Many thanks to Mike (2E1BFH) who shares the following photos of a new field kit he’s built around the Icom IC-705:
I love all of the color-coded zippered pouches, Mike, and how neatly they all fit in your weatherproof case. I also like the 3D-printed plates and antenna mount. All of this adds up to a system designed for quick field deployment!
Thank you again for sharing these photos!
Very nicely done!
73
Bruce G4ABX
Thanks Thomas and Mike. I haven’t been a big fan of this type of hard case gobox even though I have three Apache cases. I use them for radio storage or long car trips. I like going more of the backpack or shoulder bag approach like your modular field kits.
But Mike has a great setup that is nicely organized and awesome looking. I got a few ideas from this and easily found those pouches on Amazon.
Thanks again to both of you.
W4MKH
https://w4mkh.com
Far too organized! That’s a sign of a serious mental problem.
Seroiusly, nicely done. Much to emulate here.
73,
Bob WK2Y
I have a similar case for my IC705. I also have a 9AHr Bioenno battery and couple keyer paddles and power cables. Really more than I need. But never like getting out there and be missing something. I also carry an assortment of coax connector adapters.
I prefer these cases for they do protect the rig much better than any bag, but are not so convenient for hiking QRP adventures, but I dont do these, I prefer a park with tables I can drive to. But a rig the price of the IC705 one should take more care of it.
I do keep my antenna gear in separate bag, I have lots of rope and couple types of antennas. I also carry a 20 ft portable flag pole that makes getting the antenna up quickly.
73, ron, n9ee
I forgot to say I do like the separate bags for items. Keeps them where they can easily be accessed, not jumbled in a pile of other gear. Good to keep it organized. Very good idea.
73, ron, n9ee
Having built a bigger version of this for my FT-891, I have so many questions, but I’ll try to keep them managable.
1. What’s the other connector next to the BNC? How does it hook up?
2. Any issues with heat dissipation?
3. Some of the items in the tool kit are obvious, like the adapters and Chameleon spike, but there are some I don’t recognize. A breakdown, perhaps?
4. With the 705, how much does the whole kit weigh?
Thanks Mike.
I read Thom’s post from a few days ago on his deep dive into his POTA/SOTA backpack and I really liked it. He pretty much had me sold on getting some cuben bags for organization. Thomas has been a huge influencer on my field kit strategy.
Then, I saw your color coded pouches and I ordered a set from Amazon that will be here today. One third of the cost and I like your way a little better. DidI say that I’m an expert at getting ideas from other people’s field kist. Take Idea A from this ham and Idea B from some other ham add my own C and pretty soon you have something awesome.
But I am curious. Do you use color coding with each color holding different types of stuff so that you know if you need something tuner related just grab the red pouch or maybe the blue pouch for connectors? Or are they just pouches to you with no color significance?
I will be going through my pack this afternoon categorizing things and assigning them a color then organizing them into the pouches. I use a camera backpack at the moment and I want to remove most of the padded dividers and use the pouches for organization.
Thanks again for the ideas.
W4MKH
https://w4mkh.com