Many thanks to John (KF6EFG) who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post.

Hello Thomas,

Thanks for posting so much interesting content on your website, and helping to host the Ham Radio Workbench! I have gotten a number of ideas for my ‘Fat Boy’ kit from you guys.

I am sending a couple of images of my not-so-lightweight field boxes.

I have been under time constraints while at work, so I developed a series of boxes that can be used in the field while on lunch break.

The core is a black watertight box and a 21ft mast. I can make do with my truck battery in a pinch, and did until I purchased an external battery.

Since I took these images, I have moved the RG-174 and choke to the black box, making black box a complete kit, sans power.

I am playing with a small netbook and will become FT-capable soon!

Black Box:

mAT-TUNER Automatic Antenna Tuner MAT-125E
Yaesu FT-891 with side rails, microphone, power cable
RigExpert Antenna Analyzers STICK-230

Orange box:

50ft RG-8x coax cable
Bioenno Li4po battery, charger in box.
Tufteln Choke adapter
Tufteln EFRW antenna cut for 20m.
25 ft RG-174
Amazon small packing cube with assorted adapters, small bungee cords, and tools.

Not shown:

21ft fiberglass pole, in a PVC pipe case. Case doubles as a base and short guy point for the mast.

Green box:

Tripods
Wolf River Coils WRC-1000
Extra 21ft fiberglass pole.
Construction twine for disposable guying.
2 extendable whip antennas

Also pictured above:

Adjustable antenna clamp
Homemade trailer reciever antenna stand off

The Amazon medium packing cube contains:

Various adapters
Various power pole wires and other ends (clamps, cigarette lighter, ring)

Tool kit:

Multi tool
Tape
Connectors (one screw on UHF, ring, butt)
4 Radial wires , 17 ft.

This box resides in the truck bed for use when I want to use a vertical antenna.

I usually end up on my lunch break at the local RC flying club. I work at a multi use airfield, and the club has graciously allowed me to use their field when no flying activity is present.

73,

John McGrath