RadCom Basics May 2022, Edition 28

8 RadCom Basics ing pole as the central support. For VHF, I usually connect my handheld to either a vertical dipole, Slim-Jim and sometimes even a small beam. In addition to radio equipment, you will need to take suitable cloth- ing, food, drink, sun cream (if you’re optimistic) and something to sit on! Conclusion Why not try going portable this summer? It offers many benefits and it’s fun. If you know an experi- enced portable operator then try and tag along and pick up some tricks, alternatively you can just give it a go and learn as you go, that’s what I did. Operating portable can be a bit riskier than sitting in your shack, so make sure to stay safe and let some- one else know where you are going. Start somewhere local and easy on a sunny day, and then build up from there.You’ll be heading up to mountain tops before you know it! Figure 3: Here I’m high up in the Lake District and using a vertical dipole antenna for 2m. This simple setup has resulted in many 2m FM pileups from hilltops.