WA4A

As a teenager, I was fascinated with QRP (5-Watts or less) amateur radio portable and mobile operating and built several interesting rigs that ran from 100-mW to 5-Watts output. Now, after almost 60 years on-the-air, and having retired from a successful career in telecommunications, my main interest and rig is still QRP! See my latest homebrew "Go-Box" project shown above, consisting of a MARS-modified Yaesu FT-817nd transceiver, LDG-817H antenna tuner, and a Signalink USB sound card. The radio is powered by a 12/Amp/hr LiFePO4 battery and everything is packaged in a salvaged Textronix instrument case with both a Comet HFJ-350M 160-6 Meter and VHF/UHF whip antennas mounted on the equipment case. Included is a special mount for a Baofeng UV5RX3 tri-band (146, 222 and 440 mHz) HT with a military handset, battery eliminator and tri-band antenna. There is also a 24-hour analog clock, a clip-on work light, a Palm mini-keyer paddle and a LDG 4:1 balun which allows for a variety of external antenna options. This versatile, self-contained, all-mode, MF, HF, VHF and UHF station may be operated as a hand-carried pedestrian or vehicular mobile or set up as a portable base station. It is capable of operation on 14 U.S. ham bands or on any MARS or other authorized frequencies between 1.8 and 520 mHz using CW, AM, FM, SSB or on many sound-card digital keyboard modes when cabled to the USB port of an external lap top computer with appropriate software. This design project has won first place awards at various hamfests in North Carolina and Virginia. Besides showing off the rig and demonstrating what can be done with low-powered amateur radio equipment, I enjoy mountain top operating along the Blue Ridge Parkway, casual contesting, DXing and short-wave listening. I am always amazed how much fun can be had with this 18-pound "do everything" QRP rig that requires only about one cubic foot of space and will work local and worldwide distances with a variety of power supply options and antennas from practically anywhere! The top photo shows me operating a new "military look" version of the "Go-Box" on 222 mHz FM-voice during the January 2020 annual Winter Field Day contest. Lately, I have discovered the Reverse Beacon Network and enjoy receiving reports for my QRP CW testing with the short whip antennas on all bands. 73! DE WA4A