HF on the move

With the addition of the Tarheel and Diamond screwdrivers HF using the IC7100 could not be more fun. The SD330 has a 6' whip and is mounted on the off side bonnet and the Tarheel with 8' whip has it's own custom mount on the spare wheel hub. Both capable of 200 watts which is quite enough for me, the dc leads for that much are substantial enough and any more would be rude and require more engineering. The car already has 2 mobile repeaters and covers HF through to 5 ghz care of the AREDN setup.

Early mornings and evenings on my journeys have been fruitful forays on 20 & 40 metres. Both have which have very workable VSWR curves across the band, 80m is somewhat smaller bandwidth, but work in progress. I had used an IC7000 previous to the 7100, but the 7100 has proved very user friendly on the move and the head is within easy reach of the left hand. The touchscreen & menu features easily accessible and no issues with a black & white screen. I have a boom mic mounted similar to a hard wired mobile phone mic at the corner of the windscreen, although I can still use a fist mic. True, I don't need all of this day today, but it was designed for the other job with Shadow Rescue. Although I do agree that I use it experimentally as a project car recently testing some really good Panorama aerials before mounting them to the rescue vehicles. The mounting system, quality and sheer range that panorama do is breathtakingly comprhensive, given that most rescue vehicles need GPS, wifi, digital - analogue voice comms, voip and data. I digress, the KL450 is currently sat on the forward laptop position there being one in the rear rack mount aswell. I should really get around to cable bashing everything tidy as added over time means the hateful spaghetti. Fitting once and fitting right is the motto for the new vehicles, but the Jimny is fun. Unlimited funds would have included an exterior roll cage, suspension upgrade, winch and water proofing...Alas the list is never completed.