KV4AN’s Elecraft KH1 Field Kit

by Steve (KV4AN)

The Elecraft KH1 is a new radio with less than two hundred delivered, so I thought the readers of QRPer.com may be interested in my take on a KH1 Field Kit.

The KH1 “Edgewood” package has everything necessary for 20-15 meter ultra-portable operation, such as pedestrian mobile, Summits on the Air (SOTA), or Parks on the Air (POTA). Elecraft put a lot of thought into it and like others have said, “I feel like it is the radio I always wanted.” However, I also wanted to be able to operate 40 and 30 meters and to be able to take it on a trip for a week; perhaps by air. There were three challenges that needed to be overcome to meet to do this: I needed an antenna for 40 and 30 meters, a way to recharge the battery, and everything needed to fit in one small protective case.

Figure 1. KH1 Field Kit Packed Up.

My solution was a field kit that had everything needed to operate 40-15 meters in the smallest possible hard case – the kit and components are shown in figures (1) and (2).

Figure 2. KH1 Field Kit Components.

Components and Gear Links

The components of the KH1 Field Kit are listed below. Every piece had to “earn” a spot in the Nanuk 904 hard case. I tried the Pelican Micro M50 case, which is a little smaller than the Nanuk 904, but not everything would fit.

[Note: Most Amazon links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.]

KH1 Transceiver – A new ultra-small, self-contained, five-band, QRP, CW transceiver manufactured by Elecraft. The optional Edgewood Package includes a detachable keyer paddle, logging tray, ballpoint pen, ES20 carrying case, a telescoping whip antenna for 20-15 meters, and a 13 ft. counterpoise wire.

ES20 Carrying Case – A custom soft case made by Elecraft for the KH1. Protects the KH1 and enables ultra-portable operation.

Panasonic RP-HJE120-K Stereo Earphones – Used as miniature headphones. Fits in ES20 case.

OLIGHT I3E-VROG-300000 Keychain Flashlight – Chosen for its extremely small size and orange color. Uses one “AAA” battery. Fits in ES20 case.

Nanuk 904 Hard Case – This case was selected because it was large enough for the KH1 in its ES-20 soft case and all the gear in this list. The quality of the Nanuk case is very good.

Tufteln EFRW Antenna – This antenna has a 31 ft. radiator and a 17 ft counterpoise. It was chosen because of its very small size when packed, good performance on 40 and 30 meters, and ability to be used with the KH1 internal tuner.

Tufeteln Line Winder. This is Line Winder for the EFHW antenna kit, purchased separately to store the arborist throw line.

Gerber Mullet Micro-Multitool – Chosen for small size. Has a Phillips and straight screw driver and a wire cutter/stripper.

SOB 8 oz. Arborist Throw Bag –A durable arborist throw bag. This is a replacement for the Camnal Throw Bag pictured. Used to loft the antenna support line over a tree limb.

X Monster Throw Line 1.8mm Easter Rope for Aborists, 50 ft. – Used to enable suspension of the end of a wire antenna from a tree.

OXZEEWEE 12V 1A Power Supply Charger Adapter – a small wall-wart AC adapter used to charge the battery.

Wisedry Desiccant Pack – 20 oz rechargeable silica gel pack – used to keep the inside of the sealed case dry.

BNC to SO-239 Adapter – Enables use of coaxial cable with PL-259 connectors.

CONCLUSION

The Nanuk 904 Hard Case was the perfect size for all the things I needed for 40-15 meter operation on a muti-day trip and it is small and light enough to put in your carry-on bag for a flight.

Many thanks to Steve (KV4AN) 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.

KV4AN’s Icom IC-705 Field Kit

by Steve (KV4AN)

A requirements-driven portable communication capability, using a modular implementation concept, was the basis for my IC-705 Field Kit. I’ve loved portable radio operating since shortly after getting my license back in 1975. My first portable radio was the over-the-shoulder Kenwood TR-2200A 2m FM transceiver. There is now a happy confluence of advanced electronics technology, customer-focused radio manufacturers, radio sport groups like POTA and SOTA, and hams who want to combine outdoor adventures with their ham radio hobby. The result is the ability to create and operate highly capable portable ham radio field kits, such as the IC-705 Field Kit that I’m going to describe in this article.

The kit consists of up to three man-packable bags: a Radio Bag, an Antenna Bag, and a Computer Bag, as shown in figure (1). The Radio and Antenna bags must be brought to every activation, but the computer bag can be left at home if I don’t plan to use digital modes. I can also swap out Antenna Bags, depending on what kind of antenna you need for the specific activation location and park rules, like: ability to use a ground spike, size of activation area, presence of suitable trees, primary operating bands and expected propagation conditions, and so forth.

Figure 1. IC-705 Field Kit loaded up and ready for a park activation (click image to enlarge).

Radio Bag

The Radio Bag contains everything necessary to operate the IC-705 in the field. It can be carried in one hand, worn over-the-should, or worn as a fanny pack. With the load-out listed below and shown in figure (2), it weighs around 15 lbs.

[Gear links list at end of article.]

A. Icom IC-705 Transceiver. Chosen for its “all-band”, “all-mode” capability with base station features and performance. It’s a superb, state-of-the art radio, and a joy to operate – but, it “feels” a little delicate with the large unprotected touch screen and protruding light plastic knobs.

B. IC-705 Front Panel Cover. This was chosen to protect the delicate front panel of the IC-705. I didn’t want one of the cages, because they add bulk and weight to a reasonably small and light weight radio. This cover fits perfectly, doesn’t mar the radio body, and provides great impact protection when the radio is not in use.

C. Icom AH-705 Antenna Tuner. This is a good antenna tuner and matches the IC-705 (in appearance and electronic functionality) very well. It is large compared to the Elecraft T1, but it runs off two “AA” batteries, which I really like. The tuner uses a BNC coaxial patch cable and a 1/8” stereo patch cable for connection to the IC-705. I don’t need to use this tuner very often as my antenna typically has a low SWR on 40 – 10 meters.

D. Icom HM-243 Speaker-Microphone. The HM-243 comes with the IC-705. I’ve never used the speaker part of it, but the microphone has good voice reproduction. If needed, I planned to use the speaker in place of headphones.

E. N3ZN ZN-QRP Special Iambic Keyer Paddle. I got this marvelous quality and wonderful feeling paddle in beautiful Blaze Orange – so I feel like I’m the radio operator from a downed aircraft trying to get rescued. The paddle is a little heavy for portable use, but at least it doesn’t move around while sending. It uses a 1/8” stereo plug patch cable for connection to the IC-705.

F. Tactical Range Bag. This bag was chosen because the IC-705 fit perfectly in the main compartment and there were additional compartments for all the small accessories. It also came in Army Green color.

G. Icom MBF-705 Desk Stand. Stabilizes the radio when it is on a table or in the Radio Bag and positions it for easy viewing and operating.

Figure 2. Radio Bag and Contents (click image to enlarge).

H. Icom BP-272 Standard Battery Pack. 7.4v, 1880 mAh pack that came with the radio and attaches to the back of it. I use this as the spare battery pack.

I. Icom BP-307 High-Capacity Battery Pack. 7.2V, 3150 mAh pack that attaches to the back of the IC-705. So far, this battery pack has been sufficient for my POTA activations.

J. Tactical Drop Pouch. This pouch fits in the bottom of the main compartment of the Radio Bag and can hold either a Bioenno 12V, 12Ah, LiFePO4 battery or the front panel cover (used as a spacer). The IC-705 sits on top of the Tactical Drop Pouch when in the Radio Bag, which elevates it enough that the IC-705 can be easily operated.

K. Smiley Antenna Company TRI-Band. This is a telescoping 1/4 wave 2m and 5/8 wave 440 antenna that attaches directly to the IC-705. It performs well with the IC-705 and fits inside the tactical bag when collapsed. Another advantage of the telescoping whip is it can be adjusted for best SWR.

L. USB Cable. The USB C to Micro USB cable is used to connect the IC-705 to the portable station computer to control the radio and pass audio and data. This cable is needed, even if you connect using WiFi for rig control and audio, to send GPS NMEA format position and time data from the IC-705 to the computer. I was told by Icom Technical Support that the cable should not be longer than 3 feet and should have an RFI Choke at each end. The combination of the short cable, USB C connector instead of USB A, and the RFI chokes seems to help the noise problem that that the IC-705 has when a USB cable is plugged into it. The other solution is using the RS-BA1 software.

M. Emergency HF Antenna. This is a home-brew antenna with a 24 1/2 foot radiator and 12 1/2 foot counterpoise that attaches to the AH-705 Antenna Tuner with a BNC to binding post adapter. It is rolled up on a line winder and there is some paracord to hold up the end of the radiator. This is a back up antenna in case something happens to the regular antenna.

N. Assorted Coaxial Adapters: BNC to SO-239, SO-239 Barrel, BNC Elbow, and BNC to binding post.

O. Tactical Pen. A nice heavy pen for outdoors use. Used for logging.

P. All-Weather Notebook. Weather-proof notepad for outdoor use. Used for logging.

Q. Leatherman squirt E4: A Swiss Army-like miniature tool set with a wire stripper and screw drivers. It is used to perform minor repairs in the field. This tool has been discontinued by the manufacturer.

R. Gerber Recon Task Flashlight. A rugged miniature flashlight that runs on 1 “AA battery and has different color lens.

Antenna Bag

An Antenna Bag goes on every activation. The primary bag contains the components of the Chameleon Antenna Tactical Delta Loop (TDL) antenna. The TDL is a versatile antenna that can be configured as a small Inverted Delta Loop or a 17 foot ground mounted vertical. I usually use the 17 foot ground mounted vertical configuration because it takes less than five minutes to deploy, performs well, doesn’t attract much attention, and does not require a tuner for 40 through 10 meters.

The Antenna Bag itself is the Sunrise Tactical Gear, Tactical Tripod Bag Gen 2 (32 inch length). It is exceptionally durable and holds all the components of the TDL antenna. It can be worn across the back for easy carrying. The Antenna Bag and all components weigh around 11 lbs. Continue reading Field Radio Kit Gallery: KV4AN’s Icom IC-705 Field Kit →