Last week, I picked up a hard, fabric covered, double zipped camera case complete with detachable neck/wrist strap, from Poundland. There are both hard and soft cases available. The hard case has a little label on it saying Camera-bag. My point and shoot camera is too large for the case, however, the case is tailor made for the Yaesu dynamic MH-31 mic that comes with the FT-817, 857 etc, a perfect fit.
BTW, the case weighs just 55 grammes.
Mike 2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
A good thought, Mike! The soft cases are well padded and come in a range of colours, some of which will show up well if dropped amongst the rocks. I will have to pop in today and get a hard case before all you SOTA types buy them all up! On the subject of Poundland, last time I was there I picked up a pair of headphones with attached mike. I thought they would probably be rubbish but in fact the phones are very good and go well with the 817 - I may try changing the socket on the mike, if that works well it will simplify juggling notebook, pen, mike, and stopping the rig from going for a walk!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to 2E0YYY:
I must admit, I always check in Poundland for various handy bits. As I mentioned on another thread, their soft neoprene laptop cases would probably be ok for an 817/857 for some extra padding. They do them in several sizes. In Swindon, we also have a ‘99p shop’ where they are selling zipped fishing tackle bags which are about 2’ long and have 3 compartments. I have my portable 2m Delta in one with coax, spare element wires and mast fittings etc. and there’d still be room in there for another small/portable antenna. The boom sticks out one end by a couple of inches, but for 99p!! Ok, the shoulder strap could do with be lengthed too, but it’s not a biggy to change it. The Poundshop have also done screen protectors in the past for various phones/touch pads etc. ideal to cut to size for radio screens.
Must admit, I’ve looked at the headphones before in there, wonder if they’d work on an FT-60 handie??
73
Jonathan
M6HBS
In reply to M6HBS:
wonder if they’d work on an FT-60 handie
Why not? The biggest problem is making a reliable and neat job of attaching the odd ball plugs to the cable. But a bit of practice fixes that.
If anyone is looking for 4 pin screw fit IP67 mic plugs used on VX-170s and other waterproof handies then get in touch.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
Well, for a £1 it’s got to be worth a try I guess Andy. Doubtless we’ll be in town tomorrow, so I’ll pick one (or perhaps 2) up.
Jonathan
M6HBS
In reply to M6HBS:
In reply to 2E0YYY:
I must admit, I always check in Poundland for various handy bits. As I
mentioned on another thread, their soft neoprene laptop cases would
probably be ok for an 817/857 for some extra padding.
Thanks for that tip, Jonathan, I picked one up, “after” damaging some of the black paintwork on the FT-857 case, by putting a small metal three legged fold-up stool too close to it in the rucksack… Very annoying.
I then spent a couple of evenings doing an invisible repair job on the paintwork. Matching in the paint is somewhat tedious, however, the final result was extremely pleasing.
73
Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
I have been wrapping my rigs in a spare fleece inside the rucksack for years, but just before Christmas I picked up a couple of Pro Bag camera bags very cheap from Home Bargains. They are a bit of a strange size, too small for an SLR with lenses and too big for a compact camera, however perfect for quite a few rigs. I use one for the Yaesu FT-817 and one for the FT-857. The rig and power lead fit in the main case and on the 857 the mic fits in to one of two side pockets. the pocket on the front is big enough for my coax.
I also have a ‘bum bag’ that the 817 will fit in to that also holds two water bottles. My plan was to put the guys and pegs, note book and pencil etcetera in there, then sling the other bag over my shoulder for a light weight summer activation kit. I would just need to carry the SOTA pole. What I need is a pair of walking poles that clip together and telescope in to form a thirty foot mast.
Steve GW7AAV
In reply to GW7AAV:
I use a 6-metre fishing pole as a walking pole, it lacks the point but is an effective walking aid. Unfortunately my 10-metre pole is too thick to be used effectively for walking!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
“I use a 6-metre fishing pole as a walking pole,
73
Brian G8ADD”
You must have long arms Brian! 
73
Roger MW0IDX
In reply to MW0IDX:
It saves scrambling if you can vault up the rocks!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to GW7AAV:
My FT817, mic, power lead and rubberduck antenna live inside a plastic food (sandwich) box. I bought it from a supermarket a few years ago, it fits the FT817 perfectly for footprint and the mic and accessories fit in on top. The only downside is a little bit of extra weight. My FT817 still looks like new (in total honesty!)and is from one of the first batches in the UK. I don’t know why I carry the rubberduck antenna - I never use it!
I carry my SLAB in a ‘clip lock’ food container, this keeps the terminals safely out of the way of anything that may short them. Again, this was purchased in a supermarket and I managed to find one that fitted my 7AH SLAB pretty well. I drilled a little hole in the container to allow venting, but this is probably not neccesary.
I can really recommend food containers, they are cheap, very tough and come in a variety of sizes from tiny to huge! The ‘clip lock’ type are also pretty much waterproof.
I value the protection and convenience over the penalty of a little extra weight.
73
Colin
M0CGH
In reply to M0CGH:
I have started using my old camera case for my 817. Its a Lowepro TLZ1 that I got from fleabay a few years back. As my Pentax has fallen out of favour, it now houses the 817, mic, power leads, user manual and logbook. Being constructed by Lowepro, it is superbly padded and keeps everything save. I’m quite sure that my radio would look as good as the day it was bought if it stayed inside the case, but having dropped it and watched it slip down rocks a few times, it has a few ‘user scars’, but as I’ll never part with it it’s a bit academic. I have thought of the ‘tupperware’ option, but never seemed to find the right size. I would like to find one the right size for my smaller sized 3.2ah slab as Colin says to keep the battery terminals out of harms way. Suppose I’ll just need to keep my eyes open for the right one.
Roddy 2M0IOB
In reply to M0CGH:
I bought some ‘Clip Lock’ food containers for that purpose from Morrison’s Supermarket when they were two for £1 or something. Then I found the camera bags. They are as you say perfect for the 817 or 857, but one of mine now has Helen’s NUE-PSK unit in it and the other one is handy for sandwiches.
I like the idea of a container for my slabs. At the moment I put them in a plastic bag to prevent shorting in transit and they don’t last long.
73 Steve GW7AAV