RadCom Basics May 2022, Edition 28

RadCom Basics 7 Equipment Portable equipment is usually a lit- tle different to what you use in the shack. You need to consider the weight of the equipment, especial- ly if you need to walk any kind of distance. How will you power the equipment? What antenna could you put up? Transceivers can range from a simpleVHF/UHF handheld, through to dedicated portable transceivers like theYaesu 817ND, Elecraft KX2/ KX3 and the ICOM 705.These are all popular rigs for portable work, as they’re lightweight, dependable and power efficient. Talking of power, you’ll need something to power your rig, if it doesn’t have built in batteries. Pop- ular choices include LifePO (lithium iron phosphate) batteries.These are the lightest you can currently buy and keep a consistent voltage until almost dead. In terms of antennas, I’d recom- mend keeping it simple to start with. For HF my ‘go to’ is a linked dipole for 40m/20m/10m, setup in an in- verted-V configuration, using a fish - Figure 2: A handheld is the easiest and lightest way to go portable.