Originally I just had the 857 in a soft case and it got chucked into a bag with everything else. I get things started, I built a simple bracket made of aluminium strip that held the battery, tuner and radio.

This worked fine for a while but I wanted something that looked better and protected the radio a little more. I saw a few examples on Youtube where people had built a kind of exoskeleton frame and put the equipment inside it. That solution was rugged, kept all the equipment together and looked good so I decided to have a go at upgrading my shambles of a portable station into a real manpack...
I found a suitable bag from the local surplus store to use as the basis of my manpack. A simple olive drab pack with 2 side pockets and molle loops to expand if needed.

I measured the internal dimensions of the main pocket and used AutoCAD to design a frame to fit inside. I decided to make the frame from 15mm copper water pipe as I had some spare and just needed a few simple fittings.

After checking that the FT-857, LDG Z11Pro11 Tuner and battery would fit inside, I cut the copper pipe and started to assemble.

Once the frame was dry assembled I tested the equipment for fit before soldering the frame together using a blow torch.

Soldering the frame was easy but I wish I had used the type of connectors that are not pre soldered. The ones I used had a ring of solder inside the connector so I had to make sure each connector had the correct tube inserted before I applied heat.


A quick test fit in the pack to make sure it fitted.

With the basic frame done, I cleaned it up and started to add the fittings. First, some aluminium strips to support the battery. I tried to solder the strips to the copper but it was very messy so I ended up using some small rivets instead.

Next up was the strips and bracket to support the FT-857.

Followed by the antenna connection brackets and ATU support.

I cleaned the frame again and rubbed it down with wire wool before giving it a coat of paint. I used some "truck bed" paint from the local auto store which was billed as "hard wearing" and leaves a textured (think sandpaper!) finish.

I wanted to soften the frame up a little and protect the paintwork on the base and handles so I found some DPM bandage (originally for my dogs injured leg) and used it to wrap parts of the frame. It's a bit spongy and makes the handles a bit more comfortable.

The LDG tuner was attached to the frame with some double sided foam tape. This stuff is used in cars to fix trim and is very sticky!


Next to go in was the FT-857. It sits in the original mobile mounting bracket with the microphone clip attached via a bracket screw.

Last to go in was the battery. I use a 7Ah 12v SLA battery and usually run the radio at 20W or less. The battery is held in place with a webbing strap (I need to get a black or green one to replace the orange one!) and connects via powerpole connectors for easy charging.

All complete and in the pack ready for action.

I intend on adding extras as I get used to using the pack and hope to end up with a complete station in a simple to carry and robust package.