A useful addition to the kit required for portable HF Operating

Dunelm Mill ~ Ashford, Kent

A nice folding table for operating portable HF ~ plus holding a mug of coffee & a logbook. Not bad for £5 :-)

I already have a folding chair ;-)

73 de John

Getting everything ready for portable HF operating ~ Part 2

Vertical Aerial

The Prowhip vertical aerial that I use is based on a fibreglass fishing pole which is less than 1.3m collapsed and 9m extended. Link HERE.

The aerial wire, shown here in red, travels up the fibreglass pole as you extend it to its fullest length. The wire is captured at the tip end, so no threading required!

At the bottom of the aerial you can see an UNUN ~ which allows an unbalanced piece of wire, as shown here in red, to join with a length of 50 Ohm coaxial cable to the radio, without the signal from the radio feeding straight back & frying it. This way, the aerial can be electrically tuned ('cut' to length electrically) using an aerial tuner ~ allowing the maximum signal to get out into the ether and around the globe :-)

Here, at another location from my own, you can see the vertical aerial fully extended ~ 9m ~ mounted on the aluminium post (shown behind the aerial in the photo just above this one). The coaxial cable feeds from the bottom of the UNUN to the rear of the radio.

Yesterday, at this location, I was able to tune the radio on all the HF ('Shortwave Bands' = High Frequency) bands that we can use, including the additional 6m band (50MHz) that we have access to here in the UK.

Stations worked included one in the Azores on the 20m (14MHz) band, which was not particularly 'alive' as conditions were electrically noisy (recent Solar Flares).

I am very happy with this aerial & await using it further this Summer :-)

Yaesu FT-450D HF Transceiver

This is the transceiver that I intend to use whilst out and about working HF portable. It is a very good (smallish) size, whilst maintaining good ergonomics, power and facilities. The internal tuner works very well with the vertical aerial mentioned in part 1.

I will be writing more about this little gem another time.

That's it for now :-)

73 de John G0GCQ

Getting everything ready for portable HF operating ~ Part 1

Solar Power Kit

The 40W @ 12V solar power kit arrived today ~ actually, the Post Office tried to deliver it yesterday but we were out in Canterbury. That means it could have arrived within 24 hours of ordering the kit! It was very well packaged and arrived safely.

The standard USB memory stick is on the floor to give you a sense of scale.

The whole system folds up into a case & the panels themselves are protected by the external case that the whole unit slides into. It is a very well made case ~ soft on the inside with some protection to the outside. The handle, attached to the panels' aluminium frame, is very substantial and secure.

The solar panels are hinged together and can be angled to suit the external conditions of the day.

The rear of the panels shows the voltage regulator, also limiting the power generated to 10 Amps, and the cable/clips to attach to the leisure battery (not shown). You can also see, at either end of the panels, the adjustable legs that support the unit to point effectively towards the sun ~ for maximum power generation.

I haven't tried the unit outside yet, so I have not checked that it is able to work effectively in daylight/sunlight ~ not the best day today, as we have had some fine mist/drizzle so far!

That's Part 1 :-)

73 (morse code for 'Best Wishes') de John

Callsign: G0GCQ

Prowhip Vertical HF Portable Aerial

https://www.prowhipantennas.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=54&virtuemart_category_id=6

Using the lower radio bands ('Shortwave Bands') from a portable location takes some planning. You obviously need a radio, but you also need a lightweight, easy to erect and take down, portable and efficient aerial. That aerial also needs to be able to electrically tune to the several 'bands' that we Radio Amateurs use.

I could have made a similar aerial but, after much research, I found that I would not be saving any money & the 9m vertical aerial from Prowhip is tried and tested.

I shall be posting some photos later and give you a 'user's view' of how well the aerial works - although, on first testing, it seems to be very efficient & effective.

73 de John

Long Time No Post

Crumbs! I forgot I had this blog!

Luckily, as I am about to start High Frequency (HF) mobile working as a Radio Amateur, I can use this blog as a record of my experiences ☺

I have recently joined the Worked All Britain Award Group, where I will be working HF ('Shortwave Bands') from different locations in Kent & Sussex, trying to cover as many 'squares', based on the Ordnance Survey mapping system in the UK, as I can. Some of them are quite rare - as nobody usually lives there or they are very difficult to reach.

I intend to start blogging about the equipment I will be using: the radio, the aerial, the power source and the solar power kit. I will be taking photos and videos  to show you how I get on.

Until then - Best 73 de G0GCQ