Survival HF Radio of Awesomeness

This is my portable, self powered HF ham radio station. It’s only slightly larger than a briefcase. I did freeband it so it can TX from 1Mhz to 56 Mhz. Highl…
Video Rating: 4 / 5

/25 Comments/by
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25 replies
  1. Ernie Rice
    Ernie Rice says:

    $1000!!!! Most of us don’t have that kind of money!!! Show something that the less money people can make $1000 WOW!!!

    Reply
  2. Dennis Mathias
    Dennis Mathias says:

    I gotta see the explanation for this. Were you under the impression he doesn’t pay taxes? Or this was a write off or something? I’m just not getting it.

    Reply
  7. ve2xpl
    ve2xpl says:

    Hi’ Great project…congratulations on your ingenuity!

    I am curious about a comment you made: The pelican case is waterproofe, but since you riveted the solar panel, is the Pelican case still water proof? (I guess you might not want to put the hose to it to test it? hi hi) Just curious…I have been thinking of different ways to build a portable HF station…this is the best idea I have seen yet for the type of set-up I would like. 73 de VE2XPL (Pete in Montréal)

    Reply
  8. lijhbaley
    lijhbaley says:

    Actually, assuming the callsign he listed is his, he just did post his name and address for the world to see…keys, not so much, but just in the interest of completeness, thought I’d point that out.

    Reply
  9. Keith R
    Keith R says:

    Actually it is right there in the 16th Amendment. Dunno where the Matrix/sovereign people think otherwise. Far as state taxes though… Yea I see none. But trying to pull up all state laws, is not as easy as it sounds.
    But this Ham radio looks super nice. Good work. I like that steel plate look.

    Reply
  10. zoolkhan
    zoolkhan says:

    i am from europe, so forgive me if i dont jump onto the zombieapocalypse-emergency train. But leaving all that shit aside, you have build a nice QRP setup there. nice craftmanship.. and well though with the fans (not sure if a 10w rig need fans, but it certainly doesnt hurt. If you had a morsekey on it, you could reduce the output power even more.. anyhow.. nice work mate. dont let them trolls piss you off too much.. i dont understand the tax-office dialogue at all… vy73,55

    Reply
  12. kd8efq
    kd8efq says:

    I work from an Apt. also! Got two videos up so far. I’m lucky sort of as I am on the top floor of the 15 story high rise that I live in!
    73!

    Reply
  13. Andrew Martz
    Andrew Martz says:

    lol I’ve never seen a Slink used an antenna before, that’s so awesome!! So far, I’m only a tech class station (KJ4TMS) but can’t wait to advance up the ranks in an effort to get a decent go-box like this. I love it! ‘slinky!!!’

    Reply
  15. David Harvey
    David Harvey says:

    The rig has a built-in antenna tuning unit, so if that’s happy, then the rig will perform okay. Of course, the rig would also be happy transmitting into a 50 Ohm resistor (a dummy load, used for testing and tune-up). So while the slinky looks cool, the two lengths of 30-foot wire (approx) would probably perform much better! 73 de David vk2dmh.

    Reply
  16. kieferonline
    kieferonline says:

    Sweet setup. Using a slinky is a really clever, MacGyver-like idea! I’m still learning about radio, so I have a question about using the slinky with HF: would it be better to orient it vertically for better polarization? (Or would that just be better for CW?) I wonder if you could get better reception if you draped it off the balcony? Again, awesome rig. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  17. Warf White
    Warf White says:

    Many people don’t know, but the Slinky was originally designed as a compact antenna for military use… It could be quickly stretched out and then even more quickly put away. It was never originally intended to be a toy… Good on you for using it as the original designer intended!

    Reply
  18. leakyspacesuit
    leakyspacesuit says:

    Thank you! I didn’t know that about the Slinky. It does seem to work fairly well as an antenna. Although I’ve now abandoned it for a spool of wire. I carry 2 small spools in the kit now. one is 100 feet long and one is only I think about 18 feet long or so.

    Reply
  19. Warf White
    Warf White says:

    I am SWL (shortwave listener) and have tried many homebrew long-wires and stuff. I’ve often thought about trying the Slinky, but never got around to actually wiring it up to the radio… Your video has re-ignited the thought so I’m gonna have to do it sometime soon. Thankfully being receive only I won’t have to worry too much about the SWR, so should be a fun little project. 🙂

    Reply
  20. Warf White
    Warf White says:

    Using any antenna in the horizontal plane will make it more of a directional antenna, with the best signals radiating from each side of the antenna, when vertical the signals will be omni-directional. Sometimes using an antenna in the horizontal plane can reduce noise levels and let you hear weak signals. For example: if you and your mate are both running horizontal and most other people are using vertical, you stand a better chance of hearing your mate at a distance.

    Reply
  21. maynardr6
    maynardr6 says:

    That story about the slinky being originally designed as an antenna was sure a neat thought, but then I looked up the patent. It’s just not true 🙁

    Reply
  22. richardef
    richardef says:

    A great Idea, add a very efficient portable antenna with his idea.
    A stealth antenna for limited space that really works great.
    Many Ham Radio operators give up due to antennas restrictions with all the HOA restrictions these days.
    Check out Stealth antennas that really work.
    QRZ.COM/db/K8NDS Anyone even in a small lot can have a big signal. Handles full power down to milli-watts.

    Reply
  23. barkyindustries
    barkyindustries says:

    How is it self powered?
    How would you be able to have a portable Ham radio that could sustain it’s own power or recharge by itself?

    Reply
  25. leakyspacesuit
    leakyspacesuit says:

    thank you. A slinky with only 10 watts through it is not ideal though. Just a long piece of thin wire works best for me now. It’s easy enough to use steel stranded wire with grey insulation as a “clothes line” or thin black copper stranded wire hidden on top of your roof. Also I tried using the aluminum seamless guttering around my roof as an HF antenna. IT WORKED! Just make sure it’s not grounded at all. It’s a long bit of metal so it works. It’s not ideal, but…meh.. If you gotta you gotta

    Reply

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