Let’s talk about assembling a POTA station on a budget. This won’t be an article about how to assemble a station using old computer parts or twigs and berries. Rather, it’s about assessing what’s actually needed to get you started in portable operations without breaking the bank.

It’s true that a trip to DX Engineering can be therapeutic, but that’s not always possible. So, we need to work with what we have available. As I’ve said in previous articles, the best POTA station is sometimes that station you already have. But what if you don’t have a station that can work in the field? Well, let’s assemble one.

The Transceiver

Since the rig is what you’re going to spend the bulk of your money on, let’s start there. The Yaesu FT-891 is a popular rig for POTA. At just under $700 new, it’s within the budget of most amateurs. You can save further by searching for one on the used market. My most recent one came from a local ham for $400. I consider the FT-891 to be a perfect rig for POTA, and I found myself returning to it for most activations even after using another good rig. One feature I love is the voice and CW memory, which is a real plus when calling CQ.  

If you’d like to jump into QRP (5-10W) exclusively, a Google search will help you find options that will get you on the air on a budget.

There’s an extensive number of older used solid-state radios out there at $300 or less. Check with your local club members, hamfests, or swap and shops. For instance, a couple of Kenwood TS-140S’s sold recently for $150 each here in northeast Ohio. Over the last 40 years, there have been a lot of solid-state rigs produced which would be a great choice for anyone looking to hit the field. These radios usually don’t have computer control or DSP, but they’re still good portable rigs. If you operate CW, you may want to find one with the CW filter installed. This was an add-on feature for a lot of the older rigs.

A lot of these older rigs are heavier as well. Take the Kenwood TS-140S, which weighs around 13.5 lbs. Compare it to the FT-891 at just over 4 lbs., or the Xiegu G90, which is a bit lighter at 3.6 lbs. This will be relevant if you are planning to backpack on an activation.

Power

Having the rig for an activation is great, but you need a way to power it. In the long term, some source of 12-volt power is a must-have. LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries are the perfect power source for POTA activations. One of my go-to batteries is a Bioenno Power 12Ah. It supplies plenty of power for my adventures and is light and long-lasting. If it doesn’t fit in your budget, that battery you’ve “borrowed” from your lawn tractor will get you going in the short term.

Feedline

Feedline is a part of your station you really shouldn’t scrimp on, but there are ways to save money. Most experienced activators will tell you that DXE 400MAX (which is a popular feedline for the home station) is an overkill for stations in the field. RG-8X feedline is an excellent option in those scenarios; it’s small and relatively low loss.

Taking it a step further, I’ve been playing recently with DX Engineering’s Hi-Viz Orange RG-174 feedline. It’s cheaper and more flexible. The loss is higher than RG-8X, but this shouldn’t be an issue for most POTA operations. Our activations normally use shorter runs of cable, so the loss is negligible. My feedline length is normally under 40 feet if I’m operating picnic-table portable and less than 20 feet if I’m operating from the cab of my truck. RG-174 will handle 100 watts at up to 150 megahertz. Since I rarely exceed 30W, this is perfect for my style of operating.

Antennas

Antennas are where you can really save some money when assembling your POTA station. There are a lot of antennas out there with prices into the hundreds of dollars, and I’ve heard that they work well. But assembling a station on a budget doesn’t mean taking out a loan. Let’s look at some lower-cost options; some are homebrew, some aren’t. My recommendations for budget-friendly POTA antennas are some sort of dipole or end-fed half-wave (EFHW) antenna.

The EFHW antenna is simple, works well, and fits easily in your go bag. Whether you want to build one or get to activating right out of the box, there are plenty of options out there.

I’m going to start off with a couple dipoles that I’ve recently written articles on: the linked dipole and the simple dipole. Either antenna can be built for well under $40 and will get you on the air in an afternoon.

One in particular that I plan to try soon is the Spooltenna EFHW4010. It handles 100W SSB and 50W CW/Digital. Michael, KB9VBR, did a YouTube review on this one—it looks interesting; simple to deploy and easy to stow.

There are also a few miscellaneous accessories I wouldn’t want to do without:

• For Yaesu radios I highly recommend the Yaesu FH-2 Remote Control Keypad. It’s available new, but there are also some third-party options on the internet that are a little more budget friendly. The FH-2 accesses your CW and voice memories. It does a bit more as well, but for POTA, I enjoy being able to call CQ with the touch of a button.

Winders: DX Engineering sells SOTAbeams winders, or you can print your own if you have access to a 3D printer. DX Engineering also offers a set of four of its own winders in a combo with BongoTies tie wraps.

• Rope: Whatever type you choose, keep enough extra in your go box. You’ll never know when you may need that extra length of paracord. Again, bring more than you think you’ll need.
• Throw-Weight: Every POTA activator should have a throw-weight. They are super handy for hoisting lines over trees. Mine is a 14-ounce arborist weight. Not all parks will allow you to hoist antennas into trees, so make sure to check with park officials about your plans.

Remember, don’t wait for the perfect gear; that’ll keep you stuck at home. Just get out there, put that station on the air, and go activate something.

73 DE WG8X

The post Ham Radio Portable Operating Insights: Assembling a POTA Station on a Budget appeared first on OnAllBands.

April marks the beginning of severe weather season in the U.S. It also signals a good time to get your station ready for lightning season (typically June, July, and August). While more than 60% of annual lightning strikes occur during the summer months, April and May are no slouches when it comes to harsh weather that can damage expensive equipment and potentially cause physical harm to operators.

Thunderstorms can affect both your outdoor and indoor operations. It is important to follow all safety guidelines when lightning is present or anticipated. These include:

• Stop operating immediately if you hear thunder or see lightning. As a general rule, don’t resume operations until 30 minutes after the last flash of lightning or sound of thunder.
• Unplug coaxial and power cables from the radio before the storm hits, if possible. Move these cables away from the radio to avoid possible arcing. Disconnect control lines for accessories like rotators and tuners. It is also a smart idea to connect the disconnected antenna lead directly to an external ground rod.
• As POTA guidelines note when operating outdoors, “Be aware of your surroundings. The weather can change quickly. Be ready to shut down your activation if conditions threaten your safety.”
• If you must remain on the air, switch over to a battery-powered handheld transceiver.
• Install inline lightning arrestors where the feedline enters the building. (You’ll find several models of lightning/surge arrestors at DX Engineering.com from Alpha Delta, CITEL, Diamond Antenna, DX Engineering, NexTek, and PolyPhaser.
• To keep equipment at the same potential, ensure your station’s antenna ground is properly bonded to your home’s electrical service ground as required by the National Electrical Code (in the U.S.). 

In addition to lightning arrestors, find everything you need for proper grounding and bonding at DX Engineering, including:

• Wire to Ground Rod Clamps
• Ground Rods
• Copper Grounding Straps
• Grounding Clamps, including DX Engineering’s UCGC-Z Universal Grounding Clamp

• Grounding Bars, Utility Enclosures, Radio RF Ground Plane Kits
• Coax Shield Grounding Kits
• Tinned Copper Braid Assemblies
• DX Engineering Rotator Control Line Protector

• DX Engineering Ladder Line Surge Protector

• Antenna Disconnect Actuators
• DX Engineering Shack Grounding Package, which includes coaxial cable surge protector, copper ground bus wall mount, radio RF ground plane kit, tinned copper braid assemblies, universal copper grounding clamps, and ground rod.

Plus, here are two books you’ll want to add to your amateur radio library:

• “Grounding and Bonding for the Radio Amateur 2nd Edition” by Ward Silver, N0AX: Get the details on ensuring that your station follows current standards for lightning protection and communication systems. You’ll learn effective grounding and bonding techniques for home stations (including condos and apartments), portable and mobile stations, towers, and outdoor antennas.

• “Lightning Protection: A Comprehensive Guide for Amateur Radio” by Ron Block, NR2B: Targeted specifically to hams, the book presents the theory behind the protection scheme starting with lightning theory and our vulnerability to its destructive effects and continues with a practical implementation guide. It covers what needs to be protected, your zone-of-protection, the creation of a Single Point Ground Panel (SPGP), bonding of that SPGP to an external ground system, and more. Numerous examples and drawings included.

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While you’re getting your station’s grounding and bonding in order, here are a few April contests, including a deluge of State QSO Parties and state park activations, to mark on your calendar:

• JIDX CW Contest: April 11, 0700Z to April 12, 1300Z. Visit the Japan International DX Contest page for complete details.

• IG-RY Worldwide RTTY Contest: April 11, 1200Z to April 12, 1800Z. The Interest Group RTTY (IGRY) was founded in January 2017 to promote radioteletype. All amateur operators are invited to contact as many stations as possible using RTTY Baudot Mode (45, 45) on 3.5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 MHz.

• QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party: April 11, 0000Z to 0600Z. QRP Amateur Radio Club International—a club for low-power enthusiasts worldwide—sponsors this annual spring event for hams who strive to do more with less. The HF CW-only contest offers all-band, single-band, high-band, and low-band entrance categories.

  In addition, the EA-QRP CW Contest (sponsored by the EA-QRP Club) will be held April 18-19. Find details here.

For a comprehensive look at QRP operating, DX Engineering carries these reference books from the Radio Society of Great Britain:

• QRP Scrapbook—a collection of articles from UK’s G-QRP Club’s journal, SPRAT, featuring the latest low-power techniques and loads of projects (paperback, 240 pages)
• QRP Basics, 3^rd Edition—solid advice on choosing QRP equipment, simple antennas and operating tips, and practical wisdom on building your own gear (paperback, 208 pages)
• International QRP Collection—noted hams from around the globe explore everything QRP, including building your own devices, modifying equipment, reviews of gear, QRP theory, and operating (paperback, 173 pages)

• ARRL Rookie Roundup, SSB: April 19, 1800Z to 2359Z. Rookies exchange information with as many other stations as possible on the 80-, 40-, 20-, 15-, and 10-meter bands. If you’re new to the game, the ARRL recommends that you read the article, HF Contesting-Good Practices, Interpretations and Suggestions.

U.S. State and Canadian QSO Parties

• Mississippi: April 4, 1400Z to April 5, 0200Z
• Louisiana: April 4, 1400Z to April 5, 0200Z
• New Mexico: April 11, 1400Z to April 12, 0200Z
• Missouri: April 11, 1400Z to April 12, 0400Z; April 12, 1400Z to 2000Z
• Georgia: April 11, 1800Z to April 12, 0359Z; April 12, 1400Z to 2359Z
• North Dakota: April 11, 1800Z to April 12, 1800Z
• Michigan: April 18, 1600Z to April 19, 0400Z
• Ontario: April 18, 1800Z to April 19, 0300Z; April 19, 1200z to 2000Z
• Quebec, April 19, 1300Z to 2400Z
• Florida: April 25, 1600Z to April 26, 0159Z; April 26, 1200Z to 2159Z
• Nebraska: April 25, 1400Z to April 27, 0200Z

State Parks on the Air

• Florida: April 17, 18, 19, 20 (1200Z to 2359Z all days)
• Georgia: April 18, 1200Z to April 19, 2359Z
• Texas: April 18, 0000Z to April 19, 2359Z

The post Guide to April 2026 Ham Radio Contests: Lightning Edition appeared first on OnAllBands.