Radio Gear I Took on my Bonaire Vacation

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This video talks about the gear I took with me and the unexpected lessons I learned:

1. Too much gear = less fun.

2. If you're going somewhere to spend time with people you love, you should take even less gear.

3. Everybody needs to go to Bonaire to see the amazing underwater world that lives in the reef around that island.

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Cool video on your travel gear. The good news besides family time is you got your 897 home and in one piece!

hamradiocomms

I can say that I feel the same. I mostly enjoy design, construction, and setup of a station. The less, the better. QRP fits that role quite well.

Radninja

Thanks for the video and I agree with your mindset

nickfish

A great lesson learned. I to am trying to go even more portable. My present portable rig is an Icom 706MKIIG, Buddipole Vertical w/Cap Hat and Alinco Switching power supply. All this fits into an American Tourister Backpack with wheels and telescopic handle. But . . . What I really want to do is to go micro portable with either a KX-2 or KX-3 and and HWEF antenna rolled up on a small kitewinder. All this will easily fit along with my Netbook computer, into my Leather Coach Messenger Bag. Now . . . I just need to scare up the money to buy that KX-3 :O

michaelhiggins

Great video Cliff. That is so true. The less gear the more fun. That is the reason, I bought me a QRP rig for CW and built me an antenna and now I am learning CW and hope to be on air portable, when weather gets warmer this spring. I hope you make a lot more of your great videos that I always enjoy watching. Many thanks for that.

ThereIsProbablyNoGod

Cool you have your SCUBA license also. If you haven't, I highly recommend the PADI advanced SCUBA course also. I did that, it was a lot of fun.

hamradiocq

This is so true. I really like your videos. I thought I might share what I am going through. I have changed radios about 5 times since getting my license(September 2016). I moved all the way to Extra in November. I just wanted to get on the air at first. Then I wanted to try digital modes. I needed at tuner. I needed another tuner for when I was not at home. I got an amp for my ld-5 when I wanted to use it portable. I had a signalink. I had 6 antennas. And, I am selling EVERYTHING. You can't use it all at once. I think that is something you need to always remember. You can't use everything. All that stuff just weights you down.

I bought a KX3 that is coming in the mail this week. It has an internal tuner. I sold the antennas and I have one mag loop for portable. I also have one end fed.

At home I have a 100 watt amp, a tuner. and a more permanent antenna.

I know some people think it might be an inconvenience to use one radio. But, in the grand scheme of things it is going to add 30 seconds to my day to plug this stuff in. Plus, it was all taking up a lot of space on my desk. Now I can have a portable bag ready that all i need to do is put one radio in when I travel.

Keep up the great work.

kcexactly

Hey Cliff, love your videos and straight-forward messages. Thanks for sharing. I love my KX3 for portable work, especially while on hiking and backpacking trips. Keep up the great work!

73,
K0CKH

horsetrainingresources

I've often enjoyed QRP radio expeditions from the Arctic Circle with my 817 and endfed. Unfortunately on more than one occasion I wish I would have had the internally powered 897 @ 20w, rather than the 817 @ 5watts, during times when conditions just wouldn't let me do what I wanted @ 5w or less. I know the physics behind it, but sometimes (not often) 10 or 20 watts makes a big difference.
Regarding that huge Pelican case, you were nuts. :)
Rule #1, "take only what you need".

OHSTN

I would have given anything to see the look on the TSA agent's face when that stuff passed
through the scanner!
It's a wonder they didn't evacuate the airport!

DrDante

Diver and qrp convert. Heading to Indonesia next week for 6 months to do my dive master program. No AR license reciprocation so no play for me.

WadeAbout

I agree with the "last time" QRP... I would add the Signalink for digital modes. I plan to do this sort of thing once I wind the lottery, and the IRS takes too much of it. Bonaire, diving, and ham radio... Now that's a vacation. I'm going to use the FT-817. Do you have any recommendations for Solar power gear?

frostgfx