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4-pound Field Day, anyone?

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wayne burdick

4-pound Field Day, anyone?

Administrator

Hi all,

This year I'm going to break with tradition and *not* drag tons of gear to my field-day site. I'm going minimal….4 pounds max of radio gear. This will allow me to put more emphasis on food, drink, and enjoying time with my son (now almost 9). If anyone else is up for "FD4#", let me know. I'd like to compare notes on equipment, especially antennas, battery packs, and logging.

4 pounds (or so) is not an arbitrary number. This allows for:

- a KX3 with internal ATU and attached paddle
- mic and headphones
- external Li battery, plus 8 internal AA batteries in the rig as a backup
- two 50' (roughly) lengths of antenna wire, adapters, and a couple of 1-oz weights to get one wire into a tree
- paper log and dupe sheets (maybe…more on this below)
- soft carrying case for all of the above (in my case, a Think Tank "Strobe Stuff" bag)

I still expect to be reasonably competitive in the 1B-battery category even with this lightweight station. I hope to operate on 80-6 meters in CW, SSB, and digital modes (RTTY using the CW paddle and the KX3's text decode function).

There are two items I'm still working on:

1. External battery

I need something that will fit into the bottom of the Strobe Stuff bag. It should supply at least 11 V, and I'd prefer 4 to 5 AH, though I could get by with 3 AH and switch to the internal AAs later if necessary. Has any consensus formed about specific Li battery packs in this class? Ideal max size would be 1x3x2.5" (HWD).

2. Logging

I actually like paper logging in the field. It's kind of a Zen thing, checking dupe sheets manually (Griffin is old enough to help with this, too). But are there any good FD apps for the iPhone? I need the iPhone anyway so it doesn't count towards the station weight total. If there's an app that's easy to use for this, I'd love to try it. Heck, I'd even pay for it.

Wayne
N6KR

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Phillip Lontz

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

Yep 4 pound or less? Maybe get a multiplier for less weight...
The F.D. Less is more event.
Less crap
More Fun

Non judgement day is near

On Apr 26, 2013, at 10:39 AM, Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> This year I'm going to break with tradition and *not* drag tons of gear to my field-day site. I'm going minimal….4 pounds max of radio gear. This will allow me to put more emphasis on food, drink, and enjoying time with my son (now almost 9). If anyone else is up for "FD4#", let me know. I'd like to compare notes on equipment, especially antennas, battery packs, and logging.
>
> 4 pounds (or so) is not an arbitrary number. This allows for:
>
> - a KX3 with internal ATU and attached paddle
> - mic and headphones
> - external Li battery, plus 8 internal AA batteries in the rig as a backup
> - two 50' (roughly) lengths of antenna wire, adapters, and a couple of 1-oz weights to get one wire into a tree
> - paper log and dupe sheets (maybe…more on this below)
> - soft carrying case for all of the above (in my case, a Think Tank "Strobe Stuff" bag)
>
> I still expect to be reasonably competitive in the 1B-battery category even with this lightweight station. I hope to operate on 80-6 meters in CW, SSB, and digital modes (RTTY using the CW paddle and the KX3's text decode function).
>
> There are two items I'm still working on:
>
> 1. External battery
>
> I need something that will fit into the bottom of the Strobe Stuff bag. It should supply at least 11 V, and I'd prefer 4 to 5 AH, though I could get by with 3 AH and switch to the internal AAs later if necessary. Has any consensus formed about specific Li battery packs in this class? Ideal max size would be 1x3x2.5" (HWD).
>
> 2. Logging
>
> I actually like paper logging in the field. It's kind of a Zen thing, checking dupe sheets manually (Griffin is old enough to help with this, too). But are there any good FD apps for the iPhone? I need the iPhone anyway so it doesn't count towards the station weight total. If there's an app that's easy to use for this, I'd love to try it. Heck, I'd even pay for it.
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

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mzilmer

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

For your #2 work in progress:

I've asked Grace Frisk (The NicdLady) to put together an NiMH 14.4V pack. I should have it next week. My idea was similar to Wayne's, but I wanted to operate the external pack at a higher voltage than is typical for standard cellpacks. Field Day is my target date as well.

Specs -
2700 mAH, 14.4V, 39WH.
Size: 2.5"W x 1"D x 2" H
Weight: About 450g, including the 18" cable (about 1 lb total weight).

In case there is any interest, I'll plug Grace's business: http://nicdlady.com/.

73,
Matt Zilmer, W6NIA
Semper Gumby

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Wayne Burdick
Sent: Friday, April 26, 2013 9:40 AM
To: Elecraft Reflector; [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

Hi all,

This year I'm going to break with tradition and *not* drag tons of gear to my field-day site. I'm going minimal....4 pounds max of radio gear. This will allow me to put more emphasis on food, drink, and enjoying time with my son (now almost 9). If anyone else is up for "FD4#", let me know. I'd like to compare notes on equipment, especially antennas, battery packs, and logging.

4 pounds (or so) is not an arbitrary number. This allows for:

- a KX3 with internal ATU and attached paddle
- mic and headphones
- external Li battery, plus 8 internal AA batteries in the rig as a backup
- two 50' (roughly) lengths of antenna wire, adapters, and a couple of 1-oz weights to get one wire into a tree
- paper log and dupe sheets (maybe...more on this below)
- soft carrying case for all of the above (in my case, a Think Tank "Strobe Stuff" bag)

I still expect to be reasonably competitive in the 1B-battery category even with this lightweight station. I hope to operate on 80-6 meters in CW, SSB, and digital modes (RTTY using the CW paddle and the KX3's text decode function).

There are two items I'm still working on:

1. External battery

I need something that will fit into the bottom of the Strobe Stuff bag. It should supply at least 11 V, and I'd prefer 4 to 5 AH, though I could get by with 3 AH and switch to the internal AAs later if necessary. Has any consensus formed about specific Li battery packs in this class? Ideal max size would be 1x3x2.5" (HWD).

2. Logging

I actually like paper logging in the field. It's kind of a Zen thing, checking dupe sheets manually (Griffin is old enough to help with this, too). But are there any good FD apps for the iPhone? I need the iPhone anyway so it doesn't count towards the station weight total. If there's an app that's easy to use for this, I'd love to try it. Heck, I'd even pay for it.

Wayne
N6KR

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Chris Tate - N6WM

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

for your Iphone/pad field day logger, take a look at an app called hamlog in the app store. it may fit the bill. I beleive they even have an interface available for the K/(x)3 that can be obtained.

________________________________________
From: [hidden email] [[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Wayne Burdick [[hidden email]]
Sent: Friday, April 26, 2013 9:39 AM
To: Elecraft Reflector; [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

Hi all,

This year I'm going to break with tradition and *not* drag tons of gear to my field-day site. I'm going minimal….4 pounds max of radio gear. This will allow me to put more emphasis on food, drink, and enjoying time with my son (now almost 9). If anyone else is up for "FD4#", let me know. I'd like to compare notes on equipment, especially antennas, battery packs, and logging.

4 pounds (or so) is not an arbitrary number. This allows for:

- a KX3 with internal ATU and attached paddle
- mic and headphones
- external Li battery, plus 8 internal AA batteries in the rig as a backup
- two 50' (roughly) lengths of antenna wire, adapters, and a couple of 1-oz weights to get one wire into a tree
- paper log and dupe sheets (maybe…more on this below)
- soft carrying case for all of the above (in my case, a Think Tank "Strobe Stuff" bag)

I still expect to be reasonably competitive in the 1B-battery category even with this lightweight station. I hope to operate on 80-6 meters in CW, SSB, and digital modes (RTTY using the CW paddle and the KX3's text decode function).

There are two items I'm still working on:

1. External battery

I need something that will fit into the bottom of the Strobe Stuff bag. It should supply at least 11 V, and I'd prefer 4 to 5 AH, though I could get by with 3 AH and switch to the internal AAs later if necessary. Has any consensus formed about specific Li battery packs in this class? Ideal max size would be 1x3x2.5" (HWD).

2. Logging

I actually like paper logging in the field. It's kind of a Zen thing, checking dupe sheets manually (Griffin is old enough to help with this, too). But are there any good FD apps for the iPhone? I need the iPhone anyway so it doesn't count towards the station weight total. If there's an app that's easy to use for this, I'd love to try it. Heck, I'd even pay for it.

Wayne
N6KR

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Nick Garner

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

On the HamLog note, it does have a Field Day logger built in.

It's coming close to the time for me to get any changes into that part of
the app to make sure they're live before the event. If anyone has any
suggestions on things to change, please send them directly to me and I'll
try to get them in there. I recently made a few changes to the dup checker
to make it more proactive and added the new Ontario sections. Also, it
does work with Piglet/KX3 for automated mode/freq logging.

I happily give out Promo Codes for the app, so if anyone wants a free copy,
let me know.

73,
Nick
N3WG

On Fri, Apr 26, 2013 at 9:54 AM, Chris Tate - N6WM <[hidden email]>wrote:

> for your Iphone/pad field day logger, take a look at an app called hamlog
> in the app store. it may fit the bill. I beleive they even have an
> interface available for the K/(x)3 that can be obtained.
>
> ________________________________________
> From: [hidden email] [[hidden email]]
> On Behalf Of Wayne Burdick [[hidden email]]
> Sent: Friday, April 26, 2013 9:39 AM
> To: Elecraft Reflector; [hidden email]
> Subject: [Elecraft] 4-pound Field Day, anyone?
>
> Hi all,
>
> This year I'm going to break with tradition and *not* drag tons of gear to
> my field-day site. I'm going minimal….4 pounds max of radio gear. This will
> allow me to put more emphasis on food, drink, and enjoying time with my son
> (now almost 9). If anyone else is up for "FD4#", let me know. I'd like to
> compare notes on equipment, especially antennas, battery packs, and logging.
>
> 4 pounds (or so) is not an arbitrary number. This allows for:
>
> - a KX3 with internal ATU and attached paddle
> - mic and headphones
> - external Li battery, plus 8 internal AA batteries in the rig as a backup
> - two 50' (roughly) lengths of antenna wire, adapters, and a couple of
> 1-oz weights to get one wire into a tree
> - paper log and dupe sheets (maybe…more on this below)
> - soft carrying case for all of the above (in my case, a Think Tank
> "Strobe Stuff" bag)
>
> I still expect to be reasonably competitive in the 1B-battery category
> even with this lightweight station. I hope to operate on 80-6 meters in CW,
> SSB, and digital modes (RTTY using the CW paddle and the KX3's text decode
> function).
>
> There are two items I'm still working on:
>
> 1. External battery
>
> I need something that will fit into the bottom of the Strobe Stuff bag. It
> should supply at least 11 V, and I'd prefer 4 to 5 AH, though I could get
> by with 3 AH and switch to the internal AAs later if necessary. Has any
> consensus formed about specific Li battery packs in this class? Ideal max
> size would be 1x3x2.5" (HWD).
>
> 2. Logging
>
> I actually like paper logging in the field. It's kind of a Zen thing,
> checking dupe sheets manually (Griffin is old enough to help with this,
> too). But are there any good FD apps for the iPhone? I need the iPhone
> anyway so it doesn't count towards the station weight total. If there's an
> app that's easy to use for this, I'd love to try it. Heck, I'd even pay for
> it.
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

George Cortez Jr

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

I was thinking about a sla in a pelican case with the connectors routed through the case...

George

On Apr 26, 2013, at 12:39 PM, Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:

Mark Goldberg

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

I am very big on LiFePO4 battery packs, 4 Genuine A123 cell 2.3 AH
ones to be exact. They start out about 14V and provide about 2 AH till
they get down to 12V when I stop and switch to another one. This
allows full power on the KX3 as the voltage drop is very low even when
transmitting at 12 W. I got packs with a balancing connector and
charge with a balancing charger.

You also need to consider the weight of a decent feedline, balun and /
or counterpoise that drastically effect transmit efficiency. I created
a go kit with all that and a headset and an extendable pole for an
inverted V support and a hard case for my KX3 that came to about 7 lb.
I set that up on a beach in Maui last week with some success, but had
good success working a contest from my back yard when the other end
were contest stations with good antennas.

This is my kit

20M
Item Oz
Radio With Eneloops 34.4
Hard Case 10.5
Battery with Power Cable 12.4
Headset 6.8
Balun 6
Pole 20 Ft usable 15.7
Antenna wire on looms 2.9
Extra Antenna Wire for 20M 1.3
Feed (300 ohm ladr) on loom 12.4
Base measuring rope on loom 5

Total Oz 107.4
Total Lb 6.71

I added a 2 lb netbook to all this for logging. I hate dupe sheets.

Mark

On Apr 26, 2013 9:40 AM, "Wayne Burdick" <[hidden email]> wrote:

>
> Hi all,
>
> This year I'm going to break with tradition and *not* drag tons of gear to my field-day site. I'm going minimal….4 pounds max of radio gear. This will allow me to put more emphasis on food, drink, and enjoying time with my son (now almost 9). If anyone else is up for "FD4#", let me know. I'd like to compare notes on equipment, especially antennas, battery packs, and logging.
>
> 4 pounds (or so) is not an arbitrary number. This allows for:
>
> - a KX3 with internal ATU and attached paddle
> - mic and headphones
> - external Li battery, plus 8 internal AA batteries in the rig as a backup
> - two 50' (roughly) lengths of antenna wire, adapters, and a couple of 1-oz weights to get one wire into a tree
> - paper log and dupe sheets (maybe…more on this below)
> - soft carrying case for all of the above (in my case, a Think Tank "Strobe Stuff" bag)
>
> I still expect to be reasonably competitive in the 1B-battery category even with this lightweight station. I hope to operate on 80-6 meters in CW, SSB, and digital modes (RTTY using the CW paddle and the KX3's text decode function).
>
> There are two items I'm still working on:
>
> 1. External battery
>
> I need something that will fit into the bottom of the Strobe Stuff bag. It should supply at least 11 V, and I'd prefer 4 to 5 AH, though I could get by with 3 AH and switch to the internal AAs later if necessary. Has any consensus formed about specific Li battery packs in this class? Ideal max size would be 1x3x2.5" (HWD).
>
> 2. Logging
>
> I actually like paper logging in the field. It's kind of a Zen thing, checking dupe sheets manually (Griffin is old enough to help with this, too). But are there any good FD apps for the iPhone? I need the iPhone anyway so it doesn't count towards the station weight total. If there's an app that's easy to use for this, I'd love to try it. Heck, I'd even pay for it.
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

k6dgw

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

On 4/26/2013 9:39 AM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>
> 1. External battery
>
> I need something that will fit into the bottom of the Strobe Stuff
> bag. It should supply at least 11 V, and I'd prefer 4 to 5 AH, though
> I could get by with 3 AH and switch to the internal AAs later if
> necessary. Has any consensus formed about specific Li battery packs
> in this class? Ideal max size would be 1x3x2.5" (HWD).

I use a 4Ah LiFePO4 A123 pack for SOTA activations and other field
events [QRPTTF tomorrow] with my K2. It weighs about 400gm, and is
pretty close to your size spec above. Fully charged, it starts out at
about 12.4V which drops to 11.7 in a very short time. The discharge
curve is flat thereafter until just before depletion when it drops
rapidly. Be sure and fuse the power leads, the thing will produce about
30-40C into a short. :-)

The SOTA rule requires that "the final access to the summit be
non-motorized." They are deliberately vague to be inclusive for those
with physical limitations [like me]. My current SOTA rig is the K2, a
tiny Am Morse Equip paddle on the clipboard I log on, the above battery,
and an AlexLoop. My KX1, 900mAh Li-poly model plane battery, and 28
foot wire made by pulling the center conductor out of a piece of RG-58
is the backup. It all fits in my back pack and I can either park and
hike to the summit, or park there, hike down a bit and back up. Net
weight of rig is probably about 3kg.
>
> 2. Logging
>
> I actually like paper logging in the field. It's kind of a Zen thing,
> checking dupe sheets manually (Griffin is old enough to help with
> this, too). But are there any good FD apps for the iPhone? I need the
> iPhone anyway so it doesn't count towards the station weight total.
> If there's an app that's easy to use for this, I'd love to try it.
> Heck, I'd even pay for it.

I have one on my Android called SOTA Logger but I don't think it does
dupe checking. I've actually never used it, paper/pen works just fine.

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Millerhill

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by Mark Goldberg

I'm with you Mark. A123's are the bees knees. I also use them for RC planes and they can put out 30A no sweat and you can charge them much faster than Lipo's.

Steve

Sent from my iPad

On Apr 26, 2013, at 1:54 PM, Mark Goldberg <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I am very big on LiFePO4 battery packs, 4 Genuine A123 cell 2.3 AH
> ones to be exact. They start out about 14V and provide about 2 AH till
> they get down to 12V when I stop and switch to another one. This
> allows full power on the KX3 as the voltage drop is very low even when
> transmitting at 12 W. I got packs with a balancing connector and
> charge with a balancing charger.
>
> You also need to consider the weight of a decent feedline, balun and /
> or counterpoise that drastically effect transmit efficiency. I created
> a go kit with all that and a headset and an extendable pole for an
> inverted V support and a hard case for my KX3 that came to about 7 lb.
> I set that up on a beach in Maui last week with some success, but had
> good success working a contest from my back yard when the other end
> were contest stations with good antennas.
>
> This is my kit
>
> 20M
> Item Oz
> Radio With Eneloops 34.4
> Hard Case 10.5
> Battery with Power Cable 12.4
> Headset 6.8
> Balun 6
> Pole 20 Ft usable 15.7
> Antenna wire on looms 2.9
> Extra Antenna Wire for 20M 1.3
> Feed (300 ohm ladr) on loom 12.4
> Base measuring rope on loom 5
>
>
> Total Oz 107.4
> Total Lb 6.71
>
>
> I added a 2 lb netbook to all this for logging. I hate dupe sheets.
>
> Mark
>
> On Apr 26, 2013 9:40 AM, "Wayne Burdick" <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> This year I'm going to break with tradition and *not* drag tons of gear to my field-day site. I'm going minimal….4 pounds max of radio gear. This will allow me to put more emphasis on food, drink, and enjoying time with my son (now almost 9). If anyone else is up for "FD4#", let me know. I'd like to compare notes on equipment, especially antennas, battery packs, and logging.
>>
>> 4 pounds (or so) is not an arbitrary number. This allows for:
>>
>> - a KX3 with internal ATU and attached paddle
>> - mic and headphones
>> - external Li battery, plus 8 internal AA batteries in the rig as a backup
>> - two 50' (roughly) lengths of antenna wire, adapters, and a couple of 1-oz weights to get one wire into a tree
>> - paper log and dupe sheets (maybe…more on this below)
>> - soft carrying case for all of the above (in my case, a Think Tank "Strobe Stuff" bag)
>>
>> I still expect to be reasonably competitive in the 1B-battery category even with this lightweight station. I hope to operate on 80-6 meters in CW, SSB, and digital modes (RTTY using the CW paddle and the KX3's text decode function).
>>
>> There are two items I'm still working on:
>>
>> 1. External battery
>>
>> I need something that will fit into the bottom of the Strobe Stuff bag. It should supply at least 11 V, and I'd prefer 4 to 5 AH, though I could get by with 3 AH and switch to the internal AAs later if necessary. Has any consensus formed about specific Li battery packs in this class? Ideal max size would be 1x3x2.5" (HWD).
>>
>> 2. Logging
>>
>> I actually like paper logging in the field. It's kind of a Zen thing, checking dupe sheets manually (Griffin is old enough to help with this, too). But are there any good FD apps for the iPhone? I need the iPhone anyway so it doesn't count towards the station weight total. If there's an app that's easy to use for this, I'd love to try it. Heck, I'd even pay for it.
>>
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Michael Babineau-2

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

Wayne et al :

The closet thing I have seen battery-wise is a brand of LiFePo4 batteries called Anti-Gravity designed as
replacements for conventional wet-cell motorcycle batteries. This one is 4.25 X 1.25 X 3.75 inches @ 6Ah
and weighs in at 1 pound.

http://antigravitybatteries.com/ag-401/

Cheers

Michael VE3WMB

P.S. These should be available at a local motorsport shop.
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Edward R Cole

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

Intriguing idea. In my case it will take the form of a lightweight
psk-31 station. Our local club does FD every year so I may just use
one of their antennas or rig a 20m dipole (probably a sloper). I
will break the 4# barrier by bringing my old P90 IBM thinkpad that
has a psk-31 program and this will force me to make up a soundcard
I/F for the KX3. I have a pile of 12v 4AH gelcells which will
suffice for power. Our club call is AL7LE but there is some talk of
using a better callsign of one of the members (might be KL7RA).

Back in 2005 (I think) I set up a FD psk-31 station using my FT-847
and the same laptop. It was powered with a 30w solar panel + diehard
deep-cycle marine battery. My antenna was a 20m mobile whip. I was
set up in 20-minutes while the club usually takes about 2-hours to
get the first station running. Club name is the Moosehorn ARC.

73, Ed - KL7UW

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David Cutter

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

Perhaps one of the modern Android or Iphones has an application that will
run psk or other digital modes: that would bring the weight down. Perhaps
do the logging as well. Be good for emergency use, too.

David
G3UNA

> Intriguing idea. In my case it will take the form of a lightweight psk-31
> station. Our local club does FD every year so I may just use one of their
> antennas or rig a 20m dipole (probably a sloper). I will break the 4#
> barrier by bringing my old P90 IBM thinkpad that has a psk-31 program and
> this will force me to make up a soundcard I/F for the KX3. I have a pile
> of 12v 4AH gelcells which will suffice for power. Our club call is AL7LE
> but there is some talk of using a better callsign of one of the members
> (might be KL7RA).
> > 73, Ed - KL7UW
>
>

John Hendricks-2

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by Edward R Cole

I use unwaxed dental floss for antenna support lines. Very light weight, very strong, inexpensive and readily available.

John Hendricks K7JLT former AL7OK
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k6dgw

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by David Cutter

On 4/27/2013 5:16 AM, David Cutter wrote:
> Perhaps one of the modern Android or Iphones has an application that
> will run psk or other digital modes: that would bring the weight down.
> Perhaps do the logging as well. Be good for emergency use, too.

Google Play has a number of these, some free, some cheap.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2013 Cal QSO Party 5-6 Oct 2013
- www.cqp.org

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Tighe Kuykendall

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by k6dgw

I'm in the LiFePO4 camp as well. I use a pair of LiFe Source 6.6V
3200mAh batteries with a Y-cable from the stock connectors to power
poles. I have the pair of them velcro'd together into a nice tight
package. I charge them (each pack individually) with my balancing
charger. When not in use, they can go into use with my RC hobby.

I've used them in the field several times and they've been great. I've
got some of the same in the 2100mAh flavor, which I might rig up for
field day.

Now, a solar charger...

Tighe
NK4I

On 4/26/13 4:07 PM, Fred Jensen wrote:

> On 4/26/2013 9:39 AM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>>
>> 1. External battery
>>
>> I need something that will fit into the bottom of the Strobe Stuff
>> bag. It should supply at least 11 V, and I'd prefer 4 to 5 AH, though
>> I could get by with 3 AH and switch to the internal AAs later if
>> necessary. Has any consensus formed about specific Li battery packs
>> in this class? Ideal max size would be 1x3x2.5" (HWD).
>
> I use a 4Ah LiFePO4 A123 pack for SOTA activations and other field
> events [QRPTTF tomorrow] with my K2. It weighs about 400gm, and is
> pretty close to your size spec above. Fully charged, it starts out at
> about 12.4V which drops to 11.7 in a very short time. The discharge
> curve is flat thereafter until just before depletion when it drops
> rapidly. Be sure and fuse the power leads, the thing will produce
> about 30-40C into a short. :-)
>
> The SOTA rule requires that "the final access to the summit be
> non-motorized." They are deliberately vague to be inclusive for those
> with physical limitations [like me]. My current SOTA rig is the K2, a
> tiny Am Morse Equip paddle on the clipboard I log on, the above
> battery, and an AlexLoop. My KX1, 900mAh Li-poly model plane battery,
> and 28 foot wire made by pulling the center conductor out of a piece
> of RG-58 is the backup. It all fits in my back pack and I can either
> park and hike to the summit, or park there, hike down a bit and back
> up. Net weight of rig is probably about 3kg.
>>
>> 2. Logging
>>
>> I actually like paper logging in the field. It's kind of a Zen thing,
>> checking dupe sheets manually (Griffin is old enough to help with
>> this, too). But are there any good FD apps for the iPhone? I need the
>> iPhone anyway so it doesn't count towards the station weight total.
>> If there's an app that's easy to use for this, I'd love to try it.
>> Heck, I'd even pay for it.
>
> I have one on my Android called SOTA Logger but I don't think it does
> dupe checking. I've actually never used it, paper/pen works just fine.
>
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Tighe Kuykendall

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by John Hendricks-2

I've been using some 80lb test spectra braided fishing line. Very thin,
light weight, and doesn't tangle like traditional fishing line.

Tighe
NK4I

On 4/27/13 12:56 PM, Walter Underwood wrote:

> It turns out that there is a kind of rope designed precisely for this -- the throw lines used by arborists. It is very light and is slippery so that it does not get caught in trees.
>
> http://www.wesspur.com/throw-line/zing-it-throw-line.html
>
> wunder
> K6WRU
>
> On Apr 27, 2013, at 8:09 AM, K7JLTextra wrote:
>
>> I use unwaxed dental floss for antenna support lines. Very light weight, very strong, inexpensive and readily available.
>>
>> John Hendricks K7JLT former AL7OK
>> ______________________________________________________________
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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RobertG

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by Edward R Cole

I understand and support the idea of lighter weight, more fun. That
said, do we want to establish the 4# figure as "it?" Seems that anything
under 10# is in the spirit of lighter/funner. I don't know the weights,
but suppose I take my K2, an external tuner ['cause I don't have the K2
internal tuner], appropriate battery(ies), some sort of wire antenna,
and a support [no trees where I'm going], I'm probably over 4# yet sit
"light weight." It's sort of like the 5W QRP standard. Why not 10w and
under? Why not 1W and under? Granted, it's unmanageable to have a
"class" for every pound under some figure. That said, perhaps we could
"weight" some "light" configurations and find the middle point, or some
such figure, and then determine "classes" from there. Just a thought.
Like the general idea very much.
...robert

On 4/27/2013 07:39, Edward R Cole wrote:

> Intriguing idea. In my case it will take the form of a lightweight
> psk-31 station. Our local club does FD every year so I may just use one
> of their antennas or rig a 20m dipole (probably a sloper). I will break
> the 4# barrier by bringing my old P90 IBM thinkpad that has a psk-31
> program and this will force me to make up a soundcard I/F for the KX3.
> I have a pile of 12v 4AH gelcells which will suffice for power. Our
> club call is AL7LE but there is some talk of using a better callsign of
> one of the members (might be KL7RA).
>
> Back in 2005 (I think) I set up a FD psk-31 station using my FT-847 and
> the same laptop. It was powered with a 30w solar panel + diehard
> deep-cycle marine battery. My antenna was a 20m mobile whip. I was set
> up in 20-minutes while the club usually takes about 2-hours to get the
> first station running. Club name is the Moosehorn ARC.
>
> 73, Ed - KL7UW
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

--
Robert G Strickland, PhD ABPH - KE2WY
[hidden email]
Syracuse, New York, USA
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kevinr@coho.net

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

You could use the multiplier of 1 / 4# . A 1 pound total rig would
land you a mult of 4x. Imagine getting down into the oz rig range; the
multiplier would be very good for even a few contacts. It may get down
to tapping wires to attain the least possible weight. Using one's own
lunch to provide power would be extra. Remember to take a few limes
along with the copper and zinc strips.
73,
Kevin. KD5ONS

On 4/28/2013 4:50 PM, Robert G Strickland wrote:

> I understand and support the idea of lighter weight, more fun. That
> said, do we want to establish the 4# figure as "it?" Seems that
> anything under 10# is in the spirit of lighter/funner. I don't know
> the weights, but suppose I take my K2, an external tuner ['cause I
> don't have the K2 internal tuner], appropriate battery(ies), some sort
> of wire antenna, and a support [no trees where I'm going], I'm
> probably over 4# yet sit "light weight." It's sort of like the 5W QRP
> standard. Why not 10w and under? Why not 1W and under? Granted, it's
> unmanageable to have a "class" for every pound under some figure. That
> said, perhaps we could "weight" some "light" configurations and find
> the middle point, or some such figure, and then determine "classes"
> from there. Just a thought. Like the general idea very much.
> ...robert
>
> On 4/27/2013 07:39, Edward R Cole wrote:
>> Intriguing idea. In my case it will take the form of a lightweight
>> psk-31 station. Our local club does FD every year so I may just use one
>> of their antennas or rig a 20m dipole (probably a sloper). I will break
>> the 4# barrier by bringing my old P90 IBM thinkpad that has a psk-31
>> program and this will force me to make up a soundcard I/F for the KX3.
>> I have a pile of 12v 4AH gelcells which will suffice for power. Our
>> club call is AL7LE but there is some talk of using a better callsign of
>> one of the members (might be KL7RA).
>>
>> Back in 2005 (I think) I set up a FD psk-31 station using my FT-847 and
>> the same laptop. It was powered with a 30w solar panel + diehard
>> deep-cycle marine battery. My antenna was a 20m mobile whip. I was set
>> up in 20-minutes while the club usually takes about 2-hours to get the
>> first station running. Club name is the Moosehorn ARC.
>>
>> 73, Ed - KL7UW
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>
>

Bill Frantz

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

I like the thought. But are you allowed to pick up stuff from
the environment?

I am currently at the New Hampshire QTH running my Small Wonder
Labs PSK-20 (5W, 20M PSK only). It is probably lighter than a
KX3 (for a lot less function). I am running it into a 2 element
wire beam where the heavy pieces are made from wood cut on site.
(For those who don't know NH, trees are weeds here. We try to
keep the underbrush under control and I was able to cut two 2.5M
spreaders from local weeds.) Carrying a 20M dipole + an extra
piece of 11.11M wire seems in bounds for the light weight multiplier.

(Hmmmm. #36 wire antennas?...)

I've been having a ball working Europe with 20 DXCCs in the log
and great stories about the ones that got away. (The joys or
QRP.) The big weight is the computer and power supply, which
here is a wall wart, but could be a battery. I'll get to be OK
on CW eventually and get really competitive. :-)

Cheers - Bill, AE6JV

On 4/28/13 at 5:40 PM, [hidden email] (kevinr) wrote:

>You could use the multiplier of 1 / 4# . A 1 pound total rig
>would land you a mult of 4x. Imagine getting down into the oz
>rig range; the multiplier would be very good for even a few
>contacts. It may get down to tapping wires to attain the least
>possible weight. Using one's own lunch to provide power would
>be extra. Remember to take a few limes along with the copper
>and zinc strips.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz | Since the IBM Selectric, keyboards have gotten
408-356-8506 | steadily worse. Now we have touchscreen keyboards.
www.pwpconsult.com | Can we make something even worse?

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Chip Stratton

Re: 4-pound Field Day, anyone?

In reply to this post by RobertG

I second Tighe's nomination of 80 lb Spectra (aka Dyneema) braided fishing
line. Very light, very strong, and very slick. With a 3 oz weight (I won't
say lead bank sinker on fear of being labeled a poisoner of the
environment) on the end it passes through trees and to the ground like
butter. You kind find 300 feet for about $7 on ebay in many different
colors.

Chip
AE5KA

On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 6:50 PM, Robert G Strickland <[hidden email]>wrote:

> I understand and support the idea of lighter weight, more fun. That said,
> do we want to establish the 4# figure as "it?" Seems that anything under
> 10# is in the spirit of lighter/funner. I don't know the weights, but
> suppose I take my K2, an external tuner ['cause I don't have the K2
> internal tuner], appropriate battery(ies), some sort of wire antenna, and a
> support [no trees where I'm going], I'm probably over 4# yet sit "light
> weight." It's sort of like the 5W QRP standard. Why not 10w and under? Why
> not 1W and under? Granted, it's unmanageable to have a "class" for every
> pound under some figure. That said, perhaps we could "weight" some "light"
> configurations and find the middle point, or some such figure, and then
> determine "classes" from there. Just a thought. Like the general idea very
> much.
> ...robert
>
> On 4/27/2013 07:39, Edward R Cole wrote:
>
>> Intriguing idea. In my case it will take the form of a lightweight
>> psk-31 station. Our local club does FD every year so I may just use one
>> of their antennas or rig a 20m dipole (probably a sloper). I will break
>> the 4# barrier by bringing my old P90 IBM thinkpad that has a psk-31
>> program and this will force me to make up a soundcard I/F for the KX3.
>> I have a pile of 12v 4AH gelcells which will suffice for power. Our
>> club call is AL7LE but there is some talk of using a better callsign of
>> one of the members (might be KL7RA).
>>
>> Back in 2005 (I think) I set up a FD psk-31 station using my FT-847 and
>> the same laptop. It was powered with a 30w solar panel + diehard
>> deep-cycle marine battery. My antenna was a 20m mobile whip. I was set
>> up in 20-minutes while the club usually takes about 2-hours to get the
>> first station running. Club name is the Moosehorn ARC.
>>
>> 73, Ed - KL7UW
>>
>>
>> ______________________________**______________________________**__
>> Elecraft mailing list
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>>
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>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
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>>
> --
> Robert G Strickland, PhD ABPH - KE2WY
> [hidden email]
> Syracuse, New York, USA
>
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