My current operating style
I operate exclusively portable QRP CW primarily in local town parks and beach areas adjacent to the Puget Sound area around Seattle, WA. I either drive or walk a mile or two to sites. Often there is no bench or table nearby. In those cases I bring a folding chair. The clipboards described below serve as a laptop desk in which gear is stowed and also serves as an operating desk top. Other times, in parking lots or during inclement wx, I operate from my car, still using the clipboard arrangement as an operating desktop. My activations typically last 2-4 hours when I’m POTA hunting or participating in contest sprints.
Once I realized a simple clipboard was not meeting my field kit storage and deployment needs, I started watching other QRP field kit videos and portable ops experiences to learn others field operating practices.
I knew I needed a better way to transport my field gear in order to protect It and simplify field storage and deployment. Knowing that, I determined I needed some kind of container for secure field gear transport, easy backpack stowage and field deployment. I hit on the idea of using a clipboard with attached storage. After searching online for a suitable solution I found this aluminum storage clipboard on Amazon.
- Stock aluminum field kit storage clipboard [Amazon]
- StockAluminumStorageClipboard.jpg (7.62 KiB) Viewed 3284 times
I made one modification to this first storage clipboard, enabling me to keep the battery and buck converter inside the clipboard and protected from the elements. I drilled a small hole in one side of the clipboard so the power cable could reach outside and up to the top to my QMX xcvr. The power cable was long enough for the QMX to be positioned as needed on top. The only other items on my laptop desk are a compact CW key, and a small eraseable notebook. In the event of inclement wx, I can quickly tuck the QMX and key back into the clipboard.
I liked this setup, but after several field adventures several disadvantages became apparent:
1. It’s possible to head out to the field with key equipment missing (e.g. pens, headphones, or other small key items) unless time is taken to peek inside the clipboard to take inventory.
2. On colder days, the aluminum surface becomes cold, which chills hands (I prefer not to wear gloves while operating).
3. With the battery and buck converter inside the case, the buck converter, which displays output voltage, is hidden.
More research on a better storage clipboard uncovered a plastic storage container (not a clipboard) that could serve as a field kit container.
- Stock transparent box field kit desk / desktop
- Stock-TransparentFieldKitBox.jpg (11.26 KiB) Viewed 3284 times
This solution was somewhat larger but still fit in my Osprey DayLite+ backpack. Now I can see my field kit gear before heading out and no worries about chilly wx and cold hands. In addition the buck converter display is always visible, plus this new container has a handle, which the clipboard lacked.
- Transparent field kit box interior
- FieldKit-Interior.jpg (109.99 KiB) Viewed 3284 times
One other important benefit is that, if I need to leave my site for a bio break, I can quickly stow my QMX, key and notepad, then put the field kit in my backpack and then go, leaving the antenna(s) in place while I’m momentarily away. Typically there are almost no other people around when I operate.
I made two minor modifications to this field kit container. First, I cut a small notch in the lip of the container into which the power cable sits so the container lid closes tightly during operation. Second, I use 3M Dual Lock velcro strips to secure the CW key during operation, eliminating the need for the heavy steel magnetic base on which to mount the CW key. I originally intended to use strong magnets underneath the field kit lid to hold the key in place, but they were not strong enough, with the plastic case in between, to hold the key securely during operation.
The only element missing from the field kit is my collapsable 19 foot fiberglass mast. I carry various lengths of coax and bits of rope used for anchoring antenna lines in external backpack pouches.
Finally, there are times when I operate from my car if wx is too wet or cold. In those cases I homebrewed a drive-on mast mount and run coax through the passenger side window.
Field Kit In Action
One of my most successful recent outings resulted in a 10-minute 15m QSO with JO3HPM in Japan. I was sitting in my car in a park with my EFHW antenna broadside to Puget Sound. The band was mostly quiet until I heard his CQ signal, which was quite strong. I was running about 4 watts from my QCX to a 15m resonant EFHW antenna configured as a sloper. The end was about 18 feet in the air on my mast and the feed point was on the ground. This late afternoon contact was likely helped along by gray line propagation.
For me, part of the fun and challenge of portable operating is designing functional support gear to enable deployments that are consistently successful and trouble-free. My definition of “successful” does not mean I always make many Qs. It also has to do with how well set up and take-down go and how easy it was to operate my field kit.
I’ll continue to study what others do and look forward to sharing what I learn along the way.