Many thanks to Scott (VO1DR) who shares the following guest post:
Portable/Kite QRP Operation in Central Newfoundland Wilderness by Float Plane: Part 2 – Radio Gear and Portable/Kite Operation
by Scott Schillereff, VO1DR
Introduction
This is Part 2 of a two-part story of a portable QRP adventure with a kite antenna at Mount Sylvester in the Bay du Nord Wilderness Area in central Newfoundland by float plane.
Part 2 here describes radio stuff and some dramas with kite antenna operation. I hope you enjoy reading this.
Radio Gear
Given that our hike up Mount Sylvester would be relatively easy (about half an hour up a gentle bedrock slope), I chose to bring a fair bit of radio gear with lots of backups.
Figure 1 – My gear in porch. L to R: survival bag and day pack (described in Part 1), haversack with radio gear and kite (orange bag), and plastic ammo box (for IC705). Our Havanese dog Chico was overseeing packing.Figure 2 – Haversack (originally a free gift to mother-in-law; now pressed into radio service).Figure 3 – Contents of Radio bagFigure 4 – End-fed wire antennas (HB9EAJ designs; Standard (on winder), and Compact (coiled)). The Standard has a 56:1 coupler (white barrel) and in-line latching band switch (black tape). Zip bag is a GODSPC (good ol’ Dollar Store pencil case). Wire is AWG24 speaker wire.Figure 5 – 5.8 m (19 ft) telescoping fibreglass pole (repurposed from a discarded bird-scaring mast found by a nearby school); collapsed, it doubles as my 1.4 m (4. 5 ft) walking stick. Yellow 1.5 m (5 ft) rope is for tying off to a support (e.g., picnic table) and forms a grip for walking.Figure 6 – Detail at top of pole. Top fitting is from a broken fishing rod. I added a homemade pulley and split sheave (easy to insert and remove antenna wire).Figure 7 – Detail of bottom of pole. Black ABS plumbing fitting (plug) fits snugly over base of pole and is tack-glued with cyano-acrylate glue (can be be forced apart if needed). Hiking/achor tip is a filed down 6 mm (1/4 in) steel bolt threaded and glued into plug from inside.Figure 8 – DIY guy rope system for pole. Stakes are 18 cm/7 in aluminum gutter nails (excellent tent pegs). Red ring is made from the top of a pill bottle that snugly fits over top of pole. Stakes are driven equi-distantly around the pole and tightened with 2.5 mm nylon cordage for rigid support. Tip: I tied the guy cords with fixed knots (Constrictor Knot) at the stake heads and moved the tensioning knots up near the ring – less bending over and I can reach them all!Figure 9 – Back-up base-loaded whip antenna (DIY, modified from QRP Guys DS-1). I call it the “MiracleWhip” it works so well. Too windy to deploy on this trip. It all fits in a GODSPC.Figure 10 – Nylon ground tarp 2 m x 2 m (6.5 x 6.5 ft). DIY tarp/poncho based on a Russian plash palatka (design dates back to the 1700s). Keeps me dry when sitting on damp ground; many survival uses too.Figure 11 – Rite In The Rain notebook #363. Waterproof, lays flat, pencil fits in spirals.Figure 12 – Plastic ammo box for IC705 and my ATU. For this trip, I just looped a nylon strap through handle for carrying. I’ve since made a sling attached to both the hinge end and clasp end (more stable).Figure 13 – Ammo box open. IC-705 (in WindCamp exo-skeleton) is in blue bag snug in bottom. ICOM mic on right. ZM-4 style ATU in red bag (a cut-down GODSPC).Figure 14 – Detail of ATU. I built this modified from QRP Project ZM-4 ATU design to fit in an Altoids tin. I have submitted an article on this build to Sprat journal of G-QRP club.