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QRP Go Box

JEV

Mr. Congeniality
GOLD Site Supporter
I finished making my QRP Go Box today, and thought you might be interested in seeing how it turned out. I built the rack by riveting 1"x1"x1/8" aluminum angle, with a 1/4" plywood shelf to support the radio & tuner. I riveted velcro straps to the board on top and underneath to hold the Yeasu FT-817nd radio & LDG Z-817 tuner in place, and the framework is bolted to the box with wing nuts for rigidity and for easy removal of the entire tray for servicing or to pull from the box to operate on a table top. I have about 6' of coax connected to the tuner and coiled up under the tuner to connect to an antenna, and the NORCAL Doublet antenna (covers 40-10m) fits under the tuner as well. I also have the radio & tuner grounded, with a pigtail about 4' ling to connect to my braided ground strap. Headphones, 4:1 balun & stock mic sit next to the tray, and the 10.5Ah battery just sits in place on the bottom of the box. The radio manual, notepad, pen and coax couplings & adapters also fit in the box or in the small tray in the lid of the Plano Boater's Box, with a MFJ external speaker attached to the box lid, which folds right in above the battery and other gear. The power connectors are Anderson Power Poles, and are left disconnected when not in use.

All in all I'm pleased with my first attempt at a go box, and I set it up in my shack in under three minutes and made a couple of QRP contacts in Indiana. it will take longer to erect an antenna than it will to get the radio ready to get on the air. I still need a second bag for all the support equipment, but I could take this somewhere where there is an antenna already in place, and be on the air in just a few short minutes. Going from a storage bag to a rigid box makes me a lot more comfortable when transporting the radio gear.







My Messy shack...



KD8PFB
 
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