Manpack 1.0: A Complete HF Station Under $1,000
On the way home from work, I overheard a conversation on a local repeater bemoaning the cost of radio equipment today. “Shacks in a Box” can be quite expensive, to be sure, but nothing more than the Collins KW-1 or the Gold Dust Twins of the 1950s.
To prove the point that amateur radio isn’t a rich man’s game, I designed a complete HF radio station that would cost less than $1,000. I wanted it to operate on all modes on as many bands as possible and have it be easy to use. Here is what I put together.
Transmitter: Yaesu FT-817ND
The FT-817ND is the world’s first self-contained, battery-powered, multi-mode, portable transceiver that covers the HF, VHF, and UHF amateur bands.
This rig is very popular among backpack and low-power enthusiasts. I like the FT-817ND because it includes an antenna connector on the face of the radio as well as the back of the radio. This is lets you attach a whip antenna to the radio while mounted inside a backpack.
- Transmit (MHz): 1.8, 3.5, 5, 7, 10, 14, 18, 21, 24, 28, 50, 144, 440
- Receive (MHz): 0.1-30, 50-54, 76-154, 420-450
- Modes: AM, CW, FM, LSB, USB, Digital
- Power: 5 Watts
Retail Price: $660
Antenna: MFJ 1899T
The MFJ-1899T multi-band antenna is an inexpensive HF whip antenna specifically designed for the FT-817ND. It covers all amateur bands between 3.5 MHz and 50 MHz. To transmit on 144 MHz or 440 MHz, you would use the whip antenna supplied with the FT-817ND.
- Transmit (MHz): 3.5, 7, 10, 14, 18, 21, 24, 28, 50
- Power Rating: 25 Watts
Retail Price: $80
Additional Equipment
I’ve included three other items for the station, a extra battery pack, a digital interface to connect the radio to a laptop, and the PowerPort World Pack backpack.
- Yaesu FNB-85 9.6V 1,400 mAh Battery ($65)
- SignaLink USB 6PM ($100)
- PowerPort World Pack II ($75)
Total Retail Price of the station (excluding tax and shipping): $980
What do you think?
can you send me more info on this pack because I have a search and rescue group that will be interested
Ralph, the company is call Power Port. Their website is http://www.powerportstore.com/. I hope this helps. 73.
I think that’s STILL $979.99 more than I could afford!
Note: do not go man portable with that antenna connected to the 817 sticking out of the pack. it is not strong enough and will snap off the BNC on the radio. rig up an aluminum pipe to hold a BNC and the antenna on that and run a lead in to the radio so that you don’t destroy your radio. also trail behind you a ground counterpoise at least 1/4 wave of your operating frequency. to get a good match and a lot more power output.