I got the RV out to a local RV Park in the wilderness and spent the weekend having some fun on 40 meters. The setup is simple but effective for what it is.
I put a portable table next to the RV and ran clamp on power wires from the house batteries into the West Mountain Radio Rig Runner 4004U. I just picked up this little power distribution unit for about $85 at HRO. You get 4 anderson power pole connections with varying current capabilities, plus a couple of USB ports, which is also useful for things like Raspberry PI based ham applications.
The HF Amp is an MX-P50A, capable of 50 watts on 10-80m. I found that the amp had no problem delivering the desired power when working within 2:1 SWR conditions. And of course, the rig is the Elecraft KX3. You can tell I took this pic in the morning because of the coffee cup; that was replaced by beer later in the day
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The antenna used is the Buddipole deluxe kit with the Low Band coil, Triple Ratio Switch balun (I operated at 1:1), a 12' collapsible whip, on a 20' telescoping aluminum mast with a counterpoise run to the top of the RV roof. To attach the Buddipole VersaTee to the mast, I just picked up a 1/2" lawn sprinkler nipple which screws right into the VersaTee, drilled a hole through both the mast and nipple, and put a quick release D-Ring pin through it. The setup is quick and easy to deploy, especially if you've pre-marked the coil and counterpoise for the desired band.
This time I only operated Phone, which is what I enjoy the most, but I think next time I'll bring a laptop and play with the digital modes. One day I might purchase a100 watt amp to go with the KX3, but I'm really pretty happy with this setup.
I put a portable table next to the RV and ran clamp on power wires from the house batteries into the West Mountain Radio Rig Runner 4004U. I just picked up this little power distribution unit for about $85 at HRO. You get 4 anderson power pole connections with varying current capabilities, plus a couple of USB ports, which is also useful for things like Raspberry PI based ham applications.
The HF Amp is an MX-P50A, capable of 50 watts on 10-80m. I found that the amp had no problem delivering the desired power when working within 2:1 SWR conditions. And of course, the rig is the Elecraft KX3. You can tell I took this pic in the morning because of the coffee cup; that was replaced by beer later in the day
.The antenna used is the Buddipole deluxe kit with the Low Band coil, Triple Ratio Switch balun (I operated at 1:1), a 12' collapsible whip, on a 20' telescoping aluminum mast with a counterpoise run to the top of the RV roof. To attach the Buddipole VersaTee to the mast, I just picked up a 1/2" lawn sprinkler nipple which screws right into the VersaTee, drilled a hole through both the mast and nipple, and put a quick release D-Ring pin through it. The setup is quick and easy to deploy, especially if you've pre-marked the coil and counterpoise for the desired band.
This time I only operated Phone, which is what I enjoy the most, but I think next time I'll bring a laptop and play with the digital modes. One day I might purchase a100 watt amp to go with the KX3, but I'm really pretty happy with this setup.
