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Posted: 9/14/2014 10:20:19 AM EDT
Hi, I know this has been discussed many times before, but me and searching the archives........
Anyway, im looking at a prc320 with added lsb and: - hand crank (just for the "fun") - 1ah battery - 2,5m whip - gooseneck - bnc adaptor - lightweight headset - ptt - handset - dccu charger (14v) -camo backpack - kipling daypack - couple 5ah batteries And later: - dipole - balun (dipole center piece) - counterpoise As a start, i can use some wires that i have lying around for antennas, but i want to have the original parts at some time.. The use for this piece, is guerilla portable, what else? So, what do you guys think? (Yes, i can use my kx3, ic703, ft857/817, but when you got the /p syndrome, only new toys helps) |
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oh, yeah.
Get TWO remote battery cables. You want one to use with an external power supply and a spare. |
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Just as a comment, your setup sounds fine, the 1Ah battery is fairly worthless by itself, but if you pull the old cells you can re-cell it with a lithium batt and that works really well. I would stick with the bigger 4AH nicads, and even there I'd probably re-cell them with newer Nicads or NiMH (double the capacity for about the same weight). Also understand that the vast majority of UK shippers won't send anything beyond 1 battery, so try to get a package deal with a few of them if you can.
A few notes about milpack/manpack antennas. I would get at least one dipole spool (and actually I would get both, along with the center (which is not a balun)). So you can at least throw up an endfed in a tree when you need. The 320 dipole center is not a balun at all just a pass through. Also I would use a decent analyzer to figure out what the actual lengths are supposed to be for your set, the dipole chart on the 320 is wrong in my experience. In general whips with most manpacks suck below about 12m for actual use as they get inefficient really fast, and even on 10 and 12 they aren't great. You can certainly load one on 20 and even 40m, and you might make some contacts, but if you ever do a side by side comparison with an enfed or dipole you will always try to use those in the future if its possible. Oh and get the counterpoise set if you are set on using the whip. I wouldn't bother with the lightweight headset, they were designed for use with the VHF packs and for whatever reason they generally suck with the HF sets on TX, the pressel is the main issue I think. Many of the audio accesories are basically worn out so I'd try to make sure you get 1 good handset, it will save you tons of frustration. The Charger is ok, but heavy, you can buy a modern 24v nicd charger for much less and you don't have to pay shipping. Also, the dpm radio pack is what I assume you are talking about using, it works well with the radio as it has specific strapping for the 320, but also get the rocket pouches that go with it so you can carry your ancillaries. No idea if the 320 will fit in the kipling bag. |
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The PRC2200 is also a nice one to keep an eye out for. 20 watts, USB, LSB, with integrated tuner. I found this one on ebay for around $600 in excellent condition. http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o222/mancow_photos/forum%20photos/20140703_094707_zps7fe2c89c.jpg View Quote And thats the only PRC2200 thats probably been on ebay... But if you want to part with it I'll give you 700 for it .... |
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The prc220 looks nice, but availability of radio, batteries, antennas cant compare to 320
I have looked at many other radios, and my favorite is the german se-6861, but it seems impossible to find for sale.. The 320 are plentyfull :) Pico: two cables, check! As now, i have planned to get one 4,4ah and two 5ah batteries, not sure if the size of the box is the same on these two? The 1ah is for the handcrank, and just for the "fun" of it.. |
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And thats the only PRC2200 thats probably been on ebay... But if you want to part with it I'll give you 700 for it .... View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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The PRC2200 is also a nice one to keep an eye out for. 20 watts, USB, LSB, with integrated tuner. I found this one on ebay for around $600 in excellent condition. http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o222/mancow_photos/forum%20photos/20140703_094707_zps7fe2c89c.jpg And thats the only PRC2200 thats probably been on ebay... But if you want to part with it I'll give you 700 for it .... Not today but you never know. As for the PRC320 what is the power output. I see they are fairly popular. I'm kind of getting interested as well. |
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The whip is also just for the fun of it, i'm planning to "loose" a couple of meters of wire in som trees in the woods close to where i live, so i can just hook it up, and start playing radio.
I have enough of other antennas tomplay with, until i get the dipole-kit for the clansman, a windom may be nice. |
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The prc220 looks nice, but availability of radio, batteries, antennas cant compare to 320 I have looked at many other radios, and my favorite is the german se-6861, but it seems impossible to find for sale.. The 320 are plentyfull :) Pico: two cables, check! As now, i have planned to get one 4,4ah and two 5ah batteries, not sure if the size of the box is the same on these two? The 1ah is for the handcrank, and just for the "fun" of it.. View Quote The 4.4 and 5 are the same size box, get the metal boxes, not plastic, much easier to re-cell. On the plus side you can actually charge the 1ah with the handcrank for a few minutes of talk time. There is a chart in one of the manuals for crank time vs listen and talk... It is "optimistic" lets just say. ETA, the se-6861 is a better rig IMO. but hard to find ancils for, last I checked there are shops in germany selling them but the price is 2-3x of the 320 kit. |
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The whip is also just for the fun of it, i'm planning to "loose" a couple of meters of wire in som trees in the woods close to where i live, so i can just hook it up, and start playing radio. I have enough of other antennas tomplay with, until i get the dipole-kit for the clansman, a windom may be nice. View Quote If you are in Norway the whip will work better due to the shorter distances involved, but wire antennas with any manpack is where it is at for good comms. I've done a moderate amount of DX with prc319 and a not so good wire antenna. |
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Plastic?:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CLANSMAN-MILITARY-4-Ah-BATTERY-FULLY-CHARGED-90-ON-IBMU-LATE-DATES-2006-7-/311088001627?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item486e4a325b Metal?: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CLANSMAN-MILITARY-24v-5-Ah-BATTERY-/151170345014?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item2332746836 |
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Plastic?: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CLANSMAN-MILITARY-4-Ah-BATTERY-FULLY-CHARGED-90-ON-IBMU-LATE-DATES-2006-7-/311088001627?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item486e4a325b Metal?: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CLANSMAN-MILITARY-24v-5-Ah-BATTERY-/151170345014?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item2332746836 View Quote Correct. Good luck getting em shipped. |
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Will order them together with the radio, shouldntbe a big problem.. Hopefully...
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About to pull the trigger, but the battery extension cable seems like a hard to get item..
Nobody on ebay with more than one in stock.. |
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He should be able to QSO us with the whip because the radio waves will be going downhill from Norway.
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Also put a coating of grease on your antenna to keep the ice from sticking. (Good advice given to me by a Kuwaiti ham. Seriously. It works.)
It will also make the radio waves slip off faster and take less time for a QSO |
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The wind also helps! View Quote Actually the one secret "tip" I have on the use of the whip, is that if you are elevated I.e. mountaintop etc, wherever there is a drop off, on the lower bands realize that the counterpoise is likely acting as a dipole, and most of your radiation is coming from that, so use an elevated counterpoise (same height as the standing radio works well) since it will have a very low take off angle. |
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About to pull the trigger, but the battery extension cable seems like a hard to get item.. Nobody on ebay with more than one in stock.. Do you need more than 1? Item is useful. Having a spare is a BIG help because it has a proprietary plug on the end that plugs into the radio. You'll eventually want an external power supply fot the rig and you cut one end off of it so as to use it for the power supply to feed the rig. The other one is for its original intended use in the field. Believe it or not you will want to have one at some time. I use one for my battery pack all the time. |
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Item is useful. Having a spare is a BIG help because it has a proprietary plug on the end that plugs into the radio. You'll eventually want an external power supply fot the rig and you cut one end off of it so as to use it for the power supply to feed the rig. The other one is for its original intended use in the field. Believe it or not you will want to have one at some time. I use one for my battery pack all the time. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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About to pull the trigger, but the battery extension cable seems like a hard to get item.. Nobody on ebay with more than one in stock.. Do you need more than 1? Item is useful. Having a spare is a BIG help because it has a proprietary plug on the end that plugs into the radio. You'll eventually want an external power supply fot the rig and you cut one end off of it so as to use it for the power supply to feed the rig. The other one is for its original intended use in the field. Believe it or not you will want to have one at some time. I use one for my battery pack all the time. I guess everyone is different, I have half a dozen Clansman family radios and at least one of the remote cables, that I think I've used 2-3 times.I hardly ever use it. |
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I can se the use if you are using an other psu.
I will order one, and the see.. One is none, Two is one, Three is all! |
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Ordered! With the LSB mod!
Got the basic kit now, and will get the rest of it when the radio arrives! Found a surplus dealer between work and home, that sells the camo rucksack cheaper then they do i UK! Normally stuff is expensive here, quess the marked for prc320 gear isnt that big here.... Expected delivery in 2weeks.... Even the guys that used kayak to paddle from norway to uk during wwII used shorter time... |
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At least shipping costs aren't totally absurd. I would happily wait 2-3 weeks if radio gear from the UK didn't cost 100-300 dollars to get shipped here.
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Had to pay £45 for shipping, thats okay, guess the package weights 20-25kgs.
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Just got home from the postoffice with a big , heavy brown box :) :)
The radio fires up with the 1,1ah battery, and i recived some cw on 20m with the whip (inside the apartment). The 5ah alkaline are charging, so i can go and play radio. Stopped by a army surplus store, and got the camo bergan for the radio, brand shiny new, and for the same price as the used ones goes at ebay. Also found a dipole antenna for the norwegian no/prc-111 (much the same as every military dipole, green wire, green reel, and freq marked on wire), got it for aprox 30usd :) |
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Just got home from the postoffice with a big , heavy brown box :) :) The radio fires up with the 1,1ah battery, and i recived some cw on 20m with the whip (inside the apartment). The 5ah alkaline are charging, so i can go and play radio. Stopped by a army surplus store, and got the camo bergan for the radio, brand shiny new, and for the same price as the used ones goes at ebay. Also found a dipole antenna for the norwegian no/prc-111 (much the same as every military dipole, green wire, green reel, and freq marked on wire), got it for aprox 30usd :) View Quote Freq? Mode? Waiting........ |
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Forgot to get the cw-key, so its only ssb until i throw money on that problem.
Hopefully i will try it out tomorrow, i have a nice spot on a little hill, with trees made for hanging dipoles east/west :) |
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Need to get a bottle of bourbon and a take-away pizza before any pictures are taken ;)
(Okay, tomorrow, a green radio needs to be out in "the green" for a pic) |
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Hmm.. Been checking the voltage while its charging, it was 30.3V, now its 29.8V.. Is it supposed to charge it up, then take it down a bit?
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Just got home from the postoffice with a big , heavy brown box :) :) The radio fires up with the 1,1ah battery, and i recived some cw on 20m with the whip (inside the apartment). The 5ah alkaline are charging, so i can go and play radio. Stopped by a army surplus store, and got the camo bergan for the radio, brand shiny new, and for the same price as the used ones goes at ebay. Also found a dipole antenna for the norwegian no/prc-111 (much the same as every military dipole, green wire, green reel, and freq marked on wire), got it for aprox 30usd :) View Quote NiCd I hope... Also any info on the PRC-111? Never heard of it. |
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Had my first try with the 320 today, tried with a end-fed windom (80-10m), but the band was packed with people, and my fingers was falling off turning the knobs..
And yeah, i was a bit lazy, so the antenna was elevated about 10-15 feet above ground.. So no contacts.. But trying a windom connected to the whip-socket (got a bnc-adaptor), and trying to tune it, was a bit of a hazzle. I've never used a maual tuner before, and now understands why. What is zero on the tuner (where you put the knobs when you use a 1:1swr antenna)? I think it is with range at C, Load at 9 and the tune all the way clockwise (if i remember right..) |
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Had my first try with the 320 today, tried with a end-fed windom (80-10m), but the band was packed with people, and my fingers was falling off turning the knobs.. And yeah, i was a bit lazy, so the antenna was elevated about 10-15 feet above ground.. So no contacts.. But trying a windom connected to the whip-socket (got a bnc-adaptor), and trying to tune it, was a bit of a hazzle. I've never used a maual tuner before, and now understands why. What is zero on the tuner (where you put the knobs when you use a 1:1swr antenna)? I think it is with range at C, Load at 9 and the tune all the way clockwise (if i remember right..) View Quote Tuning wierd antennas with the 320 tuner is a chore, you will have to figure out your own chart. By 1:1swr I assume you mean a 50ohm load? If thats the case take off the dogbone connector and plug it in directly, also you can plug in an ATU there as well. |
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Yes, 50ohm load. The windom needs som tuning, but are pretty close, so starting where the 50ohm load is would make it a bit easyer..
But the 320 isnt the easy way.. |
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Yes, 50ohm load. The windom needs som tuning, but are pretty close, so starting where the 50ohm load is would make it a bit easyer.. But the 320 isnt the easy way.. View Quote If its 50 ohm (and I would make sure it actually is with an analyzer cuz its probably not). Then a direct plug in is fine. I have managed to tune a G5RV with the 320 tuner on a few bands but not others, but its very touchy. |
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NiCd I hope... Also any info on the PRC-111? Never heard of it. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Just got home from the postoffice with a big , heavy brown box :) :) The radio fires up with the 1,1ah battery, and i recived some cw on 20m with the whip (inside the apartment). The 5ah alkaline are charging, so i can go and play radio. Stopped by a army surplus store, and got the camo bergan for the radio, brand shiny new, and for the same price as the used ones goes at ebay. Also found a dipole antenna for the norwegian no/prc-111 (much the same as every military dipole, green wire, green reel, and freq marked on wire), got it for aprox 30usd :) NiCd I hope... Also any info on the PRC-111? Never heard of it. http://www.nnrm.net/Teknisk%20info/PRC111.htm A 2,5w or 25w, lsb/cw manpack. Produced in Norway, and sold mostly to The Norwegian armed forces. A civilan model was also made, but as far as i know, only used by the goverment on places like Svalbard. The batterypack has a piggyback mount, and first gen is nicad, second gen is Li-ion. Connectors are standard prc-77 type, easy to get mic's, key's and stuff. These radios arent plentyfull, but its possible to find one for sale. The battery for my 320 is marked Alkaline rechargable, guess they have been drinking to much tea, and its suposed to be nicad. |
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http://www.nnrm.net/Teknisk%20info/PRC111.htm A 2,5w or 25w, lsb/cw manpack. Produced in Norway, and sold mostly to The Norwegian armed forces. A civilan model was also made, but as far as i know, only used by the goverment on places like Svalbard. The batterypack has a piggyback mount, and first gen is nicad, second gen is Li-ion. Connectors are standard prc-77 type, easy to get mic's, key's and stuff. These radios arent plentyfull, but its possible to find one for sale. The battery for my 320 is marked Alkaline rechargable, guess they have been drinking to much tea, and its suposed to be nicad. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Just got home from the postoffice with a big , heavy brown box :) :) The radio fires up with the 1,1ah battery, and i recived some cw on 20m with the whip (inside the apartment). The 5ah alkaline are charging, so i can go and play radio. Stopped by a army surplus store, and got the camo bergan for the radio, brand shiny new, and for the same price as the used ones goes at ebay. Also found a dipole antenna for the norwegian no/prc-111 (much the same as every military dipole, green wire, green reel, and freq marked on wire), got it for aprox 30usd :) NiCd I hope... Also any info on the PRC-111? Never heard of it. http://www.nnrm.net/Teknisk%20info/PRC111.htm A 2,5w or 25w, lsb/cw manpack. Produced in Norway, and sold mostly to The Norwegian armed forces. A civilan model was also made, but as far as i know, only used by the goverment on places like Svalbard. The batterypack has a piggyback mount, and first gen is nicad, second gen is Li-ion. Connectors are standard prc-77 type, easy to get mic's, key's and stuff. These radios arent plentyfull, but its possible to find one for sale. The battery for my 320 is marked Alkaline rechargable, guess they have been drinking to much tea, and its suposed to be nicad. Neat... Any availability? |
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Not sure on availability, first, i want one, then i may help you ;)
Norwegian goverment arent to keen on selling radiogear, so most of the radios has been destroyed... I guess the price will be at aprox 1000usd. |
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Not sure on availability, first, i want one, then i may help you ;) Norwegian goverment arent to keen on selling radiogear, so most of the radios has been destroyed... I guess the price will be at aprox 1000usd. View Quote Depending on the actual specs, what sort of tuner it has etc that isn't too out of line, most HF pack radios run around there, the 320 currently being the notable exception since there is glut of them at the moment. |
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The marked for manpacks in Norway is small, most most hams plays with yaeicom, and therefore the prices on manpacks are mostly okay. Some people tries to sell some of the radios for fantasy-prices (as always..).
One of the reasons i jumped at a 320 now, is the availability, with dealers having huge stocks of radios, batteries and extras. I have been looking at the aeg 6861, and prc-174, but pulled the trigger to late on both.. |
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The marked for manpacks in Norway is small, most most hams plays with yaeicom, and therefore the prices on manpacks are mostly okay. Some people tries to sell some of the radios for fantasy-prices (as always..). One of the reasons i jumped at a 320 now, is the availability, with dealers having huge stocks of radios, batteries and extras. I have been looking at the aeg 6861, and prc-174, but pulled the trigger to late on both.. View Quote Pretty much the same story here. A very small minority of hams use mil-packs here and they tend to go for absurd prices depending on the model, I've been lucky with most of my purchases. |
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