A possible early departure for the TAT/QRP motorcycle ride

Since my initial posting a few weeks ago, I've heard from half a dozen other ham/off-road motorcyclists who have ridden or are planning something similar to what I'm hoping to do. It's great to know that there are others reading this who can relate.

I'm working toward my planned ride of the Trans-America Trail on several fronts:

Departure Date

I'm keeping a close eye on the Colorado passes and noting reports from locals in that area regarding snow in the high elevations. It seems the passes are expected to open earlier than usual this year, having received lighter-than-normal snowfalls. As I type in mid-April, Engineer Pass is currently open - something that doesn't usually happen until July.

Portion of the Colorado TAT

 

There are two options for the Colorado TAT - one goes over Engineer Pass, the other over Ophir Pass. I've ridden over Engineer (10 years ago) but Ophir was my nemesis. I dropped my heavy Suzuki DR650 three times trying to reach the top, having to pick up the 400lb beast at 12,000 feet, huffing and puffing in the thin air.

Ophir is steeper than Engineer Pass and, as one approaches the top, the trail consists almost entirely of grapefruit-size rocks. That, combined with a carbuerated engine's lack of horsepower at that elevation, made forward momentum an iffy commodity; thus the fall-downs.

5-band QMX on this morning's 5-band POTA activation

The little QMX has come a long way since it was first released as a CW/digital transceiver, and I don't just mean the addition of SSB.

Far more significant to me are the very recent firmware updates that corrected two major shortcomings with the radio:

Strict DC input voltage limitations and

Common failure of the final BS170's during high SWR at full power.

These two issues prevented the QMX (and QMX+) from being a serious consideration for outdoor ops who don't use resonant antennas and don't want to take along a buck converter, LiPo battery or place "dropping diodes" in series with the DC source.

Those are a lot of things to contend with if you want to just set up and be on the air with minimal fuss.

They are no real issue at all though, if you don't mind taking the time to accommodate the radio rather than have the radio accommodate you.

Sometimes I like to savor the steps necessary to put a station on the air and don't mind taking extra time (and steps) to enjoy the process.

But for a roadtrip like the one I have planned, I want a minimal to-do list and a quick set up time - and I'm happy to say that the QMX/QMX+ now support this.

This morning's was my first activation with the 15-40m QMX. Hans built this one for me and expedited it to me a few months ago as I was trying to get permission to operate in Vietnam and Thailand. Thailand said 'Yes" but Vietnam said "No, don't even bring a radio here". So I had to leave the radio at home since VN was our first stop.

Now, with a different type of trip on the horizon, the little QMX again has become the front runner of the 4 radios I'm considering. 

Exploring my QRP options for bumpy travel

I've made several short excursions with three of the following QRP rigs (except for the Currahee, which I just received today) and am considering which of the four to carry with me on longer trips like the TAT and various BDR's.

Conditions would be: Bumpy riding, likely to fall (I hate riding in deep sand!), exposure to heat and humidity.

I operate only CW and would like to activate parks (and possibly SOTA summits) on the way, usually only on 15, 20 and 40 meters.

The antenna in all cases would be a 5m (17-ft) telescoping whip attached to a mount on the bike, a loading coil for 40 meters, two radials and with an antenna tuner. The latter is a must to compensate for variations from one set-up to the next.

Power would come from the bike's 7.4AH lead-acid battery. 

These are the radios I'm considering: 

QRP rigs, pricing, and what's missing from most of them

A search of the mythical Ideal QRP Travel Rig For Vibration-Rich Environments has me, once again, pondering what's out there and coming to the same old conclusion:

That the Elecraft KX2 - manyyears (yes, one word) after its introduction - still has no peer. Eight years old now - a virtual eternity.

Like others, I watch the YouTube infomercials of the latest offerings, hoping to find my unicorn. But lately, rather than compelling me to open my wallet, they reaffirm the value of the radio released back in 2016.

Here's where I'm coming from vs. what's out there - a bit of a backstory (please bear with me):

Nine years ago, I rode most of the off-road motorcycle trail known as the TAT that stretched (at the time - it's longer now) from Tennessee to Oregon, on a single-cylinder Suzuki DR650. Single-cylinder bikes are often called "thumpers" for good reason. I made it to Utah before the obligations of still being employed called me home. That fact bugs me like you have no idea. I almost finished - but didn't.

I had two radios with me: an MTR-3 and an Elecraft KX2. Both performed admirably and survived single-cylinder vibration and the bike being dropped three times on Colorado's Ophir Pass.