Intro
Back in June 2022, I decided to build a portable rig; something that I could put in the trunk, then carry to wherever I wanted to operate. What I ended up with isn’t something that you’d want to carry for long by the handle; it’s more portable-ish than portable. However, with the small rolling storage cart that holds gear that goes along with the radio, it’s reasonably easy to move around.
The hardware
First things first. It’s not a portable station without a radio, right? I chose the venerable Icom IC-706MKIIG for its support of HF bands, 6m, 2m, and 70cm. Gotta have a tuner with that HF rig, so I added an LDG Z-100A. Depending on how I’m going to use it, I might want to hook a computer up to it, so I threw a digirig mobile preconfigured for CI-V and the appropriate cable set into the build. Rounding out the front-side stuff (even though some of it gets connected to the back-side) is a Heil BM-17 headset with AD-1-iCM adapter and a Donner DK-1 foot pedal.
To protect the radio from any stupidity from me, I added two dummy loads, one for each antenna port on the radio. For UHF/VHF operation, I have a Slim Jim antenna. For HF, I have a home-brew dipole using a pair of camping laundry reels and a fine gauge wire. I’d like to add a collapsible vertical antenna like the Wolf River TIA lineup to replace the dipole but haven’t had the opportunity.
Now, you won’t get very far with your radio if you don’t have a power source. If AC power is available, I can use an AC power supply (I use a MEAN WELL LRS-350-12). However, true portability means you need a way to power the equipment that doesn’t rely on the power grid. For this, I have a BioEnno 15Ah LiFePo battery. Monitoring the battery falls to a Powerwerx watt meter. I’m using Anderson Powerpole connectors for all electrical connections.
Putting it together
Now that we have all of the gear, how do we assemble it into something that’s reasonably easy to transport and quick and easy to get up and running once we’re on location? I decided to go with a Gator G-PRO-4U-13 Pro Series rack case. This is something that would normally be used by musicians, but it seemed a perfect choice for what I was building. I bolted the radio to a rack shelf, then used hook and loop strips to fasten the tuner to the same shelf. Finally, I fastened the digirig mobile to the shelf by another hook and loop strip. After this, I installed the shelf on the bottom slot in the case. The radio is two units high and I purchased a four unit (4U) case. For looks and to protect the equipment, I covered the top two units with vented panels.
On the back side, I covered the top unit with another vented panel. I installed a rack mount cooling system to augment the passive airflow of the vented panels. I attached LED strip lights to the ceiling of the case, partially to provide some light in low-light situations but mostly because they look cool. I connected the power lines for the radio, cooling system, and lights to a four-way Powerpole adapter. The power supply attaches to the fourth connector on that adapter. Because the radio is mounted at the front of the case and the antenna ports on the radio are inaccessible, I added a pair of 1-foot pigtails. I labeled all of the exposed cables (e.g. “UHF/VHF” and “HF” on the pigtails).
What’s it look like?
Experimenting with the layout of the radio and its peripherals.
Here you can see the layout from the rear. Lots of wires even before adding antenna connections.
Here the equipment has been fastened down and the shelf has been installed in the rack.
Much better! The cabling has been cleaned up using hook and loop ties.
LED strip set to red, as you do.
And here it is in use for Field Day 2022! Sadly, I didn’t get to make any contacts because a thunderstorm moved in almost immediately after I got it all set up and running.
Conclusion
I had a lot of fun designing this thing. What I’ve described above is the final result. In the middle of it, I was using a West Mountain RIGRunner 4008 for power distribution but it didn’t fit well in the case so I moved to the homebrew 4 pole Powerpole power distribution block and watt meter described above. I ended up using the RIGRunner to distribute power to my shack radios from a deep cycle battery.
Aside from being a bit heavy, the rig is perfect. I’ve set it up at my radio club’s “open hours at the park”, used it briefly on Field Day 2022, and have used it at home.
73, Marc nz9a
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