[TenTec] A Fun Day with Ham Radio, and a Question about Portable Operating

[Bwana Bob]

Jack:

Great story!

The radio of choice for portable operation seems to be the Yaesu FT-817. 
It runs 2.5W on internal battery and 5 W on external power People seem 
to really like them, though I hear that the receiver overloads in the 
presence of very strong signals, and some folks do not like the menu 
structure. I've never tried one myself.   Most of the other amateur 
radios advertised as "portable" draw 1 to 1.5 amps on receive, not too 
good for a battery power budget. At the other end of the spectrum are 
the military packsets, like the AN/PRC-104. They are cool, rugged, and 
expensive, even on the surplus market. Good for spot frequency use, but 
tuning the band won't be that much fun using the frequency selection 
switches. Again, I've never tried one.  In the middle is Ten Tec. While 
they don't seem to be marketing the Argonaut VI as a portable rig, Ten 
Tec has made efforts to keep the receive current drain down and 10 W is 
a more practical level that 2.5 or 5 W, especially for working SSB. A 
lower cost alternative, if you can find one would be the T-T Scout or 
Argosy.  I have successfully used my Scout portable on several 
occasions. I crank the power back to 25-30 W and it will run fine on CW 
on a 7 Ah battery for at least a couple of hours. A bigger battery, like 
those automotive jump starting packs, will give you longer run time. 
Running the Scout at lower power will also make it run cooler, which 
helps prevent  VFO drift. The receive current drain for the Scout is 600 
mA.  I think that the Argo VI would be better, especially if one can buy 
or fabricate a pack or handles for it.

What do you use for antennas?  My portable preference is simple dipoles 
instead of the short, loaded dipoles and verticals.  I made a reel-out 
dipole from surplus AN/CRT-3 antenna reels and a smaller version using  
plastic "campers clothesline" reels. Here are some antenna ideas from 
N6CC: http://www.n6cc.com/antenna-system-ideas

                 73, and let's hear more stories!

                 Bob WB2VUF


On 4/6/2013 10:10 PM, Jack Emerson wrote:
>      Hey de Jack W4TJE in Fancy Gap, VA. Radio-wise, today has been a blast. You know it’s going to be a good radio day when ur working a strong Russian station on 15m cw just after ur sunrise, and he tells you that he is running a ten tec stn (Omni V). I think in all my years on air, that is the first Russian ever worked running Ten Tec gear. Note to Ten Tec: Send me an e-mail, and I will send you his call sign. He deserves a mug, or at least a cap.
> Then, at mid-morning, my buddy Todd, N4LA, drove up from NC with his backpacks and portable gear, and he and I then drove a few miles up the road, parked, and climbed to the top of Buffalo Mtn in Floyd County, VA. Todd and I are the same age (49), from the same town originally in NC (Siler City), grew up together, both learned radio together, and even have common relatives by marriage. After school, he joined the Navy, while I joined the Marine Corps, so it did my heart proud today to show the U.S. Navy how a Marine humps to the top of a mountain peak (SINGING THE MARINE CORPS ANTHEM WHILE CARRYING BOTH BACKPACKS).
> So a full hour after I (USMC) had made it to the top carrying all of the gear, Todd (Navy) finally arrived, and we were ready to get on air. We set up at the summit at 3970 feet, with me (USMC) doing all the work, while Todd (USN) drinking coffee and telling sea stories (LIES) about how rough life at sea was for him.It was then that I was introduced to the world of the Summits On The Air (SOTA). IT WAS AWESOME.!! We operated both phone and cw and put that peak on the air for only the second time. We had stns calling us from Europe to the West Coast, and put over 70 of them in the log before shutting down and climbing down the mountain ( I had to carry Todd, he had ran out of both coffee and sea stories ((LIES)) by then).
> So now, I’m all pumped about operating SOTA, and checking their web site tonight tonight I see that there are quite a few peaks near me that are rare or have never even been activated. I’ve never been into qrp, but am intrigued by the Argo 6 for use as a SOTA portable rig, but am also interested in the Eagle for the same use. So any Argonaut 6 or Eagle owners, pse tell me any pros and cons for portable use. I am very interested in knowing what ur opinions are, esp with respect to battery use/power drain.
> And finally, tnx to Todd for introducing me to SOTA today, and don’t get mad when you read how I picked on you here on this reflector.
> 73 de Jack W4TJE
>
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>
>
> -----
> No virus found in this message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 2013.0.3272 / Virus Database: 3162/6229 - Release Date: 04/06/13