Something to Write Home About: "QRP To Go" in a Pencil Box
Special to The ARS Sojourner
A backpacking station in a pencil box? Why not?
The unit includes an AT Sprint transceiver and ZM-2 Z-match antenna tuning
unit.
The entire station, minus the antenna wire and writing surface weighs
24 ounces and the antenna wire wrapped around a PC board substrate 8 X
10-inch sheet weighs 6 ounces.
I plan on replacing the battery pack with a setup which will save on weight,
but I will most likely add a battery control module with battery voltage
monitor – a la Steve Weber, KD1JV – that may just make it even
out.
For sure though, the entire station will weigh less than two pounds when
done. As you can see from the pictures, the station is meant to be nearly-connected
and ready to go once the lid is popped.
Also, I am almost done making a set of hiking poles that fasten together
and create an antenna support about 23-feet tall.
The hiking poles themselves were made from a pair of Walmart golf ball
retrievers and can also be used to support a tarp tent.
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John Evans, NØHJ, is an avid QRPer, outdoorsman and field operator living in Colorado Springs, CO.