Cthulu or that 705 rack? You can be forgiven for the former, but for the latter you may want to see a doctor. Chris
I do have the smaller protection "cage" for my IC-705, but I admit I like the looks and protection of this new one here. I keep the radio, 3 spare batteries, an external 10 mAh external battery, cables, coax, accessories, & etc. in a 5.11 30-liter range bag, and 5.11 dopp bags. I will say, that I am not back-packing, hiking, and operating. I head to a destination, and set up and operate. I use a 18 inch high camping table, folding chairs, and two BuddiPoles and end fed wires... so if I set up, it is kind of an exercise. In fact, it takes me about an a half hour to an hour to set it all up. I'd still be upset if I knocked the IC-705 off the table... no one wants that! I am 6'5", a size 50 Long in a sport coat/suit, and weigh 270... the Icom bag for the IC-705 is too small to fit on me. The Icom backpack is quite small in real life, and even looks small in the advertisements.
I'm with you. I have the Peovi cage (personalized with my call sign, so I doubt I can sell it) and I ordered this new cage. I haven't gotten it yet, but the construction looks solid and provide a LOT more protection then the Peovi. I know the Peovi won't fit in the LC-192 back back (I've tried) so I doubt this will either. Like you, I'm a big dude (6'6" tall and wear a 4XL shirt) but I can wear it, so if you want to get the pack, which really is a well thought out pack, I'd physically try it before ordering. Once I get this cage, I may switch to it and sell my Peovi and the LC-192 backpack.
I caught the SOTA bug a few months back. This picture is from my 7/11 activation of Kelso Mountain (13,163 ft) in Colorado. The camera is pointed SW toards two nearby 14ers: Grays Peak and Torreys Peak (both ~14,268 ft). I made 16 contacts that evening (11 on 20m, 5 on 40m). The antenna is the SOTABEAMS Bandspringer Midi end-fed. The 7 meter pole lost a couple of the top pieces over time (broke off), so I often use my walking stick as an extension for extra height. This also has the benefit of being nice to the bottom of the pole, as the stick takes all of the rock abrasion. I highly recommend this type of wire-in-rubber twist tie for securing your antenna pole to all kinds of structures (two of these are used to connect the stick and the pole in this case).
Did you forget to upload the picture? Also, have you had good luck getting that Bandspringer to tune? I have one but haven't used it much because it didn't seem to work all that well.
Please see post #21 earlier in this thread for the relevant picture. You can also see it on the sotl.as site. Yes, I have been having good luck tuning this antenna using the Elecraft T1 tuner. I mostly use 20m/40m/17m and never had a problem getting those under 1.5 SWR. I usually take the Bandspringer antenna and a homemade 20m/40m linked dipole with me to a SOTA activation, with the dipole being my first choice, and the Bandspringer when I am in a hurry (slightly easier for me to to set up) or if I want 17m. The Bandspringer has inspired me to read more about "random wire" end-feds, and recently I've been having very good luck with a homemade version 84' long with a 17' counterpoise.
Sure looks like a very close relative to the classic W3EDP design: http://www.zerobeat.net/g3ycc/w3edp.htm
Very true. Practically every 'portable' radio is built with the prejudice that it will be used on a table-like surface. That is very often not the case in /P work - the rig will lie somewhere well beneath head level and the display can't be seen without some ambitious contortion of the body and/or rig!
I got my ARK-705 Shield in yesterday and honestly, with one tiny exception (the inability to use the RC-1 out of the box) I love this cage. I have the Peovi, but honestly, I like this better. It provides much better protection and while it doesn't have a top mounted carry handle with my call sign on it, it does have a flip out bottom mounted tilt mechanism which I think is actually much more useful. I mean if you need a handle to grab on to, use one of the two side handles. Anyway, I came up with a solution to allow the use of the RC-1 while mounted in the ARK-705 Shield and not suffer any lack of structural integrity. While I do think that Windcamp really messed up by not doing this out of the box, it really is an easy fix. For those looking for a relatively easy, and good looking solution to be able to attach the Windcamp RC-1 to the Windcamp ARK-705 Shield and still have full support, you can get a threaded round standoff, two 4-40 by 1/2" long flat head screws, and a little bit of black paint. McMaster-Carr carries all the hardware you need (you might be able to find it at your local hardware or big box store as well). https://www.mcmaster.com/ Female Threaded Round Standoff, Aluminum, 1/4" OD, 3-1/2" Long, 4-40 Thread Size Part number: 93330A551 Cost: $2.33 316 Stainless Steel Phillips Flat Head Screws, 4-40 Thread Size, 3/8" Long Part number: 91500A126 Cost: $9.48 for a pack of 100 (personally, I'd get these in a smaller pack locally) Construction/Assembly steps: 1) Remove the 4 screws holding the left rear vertical brace of the ARK-705 Shield and remove brace. 2) Cut the 3 1/2" long standoff to 3.390" long. 3) Test fit on the ARK-705 Shield. 4) Disassemble the new standoff. 5) Put the 4-40 flat head screws into the standoff holes and make sure to screw all the way in so most of the threads are not covered with paint. 6) Lightly spray paint the whole standoff assembly and let dry. 7) Reassemble the ARK-705 Shield and enjoy! Now to hit it with a little spray paint but otherwise I think it turned out beautiful. 73 William "W9HJ" Johnston
I like it. I wouldn't be using it in the field as that isn't my interest. But I would if I had that Icom on my operating desk. Very neat and gives support to a rather flat rig.
