Hello Jeff!  Well, I pull the camper out about 7 times or so a year, and always set up the K1 or so.  I have a Par End Fedz 10-20-40, and have always had good success.  Also, I have a over the bed mount on my truck for Hamsticks.  Run the coax to the table.  Have also put up a dipole.  Also, used to own the Buddistik.  All of these set ups work.  You can also ground mount Hamsticks and lay out a ground radial or 2.  This is also a good set up.  The best thing to use:  Is what ever you have to try and experiment with, and how much room you have in your vehicle.  All of the set ups I have, have been collected over the past few years.  Workman make good hamsticks to take camping.  Have fun, and good luck.  If you want to email me off line, feel free to do so.  My email is on my QRZ page.

73..Scott  N3JJT

CJB..You can run Class B with generators, batteries, wind...etc...."B" just represents a portable operation  of either 1 or 2 persons.  The battery entrants are together and the portable stations are listed together.  Once you hit 3 or more people you can go to Class A.  But you can still run batteries with Class A.  Batteries will give you a multiplier of 5.

Hope everyone has fun at FD!

N3JJT  73..

Rick...Something to remember:  Take along your gadget bag with solder gun, connectors and the like.  If something is going to go wrong, it will, when you leave that behind.  Be prepared...and I promise you will have fun!  I am trying something new this year.  I ran 2A last year with a couple friends.  I CW, and they phone.  Unable to use the property this year, so had to do an alternate.  I am going to run 1B battery, all CW,and keep a constant charge with a solar panel while camping at a state park.  If I figured correctly, 400 bonus points, and I have not started to to Xmit!  I am really looking forward to this year, as I never ran this class before!  Good luck to you and your friend, enjoy!  This first year might be a year of lessons learned.   Field Day makes for stories to tell!   Make some notes on things you might want to change for next year!  The suggested exchanges are just fine.  I would suggest, at the beginning of FD, just turn the dial back and forth and hear what everyone else is doing.  You will soon find your groove!

Have Fun!  73  N3JJT  Scott

Hello Jordan!  This is always my advise if I am Elmering someone just wanting to start into HF.   Get on HF with a used rig.  Hopefully someone locally will have one for sale at a good price.   Build yourself a couple of wire antennas, and learn about that part of the hobby.  Put your rig on the air, make contacts, and learn how all of the things you have read and talked about go together.  Turn your rig down to 5 watts, and play QRP, experiment with this part of the hobby, learn what it takes to operate, hone your skills.  Still interested?  While this is going on, keep throwing those pennies in the jar.  When you are ready to look for radio number 2, maybe this time a dedicated QRP rig, start looking, and then buy.  This gives you plenty of time to decide on exactly what you want for a QRP/portable rig.  I have nice rigs for home, all 100 watt rigs, and a nice K1 I like to take to the park, camping, and portable type operating.   Take your time, slide in to the hobby, gauge your spending, watch for deals, talk to other hams, go to your local club and see what other hams are doing for this type of operating.  Most times, you will find someone that would be happy to let you operate and try out various set ups.

Good Luck!  de Scott N3JJT

Stan:  I own the 10/20/40 model.  I actually have 2.  One lives in the camper, and is used with the K2 or K1.  I have had great success with this set up.  Nice thing, no counterpoise.  I also own the 30 Mtr version. I have it sloped off of the back of my tower.  Works FB.  Not sure of the SSB performance, as I do not do phone, but on CW I have had nothing but fun, and many contacts on 40 and 20.  I usually run mine as a sloper from a 33' fiberglass telescoping mast.

GL, and have fun!  de Scott  N3JJT

Joe, also, make sure on your tuner that you have the 300 watt position selected, not the 30 watt output.  If you leave it in the 30 position, it will peg at 30, and no more. Plus, not good on the meter. Just a thought.

Scott  N3JJT  GL and Welcome to the hobby!

Scott:  Just to check:  There is a menu setting on the IC718 that enables the TX of CW and SSB, or they can be set to RX only.  Forget what the Menu label is, but I am sure it is in the intitial menu setting.  Not your quick sets.  Worth a look.

Scott  N3JJT  GL

There is a menu setting on the 718 that allows transmit of CW/SSB.  I cannot remember if it is in the quick menu, or the hard set menu.  Get in the hard set first, and scroll thru each setting.  I think it might just jump out at you when you see it.  I think the menu item is listed in the manual, page 44, "Set Mode"..try that and see if that helps.

Good Luck!   de N3JJT  Scott

Hello Jim:  Welcome to CW, and the wanting to learn.  The best way to practice your sending, is to open the newspaper, or magazine, and start sending the text.  Send the text at a speed in which it is comfortable.  If you make a mistake, send a few dits, and redo the sending where you made the mistake. (Naturally not on the air,use your sidetone on your rig).
Number one rule:  Never send any faster than you can copy.  If you were to get on the air, and send CQ at 20 wpm, that will more than likely be the speed of the other station.  So, do not set yourself up for failure, and in turn lose interest.
If you do not have a local club that offers CW classes, then I would recommend taking one on CDs.  Supplement the course with other learning aids, such as Koch.  However, the best way to supplement would be to listen to on air QSOs, W1AW bulletins, and code practice.  By listening to on the air QSOs, you will hear allot of abbreviations, and the way most ops carry out a QSO.  The schedule for ARRL will be found on the ARRL website, or in the QST magazine, if you so get one.
If you have the desire to learn, it will happen.  Practice, Practice Practice!  Do not give up!  Do not worry about how fast others are going.  Just learn, and apply what you learn, and everything else will happen on its own.  You will not wake up tomorrow and jump into a QSO, it will take a little bit of time and dedication.  Be patient.
Your final goal will be to copy in your head.  Make notes for the log, but everything else should be a conversation.

Good Luck!  73..de Scott  N3JJT  Hope to hear you on the air.

Hello Jerry!  I home brewed a junction box that can accept up to 5 hand keys.  I use the adapter Ken mentioned, 2 females to one male.  I use an external keyer.  I turned off the built in keyer, and hooked the external keyer to one connection, and the other is the patch cable coming from the junction box I made.  This makes it very easy to switch from hand key to paddle at any time, allowing up to 5 different hand keys on the desk at the same time.  It makes it like a "Hand Key Buffet"!

73..Scott   N3JJT

Hello Jay!  I would have to say the Ten Tec Eagle.   A very simple rig, no hidden menus.  There is a "Function" button, and this button enables the 2nd half of the dual purpose buttons.  Everything that is set on the radio, is visible on the display.  Go to the Ten Tec website, and view the manual.  Like, Ken has said:  The IC718 is also an easy radio to operate.

Good Luck!  Scott  N3JJT

I agree, if you can try a couple of keys ahead time this will help choose.

I have a Begali Simplex, and a Simplex Basic.  Also a K8RA P2.  Love them all!

Gud luck on your choice.  You can always sell,and buy another if you do not like your first choice.

73  Scott  N3JJT

Hello Garth!  You and I may have had this conversation before on the SKCC Sked page.  I use an inexpensive pair of wireless headphones.  No wire to get in the way.  Plus, you can go to the kitchen for a drink and never miss a thing!

73  Scott N3JJT

Well said by all!  I still have my paper logs, but now I update an electronic log.  With a quick search you can see if you have worked a call before, or not.  If so, how many times.  I use Winlog, and I have multiple logs for various contacts..ie:  SKCC, FISTS, general, portable, etc and so on.  Makes it easy to see if you sent cards or received them.  Although not required, it is nice to have on hand, whether paper or plastic..

73..de ..Scott  N3JJT

Hello Steve!  I use the Idiom Press C4 and the K5.  The reason I use external keyers:  I have a paddle and a straight key hooked up to each rig at all times.  This enables a quick change to the straight key to swap SKCC numbers during a QSO

73..de N3JJT...Scott