Tom,

I think that is an outrageous price for an autotuner.  If you have an audible
tuning aid, you could use a small mobile tuner for portable applications.

Also, there was an article in one of the recent QST's sometime last summer
about a portable vertical antenna which you can carry in a suitcase for
portable work.  That might be an interesting possibility and certainly would
work better than that antenna in the window.

As for switching power supplies, the only thing I've heard is that some of them
are kind of hashy, which you could live with for portable work, but certainly
would be more of a problem in the shack.

Steve Pollo, K8SP
Lansing, MI
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Behler" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 9:50 PM
Subject: equipment for HF classroom demos


Hi, all.

As many of you may know, I am a college professor, and my XYL is a public
school teacher.  We are both licensed hams.

I am becoming increasingly interested in conducting demonstrations of HF
communication in the classroom setting, as an additional way to recruit
young people into our hobby.

Right now, I have an Icom 718 HF rig to use for this purpose, butI need to
make some decisions on other equipment so I can put a workable portable HF
station together.

Here are my questions:

1.  What are your thoughts on auto antenna tuners to go with the Icom 718?
Icom suggests the AT180, which costs about $350, if I remember correctly.
In my book, that's an awful lot for an auto-tuner, since I paid a little
over $500 for the 718 itself, including the speech synthesizer chip.  Some
folks have suggested LDG auto-tuners.  Have any of you had experience with
them, and if so, can you recommend a particular model and give me a cost
figure?  Are there any other auto-tuners you would suggest?

2.  Portable HF antennas:  Aside from trying to string up some kind of a
wire antenna, like a G5RV, do you have any other suggestions for nice
portable HF antennas?  I know that MFJ is now advertising an MFJ 1622
window-mount antenna, for around $100.  It sounds good, but I can't believe
the thing would work all that well.  How about the "buddy pole" that has
recently come out?  Any other suggestions?


3.  Power supplies:  In my shack I use an Astron RS35 transformer-type power
supply, and love it.  Problem is it is kind of bulky to carry around, if you
know what I mean.  What do you think about switching power supplies, like
the MFJ Mighty Light, or one of the Samlex models?  I have heard mixed
reviews on switching supplies.  They are easy to carry around, but
apparently are somewhat succeptible to failure.

Please feel free to answer any or all of these questions.  Hopefully, the
answers I get to these questions will help others on the list as well.  If
you want to e-mail me off list, that's fine to.  My e-mail is
[log in to unmask]

Thanks in advance for your help.

Best 73 from Tom Behler:  KB8TYJ, Big Rapids, MI