During Tuesday’s GARC club meeting, I was thrilled to showcase my latest project: a versatile Go Box for my FT857D radio. This Go Box is designed with two main goals in mind:

Ease of Storage and Mobile Operation:

It needs to fit comfortably in my car trunk and connect seamlessly to the remote head kit and car antenna for effortless mobile operation.

Quick Deployment for Field Day or Portable Scenarios:

It should be easily deployable, allowing me to set up quickly for field day events or other portable activities.

Since I typically use an ATAS 120A antenna for mobile operations, my goal was to extend this convenience to my portable work as well. I wanted one antenna that could cover all bands, understanding that this would be a compromise solution. Additionally, I’m considering incorporating a small automatic antenna tuner, like the MAT-30, as a backup option.

First Attempt: Tripod Setup

My initial attempt involved setting up the ATAS antenna on a tripod. Despite using eight radials, the setup failed to tune correctly. It became evident that the tripod needed to be lower and better grounded.

Second Attempt: Ground Mount Setup

For my second attempt, I took a more grounded approach—literally. I used a section of an old telescopic pole that I could drive into the ground for stability. I then attached a metal L bracket and an old car mount, both of which I found in my garage. Reusing the same radials from the first attempt, this setup proved successful. The FT857D tuned the ATAS antenna flawlessly across various bands, from 40 meters to 70 cm’s, delivering excellent SWR. However, during testing, the radio seemed to have reduced sensitivity. After some investigation, I discovered that a solar flare and the resulting radio blackout were affecting performance at that time.

Next Steps

The next stage of this project is to test the setup in a local playing field to ensure its reliability in different environments. Additionally, I’ll be showcasing the Go Box at the Grantham College community event on Tuesday. Stay tuned for more updates on this project.

73,

MarkC – M5DJC

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If you’re interested in building your own Go Box or have tips to share, feel free to leave a comment below. I’d love to hear about your experiences and any advice you might have for enhancing portable radio setups.