QRP field ops with VK3CDO

Graeme, VK3CDO, came and gave a great presentation about portable operations gear at the Macedon Ranges Amateur Radio Club recently. He brought along a terrific folding chair and table which I immediately ordered. He suggested an outing and I was up for it. We set up on a beautiful day here in Victoria on Mount Macedon.

The weather was perfect. We both brought our chairs and tables. I brought a tent in case the weather turned (not likely). Graeme used a very nice MA-12 vertical antenna which was easy to set up and worked well. I strung up an end fed but had problems tuning it to either 40 or 20m. (I think the Unun I grabbed was not working).

Graeme operated a low cost, uSDX QRP radio with just the internal battery and easily made a contact.

We both brought small metho stoves which worked very well for cups of coffee & tea. Later we each cooked up a lunch. Graeme went for gourmet sausages while I tried a freeze dried meal which was very nice.

Graeme put me on to the chair and table. Both excellent: "Naturehike Camping Chair, Portable Backpacking Breathable Chair with Storage Bag, Compact Collapsible Lightweight Camp Chair (Green-M)" & "Naturehike Camping Detachable Table with Aluminum Alloy Material, Portable, Lightweight, Outdoor Furniture for Camping, Picnic, Hiking, and Other Outdoor Activities".

The tent is a "Night Cat Backpacking Tent fo 1 Person 2 Persons Easy Setup by Clip Waterproof Lightweight protable Camping Hiking Tent for Adults Kids Scouts Tent". I like it because it's under 2kg and has a convenient side entrance.

I kept John “lofty” Wiseman’s excellent SAS survival handbook at hand but luckily there were no emergencies requiring reference to it.

I look forward to even more ambitious outings in the future.