I was hoping to set up my new radio… no, not the (tr)uSDX, I got a Radioddity QT80 so I can do voice on 10 meters… anyway, I thought “This weekend I will be able to spend the day getting on the air on my own!”
But it seems like there is always one more detail that I need to take care of before I can actually do it.
You see, the (tr)uSDX is tiny and cool, but it transmits on 80, 60,40, 30, and 20 meters. None of which I am allowed to transmit on using voice (called “phone” in ham-speak) as a Technician. I can transmit on 80 and 40 using CW (Morse code) but I don’t have the skill in CW to do that yet. Also, I am having an issue getting it flashed to the latest firmware that I have to figure out.
So I ordered the QT80, which does 10M by default, of which I am allowed to use voice on a small sliver. It also can be unlocked to allow the use of 15 and 12 meters for ham radio (which I cannot talk on as a tech and can only use CW on part of 15), as well as the 11M CB band. It arrived in the mail Friday. Hurrah! Except…
Ham radios don’t really come with a power cord you can plug into the wall. You see, we are expected to decide how we want to power our radios and add the connectors ourselves. It comes with cords that just have bare wires sticking out of the ends.
I knew this, but I didn’t really know this until I unboxed my new toy and realized, “oh yeah. I should have ordered the bits to stick on…”
But you still don’t really just solder on a wall plug. The QT80 is a portable radio, meant to either be installed in a car or taken around with you. Which IS what I want to do with it. So it needs ends that connect to a DC power source like a battery.
Great, I have portable power stations! That will work, right?! Not exactly.
Most hams I have watched on YouTube encourage the use of connectors called a powerpole (originally Anderson Powerpole) that allow DC connections. My portable power stations don’t have powerpole connectors. I would need to either buy or make a cord that has powerpole connectors on one end and a 12V cigarette lighter-style plug on the other, which my power stations will accept. I don’t want to stick a 12V connector directly on the power cord from the radio, because that will limit my options to only be able to use that kind of socket.
So I need powerpoles and a way to put them on the wires… I ordered a set with a crimper and the connectors. That was about $35.
That still leaves how to get from those connectors to something that sends power to it. I most likely will have to solder to make a cord. Or I could buy one for around $15-20.
But I have heard mention about power stations being “noisy” – creating electrical interference, which is not good for radios. And my stations are pretty bulky. There are smaller Lithium-Iron-Phosphate batteries that will work well for portable radio. Great! I ordered one. $50!
Then it arrived, and I realized – oh, I don’t have a way to charge that battery! I need something to put energy in that battery so it can put energy in my radio. So I ordered a charger for it for another $50.
I am always $50 away from being able to get on the air.
Later I will figure out how to get energy from my solar panels into the battery, but right now, I just want to get on the air!
Skulleigh.com 