Portable operating
| Portable operating | |
|---|---|
| What it is | Operating a temporary station away from home, set up and taken down again |
| Not to be confused with | Mobile operating, from a moving vehicle |
| Typical places | Parks, summits, campgrounds, beaches, picnic tables, hotel rooms |
| US identification | Normal call sign; no portable suffix required |
| Station | |
| Typical power | 5 to 100 W on HF; handhelds on VHF and UHF |
| Popular radios | QRP transceivers, Icom IC-705, compact 100 W rigs such as the Yaesu FT-891 |
| Power source | Lithium iron phosphate batteries, sometimes with solar panels |
| Antennas | End-fed half-wave, dipole or vertical, on a telescoping mast or a tree |
| Programs | |
| Related programs | Parks on the Air, Summits on the Air, Islands on the Air, Field Day |
Portable operating is running a radio station from somewhere other than home: a park, a mountaintop, a campsite, a beach or simply a picnic table. The station is carried in, set up, used and packed away again. It differs from mobile operating, which is done from a vehicle on the move. Portable operating has grown enormously with programs such as Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air, and for hams living with antenna restrictions or electrical noise at home, a park bench may be the best HF location they can get.
Where hams operate portable
- Parks. A picnic table, a battery and a wire in a tree is the classic Parks on the Air setup.
- Summits. Summits on the Air activators carry everything on foot, so weight matters more than anywhere else.
- Camping and road trips. A small station packed with the camping gear turns a vacation into an operating trip.
- Beaches and islands. Salt water makes an excellent ground, and a vertical at the water's edge often performs far better than the same antenna inland. See Islands on the Air.
- Hotel rooms and balconies. A small loop or a wire out of a window can work surprisingly well.
- Field Day and emergency practice. Field Day is portable operating on a large scale, and setting up quickly away from home is a core emergency communications skill.
US licensees may operate portable anywhere the FCC regulates amateur radio, using their normal call sign; an indicator such as "/P" or "portable" is optional. The rules of the land owner still apply, so check park regulations and ask permission on private land. For operating in other countries, see Operating abroad.
Radios
Portable radios fall into three broad groups.
- QRP transceivers of 5 to 10 watts are small, light and easy on batteries. Kits from QRP Labs and radios such as the Elecraft KX2 and KX3 are popular, and the Yaesu FT-817 and FT-818, though discontinued, are still common on the used market. See QRP.
- The Icom IC-705 covers HF, 6 meters, 2 meters and 70 centimeters in all modes, including D-STAR, at up to 10 watts, or 5 watts on its own clip-on battery pack.
- Compact 100-watt radios such as the Yaesu FT-891 give more punch on SSB when conditions are poor. The price is current: at full power such a radio draws about 20 amps, so many operators turn it down to save the battery.
On VHF and UHF, a handheld with a better antenna, such as a roll-up J-pole or a small handheld Yagi, works well from high ground.
Antennas
The antenna matters more than the radio. The favorite is the end-fed half-wave, hung from a telescoping fiberglass pole or a tree branch, because it needs only one support and a single feed point near the operator. A dipole or inverted V, a vertical with a few radials, a random wire with an antenna tuner, and the compact magnetic loop are all common. Getting wire into a tree usually means a throw line with a small weight; where trees are off limits, a mast clamped to a table leg or held up by a drive-on base does the job.
Power
Most portable stations now run on lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries. They weigh less than half as much as lead-acid batteries of the same capacity, hold a steady voltage of about 13 volts for most of their discharge, survive many charge cycles and are more stable than other lithium chemistries. A battery of a few amp-hours runs a QRP radio for an afternoon; a 100-watt radio needs a much larger one. Put a fuse in the positive lead near the battery, and consider standard connectors such as Anderson Powerpoles so that gear can be shared. A folding solar panel extends longer trips.
Safety and courtesy
- Weather. Lower the antenna and stop operating at the first sign of thunder. Exposed summits are especially dangerous, and mountain thunderstorms often build by early afternoon in summer. See Grounding and lightning protection.
- Trip hazards. Guy lines, coax and radials in a public place can catch walkers, children and dogs. Keep the station compact and mark lines with bright flagging.
- RF exposure. Portable antennas are often close to people. Keep radiating wires out of reach, remember that the far end of an end-fed wire carries a high RF voltage, and see RF exposure for the limits that apply at higher power.
- Personal safety. Carry water and sun protection, tell someone where you are going, and don't count on cell coverage.
- Leave no trace. Don't damage trees, keep to permitted areas and pack out everything you brought in.