Stuart visits his mother

When WRARC club member Stuart (VA7CRH) goes to Vancouver Island, he takes the Kenwood TS-480SAT for portable operation. The pictures below show how it was done during Spring Break 2008.

The rig is supplemented by a pair of headphones, is powered by a Samlex 1223 supply, an MFJ 564B Iambic CW paddle, and a Buddistick antenna for 10M - 40M operation. The flag-pole off his mother's deck supplies the ground. An MFJ-259B antenna analyzer is a nice accessory as it is often possible to quickly get a perfect 1.0:1 SWR match on the Buddistick. The antenna counterpoise can be threaded through the deck railing.

Stuart checks into both the BCEN CW net at 7:00 pm, as well as the BCPSN voice net during the call for "mobiles and portables" from the ham-stick dipole for 80M pictured. The eave of the house supplies some protection from the rain, but a good coat is necessary to ward off the sea breeze from Georgia Strait. The QTH is about 100 feet above the water so the Buddistick and ham-stick dipole performs well.
This set-up has produced about 7 or 8 QSOs per day, with a number of States including a voice contact with Massachusetts. CW contact has been made with Japan, Asiatic Russia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Stuart has the Kenwood TH-F6A for 2M, 220MHz and 70 cm operation, but spends most of his time braving the rain and cold on the deck on HF.