Background
I few months ago, I set out on a quest to put together a mid-power backpack VHF packet station using equipment I already had, but with one catch: I wanted the ability to deploy it with a self supporting vertical antenna for use in situations where suspending antennas from trees or structure was impossible. I knew what type of components were necessary to make this idea work, but I couldn't find the critical piece: the 1/2 wave vertical compact antenna that could handle the 35 watt target power output. So I decided to turn to Microsoft Copilot AI in an attempt to find what I was looking for, but all I got was responses that what I was trying to do was not feasible unless I used some type of Slim Jim antenna or vertical dipole that I could suspend from a...
I few months ago, I set out on a quest to put together a mid-power backpack VHF packet station using equipment I already had, but with one catch: I wanted the ability to deploy it with a self supporting vertical antenna for use in situations where suspending antennas from trees or structure was impossible. I knew what type of components were necessary to make this idea work, but I couldn't find the critical piece: the 1/2 wave vertical compact antenna that could handle the 35 watt target power output. So I decided to turn to Microsoft Copilot AI in an attempt to find what I was looking for, but all I got was responses that what I was trying to do was not feasible unless I used some type of Slim Jim antenna or vertical dipole that I could suspend from a...
