[VHFcontesting] "ROI" or "The Cost To Play"

[Michael Urich]

At the moment my V/UHF contesting / station is coming together slowly as it does with most hams
that I know.  At present I have a FT-736R that is equipped with 50/144/222/430.  (I also have a
FT-100) Antennas for mobile / portable / rover at the moment are limited to KB6KQ loops for all
four bands plus a 3L yagi on 50, a 10L yagi on 144 & a 12L yagi on 432.  I recently acquired the
222 module & loop for 222 and haven't acquired a yagi as of yet.

Street value of the above gear and hardware

FT-736 as equipped ~ $1200-1500
FT-100 $500
Loops - $250
Yagi's - $300
Feedline - (LMR-200) $100
Connectors - $50
Misc hardware etc - $100

Then the FT-8900 & Larsen 2/70 in the car for FM ops ... another $450

So right here I have somewhere around $3000 invested and only consider myself to be a little
pistol at this point.

* * *

Recently I sat down and figured what it would take for a modest yet well equipped rover vehicle
for just 50/144/222/430.

Used bread truck or equiv ~ $5000

Window A/C ~ $300

Generator & wiring ~ $1000

Roof rack for push up poles / antennas / etc ~$500

Amps w/pre-amps for each band ~ $1500

C3i C5-50; C3i FO12-144; C3i FO16-222; C3i FO22-432; Yaesu G-450 rotor, LMR-400 feedline, push up
poles or light tower of some kind, switches & other hardware "STUFF" ~$2000

Second FT-736R ~$1500

* * * 

Depending upon getting "deals" here and there your looking at anywhere form $10,000 - $15,000 and
you haven't gotten above 450 MHz as of yet.  Then you go look at K8GP http://www.k8gp.net , yes I
know they have some additional "resources" available to them, but to set up a "portable rig" like
"Red 1" out of ones pocket must be in the $25,000+ range.

Any wonder there's not more rovers out there during the contests!

Mike, KA5CVH
http://www.ka5cvh.com/vhf/vehicles.pdf

=====
Mike Urich, KA5CVH
Amateur radio ~ IS ~ a contact sport!
http://www.ka5cvh.com

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