I posted this question to another forum and didn't get much support for the idea, so I figure I'll ask here:

"I'd like to get involved with some of the OTA groups -- Michigan's three year Parks On the Air, etc. I have ideas for my mobile station in my VW camper, but I'd like to put together something I can use when hiking etc. Here's what I am thinking.

Make a BITX40 in a Pelican case like this:?

For an antenna either buy or clone a packtenna:?

My only concern is being limited to 40m. I haven't had my ticket long, but so far it does seem like 40 does get activity during the day around here (which is when I'd be using the mobile setup).

Workable OTA contesting pack rig or should I think about another radio?"

I should have added that I am learning CW, so phone operation is important for the time being anyway.

Thanks for your input!

Joe

Joe,

?? I have taken mine to a few places had a great time with it cw/ssb/digi. I did put mine in a metal case and use a pelican for travel it fits pretty tight and has some added weight but works out pretty good. Phone will be a bit tough for the next few years but is more than doable.

I use either my homebrew slight inverted V 40m dipole or I have used in the last few trips out. I do plan to put my bitx on 40m/20m but is still a work in progress.

Below I am at Mackinac Island last summer didn't get much but prop that day was pretty rough still was a great time and awesome view.

?

73

?? Happy building

David

??? N8DAH

?

?

?

I'm a greenhorn as well so take what I say with a small siberian salt mine, but I seem to spend most of my time on 40m anyways. ?You will definitely lose some capability being single band, but you will also be very power efficient, and with a few modifications, you can get a full 20W out, much more than most SOTA rigs. ?It seems a workable solution to me.? There are also mods to multi-band, but those are beyond me.

I do think a $300 antenna is overkill. ?You are running a single band, so I would cut a simple inverted V dipole, or maybe an end fed half wave with a Sotabeams pico tuner or similar.

I would start with the dipole. ?They say that as a beginner it's easier to make an antenna worse than a dipole, but hard to make one better.

I made a homemade version of the YoYoTenna out of two $4 Coghlan's Laundry reels. ?The reels are a bit hefty, but it packs up really nice and you can adjust it for multiple bands if I want - I cut it for 40m at full extension, and as long as I use it with the BitX40, I can just roll it out all the way to stake it. ?If I bring a different radio, I reel it in to spots I marked with a sharpie for whatever band I want to use.

Yoyo dipole is good but it takes more work to put up. Lately I've been using an EFHW, its just a small 49:1 auto transformer and 67 feet of wire for 40-10m no tuner, 15 feet of coax. Sling one end up a tree and have the transformer near the ground. So far its the best portable antenna I have tried. Here is a good Facebook group for all the details?

I also put the bitx in a waterproof box.

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Well that is fine,? sounds interesting.? What if we just want to see it, WITHOUT FaceButt?

I have a random wire up, kinda like a portable would be.

Mike, WA6ISP

Yoyo dipole is good but it takes more work to put up. Lately I've been using an EFHW, its just a small 49:1 auto transformer and 67 feet of wire for 40-10m no tuner, 15 feet of coax. Sling one end up a tree and have the transformer near the ground. So far its the best portable antenna I have tried. Here is a good Facebook group for all the details?

I also put the bitx in a waterproof box.

-- 
Mike Hagen, WA6ISP
10917 Bryant Street
Yucaipa, Ca. 92399
(909) 918-0058
PayPal ID  "MotDog@..."
Mike@...

It's called a Pelican Case. Google it and you'll find several suppliers, even ebay. I got one from BHPhoto.

Vince.

--
Michigan VHF Corp.

Thanks!

Very nice! I like that arrangement even better than the one I linked to. Question: how did you anchor the plate everything is mounted to to the case?

Nice case peatmoss. I like that you brought out a usb connector so you don't have to disassemble every week when Allard has a great new software upgrade. It looks like another pot without a knob was also added. What is it for?
I usually just carry 2 lengths of 1/4 wave wire on a winder. I throw one end up in a tree and lay the other on the ground. The downside of a half wave is that you need a longer wire which is tougher to get up in the air. The plus is that if you can use a half wave wire you can get the high current point up in the air.
??? Bob
?????? KD8CGH

I like all these antenna options, but I do have to find a way to operate w/o a tree. The MI parks ask people not to run anything up into trees because of concerns about moving parasites around. I am thinking the tenkara fishing rod option or possibly a magloop. Mag loops seem to get much simpler to build when you're talking QRP power (no vacuum capacitor needed).

On Tue, Nov 7, 2017 at 06:06 am, <quietglow@...> wrote:

but I do have to find a way to operate w/o a tree

Check out W7RLF's solution He is using an L match tuner.? If you are looking for light and easy you might try ?

My advise as a master over thinker, stop over thinking it and just get on the air.? The radio will work just fine in the plastic box it shipped in or a cookie tin or whatever as long as you aren't white water rafting or rappelling into the grand canyon.? Hot glue the heck out of everything for extra insurance.? I can almost guarantee you that whatever case/antenna/power/etc... decisions you make you will want to change after using them anyway.? Like Mike Tyson always said, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth".? Get on the air before you are waist deep in snow.? Once you figure out what works or doesn't you can build your dream set up.

WalMart has the Shakespeare Wonderpole 20' collapsible rod for $30 ish. ?It works great for me! ?You'll need to figure out guying though.

If you want an end fed half wave, Sotabeams Pico Tuner is 10w rated and very simple to make, but single band. ?While you're ordering, pick up a couple wire winders and a guying ring (If I recall, the 22mm ring works great on the Wonderpole with a bit of electrical tape to bulk up the pole where you want the ring to sit)

If you want a dipole, you can leave the last section of the Wonderpole collapsed - You need the extra rigidity to support the extra weight of the coax.

I second the motion to just get out there. ?Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good here - I guarantee your setup will change as you find out what you need in the field. ?Fastest way to learn is to just get out there.

I glued strips of wood just below the lid, then set the plastic face on top of the wood. The extra pot without the knob is just the volume control.

I think this is the for $9 from walmart. Added a pic of the antenna auto transformer. Its a 150-43 core with 14ga wire. I could have used a smaller core but this one is light enough for now. The caps are 2 x 120pf 6000v in series. BTW you can use this antenna at low heights for nvis.