Portable QRP setups - what do you use?

[GM0LVI]

Thanks Bill, that's more grist to my antenna construction mill.

Dave

[m0jha]

I used a single polyvaricon ,the standard ones 4-140pf I think they are which worked fine ,I have the tuning box still here but I have small 22 pf cap I can switch in /out of line as 140 was just short to resonate 40m .. worked surprisingly well at ground level and the nulls were great ..

[GM0LVI]

I used a single polyvaricon ,the standard ones 4-140pf I think they are which worked fine ,I have the tuning box still here but I have small 22 pf cap I can switch in /out of line as 140 was just short to resonate 40m .. worked surprisingly well at ground level and the nulls were great ..

Would a polyvaricon handle 10 W? I like the idea of individual variable capacitors pre-set for the QRP segments of individual bands as it would save a bit of fiddling about every time one changes band.
What I'm really aiming for is a loop for 10 or 12m, 15, 17, and possibly 20m that I can use from a studio in Greece when I haven't sufficient overhead space to put up either a loaded or full size GP.

[m0jha]

Not sure to be honest , I think the V may be too high but certainly fine with the 5 off my 817 . The original switching method is good only I didn't have separate caps so that's why the poly was used . You could get a better air spaced cap off e blag and "beef" the design up I suppose .

[IZ5ZCO]

I think they are much better than the vertical equivalent.

I have the Wonder-Wand Wide-Bander... M0SAZ says:

if you have a wonderwand widebander with a good length of wire and a decent counterpoise (or the TCS from wonderwand), it will far outperform the wonderloop.

Has anybody compared the Wonder-Loop with the Wide-Bander?

Just a little modification:

[ce3op]

i work qrp portable mode with FT-817ND, 7 ah batery, ENDFED Antenna HyENDFED to 40, 20, 15, 10.

SSB or CW.

[ON6ZK]

Hi !

I'm using a Kenwood TS120V 10 watts out MAX and verticals , dipoles , and a big optibeam OB16-5.

Also have a Elecraft K1 and an FT857 @ 5 watts.

90 % of my CW  QRP QSO's are made on 14.060 Mhz CW !

Hope to see you on that frequency sometime !

Skeds are always welcome : ON6ZK@telenet.be

73's

ON6ZK/QRP

[KK4WJJ]

Definitely interested in this kind of setup.  Please continue with pictures.  I am having a hard time with all the acronyms and commercial rig names/numbers but I'm learning.  I am looking to put something together that fits in a 5.11 shoulder bag.  Thanks.

KKForWhiskyJJ

[YV5EN]

Elecraft KX1 transceiver, 12Vdc 5Ah gel batt, dummy load mini, Vibroplex Original Bug, Mini-Padle Iambic key, external speaker, SWR/wattmeter, some connectors and wires.

Antenna: Vertical AV-Hy-Gain 14AVQ

[IZ5ZCO]

For example:
- Yaesu FT-817ND (with a 300 Hz Collins CW filter)
- LDG Z-817 automatic tuner
- MFJ-1979 telescopic whip (17 ft) / homemade Rybakov (32 ft)
- Palm Radio Mini Paddle
- DC 12V 9800mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
- Sony MiniDisc recorder ( for the best QSOs  )
- homemade 817 "SupPorTablet"
- radials / one radial in the sea 

[f5gsk]

hi all,
 i work qrp portable with an ATS3B , 7 ah battery -many vertical antenna (fishing pole...) cw touch keyer - ldg z11proII to 14.060 essentially.
72
Pierre

[VA2SG]

My main portable station is a HB1B or a EK1B that I use for 17m and a Inv Vee. I got a ZM2 tuner and I am using a Palm paddle which is fine for CW ops.

I also use a HB end fed for 20m as well as vertical wires for experimentations.

CW QRP is a lot of fun. Now, I am not very active portable during our winters..

[IZ5ZCO]

Has anybody compared the Wonder-Loop with the Wide-Bander?

Ok, I have the wonder-loop too now: I'll compare them and let you know . 

However, the wonder-loop is not a magnetic loop: it's a simple tunable compact loop, an electrical antenna system just like the wide-bander. 

[PD5L]

I use K2/10 internal batt and hyendfed for 20meters. 73' PD5L

[KO7I]

In a campground, I set-up the KX-3 on a picnic table, 7AH gell cell, and use a 20M inverted vee suspended by a 28ft flag pole lashed to the ladder that goes to the roof of my 5th wheel trailer. I have tuned the antenna to resonance so a tuner is not required.

I am looking for a smaller sized qrp rig like a KX-1 with an internal tuner.

Vy 73, Don KO7i