I've run my 897D as a base to get started but I'd like to take it out on trips too.

I'm trying to decide on a portable antenna system and need some inspiration.

So show me what you guys use! Bonus points for portability and compactness for transport.

I don't hike. I use a 12m spiderbeam mast with a guy ring on the base section to 4 stakes that supports the mast well in pretty high winds and takes 5min to put together. I have a dual band ground plane 2m antenna that can go on the top for V/U operation. For HF I use a 10/20/40m linked dipole, 20m efhw vertical w/ radials, random (41ft) endfed w/ radials, or an 80m efhw w/ counterpoise setup as an inverted v. I take a multi-tapped unun with 9:1 & 49:1. I use a variety of SLA batteries and take 100ft of RG8x and/or 80ft of LMR400 for feedlines, both fit in the tub of antenna stuff. My 7300 w/ an autotuner goes in an Apache hardcase. So for a portable op I grab the mast, the radio, tub of antenna stuff, and I'm ready to go. All of it packs easily in the trunk or on the back of my quad.

This is one setup I've been using since about February.  I've been running low power only with a 10 watt RS-918 (McHF clone) and currently using a homemade base-loaded vertical wire antenna using a Spiderbeam 12m mast to erect it.  The mast is guyed out to 3 tent stakes about 1/3 the way up and is very stable.  The antenna has a 60-turn coil formed from wire wrapped on some 1.5"-ID Sch. 40 PVC.  Every 5 turns I melted through the wire insulation and soldered on a spade terminal to allow various tap points to effect tuning or bypass the coil entirely.  Below the coil the feedpoint is a Banana plug to BNC adapter to attach the vertical element and about 10, 20-ft radials on the ground side.  From there, I can direct feed to the radio if the tap point works well, or, I put a manual T-network tuner box at the feedpoint to allow touching-up the antenna matching.


For power I can use a large battery ammo can containing a couple 18AH SLA batteries, or some small 6AH battery packs to keep it light.  I also have provision for solar charging, and use that with the ammo can if I don't have to venture far from the truck.

All of these components (except the mast and large battery box+solar) fit into a day pack, along with my laptop and a bunch of odds and ends, like adapters and extra coax and HT, etc.  For backpacking the gear in, I also have a SOTAbeams 17ft. tactical mini mast that packs down to 20 inches long strapped to the pack.  I use this with the same antenna just with a shorter vertical wire above the coil and can still just barely get down to the top of 75m.


Here is the main gear components laid out.  Matchbox, nano-VNA, antenna kit bag, radio kit bag, and laptop.



And some more shot from an activation last weekend.






In addition to all that, I also have a number of other antennas I've used.  A linked dipole or an EFHW for 40 meters with an extension loaded element to work on 80m are probably my most used other ones.

If I want to run QRO, I take the full radio go-box out, this is usually for bigger occasions like a multi-day campsite trip or field day.

Everything in the one case for IOTA/USIOTA activations.

When I SOTA i just take the 857D, batteries, the 20m and 40m endfedz, and a length of coax.

I have the Gen1 Packtenna, no pics 'cause I don't SOTA/POTA.  have used on a few occasions and it worked well.  I also have the collapsing mast-it's pretty sweet.

I use a trail friendly Par EF for 40 and 20. I cant remember if it does 10 or 30m also.  I pretty much stay parked on 40.  I'll post a pic later

I like easily portable and quick to deploy.  Bought a Par trail friendly but have not tried it yet.  Have a couple other portable antennas in the works but need some free time to finish them up.  Swapped a few emails with an active POTA guy who gave me some good info on a wire vertical that he uses.  I like building antennas, but I like operating more so that’s what I tend to spend my time doing.

This is a homemade end-fed with a 29’ wire that has been working pretty well.  I have some 26 gauge to swap the heavier wire out with but haven’t gotten around to it yet.  Normally use some #50 test fishing line and a 1 oz sinker to get the end up in a tree.

My kit with little lunch bag for size comparison
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Worked the holiday yesterday.  It was quiet so I set up in the grassy area between the hospital and our station.  QSO as far away as MS.  I figured the noise level around there would be bad but it surprisingly wasn’t.

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My little teeny tiny rig shipped today

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Thank you guys!

I'm starting to feel the inspiration!

Me portable at the beach. The antenna is an MFJ-1979 telescopic antenna. It collapses to 2.5 feet long.

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Pic Dump commences.

The current lightweight favorite 6lbs for the radio. With an actual pack that works and adds almost no weight... Thanks SADF, cuz you know they actually used HF radios way back when...




When I want ALE and want to carry something a bit heavier while walking-n-talkin. The backpack kinda sucks, a good example of fine Racal over-engineering though overall the whole thing is pretty compact and lightweight.





For checking email (Actually I can do that with any of them)



Some old school cool, for the memories...



And an old favorite SOTA spot

Here is one minus the feedline. Attached File

Those manpacks have always been cool, I'm extremely jealous of you!

For those of us who can't drop that kind of coin they are a great example of the utility you can get out of a 20w radio and mounted whip.

For anyone interested in doing some experimenting, here's a 40-20-15-10 Meter trap dipole.



According to the article in ARRL's Antenna Book, it's resonant at 7.2, 14.1, 21.15 and 28.4 MHZ. The trap is tuned to 14.1 MHz.
It could be made to take ~ 15 Watts with lightweight wire and traps built on small pieces of circuit board using toroid forms, and 500 Volt silver-mica capacitors.

F to the YES!

You can get a prc320 for about 300 bucks.

The lower end packs just tend to be from the 70s or 80s which is the sweet spot for packsets imo.

Id just put some elbow grease into building new battery packs and lighter weight antenna systems for them. Most of the 70s packs are like 10 ish lbs without the battery. By the 80s and 90's and 2000s it went to 6-7. Again without batteries, which can a huge amount of weight. A good signaler builds his own kit.

For overnight trips i usually use my 817 or kx-1 if my CW is up to snuff. Though qrp aint what it used to be.

I actually thought about it. A 320 would need a LSB mod and wouldn't really scratch the itch for me. I really drool over the newer 90s+ digital stuff. The thought of owning a PRC138 gives me wood.

Check out this 138 setup!

Codan or micom also would be extremely cool.

Honestly I've got a few other way points before I'd be willing to drop money on anything more than a 320. I want to get a backpack portable setup going (hence this thread) and improve the home station/antenna.

Until then I shall live vicariously through you and people like you! ??

I think if you hit up sota beams website they have the stuff to build this. Me i like portable v beams and rhombics.

Honestly the 138 is overpriced and overrated imo. About the only cool thing about it is that it can do 6m too which for hams is of dubious value. . Its also heavy as fuck with issue batteries. Most US kit is just too fucking heavy for what it is. Designed with no input from field users. The SADF otoh knew what was up because they didnt have satcoms.

Also the 138 isnt really a band cruiser. Wheras that syncal is basically a ham rig with a vfo in that regard.

If i could find a 137 id definately spring for one though, that had input from end users and its a shitload better in terms of size and weight.