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My goal was to be as light as possible. The total weight of the components shown here is 9.1 ounces, which is 0.569 pounds. So, if I make 5 QSOs, my score is 5 / 0.569 or 8.79. The Naked QCX is 5.0 oz. The ear buds and 3D Printed Key are 0.4 oz and 0.8 oz. The difficult thing is finding a light weight battery that will last a while. I settled on building a pack of ten 2/3 AAA NiMH batteries. That battery pack weighs 2.9 oz. I am able to run 3 watts with this particular setup.
Here are the results from two recent Spartan Sprints:
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This event does not have a real big following. And not everyone who works it submits their score. W5ACM has a rather unique station. He is in a class by himself with a station that light. But, if he has a really bad night I can be competitive. But either way, it is all in fun, just trying to do the best you can with a small lightweight station.
Lighter is Better
Trying to get a little lighter with my QCX Station, I tried some small 3.6v LiPo batteries that were made for use in a small quad copter. The pack of four weighs 2.46 oz, making my total station weight 8.66 oz or 0.541 pounds. (I keep using Power Pole connectors out of convenience - If I was trying to be even more competitive, I would eliminate that 'extra weight'). I was hoping to get more than 3 watts with this LiPo battery pack that has a higher voltage than my NiMH battery pack has. But I do not - they must be current limiting. But 3 watts gets the job done. The four LiPo batteries are wired in series:
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