Life seemed to squeeze out ham radio until this month when I got my first 2 meter rig - a Kenwood TM-261A mobile unit.

This radio is really small. I bought a CD player case (CaseLogic DM1) to protect the radio when I'm portable. (This is a padded case with a zippered pouch that I can store my power cable and mic in.) I built a twinlead j-pole as a first project. An Innova 12-volt portable battery unit that also has a shoulder strap gives me portable power. (So far the 6.5 Amp Hour battery gives me about 4 hours of low power operating time. The unit will charge overnight with a trickle charger or quicker if you use the cigarette lighter socket in the car.) I still need to get a mag-mount antenna for the car and a rubber duckie for truly portable operating. This was my answer to budget limitations and still have

• a portable radio
• a mobile radio
• a base radio