I've downsized my shack to a 6U case, with no drawer. The 8U case and drawer weigh 25 lbs by themselves!

The 6U is lighter, and I'm more likely to take it with me in the field. I'm planning a camping trip at a lake less than 10 minutes from the house. Unfortunately, spring break for me and the kids isn't the same time as the wife's, so she has class that week. I'll spend the week camping and anyone who wants to join, can.

A fellow ham is going to help me setup and test a dipole I built that connects to a balun installed in the case. Hopefully, I'll be able to figure out why my reception on HF is so horrible with the same antenna design installed in the attic.

I've been able to use PSK31 on 10, 20, and 40m with the current setup. Sorry for the poor quality pics.

Gil, welcome back, even though you never really left! Thanks for the updates on your blog. You're more adventurous than I. Although, having grown up on the coast of NC and sailing small boats, owning  and sailing a small cruiser would be awesome! It's a shame that something as simple as an anchor line ended things abruptly. I have no delusions about my abilities, physical or otherwise, extended cruising where there's only me, the boat, and the great wide open isn't something I'll endeavor to do, although some camping may be in order :)

Your choices sound reasonable. I would start small, and add to your kit as funds allow. Good luck putting the pieces back together. 73

Very nice video and thank you! Your impressions are consistent with my own, but at the end of the day, and as a relative newbie to amateur radio, it's too much of a compromise for convenience over performance. That may be a misconception on my part, so I'm interested in follow up videos, particularly on the performance comparison, and maybe side by side with a simple dipole, IOW, how does it compare to other antennas you might set up for field operation?

Steve, thanks for the response. I just placed an order for an Alpha Vertical Gold. You answered all my questions.

I'll post a review here of the antenna in operation. Can't wait to get it set up. Anything has to be better than the home brew dipole in the attic. Digital modes are passable, but SSB mode is unintelligible on receive. I took the rig to a friends house and the IC-7200 receives as well as his Kenwood, so it has to be the antenna.

Looking at the specs between the Chameleon and Alpha antenna systems, I figured there couldn't be too much difference. The Alpha Vertical Gold or EZ-military Gold offers quite a lot in one package.

Jim, I watched the video. Have you used the MPAS and what was your experience, given they are similar designs?

One advantage I see for the Chameleon is it's 6m to 160m. Alpha Vertical does down to 80m.

However, I'm still trying to follow your logic. I already mentioned a local ham has an Alpha Vertical he uses on his balcony with exceptional results. Both of these antennas seem to be designed similarly, with an aluminum whip held together with shock cords, and an antenna matcher. They're similarly priced. Why would one be a poor choice for QRP and one not? Both require a tuner. What do you mean by using electronics for a match? Isn't that what a tuner does?

Jim, what were your reasons for going with the MPAS? It looks like the cost is comparable. I understand the versatlity. Just thinking out loud, wouldn't an Alpha Vertical bent over similar to a military whip antenna become NVIS? The Alpha Vertical can also be configured as a mobile installation. I don't see a tripod option, although I'm currently using a repurposed worklight tripod for UHF/VHF portable operations. The Alpha Vertical has a tripod integrated into the design.

I'm looking at getting this, 6-80 Meter Alpha Vertical https://amateurradiostore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=161. The product page explains the difference between it and the EZ military. It's only 13'. A local ham operator uses this on an apartment balcony with exceptional results. I have an HOA and do some camping, so the ease of set up and break down is an attractive feature.

I see they're also having a sale on their Gold version, basically all the attachments except the mobile conversion mount, https://amateurradiostore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=288

Gil, certainly hope you recover your boat. Just read the latest update from today. It's a shame you weren't able to put a plane in the air when you went on the intercept run.

I live on the Mid Atlantic East Coast, and there are plenty of people who will take a fishing boat out as far you guys went to find Dagny. Sounds like you met up with the right folks.

Please keep posting updates. Praying for your safe return.

I may need to scale down. While having a built in drawer is nice, the same gear could be stored in a separate container for transport.

Without the space for the drawer, the size slims down, and the weight decrease dramatically. That's actually doable without too much difficulty converting. I see only upside in downsizing :) 73.

The FT's are nice radios. I went with the IC 7200 for a number reasons and have liked it. It has direct connect USB for digicomm. The small laptop I use is a Chromebook with linux installed running fldigi. I use the laptop for other things too. No more propietary hw or sw ;)

I like having my shack in a box. Being portable has it's advantages. Being ultra portable has it's own advantage.

73's and see you down the waterfall.

East Coaster

Yeah, I need to setup a mobile comms station, easily portable. It may not include HF, just a go station for public service events, which are 144/440 in my area. 220 would be a nice addition, since I don't have that now.

Voice isn't great with my current setup, but I've been making a lot of digital contacts.

Thanks!

I recently added HF to my radio capabilities, acquiring an ICOM IC-7200, LDG automatic tuner, and built a multi-band dipole. My shack in a box is now complete with the exception of power distribution.  The kit can run using any external power source. It's a little on the heavy side, probably close to 100#. My scales won't go high enough for me and the kit  :D , but it's portable, one of my goals.

You can see the balanced feed line in the background. A 4:1 balun is part of the kit, and I have more wire on order to build a longer antenna than my 10 - 40m installation in the attic, for HOA reasons. I've been picking up good signals, and made voice and data contacts. Still learning. Short term goal is to build another antenna for field use and take the shack to a park for signal comparison to the QTH. I'm also considering a vertical 10 - 80m to setup on a tripod for regional HF nets on 80m.

2m is active in the area with numerous clubs and repeaters. I got involved in radio for prepping, like firearms, and made life long friends in the process.

I'm posting the pics in case anyone else is considering a shack in a box. The case is an 8U Gator case, with standard A/V racks. I added a heavy duty 3U drawer and 2 2U racks. Devices without mobile mounting brackets are held in place by velcro and adhesive backing.

73

I like my Pofung UV-B5's, and own 3 of them. As far as cost, the last UV-B5 I bought was $30. I see they've come down in price a couple of dollars since then. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BXVOKTW

Chirp support is critical, but I'm sure support for the Quansheng is a release or two away. You may even find another model setting supports yours. I use Ubuntu with no issues. My understanding about the UV-B5 is it's a chicom rip-off of a Kenwood design, and its guts are an SDR. It works well in cold weather and doesn't require any warm up time, unlike my car audio system. The RF front end can get overloaded, the UV-B5 less so than the UV-5R and UV-82.

Good radio introduction, since you're not calling a review. I tried a UV-82 and it had a better feel in my hand than the UV-B5, but the front end overloading was a problem, although it may have worked better on Narrow setting. I don't recall if I tried it.

The Ft-60 has a 4A battery pack option. Have you seen anything like that for the Quansheng? I have battery eliminators for the Pofung's, which plug into DC accessory plugs.

G/L with the Chirp support. I find it essential for programming multiple radios.