Braydan.Space

Creating A Compact QRP Station



When creating a compact station people generaly think of a mobile station in a car. While yes its compact, I like to think of a compact setup as being able to pick up it up easily so you can hike with it, fly with it, or just go out on field day and not worry about having to carry a big battery, amp, antenna tuner and a complicated antenna setup.


If you intend on using this setup for ARES, RACES or any emergency organization of Hams that may exist where you live, ask yourself how long would it take to setup all of your gear? If you have a cluttered setup similar to one I mentioned in to previous paragraph, things may get complicated.


This is where having a minimalist approach to a portable setup can come in play, not just for emergencies.



Defining the basics of what we need.

When you create a minimalist station thats also portable you have to ask yourself what you need. I typically operate on HF, VHF and UHF. Both UHF and VHF I can use a handheld radio for. While on HF I will need a separate specialized radio, ideally a QRP radio with a battery built in. This doesn’t mean you have to have this $400-$800 dollar SDR radio with a built in modem for RTTY and PSK. There are plenty entry level options in the $100-$200 dollars that will do SSB, CW and even AM or FM.


Since I only need two radios, I don’t need as much equipment as some other people may say. I need a small coax cable for the HF, a wire to BNC adapter should I choose not to use the coax and a means of charging both radios. While I don’t think its needed I threw in a short 6 inch long coax cable with a RF choke to help eliminate some interference in urban environments which I typically don’t operate in but thought it would be helpful.


[image of rf choke device]



How Will I Carry My Station?

This was a question I had a lot when building my to-go station. I Looked at several options from chests to tool bags but finally settled on a camera case


[image of camera case]


I got one with foam on the inside that can pop out in a cube like shape for creating custom compartments for gear. The foam was the main reason why I wanted the camera case and played a major role in the decision to make the purchase. For me knowing that my equipment is protected against drops, bumps and it’s shielded from the elements gives me some piece of mind.



Storage Layout

I created 5 main storage compartments, one for holding my X6100 HF SDR transceiver and below it is a spot for 30ft of 18awg wire for a antenna. Then I have a compartment for holding my wall adapters, one for charging my FT-65 handheld radio, and another for charging the X6100, below this compartment I have a spot where my FT-65 lives. Finally I have a spot for miscellaneous cables and connectors which stores the following;



[image of camera case from the inside]


That was quite the list, and its pretty packed in the case. I could probably downsize my coax from RG-58 to RG-174, which should wrap tighter and the RF loses shouldn’t be noticeable at that distance. I could also sacrifice the Balon and keep the 2 wire adapters, but I like my balon and it enables me to create some nice antenna’s with only 30ft of wire. I could get a battery with USB charging for the FT-65 but all the ones I can find seem to sketchy Chinese knockoffs and I wouldn’t trust them and there claims at the their price point.



My Expectations Of This Setup.

I have had the X6100 and the FT-65 for a while now, and I am fully aware of there capabilities. Now I have not used the BNC to wire adapters and I am curious to play around with them. I expect to have some SWR difficulties with them, especially since I forgot to pack some form of grounding wire or stake.


As for the balon I think it will help me reduce my SWR if I experience any difficulties. Since I will be trialing this setup for the first time away from home, I will first try to operate in Sacromento, and will then move to Lake Tahoe before heading back home. I hope to accomplish a DX to Hawaii and Alaska since those states are out of reach from my base station at home.


As for the FT-65 I am excited to see how VHF and UHF differ with the more aggressive mountains, and longer distances between the repeaters. I think it will do alright.



Actual Performance Of the Station.

When I first got to our destination, I checked over my radio gear to make sure nothing got damaged in flight. Nothing got damaged. However there was one factor that would make long range HF communication extremely difficult… an electric fence.



A New Type of Interference I Hadn’t Encountered

I probably should have thought about about this since I knew the place I was going to had a electric fence to keep bears out. I was aware that electric fences made lots of EMI and RFI interference but I didn’t know that they made this much. Now see if there is a device that causes some form of parasitic interference most hams would probably go to the source of problem and offer a solution or to fix it if the device isn’t of their own. Now the problem with a electric fence is that is used to protect personal property. You can’t just throw a RF choke at it and call it a day. The best solution is to move away from the fence.


Now this interference didn’t make communication impossible, in fact it gave me a challenge to over come, which is what makes HAM radio so interesting to me. With me having a technicians license, I needed to figure which bands that I can transmit on were effected, so I knew which ones to avoid.


Bands 15m-2m seemed affected, with 10m and 6m being the worst. While I cannot transmit on 15m, I figured I put this in here for any other ham who is interested. I tested these by listening to beacons on my x6100 and comparing them to a nearby webSDR.


The 2m band was usable, with a noise floor around S6. I was able to make it into a repeater 17.3 miles away from my location. I believe 70cm would have been perfectly usable if it wasn’t for there being no reachable repeaters in the area.



When I Could Get My Signal Heard

Being heard was very difficult, but when I did get out I received signal reports between 2-5 or 3-5. Both are consistent with a audible signal that can be understood, however it could be better. I had one person give me a 5-9 however unless this person had a crazy antenna array, there was no way I was believing it with all the other signal reports I had received.


All that mattered to me is I was faced with a challenge, I worked the problem and I could make contacts on 10m. To me this was a mission accomplished.



Overall, I Got a Pretty Nice QRP Kit.

I think this kit is something that is going to get plenty of use, and with me studying for my Generals exam, I should soon be able to take advantage of the full potential of the x6100. If you enjoyed this, please check out some of my other blogs.