.

73's

K7JTO

Check out my YouTube Account

I’ve set up a YouTube account where I’ll be posting video recordings of radio-related activities. As I learn more about HF radio and about QRP operation, I’ll post what I’ve learned.

http://www.youtube.com/user/KF7DVJ

Also, I’ve posted my first video on YouTube – it’s about my ultra-mobile bicycle emergency communications rig. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKfxzOKIMaY

Ultra Mobile

Today was Centerville’s Independence Day parade, and I was able to be net control for the parade. Lots of fun! This article is more about my mobile emcomm unit than about the parade, though.

Wanting to test out my emergency communications, I chose to do the parade using my FT-817 QRP (low-power) radio. The 817 is essentially a hand-held radio in a larger box—it’s an all-band radio (HF, VHF, UHF) with a max output power of 5 watts in any mode.

Yaesu FT-817

I’ve had my 817 for about two months now and have really enjoyed using it, although I’ve had less than exceptional success using the HF bands for voice (I have succeeded to have digital conversations using PSK-31 and my laptop, though). It’s all about the antenna and the timing—more on that in another article.

My 817 has a couple of modifications, including:

• One Big Punch speech compressor, to increase readability on voice/SSB transmissions.
•   2700 mAH battery for much longer battery life (factory default is a paltry 1800 mAH)
• One Fast Charger reduces charging time from 18 hours to just over 2 hours.

The battery has been helpful. In fact, today I did an entire parade (7:00 AM till 10:15 AM) on my 2700 mAH battery. Didn’t even have to connect!

Portable Antenna

My stated goal was to perform net control duties using a low-power VHF rig. I also wanted to test my field setup, which includes a home-brew J-pole antenna for 2 m made of simple, cheap ladder line. It worked stupendously!

My antenna is about 57” long, made of ladder-line. I connect to it with a 6’ piece of coax with alligator clips. I’ve stripped away a fair amount of the insulation, giving plenty of room for tuning this antenna. It’s ultra-light, and it’s--surprisingly enough--a gain antenna! With a simple male-to-male coax adapter, I connected a 10’ coax line to the short line coming off the antenna. The antenna is slightly directional, but for the most part works efficiently in 360 degrees. It worked amazingly well for the parade; never an issue and the 817’s SWR meter never registered! I did decide to hook the hot portion of the coax line to the shortest section of the antenna; don’t know if it made a measurable difference or not.

My antenna mast was a simple 10’ piece of 3/4” PVC pipe. The only modification I’d like to do here is cut it into sections to fit into my bike trailer or my go kit.

Go-Kit

I have wrapped up construction on my go-kit (see my blog posting on the kit), and it’s really ready for use. I’m playing with what I keep in the kit, but today I had:

• FT-817
• Ladder-line J-pole
• 6’ coax with alligator clips
• 10’ coax
• Various wire antennas
• LED flashlight
• 12v AA/AAA battery charger
• Various wires and plugs
• Manuals
• Two sealed lead acid batteries
• Papers

The beauty of this go-kit is how well it fits into my bike trailer. Which puts the ‘ultra’ in ultra-mobile!

Set Up

I was the first person around, so for a while I was just sitting on the stairs with my radio on my go-kit lid. Finally the announcer arrived and soon we were ready to go. Pretty easy – you can see the power cable coming up between my 817 and my HT. Note that it’s not plugged into anything. I did the entire parade w/o additional power. Although each one of my solar-charged SLAs will run the 817 for 24+ hours (with two in my go-kit and the ability to add two more, that means I can operate up to 4 days without a power source).

Getting Around

In the event of a disaster, I don’t know if my vehicles will be available or not. But we own around 10 bikes, and a little “Bob Yak” bike trailer as well. So for the parade (not wanting to mess with parking), I loaded up the bike trailer and headed down!

 

Like I said, I’m planning to cut the antenna down to fit in the trailer or in the go-kit itself, but haven’t done it yet.

So there you go – a parade in a box. Just add some marching bands, a whole smattering of politicians, and a lot of sun!

PSK-31

So about 2 months ago I got to visit my buddy WB6YOK and watch him operate PSK-31. This is a really cool digital mode – while we were operating, we watched two guys in Cuba and Panama chat.

Over the weekend, I got to operate K7P, the special event station for the 150th anniversary of the Pony Express. I did a lot of PSK-31 then. And surprise – my SignaLink USB sound card arrived today and I’m on the air as myself finally! Hooked it up and made 10 contacts this evening—including Australia (near Melbourne).

Lots to learn, but I’m still just having a blast!

BTW: kept chasing FK8GX around – he’s transmitting from New Caledonia, a Pacific Island between Australia and Fiji. I heard him loud and clear, but he never could hear me. My cheap dipole just isn’t putting out the signal like I need it to.

Action-Packer Go Box

One of my favorite organizing tools is Rubbermaid’s Action Packer. They make these things in several sizes (from 80 gallons to 8 gallons), they’re just about bulletproof, and they pack a zillion items. So when it came time to build a go-box, there really was no option – it’s the Action Packer or nothing! (Well, I have debated using something metal, to protect from an EMP, but I haven’t found anything that’ll work for that—yet).

What’s a go box? It’s a box or container you can grab and just run with. It’s great for field day or for the special events station we’ll be manning in June (for the Pony Express 150th anniversary). It contains essentially everything you need to operate in the field. Most go-boxes include radios, antennas, wires, batteries, and even food. I like to keep my food separate; it allows for a slightly smaller go-box.

My goals for building a go-box were:

• Store both my Yaesu FT-100 and my Yaesu FT-817 radios, in an upper shelf.
• Carry at least two lead-acid batteries below.
• Be completely wired – I should be able to open the top, plug in a radio and an antenna, and just GO.
• Be wired with ARES/RACES standard Anderson Powerpoles.
• Include an external connection so I can input power at any time, easily.
• Have room to store antennas, cables, a quick repair kit, etc.
• Include luxuries such as a flashlight and more.

Given that I want it to be easily portable AND I want it to hold a limited amount of gear, I opted for the smallest Action Packer, which is 8 gallons in size. Great choice!

Here are some photos of what I’ve got so far:

Batteries in the bottom, and the hole in the side for external power tap.	Close-up of the hole – I added a small rubber gasket for waterproofing. I also drilled the hole on a down-ward facing slope, to keep out water.
As you can see, the power out will have Anderson Powerpoles on it. That way I can plug into just about anyone’s system.	These are the lead acid batteries at the bottom. I have 1) power in, 2) lead acid batter, 3) second lead acid battery, and 4) power up to the top. Wanting to save a boatload of cash, I built my own power distribution unit (power distribution block) out of Anderson Powerpoles – I’ll write a quick blog on that. I also made room in the power block to plug in two additional batteries (I’ve got 4, after all), just in case.
Some things are just too easy… This is an Energizer brand battery charger. It just happens to take… 12v to charge batteries! You never know when you need a AA or AAA battery!	The comforts of home! I made 1) alligator clamp connector for auto batteries, 2) ring connectors for power supplies, 3) ring connectors with small alligator clamps, 4) 12v battery charger with the power supply cord modified, 4) Anderson-equipped power supply for my FT-817 (which happens to use the same tip as some old PockePC power supplies—and is the same tip the VX-7R uses). There’s a sample power distribution block. Oh and that’s the COOLEST flashlight I’ve ever seen – it’s LED powered. They sell them at NAPA for about 8 bucks—they have a hook and a magnet on the back of them.

There’s still some work left to do—I would like a shelf at the bottom to cover up the power supply. I’m worried a wrench or something will fall in between the batteries and cause a short. I need a shelf on the top on which I can put the radios (padded for transport, of course). I hope to wrap all that up shortly, and I’ll add final photos when I do.

Quick note on batteries – I left my QRP (low-power) Yaesu FT-817 running the other day. I went a full 24 hours on one lead acid battery. Twenty-four hours! And that included a couple hours of heavy HF transmission at full power (5 watts). Can you imagine what 4 batteries will do, if I shut the thing off now and again? It measures in weeks…

Ultimate Backpacking Yagi

If you’ve read my blog, you know I got started in amateur radio because I was looking for a reliable emergency communications solution for the backcountry. I found it, but in 2009 while taking my Scouts on a 50-miler, I knew next to nothing about radio. I wasn’t all that successful with my transmission. Part of the issue was that I didn’t know enough about programming the radio nor about VHR radio to set things up correctly. I had all the wrong data – wrong offset, wrong tone for opening repeaters, etc. But there is more – I had equipment problems. And now I know several reasons why!

• Yaesu VX-7R: my first challenge (not problem—challenge) is that my Yaesu VX-7R is a 5-watt hand-held unit (in ham radio vernacular, it’s called an “HT” or handie-talkie). 5 watts isn’t all that much power, you know? A decent 5-watt HT with a good antenna will transmit about 30 miles line-of-sight. I was never much more than 30 miles from any repeater, but there were trees all over the place. Nice things about the Yaesu? On standby, this puppy can remain on for a good two days. It’s a tough little unit, and the LCD has just enough info to keep you going, without getting too cluttered. What are you going to do with an awesome 5-watt handheld? Since they don’t make many handhelds with a higher wattage, especially with all these features, I’m sure not going to throw it out!
• Whip Antenna: I own a Diamond SRH-999 antenna. This is an awesome quad-band antenna which will transmit and receive on 50, 144, 220, and 445 (6m, 2m, 1.25m, and 70cm). The problem is that a whip antenna transmits in a big circle—the transmit power is spread out 360 degrees!
• No Gain: the other problem with a whip is that there’s essentially no gain. The radio pumps out 5 watts, and that’s what’s transmitted out of the antenna.

So is there an answer to this problem? I’ve got a great little radio. I have learned so much more about VHF radio, repeaters, and programming my radio that I have all the repeater settings correctly dialed in now. But how do I get around the transmission limitations of a 5-watt HT with a whip antenna? Simple: the two-meter Yagi.

Directional Antenna: the Yagi

Welcome to the world of amateur radio antennas! As I’ve studied about radio, I have learned that it’s pretty incredible what you can do with a low-power radio. As a matter of fact, there’s an entire dark art in ham radio called “QRP” or low-power radio. Most QRPers use 5-watt CW (continuous wave, or Morse code) radios. Some of them are as small as an Altoids tin (I’ll be building one of those – it’s my reward for earning General class). If you can transmit cross-county on a fraction of a watt, with a 9volt batter, you ought to be able to transmit 30, 50 or even 60 miles with a 5-watt HT! It all comes down to having the right antenna. And the right antenna will accomplish two things: first, it will focus all your power into a narrow beam; second, it will actually increase your transmission power.

The antenna that accomplishes this? Simple – the Yagi or beam antenna. Remember the old TV antennas? Those are Yagi antennas!

But I’m not looking for just any antenna. I’m looking for a Yagi I can take backpacking.

• 2-meter backpacking Yagi: Now, I thought I had the perfect antenna when I found the 2-meter backpacking Yagi plans presented at my local club. This has it all! It’s light (PVC and aluminum rod), it’s small (stuffs down into the PVC) and it’s convenient. Unfortunately, it calls for some pretty advanced stuff—ever try to by Delrin rod? Great stuff, but it’s not necessarily sold at your local Ace Hardware. I never really got started on this antenna, simply because I don’t know where to by aluminum rod, Delrin rod, etc.
• Simple 2-meter backpacking J-match Yagi: so imagine my excitement when I found plans for a 2-meter J-match Yagi antenna. Not only is it easier to build, it’s made out of parts you can buy easily (aluminum grounding rod, apparently available at Radio Shack, and a few alligator clips).
• Ultimate 2-meter backpacking Yagi: I had my heart set on building the J-match yagi, until I found the ultimate 2-meter backpacking yagi (see pages 5-6). Not only is this puppy light, it’s ultra-light and it’s ultra-compact! Check out in this youtube video how easy it is to build!

So tomorrow I have a slowish day and I plan on buying the parts for the J-Match 2m Yagi and building it. I’m going to keep an eye out for an arrow or even a broken fishing pole out of which I can build the KD5IVP antenna though. THAT’s going to be the bomb for backcountry communications!

General Class!

Wow, I’m really falling behind! It’s been 8 months since earning my Technician class. In those months, I’ve built myself out quite the set-up. My Yaesu VX-7R has served me well, and I’ve added a Yaesu FT-100 to my collection. The joy about the FT-100 is that it’s a mobile HF radio – it goes great in my car, and it does all bands (160m to 70cm). In my most recent article, I mentioned I made my first HF contact (on 10 meters, with a guy near Sacramento, CA).

Well, this week I reached a long-time goal: I earned my general class license! I am now licensed to operate on all amateur radio bands! Pretty exciting, frankly.

So the day after I earned my tech, I hopped onto the 160, 80, 40 and 20 meter bands to make my first General contact. And sure enough – next thing I knew, I was chatting with Hector, XE2GAG, in Ensenada, Mexico (about an hour south of San Diego).

Just goes to show you, you can do just about anything you set your mind to. Eight months ago, I had only heard about amateur radio once (when I was living in Virginia, my buddy Fred told me we’d be able to chat together, even though he lived in Washington at the time). Now I’m learning about HF and the big wavelength bands.