portable QRP setups.

[VE6RWP]

I am thinking of going QRPp for my HF adventure. I am looking for avery portable antenna system so I can take it with me on the quad in the summer and just set up on a hill top in the middle of nowhere. Between camping equipment etc I do not have a lot of room for much in the way of antenna gear. I have been thinking about an endfed 1/2 wave for 40 Metre. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[VA7TD]

What bands are you trying to work? What are you using for equipment?

Burnaby Radio's dipole page might give you some ideas.

Also check out the ARRL Antenna Book.

What quad do you have? I have a Yamaha Rhino, which provides a LOT of storage space, while not being much wider than a quad, so I still fit on most of the technical trails (I'm only 57" wide with aftermarket beadlocks and 9"-wide tires all around). I've never thought about trying HF on the trail; too busy riding. lol For me, they're separate hobbies.

IMG_2897.jpg

Greg

[VE6RWP]

I am thinking 40M through a Pixie transceiver at the moment. Ultimately I want a 40 M CW/SSB transceiver of some kind. (still looking into my choices) I have a copy of the ARRL Antenna handbook coming through the library. I have been toying with the idea of a 40-10M End Fed antenna, but trying to do research on it a little before I start experimenting.
I have a Honda 350 similar to this style although the picture is for a 500 it looks pretty close. Not a lot of storage room.....

[VE6RWP]

So an update. My knees are bad so I don't use the quad anymore nor do I camp. Getting up of the ground is an issue. I eventually got a Kenwood TS-450SAT and i built a 10 - 20 - 40 inverted V fan dipole that has 20 ft of Fiberglass Tent poles and an old satellite dish tripod that I use on occasion. It is a portable setup and works well for me. I never did get into qrp nor have I been able to adequately learn CW as yet so SSB and FT8 are the modes I use in HF.

[VA7TD]

I don't consider a TS-450 to be all that "portable". lol

After using my TS-440SAT as a temporary mobile during a recent transmitter hunt, I decided that I wasn't doing that again, and bought an Icom IC-7000 which is about the size of a commercial VHF mobile.

Greg

[VE6RWP]

I hear you. Yes the TS-450 SAT is more luggable than portable. However given the state of my knees, I am a drive up and park kinda person now. No back packing or walking in the wilderness. So it works for me. I originally was looking for something lighter but it seems as the weight goes down the price goes up and this was in me limited resources range. One does with what one can. I have a Motorola CDM1250 setup for packet Winlink along with a raspberry Pi running Direwolf and I also have a Kenwood TM-281 for voice FM in the VHF band.
Most of my portable work lately has been Public information sessions trying to break HAM radio out of the Secret Organization state. I have run into a fair number of people that do not know what HAM radio is or, if they do, they did not know it was still around.