My Gear
My Setup
Every station I run, in one place: home shack, Jeep, mobile/POTA kit, handhelds, and antennas.
Operating Location
Home / QTH
My primary station, where most of my DXing, contesting, and digital-mode operating happens.
Station Gear
The Shack
Transceiver
Primary HF: Yaesu FTX-1 with Optima Amplifier
Secondary HF: Icom 7300 MK2
Tuner: Comet Cat 300 Manual Tuner
UHF/VHF: Anytone 578 UV III Plus
GMRS: Wouxun KG 1000+
Antenna
HF Primary: 71′ inverted L — 25 ft up, 46 ft across
HF Secondary: 40m EFHW as a sloper on 34′ mast
HF Special Events: BuddiHex 20m Hex Beam
UHF/VHF: Tram 1477 in the 2nd story attic
GMRS: Homemade J-pole in the attic
The Configuration
Current Shack Overview
My setup has gone through a lot of radios and antenna configurations since being licensed. Today, the Yaesu FTX-1 handles most of my SSB/phone work, while the Icom 7300 MK2 is dedicated primarily to digital modes.
In the yard I keep two antennas up at all times, both from My Antennas. Primary antenna is a long wire run as an inverted L on a Chameleon 25′ Porta Mast. On top of the Porta Mast is a Solar Mesh Repeater Node (MeshCore). The secondary is a 40m EFHW set up as a sloper on a GigaParts/Intellitron 34′ AM-2406K mast.
Both are choked at the feed point and again at the transceiver. Each antenna feeds directly into a Comet Cat-300 manual tuner, which is how I switch between them. The tuner’s radio-side output then runs to an Alpha switch, with both HF radios connected on the other end.
Operating Location
Jeep
My mobile HF/VHF/UHF rig. Built for trails but used for mobile DXing, and getting on the air wherever the road goes or road ends.
Station Gear
2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport
Transceiver
HF: Yaesu FT-891 with the “brain” mounted in the rear on a molle attachment, and the “face” mounted in the front on a molle attachment
UHF/VHF: AnyTone 578UV III Plus mounted on the side of my “center console”
Antenna
HF: ATAS-120 mounted in the rear
UHF/VHF: Diamond dual band mounted on the hood
I also have a Starlink Mini mounted in the rear and a duplex DMR hotspot running WPSD
The Build
Shortly after bringing it home, I pulled the factory axles and housings and replaced them with Currie 9″ housings, air lockers, RCV axle shafts, and Reed knuckles running 5.43 gears. Riding on a 4.5″ lift with 40″ tires, it can get me just about anywhere I want to go. Paired with HF/UHF/VHF capability always in the Jeep, I can operate in a variety of ways out in the field, backed up by a Garmin inReach and a Starlink Mini for connectivity and safety off the grid.
Operating Location
Mobile / POTA
My grab-and-go kit for parks, summits, and anywhere else I can throw up a wire and get on the air.
Station Gear
Mobile / POTA Setup
Transceiver
HF: Yaesu FTX Field
UHF/VHF: Anytone 578 UV III Plus
Antenna
HF: Spooltenna Ultra, CaHR Hydra w/ dual 17′ whips, Chameleon LEFS w/ EFHW and dipole setup
UHF/VHF: N9TAX roll-up J-pole
Power
100Ah battery box (see blog post) with a 200 watt solar panel for most operations
10Ah LiFePO4 battery for on-the-go ops
My Gear
Handheld Radios
The handhelds I carry day-to-day for travel, EDC, and family GMRS comms.
Station Gear
Handhelds
Tap or click any radio name below to read the full review.
Kenwood D75A
This is my preferred travel radio due to its wide receive range (.1 to 524MHz) that also supports AM/FM/NFM/WFM/SSB and CW.
Anytone 890
This is my EDC radio and what I carry around the house. Great for “all things”. APRS, digital, analog, encryption… it has it all.
Wouxun UV9G
This is the wife’s / family GMRS HT when we are out and about so we can keep in touch. Great radio for transmitting on GMRS and scanning non-GMRS frequencies.
Wouxun UV9P
This is what I use when I want to just scan analog frequencies. It has a very fast scanning function and stores a ton of frequencies.
VGC VRN76
I have 2 of these that are used specifically for off-roading / Jeep adventures. Great radios. Easy to program with the app. Integrated GPS and APRS functionality. Not an EDC radio for me, but it gets the job done.
Ailunce HD2
I have quite a few of these and they are preprogrammed and set up as handout radios for EmComm / SHTF. They support analog and digital comms as well as AES256 encryption.
My Gear
Antennas
These are the antennas and antenna configurations that I run at home and in the field. I have tried to capture the key information on each of them, but if you have any questions, let me know!
Station Gear
Antennas
MyAntennas 73′ Long Wire
9:1 unun in an inverted L off a 25′ Chameleon Porta Mast, the transformer mounts at the mast base, then the wire runs up 25′ and across to my 2nd story roof.
More info: myantennas.com
MyAntennas 4010 EFHW
49:1 transformer mounted about 2′ off the ground, with the wire routed up to a 34′ Intellitron mast.
More info: myantennas.com
BuddiPole BuddiHex
Goes up on my second 25′ Chameleon Porta Mast. Really more of an “event antenna” for me given its size.
More info: My Buddihex Experience
CaHR Hydra
This setup has dual 17′ Chameleon whips in a horizontal dipole configuration, mounted on my second 25′ Chameleon Porta Mast. I’ve run this both at home and out in the field, such an amazing antenna.
More info: qsojourney.com/cahr-hydra-antenna
CaHR Hydra w/ Backpack
Haven’t set this one up yet. Planning a shortened delta loop configuration. Can’t wait to test it out!
Chameleon MPAS 2.0
Running the Mini transformer with Chameleon’s “faraday strips.” This antenna works “ok.” It’s VERY fast to deploy and is quite broadband, so great for “any radio,” but it’s quite lossy due to the design.
More info: MPAS 2.0 Review
