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

Tue Apr 16 02:30:42 EDT 2013

Jake,

In my many years of portable operations, I found that to make reliable communications, you only need about 20w on CW and 50w on SSB. It is a lot better than 5w QRP (night and day difference), and not much worse than the full 100w.

You can even try it for about $300.  Look for an old Argosy.  I prefer the (analog) Argosy-I instead of the -II, because the -II has a digital display and more battery drain.  As I recall, the battery drain of the Argosy-I was only about 300mA on RX.  It had 30m, but no 17 or 12m, so that is really its only drawback.  I'm sure you will be pleased with what you can work with 50w.

73
Rick, DJ0IP

-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jack Emerson
Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2013 3:44 AM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] A Fun Day with Ham Radio, and a Question about Portable Operating

Hey Bob,
Glad you enjoyed the story. The antenna was Todd's, so I can't tell you exactly what it was. But it was a 20/40 m wire, with an extendable pole to
33 ft, and it worked fb on both bands.
He has his own website. Go to qrz and type in N4LA, then from there you can click to his website for more info. When you get to his website, disregard his version of that day, (all lies),  but somewhere there you'll find info on the antennas used. If not, just send him an e-mail.
By the way, this past Saturday, the xyl and I found a trail leading straight up to the top of Mt Rogers, the highest mtn in VA. When it warms up some more, both she and I are going to hike to the top. Then later this summer, I plan to go back with ham equipment and activate that peak. And there are lots of peaks in my area that have never been activated for SOTA, so it's going to be an interesting summer.
I still haven't decided on what radio to buy for this SOTA activity. The only drawback against the Eagle is the cost. $2k for a radio to hike up and down mtn tops is too much money to spend. At the same time, I'm not into qrp, as I have found that most of the time, it's not the qrp operator doing the work, but the stn on the other end with superior antennas to cpy the little gun. So still searching for a 100 w rig that is affordable for mtn top work.
73 de Jack W4TJE

-----Original Message-----
From: Bwana Bob
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2013 10:15 AM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Cc: Jack Emerson
Subject: Re: [TenTec] A Fun Day with Ham Radio, and a Question about Portable Operating

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
>
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