RadCom Basics May 2022, Edition 28

RadCom Basics 5 Working portable this summer by James Stevens, M0JCQ Introduction As we emerge from the cold and dark of winter, there’s nothing bet- ter than sitting in the sun playing some radio. Leaving the shack for the great outdoors offers many benefits for the amateur enthusi - ast, let alone some fresh air and some exercise to boot. Going portable means different things to different people – you might operate from your local park, seaside location or indeed climb a mountain. All of these locations share some common benefits, and you can choose the level of difficulty according to what you’re comfort- able with – there’s no competition. I’ve operated portable hundreds of times, everywhere from my local park to high mountain peaks and even on top of a few volcanoes (extinct, I should add)! Every session has allowed me to learn and refine my setup and operating a little. Reasons to go portable Below I’ve outlined some good reasons for taking your radio out portable: • Low noise levels – portable lo - cations are typically away from man-made noise, so very low noise, even on HF!You’ll be sur - prised what you can hear. • Great take-off – A hilltop lo - cation is unbeatable for VHF; a clear take-off means you’ll be able to work much more than at home. • Antenna experimentation – without the constraints of your garden size, you can play with different antennas. I’ve erected 160m dipoles a few times! • QRP is a lot easier – Restricted to 10 watts? No problem! • Great exercise – It gets you out