Doc...I am not a ham but really good stuff. I admire your commitment to doing what you love right. I am an Eagle Scout and had a Scout Master of the same acumen. He was a fine man as I am sure you are too. Keep it up. Make no mistake, you are appreciated.

I like using one of those battery jump starters as a portable battery for the CB or 2m. It lasts a long time and can jump start a car, recharge cell phone, run LED lights if necessary and I can recharge it via 115v or 12v solar. It's not as compact, but has multiple uses.

Nice little setup. I have a similar radio in an FT-897 and run that on a 35 Amp 12V AGM type battery in a tool bag. The antenna is a home built Slim-Jim made from 450 ohm ladder line installed inside of a piece of white PVC schedule 20 pipe painted black. The take off comes out at right angles using a pipe T with a short length of pipe and terminated with a pipe cap with a UHF chassis mount connector. The whole antenna is supported by a speaker tripod which is quite sturdy. The thing comes down in a jiffy but can take the roughest weather provided some weight is added to the middle of the tripod.For HF I have a hi power end fed antenna that can be easily packed up and taken away. Considering building the FT-897 into a man pack of some kind with battery and charger inside to make it weather tolerant. I have a 40 watt Coleman solar panel and charge controller to keep it all going in the great outdoors. The 35 amp battery does well at getting out with full power for a short time when I need it. Not as portable as my FT-817 with roll up 300 ohm slim jim and end fed 20m antenna which can all be easily transported to the mountain tops in a back pack with lunch. Anyway, thanks for sharing all you have done, it looks great.

Hey Doc,

That's a pretty smart way you have your antenna setup. I was going to leave you a comment about making your own antenna so it can be more portable but it looks like your on your way with that already.

I am a new Technician and I love this information. Would love more of it.Retired Army and like staying in touch. Thanks Keep up the GREAT work.

Excellent setup Doc! Now you need to get a 12v solar trickle charger to keep your portable battery topped off. They are pretty inexpensive I think I paid $25 for a pack of two at costco. If you have two 12v batts you can be charging one while operating on the other.

Hey, Doc, another great vid! To lighten-up your load, you might look into a motorcycle "Trickle Charger" for charging that battery. Battery Tender is a common brand, but Yuasa and Opti-Mate make nicer ones with more sophisticated charging programs and desulfation modes. 50-60 bucks would get you a great charger the size and weight of a "Wall Wart" power supply, and can be safely left unattended. Take care!

Thanks I learned something and I'm an extra class but only because ARRL publishes the exam Q&A and I have a REALLY good memory.

Nice setup! I just got my Technician license and I'm getting my own ham gear together.