Building a HAM Radio Rig

[IHStangFan]

So I'm building myself a new portable HAM radio rig. During Ike last year I had my scanner running and it proved invaluable once things got "interesting" in Houston.

I'm looking to build a portable application. I'm thinking of installing everything in a Pelican case so that it's easily packed up and transported. The idea is to be able to use it as a base and a mobile application. Further, I'm planning on it being a stand alone setup, i.e. solar/battery powered when necessary.

So far I've got:

*Kenwood TM-V71A Dual Band (2m/70cm) 50w Radio - pretty nice little dual band radio.

*Arrow OSJ146/440 Dual Band J-Pole Antenna - I realize there are better antennas out there, but this one is very dependable and rugged and perfect for my application as it breaks down and is easily stored/packed.

I've already got power supplies, inverters, etc.

I won't be able to assemble the rig till I get home in late Sept/Early Oct. but I'll be sure to put up pics of it. :)

Come on Sinton66.....I KNOW you wanna weigh in here! LOL.

Oh....GO JAYS!!

[sinton66]

Solar chargers are nice, but one big enough for this application can get expensive (solar panels are pretty fragile too). Might look into a small portable generator and a charger with "float" capability instead. Do you already have the Kenwood, and is it a mobile or base? If it's a mobile, you don't need an inverter, should be able to power direct from battery. If you don't already own the radio, I'd suggest looking into an equivalent Icom before you decide. I'm not a Kenwood fan.

[IHStangFan]

Originally posted by sinton66
Solar chargers are nice, but one big enough for this application can get expensive (solar panels are pretty fragile too). Might look into a small portable generator and a charger with "float" capability instead. Do you already have the Kenwood, and is it a mobile or base? If it's a mobile, you don't need an inverter, should be able to power direct from battery. If you don't already own the radio, I'd suggest looking into an equivalent Icom before you decide. I'm not a Kenwood fan. LOL....yeah, I've already got the Kenwood. Supposedly a good rig, I haven't actually seen it yet. Ordered it a few weeks ago after much research.

I've been able to locate a couple of "rugged" (foldable, roll-up type) solar panels that produce enough power to charge a 12-14v ATV/Motorcycle battery. The radio requires 13.8v if I'm not mistaken....so I'm going to have to find one that'll handle it, but that's do-able. I've looked into what power requirements I'd need to run on low power (5w) and it'd be adequate....voltage, amperage, amp hours, etc. I've got it sketched out in my head/on paper, but still haven't decided for sure. Still researching. There's also actual ruggedized AC/DC (dual output) systems that are under 10lbs that are charged by solar panels...they come as kits.

Understood on the inverter issue. Just some old extra equipment laying around, including the actual power supply I plan on using.

I appreciate your input. I'm sure I'll be coming to you again before this is all said and done, LOL.

[IHStangFan]

Here's a clean little setup.

Neat "Tactical" HAM Setup (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://certmember.com/2009Winter/McClintock-Lower%2520bracket%2520and%2520battery.jpg&imgrefurl=http://certmember.com/2009Winter.aspx%3Farticle%3DWCS_Article&usg=__Rc3WRC4UzwZck7bA-5T8GHyWSsw=&h=2592&w=1944&sz=1991&hl=en&start=26&um=1&tbnid=ROZw2_LATiCJ3M:&tbnh=150&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3DHAM%2BRadio%2BPelican%2BCase%26ndsp%3 D18%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsof t:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7ADBF%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18%26 um%3D1)

I've seen even smaller, more portable setups. Something like this is what I'm shooting for.

[sinton66]

Size the battery and charger wisely. A 50 watt radio will draw about 10-15 amps out of the power source when keyed. 5 watts won't get you too far. To be safe, I'd say get a setup capable of delivering 20 amps with no voltage drop.

[IHStangFan]

Originally posted by sinton66
Size the battery and charger wisely. A 50 watt radio will draw about 10-15 amps out of the power source when keyed. 5 watts won't get you too far. To be safe, I'd say get a setup capable of delivering 20 amps with no voltage drop. Rgrgr that amigo.

[IHStangFan]

If I'm looking at this right.....would this give me enough juice for an emergency transmission (a couple of mins)?

To be honest I'm having trouble finding all the information I need to match radio up w/ a proper DC (battery) source.

How about this as emergency power? (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3155)