Amateur Radio backpack
I love hiking and I also like to bring a radio with me when I go for long walks in the nature. But, for those long trips, I can drain my battery before I'm done, especially when I have APRS active. So, I got a back pack from Costco (A small backpack meant for camera gear) and I got a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) 12V battery pack with a solar array producing a couple of Watts for charging the battery pack.
You could argue that getting an extra battery for the radio would be cheaper. but if you are running APRS, you may not notice that the radio shutdown because of low batteries
I chose NiMH batteries because they are more robust and easier to handle. You can easily get a pack built locally but they don't always carry chargers so I got a pack and charger from http://www.onlybatteries.com/ I decided to get a 5000mAh (10 C Cells) battery pack. It is about 5.25" long by 2" wide by 2" high so it fits very well at the bottom of the backpack. The charger and the battery pack cost me $130 +tax and shipping. Not cheap but that will solve my batterie life issue. I plan to use my Kenwood TH-D72 and I cannot operate it with the solar panel connected on the charging port. I have to connect a power supply or battery if I want to operate the radio from external power. This is the reason behind the battery pack and the solar panel.
For the solar panel, I will be using a 2.5W solar panel from http://www.plastecs.com/ and will be mounting it on top of the backpack. This panel is about 4.5" x 8.5" and is reasonably priced at $33.00 +tax and shipping.
The backpack may also be ideal for search and rescue and emergency communication.
I will be adding more pictures as the backpack is put together and will also post details on my hiking experience with it so stay tuned and 73.
You could argue that getting an extra battery for the radio would be cheaper. but if you are running APRS, you may not notice that the radio shutdown because of low batteries
I chose NiMH batteries because they are more robust and easier to handle. You can easily get a pack built locally but they don't always carry chargers so I got a pack and charger from http://www.onlybatteries.com/ I decided to get a 5000mAh (10 C Cells) battery pack. It is about 5.25" long by 2" wide by 2" high so it fits very well at the bottom of the backpack. The charger and the battery pack cost me $130 +tax and shipping. Not cheap but that will solve my batterie life issue. I plan to use my Kenwood TH-D72 and I cannot operate it with the solar panel connected on the charging port. I have to connect a power supply or battery if I want to operate the radio from external power. This is the reason behind the battery pack and the solar panel.
For the solar panel, I will be using a 2.5W solar panel from http://www.plastecs.com/ and will be mounting it on top of the backpack. This panel is about 4.5" x 8.5" and is reasonably priced at $33.00 +tax and shipping.
The backpack may also be ideal for search and rescue and emergency communication.
I will be adding more pictures as the backpack is put together and will also post details on my hiking experience with it so stay tuned and 73.
Telescopic Tower
This tower was designed and build by myself. It consists mainly of a 6" steel pipe 20 feet long and inside, there is a 4", 20 feet aluminum pipe and finally also inside, there is a 20 feet 2" aluminum pipe. The tower is capable of 56 feet. I will be posting the construction shortly.
The antenna is fed with a 7/8" OD Heliax..... kind of overkill but I got a really good price on it. Anyway, I am willing to exchange this cable with something smaller, if anybody is interested. Got over 200' of it.
The antenna is fed with a 7/8" OD Heliax..... kind of overkill but I got a really good price on it. Anyway, I am willing to exchange this cable with something smaller, if anybody is interested. Got over 200' of it.
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DMR Amateur radio
More info coming soon.
