I couldn't find the original post for this, but did get to see some neat videos.
I've been toying with mobile/portable operations for a couple years now using mostly a K2. Did use my K3 in the WVQP mobile this year. My first attempts were OK, but laced with problems. Often I had to drop from 5 watts to 2 to keep my logging computer from locking up in a key down state. I was using the K2 with the KAT2, either just the internal battery or a combo of internal and the truck battery. The antenna was often non-resonant wire on a fishing pole. At times I thought I had the RF problems solved, but the next contest would prove me wrong. Things improved with various changes, like adding a radial. Might get all of 3.5 watts out before lockup. I finally ironed out the problems I was having... Nothing radically new, I eliminated the problem at the source: the antenna. At one hamfest, I picked up a group of mobile antenna parts Hustler and Hamstick. Not putting down the fishing pole concept, it works (and could have worked a lot better) but it's not a driving around antenna. I guess this stuff made me think. What do I want to accomplish? Get out better, get rid of RFI and leave the antenna up moving from point A to B. What have other done? What have I learned from the home station and endless reading about and working on 160M verticals? First, make sure you're working against a decent ground. All vehicles are not created equally when it comes to ground. Some of my buddies have had to bond body parts, engine parts and exhaust system to get their systems to work right. I use the rear bumper trailer hitch hole as my mount and ground. It's done great. Second, use a balun at the base of the vertical. This assumes you have a reasonable SWR to begin with for the frequency(s) of interest. I used part of an Elecraft balun kit inside of a plastic electrical box. Third, use a shunt coil. This really helped with 80/75/40. 40 was the worst band in my setup for RFI problems. No longer do I need to crank down the power. I can run a full five watts (or the max for a QRP K2 and K3) problem free. I'll be testing it for 100 watts, but don't think I'll have an issue, at least close to the tuned frequency of the antenna. I'm not sure how well it will behave trying to run CW and SSB from antenna tuned to the CW portion of the bands. Too, the K3 was a better battery state indicator than my "real" battery tester. It dropped out when I started the vehicle... What do you know, turned out my battery was on it's last legs! New battery, no low voltage dropout by the K3. 73, Julius ----- Julius Fazekas N2WN Tennessee Contest Group http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/index.html Tennessee QSO Party http://www.tnqp.org/ Elecraft K2/100 #4455 Elecraft K3/100 #366 Elecraft K3 #1875 -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/RF-issues-with-logging-computer---internal-keyer-tp3184294p3184294.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
