Favorite Things

[Alan Georges]

That's kind of a weird title for a thread, but I'll blame the blog Off Grid Ham because it's the title on their latest post, https://offgridham.com/2019/01/favorite-things/

TLDR: Taking stock, making goals, and burning off holiday gift money, CW lists some of his favorite ham items:

• Fluke 115 multimeter
• Yaesu FT-817
• Portable Zero tacticool carrier
• Renogy 100w solar panel
• LDG QRP tuner
• random wire antennas

OK, I'll add one: Bioenno batteries.  https://www.bioennopower.com/collections/lifepo4-batteries-for-communication-equipment-ham-radio
They're crazy-light, good for many more cycles than lead-acid, and are turn-key ready to go.  Unfortunately, they also cost about 5x the equivalent in lead-acid, but there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Anybody else have a favorite thing to add?  CB and GMRS people, feel free to join in too.

[gnoticpasta]

I'd add my H/T to that  (VX-7R) and the supporting elements that go with it.. carrier, goal zero nomad 15, and sherpa battery pack, rubber duck and homebrew backpacking j-pole. 

and my 857D... still looking at those batteries (lifepo4) but running it off a power supply right now.

GP

[Alan Georges]

I had to go look up the VX-7R, and it is impressive.  6/2/1.25/440 bands all in one hand-held, that is cool.

FT-857D, yeah!  It's lots heavier in a backpack than its little brother the 817 that CW listed.  OTOH, if the S has HTF hard enough that I'm down to scrambling in the woods and relying on HF comms from a backpack, that S probably wasn't survivable anyway.

[exSun]

My "MULTIMETER TS-352B/U" VOM. Old, analog, 20,000 ohm/V, 5,000 Volt multiplier. It's heavy enough to be used as a weapon. But it can go to the field, be used, abused and keep on working under conditions that my electronic VOMs would die in. I replaced the 4.5 V batteries with 3 cell AAA holders. Put in lithium AAA and it runs for years.