At first I used the little flimsy plastic mounts that are typically used to connect cycle computers and other teeny things  to the handlebars.  When the wind chill gets below zero they get very brittle and fracture easily.  Having your radio dangling inches above the ground on a downhill can be a little nerve wracking.  That problem was corrected by a trip to the local hardware store where I found “conduit holders”. 

So just exactly how do you power a hundred watt radio on a bicycle?  I’d like to think that a little generator on the front wheel might do the trick but, it would take half of the Tour de France peloton to generate that much power.  No, I’ve decided to use something a little more pedestrian (sorry).  The site Powerport Store is an excellent source for Sealed Lead Acid batteries.  The bunch pictured here are 8AHr apiece.  Wire them up in parallel and voila you have 32 AHr worth of power in a light weight 20 lb package.  OK, so it’s not THAT light weight but, safely tucked in its luggage carrier, who’s to notice?  And just how long do you get to chit-chat on that much DC?  Consider that the 706 draws 20A in keydown and 2A with the audio blasting (is there any other way?) and you can feel an Excel formula cell coming on.  Generally speaking this little pouch of power is good for around 3 hours of QSOs.  Drop the power down to fifty watts and you could probably talk for a day and a half.  Is it true that life is too short for QRP?  Never operated QRP.  Wouldn’t know. 

<- Back | Next ->