I just want an Elecraft KXM-3 .......HF/2/70 Mobile rig.10/100W Grin...
Gary On 27 August 2011 15:13, Wayne Burdick <n...@elecraft.com> wrote: > To each his own, but.... > > Mike Morrow wrote: > > > In the 45 years I've been around ham radio, the probability that any > > HF > > ham rig would be used in an emergency has been vanishingly small, with > > the highest probabilities having been 45 years ago, not today.... > > A few years ago a ham in Oregon broke his leg hiking. He used a KX1 to > call rescuers. I'm not kidding. > > VHF/UHF doesn't work at all in many mountainous areas, at least if > you're down in a hole between peaks. For that matter, there are wide > stretches of the West with no repeaters. NVIS on 40 m with a wire-in-a- > tree or a backpacking dipole will often do the job with just a few > watts. > > The clincher is that the end of the world is coming (!). I heard this > on a shortwave station, thanks to the KX3's general coverage receive. > > > > An emergency HF radio would, in any event, need to be resistent to > > harm > > from adverse environmental conditions *while in operation*. > > Around here the most likely emergency that would cut off > communications is an earthquake. Small radios stored in bags are > likely to survive and be quite useful. It's buildings that suffer. > > > > An emergency HF radio should also *not* be a QRP rig...at least no rig > > *designated* as an emergency radio. > > I routinely check into a 40-m net and get good reports during the > daytime with a short antenna 15' off the ground and 5 watts. HFpackers > often running 10 W or less check into daily nets on 17 m and 20 m and > work stations thousands of miles away. If there's a will, there's a > way, and QRP will often get through. Even when it doesn't, it's fun > trying. > > > > An emergency HF radio should also have sufficient battery capacity for > > more than just a few hours of intermittent operation. > > Depends on what you mean by "intermittent." If my KX3 gives me 10 > hours of casual operation at 3 watts from a 2500-mAhr battery, surely > I could maintain useful communications during an emergency by being > even more judicious with my transmit time. > > That said, a small, collapsable solar panel would be an excellent > addition to the station. It can power the KX3's internal battery > charger. > > > > On a *short* hike, carrying a 4 AH battery which prudence mandates > > won't be > > much of an impediment. I've done that many times, even when I used > > SWL's > > small DSW-20, -30, and -40 units. > > I travel *really* light. On day hikes my entire station weighs about > 1.5 to 2 lbs, allowing me to carry two cans of beer rather than one. > > > > On a long hike and overnight stay, a 4 AH battery will be mandatory, > > unless > > one enjoys the dead weight of the KX3 and antenna after the internal > > batteries > > are depleted. > > 5-10 hours of operation from a charged 2500 mA internal battery is > sufficient for all but the most boring business trips or hikes. I'm > usually hiking (or businessing) a lot more than hamming. > > 73, > Wayne > N6KR > > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > -- VK4FD - Motorhome Mobile Elecraft Equipment K3 #679, KPA-500 #018 Living the dream!!! ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
