Exceeding the past ....

Within a month or so of work I had recreated, for the most part, where I was previously in terms of capabilities.  I had a working, reliable HF station.  Good VHF in the shack and the vehicle and mobile APRS for digital tracking (so the wife can figure out where I am - no more smartphone apps).  I also reinstalled my 6 meter dipole for when the band decided to open up.But in keeping with time honored tradition - it was time to move forward.  So I started to expand some.

Battery Backup

 One capability that I had always wanted, but never gotten to was emergency power.  With my ARES and MARS influences in full march I decided to add a battery powered backup for the HF station.  This was done and I also added a  PowerGate and Rigrunner to handle the power transfer and routing jobs.  At this stage I had and auto-switch to battery backup for HF and VHF transceivers.

That still exists but I also now have a meter to monitor battery voltage overall, amperage draw when on battery power, and a UPS to support the computer, audio mixer and digital operations.  Current load gives me just over 15 minutes to cover quick drops.  It also prevents me from losing a contact or communication mid-word.  If it looks prolonged I can shut down the computer to conserve power as well as consider setting up the generator to cover for extended time frames.  On the planning dock is a solar charging addition that will help keep the battery up and running as needed.

BEAM!

Six meter beam that is.  I had always wanted a VHF beam.  Have one up for 2/440 but never had one for 6.  So after working the VHF spring contest and doing OK, I purchased a Cushcraft 3 element beam. Use a Radio Shack TV rotator to spin it.  Works like a champ.

Getting the word out

Another addition I had wanted was a boom microphone.  The looks of the arm reaching out and holding the microphone just so - also fit the the ability to type while transmitting without too much hassle.  So I purchased a Heil boom and microphone holder. The holder fit my Kenwood MC60A microphone and I added a foot switch I already had.

By this point my shack looked like this: