The Mobile CW Station. I dont do CW while in motion. For safety sake I dont advocate it for the average ham. If you can copy 15-30 wpm in your head and manipulate a key or paddles with one hand and drive with the other then you have the skill level that I want to be at. More power to you. But I cant in good concience advocate that. But still an effective mobile station can be had by driving to the location and seting up stationary mobile. What do you need? Well, a reasonably reliable hf radio that at least covers 80-60-30-40 meters is ideal, but you can get away with just 80 and 40 meters. For ARES needs you need to have a good frequency apropriate dipole or end fed wire, tuner, and key. You can run your station sitting in the vehicle. It will work. However, I like to use a truck for this. I set up my full hf radio, mobile hf radio, ft817, vhf, or qrp radio on the tailgate, with the tuner, and key for a comfortablestation along with a chair. The ability to set up your station on the tailgate is great. Then you dont need to carry a table. I have a collapseable chair that I use and my tuner can accommodate an end fed wire. I just toss the antenna over a couple of low hanging branches and Im on the air. This works for ssb, fm, digital, amymode for that matter. Plus I can use it for chasing while camping or just park operations. If I need I can attach part of my insulated antenna wire to the tip of one of my mobile hf antennas to get my full size antennas 13 feet or so off the ground. I have my hf mobile antennas mounted at the top of the bed of the truck by the cab. They work great for ssb mobile and dx. They are great for dx chasing stationary cw. But they are only good as standoffs for NVIS useage. Note, I use pvc pipe to hold a normal umbrella to shield my station and myself from the sun. Umbrellas arent always good uv ray protectors. I clamp the pvc to a flat thin steel projecting fitting on the side of the tailgate with a c-clamp. This makes for an even more comefortable station setup. Especially when picnic tables arent available. Like setting up at a parking lot during a disaster. The great thing about this is that more people can comfortably sit around your station. You could get even more elaborate by adding larger covers for your station. Tarps, Tents, and fifth wheels, some sort of camper. Small masts or wood reinforced pvc on some kind of stand to hold antennas. Seperate memory keyers for ease of operating. Your imagination is the limit. Even if you only had a car it would be easy to carry some folding chairs and a small, light table along. Operating experience ahead of time can determine what works for you and what doesnt. In my truck I have a box. An old makeup box. It holda a number of end fed wire antennas. My regular in truck tuner can handle them. Even if I have no notice of a disaster operation I can be on the air. The box holds mounting line, small weights, an old straight key, and hookup wire for it. Even if I dont operate outside the vehicle. I can be on the air in 15 minutes or less from anywhere. My vehicle becomes a biult in generator for my car battery. Its everything I have to have. Have you thought about it?
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 01:57:44 +0000
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