Taking a Radio Camping

See also perhaps:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_wire_antenna

There are also commercially available products that are fairly portable and probably give you a better SWR; e.g.:

* https://www.buddipole.com

* https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Buddipole

From one of the photos, seems like the author is using an Elecraft KX-2, which is really a clever bit of kit that packs a big bunch in small package:

* https://elecraft.com/products/kx2-ssb-cw-data-80-10-m-transc...

Yeah, the KX2 is an amazing little radio. I take mine with me on work trips for doing POTA in new places. The tuner in the KX2 is said to be able to tune a wet noodle.

The receiver is very sensitive and the filter can be adjusted to clamp down on one signal. I do CW most of the time so I can setup and make contacts in a lot of noisy, challenging places, from Grants Tomb in NYC to a little POTA site just north of KC airport with power distribution lines high overhead, I've been able to work coast to coast with either an end-fed halfwave or a Chelegance MC750 vertical. (Far easier and less bulky than my Buddipole or Buddistick). I also have an end-fed random wire for use with my KX2. I took it to Old Town San Diego and was able to band-hop while a friend was on 20m at the same picnic table. With the random wire I was still able to pull in Italy on 5W!

I'm headed for Madison, WI tomorrow and will be playing radio in the evenings weather (and solar storm) dependent.

A buddipole has been on my list for a while, but as you said the KX2 is really good, and happily tunes even the worst of my antenna experiments. I've made contacts with the output of this radio tied directly into a grounding rod and nothing else before.

On this particular trip, I had my antenna at a perfect 1:1 the whole time.