Buddipole PowerMini + USB

Compact Portable DC Power Management System with built-in Solar Controller

•  High contrast OLED display
• Power management includes current and voltage readout
• Now with USB output!
• User-definable Low Voltage Alarm + Cutoff
• Solar controller for use with panels up to 11 amps
• Increased current handling capacity – now 32 amps Max!

The POWERmini is described as a DC Power Management System, but what is that?

Most Amateur Radio gear is designed to be operated directly from a 12V DC power source. For a radio with 100W output that amounts to an input current around 25A. That provides a lot of convenience for mobile and portable applications but operation is not quite as simple as plugging into a wall outlet. Batteries require attention to maximize their life and solar panels need to be managed to prevent overcharging.

Simply put the Power Management system looks after the health of the DC battery powering the system for both the charge and discharge cycles, but also keeping an eye open to protecting your radio too.

From the charging perspective a dedicated solar panel input allows connection of a solar panel with up to 11A of current to charge the system battery. This functions not only as a charger, preventing reverse current flow into the panel and ensuring that the battery is not overcharged, but it also provides monitoring of the panel indicating how much charge has been delivered to the battery and reports the panel power output to provide a view of how well the panel has been working.

With regard to the discharge cycle, the system monitors the battery voltage and provides warning of low battery voltage helping to avoid damage to the battery due to deep discharge. It can even automatically disconnect the battery from the radio in case you forget to do so. The POWERmini supports both Lead Acid and Lithium Ion batteries.

Power output up to 32Ah total is provided by dual output connectors. Both are protected by an automatic disconnect in case of accidental over current such as a short circuit. The output is also protected by a voltage monitor that automatically disconnects your expensive radio from too high of an input voltage.

System monitoring is provided by a real time reporting system indicating the battery and solar panel voltages, the load current and solar panel current as well as the amount of energy used by the battery and what was replenished by the solar panel. Visual and audible alarms warn of power related issues such as over-voltage, low battery voltage or over-current.

Buddipole Choke Balun

This choke balun is used at the feedpoint of the Buddipole antenna to provide isolation from common mode current running back down on the coax shield.

The choke balun has mini-banana plug leads on the top to feed the Versatee.

The bottom is a BNC connector with attached protector cap.

You can now add any length of coaxial cable you wish.

This choke balun is a replacement for the coax cable assemblies with the built-in choke balun that were formerly offered.

Frequency Range: 7 MHz – 150 MHz

Buddipole Cables

These are premium, made in USA MILSPEC-17 coaxial cables that terminate in Amphenol RF Brand (not to be confused with the cheaper Amphenol Connex) BNC male connectors (see photo).

The cable is RG58 A/U 50 ohm and is available in both 25′ (7.62 metres) and 50′ (15.24 metres) lengths, with or without SO239 adapters.

These cables can be used with our choke balun that comes with the standard Buddipole.

They can also be used with our Triple Ratio Switch Balun (TRSB), or for any other antenna system.

Please select from the drop down menu whether you would prefer any of the SO-239 connectors with the cable.

Note: Picture shown without optional SO-239 adapters.

VersaTee

The new VersaTee™ is truly a revolution in design for any type of portable dipole.

Manufactured from a custom-made injection mold with fiberglass reinforced materials which are UV resistant, the VersaTee is built rugged and made to withstand extended outdoor use in all types of conditions.

The VersaTee™ contains standard 3/8″ x 24 threads for mounting Buddipole™ antenna arms or other elements (such as Hamsticks) securely.

The addition of molded pin placements allows for the use of rotating arms which lock securely into place.

You can now create any dipole configuration you desire (Slopers, Vees and Inverted Vees, L shapes, Vertical dipoles, etc.) in only a matter of seconds and without fear of slipping!

Standard Buddipole Coil (pair)

These coils come standard with our Buddipole, Buddistick, and Mini-Buddipole antennas. The high-Q design and low-loss dielectric material combine to create a high-performance yet extremely durable coil designed for years of outdoor use.

Each coil has 3 recessed channels which allow for nearly a hundred tapping options. Our custom-machined coil clips seat snugly on the 18awg wire turns. For the Buddipole, each coil is pre-marked in various colors which correspond to the amateur bands of 10m – 40m (7 bands) (see reference chart on our Technical Notes).

Please Note: Coils are not provided with coil clips. Coil clips can be purchased on this page. See below.

Mast Guying Kit

Our Mast Guying Kit includes a removable guying ring that we recommend placing just above the 2nd collar lock on our masts.

Using the toggles on the end of our dacron cord (manufactured by Mastrant specifically for guying), you can attach to any of the 3 holes in the injection-molded guying ring.

Then unwind the line out to the provided tent pegs (or other solid object) and secure with the line tightener which is built into our custom made linewinders.

Buddipole Coil Clips (Set of 3)

These are extra coil clips that are used as replacements or just to make it easier to change bands without having to move the clips.

They are manufactured to precise dimensions by a company that makes heart catheters and other micro-size parts.

Manufactured from Swiss stainless steel.

Sold as a set of 3 clips.

Buddipole Wire Line Winder

The wire line winders can be used with any size wire or cord (when making guying kits for example).

These line winders are made from a black nylon material reinforced with fiberglass fill.

They are exceptionally strong yet lightweight.

The series of 3 holes in a row are used for tightening guy lines – just one pull and it cinches right up!

The wings have slots to capture the wire when you want to quickly add or remove turns to adjust the frequency.

Wire Line Assembly

These wire assemblies are used for multiple purposes, including use as a wire counterpoise for our vertical antennas, as well as wire off the ends of our coils for the NVIS setups.

The linewinders that we use are custom made out of black nylon with a fiberglass fill. These are very strong and lightweight.

Each wire assembly comes with 32′ of insulated wire.

At the end of the wire is a ring terminal.

Also included is our new “counterpoise wire adapter”, or “CWA”, which connects to the side of the Versatee or the end of the standard coil when using the NVIS setups.

The CWA allows for easy tool-free removal in the field.

Low Band Counterpoise Kit

This wire assembly is exactly the same as the Wire Line Assembly, but longer. It comes with 66′ of insulated wire.

The linewinders that we use are custom made out of black nylon with a fiberglass fill. These are very strong and lightweight.

At the end of the wire is a ring terminal.

Also included is our new “counterpoise wire adapter”, or “CWA”, which connects to the side of the Versatee or the end of the standard coil when using the NVIS setups.

The CWA allows for easy tool-free removal in the field.

Rotating Arm Kit

This kit allows the user to change configurations of the Buddipole™ very quickly.

It’s a kit for experimenters…for those of you who want to see, for example, if an L-shape or sloper is better than a classic dipole for DX’ing. If you own an antenna analyzer, this kit is for you!

The Rotating Arm Kit includes 2 “soft touch” rubberized clamping knobs, 2 machined 6061 aluminium rotating arms, and instructions for adjustment.

Counterpoise Wire Adapter

Our improved counterpoise wire adapter (CWA) has a stainless steel dowel pin which allows for easy insertion and removal in the field without the use of any tools.

After you try it once you’ll agree that it makes life much easier!

Stainless Steel Telescopic Whips

These are rugged, custom made stainless steel (not aluminium!) telescopic whips that extend to 66″ and collapse to just 13″.

The base is standard 3/8-24 threaded brass which is reinforced for durability.

Copper sleeves are used between tubes for conductivity. Price is for one whip.

These are the best telescopic whips on the market!

Excellent as replacement whips or for building your own Buddipole.

Accesory Antenna Arms

Made from a thin, ultra-strong aluminum alloy these antenna arms now come standard with our Buddipole or Buddistick antennas.

We sometimes stack these arms together off the Buddipole center tee to increase the overall length of the antenna, thereby increasing efficiency.

Available in anodized black or “sky-blue” finish with brass “center-hollowed” studs for reduced weight. Available in 3 sizes – 11”, 22” and 32”.

Small version Carry Bag

This bag is made of a padded cordura nylon and is about 24″ in length.

The Buddipole (sans black tube), Buddipole Tripod, and small mast all fit together inside the bag with some room to spare for other small accessories.

The zipper goes all the way around the end of the bag to make it easier to accommodate the tripod or larger items. It makes for a pretty compact unit overall with good protection in case of being dropped.

Picture shown with all of the following items inside the bag:  Buddipole, Buddipole Tripod, Small Mast, Rotating Arm Kit, and additional small accessories.  Total weight:  9 lbs.

Long version Mast Carry Bag

These new longer bags are designed to accommodate our long (18′ extended) antenna mast (40″ collapsed).

They are made from 1000 denier Cordura Plus padded nylon utilizing industrial strength nylon thread and double-stitching at all stress points.

This bag will also accommodate the Deluxe Buddipole Package (antenna, tripod, mast, and all accessories) with some room to spare for extra coax, etc. It’s the perfect case for field day, emergency services, and general outdoor operating.

Overall bag dimensions are 42″ long x 7″ wide x 7″ high.

Made in the U.S.A. and backed by a lifetime warranty. Includes shoulder strap.

6 m Yagi Kit

The 6 Metre Yagi Kit will allow you to construct a 2-element Yagi antenna when added to a Buddipole Package (you will need one additional telescopic whip as well).

Vertical Antenna Clamp

This new clamp is superb for mounting the Buddistick (or any small vertical antenna) onto a picnic bench, apartment railing, or hotel window sill.

The clamp is designed to allow the antenna to quickly adjust to any angle with a quick turn of the knob.

This is particularly useful when working from a hotel or apartment window where vertical space is limited.

It has a near endless range of adjustability making it the most versatile small antenna clamp we’ve ever seen.

Please Note: The Vertical Clamp comes with a 1/4″ x 20 threaded stud. The mounting kit (as seen in photo at LEFT on top of the clamp) is needed to secure the antenna element as well as to accommodate radials and a SO 239 or BNC connector for the coax feed.

The mounting kit is sold separately on the accessories page or ordered as an option on the drop down menu below.

Folding Capacity Hat

Our folding capacity hat is a lightweight and simple way to add efficiency and bandwidth to your Buddistick, VersaTee Vertical, or Buddipole antenna system. Each of 5 spring-loaded elements folds and locks securely into place. A perimeter wire is attached and the resulting effect is like adding nearly a full 6 feet of additional electrical length to the very end of the antenna (right where you want it). Get ready to make physically shorter antennas that perform like much larger ones!

Included is one adapter which is secured to the end of the shockcord whip (3 or 4 section for horizontal use, up to 5 or 6 section for vertical use). This allows for the quick connection to the cap hat.

Please note: the capacity hat will only work with the shockcord whips or antenna arms. It will not work with the telescopic whips.

Low Band Coil

These are the new low band coils which perform on frequencies to 3.5 MHz.

These coils are best utilized for medium DX contacts in a vertical configuration with single sloping counterpoise. Our counterpoise kit includes 66′ of our teflon-coated, silver-plated copper wire (black color) wound on a kite line winder with brass adapter for quick attachment to the VersaTee.

In the dipole configuration with 2 coils it is recommended to add additional length to the antenna to cover all of the 80m band and to increase bandwidth. Our new long telescopic whips accomplish this.

Because of the high-Q of the coils and the short overall length of the dipole antenna for the low bands, bandwidth is minimized. In order to be able to have some tuning flexibility within the band it is recommended to use a small tuner at the transceiver.

In either the vertical (one coil) or dipole (2 coils) configuration it is necessary to use a balun with significant choking impedance to prevent RF feedback. Our TRSB (Triple-Ratio Switch Balun) is an excellent product for these applications.

Triple Ratio Switch Balun (TRSB)

The Triple Ratio Switch Balun (TRSB) provides isolation for balanced or unbalanced antennas and impedance matching over the 9 to 75 Ohm range. A three position switch allows instant selection between 50:50, 50:25 and 50:12 Ohm configurations. The TRSB is ideal for the Buddipole or other loaded portable dipoles, verticals, mobile antennas and beams.

Used in conjunction with the Buddipole it increases the flexibility of the system and facilitates operation on the lower bands such as 40, 60 and 80 metres.

The TRSB operates from 1.8 to 30 MHz at power levels up to 100 Watts. Overall size is approximately 4.5″ L x 3.1″ W x 1.5″ H and weight is 6.8 ozs.

The TRSB comes with BNC female connectors on both ends. Included with the balun is an adapter with 2 mini-banana jack leads (to plug right into the Buddipole center Tee) and a stretch velcro strain relief.

Mini Buddipole Coils

Our mini-coil was designed for the lightweight/compact crowd who primarily operate on 10m – 20m.

Great  for backpackers, travelers, SOTA enthusiasts, or anyone who is interested in minimizing the size and weight of their kit.

Please Note: Coils are not provided with coil clips.

Coil clips can be purchased separately.

Knurled Whip Sleeves

We now have knurled base sleeves for the standard, featherweight, and long telescopic whips.

These sleeves dramatically increase the strength of the base section and really help to prevent the base from working loose from repeated stress resulting from windy conditions and horizontal deployments.

The knurled bases are threaded into place and can be removed and used with other whips in the future.

They have the added benefit of making it much easier to thread on/off the whip from the coil, especially in cold conditions!

Long Telescopic Whip

These whips are longer in length — nearly 10 feet overall! This is an additional 4 feet extra over the standard whips. Used with our Buddipole the overall length of the antenna increases from 16 feet to 24 feet. This additional length increases bandwidth and efficiency, particularly on 40 meters.

As with all of our whips, the base sections feature a double set of crimps which prevents the base section from breaking out under the stress of deploying the antennas in a horizontal configuration. We worked with the manufacturer to minimize sag and the results speak for themselves!

Collapsed length is 21″ (same as our antenna arms — see photo). Extended length is 9.5 feet.

Available in black color only.

Photo shown with standard whip on top, longer whip in middle, and standard antenna arm on bottom.

Low Voltage Alarm

Our Low Voltage Alarm was designed to alert an operator to a battery pack which is getting low in voltage.

With an adjustable knob on top of the case the threshold voltage can be set to provide an audible and visual warning when the voltage starts to dip and it’s time to change packs.

As an example, if the threshold voltage is set at 11 volts, the Low Voltage Alarm will blink green while the voltage stays above 11.3 volts.

Once the voltage dips below 11.3 volts the LED will blink orange until the voltage hits the threshold setting of 11 volts at which point the LED blinks red and an audible beep initiates once every 5 seconds.

This is a very useful item which can prevent a hard shutdown in the middle of that rare DX qso!

Cellpro Multi4 Charger

The Cellpro Multi4 is based on FMA’s time-proven, reliable hardware designs and safety algorithms and is designed with a new microcontroller that is 4 times as powerful as the one used in the older Cellpro 4s. But the true power of the charger stems from totally new firmware which offers virtually unlimited access to charging parameters.

Note that Buddipole has already installed Anderson Powerpole connectors on all chargers.

Features include:

• FMA Direct cell-balancing technology which incorporates integrated, highly-accurate cell monitoring and balancing during
  charge.
• Backlit Liquid Crystal Display
• High Impact ABS Plastic protective enclosure
• Multi-Chemistry, supports LiPoly, LiIon, LiFePO4, A123, LiMn, NiCd, NiMH, Pb
• Supports 2-way P.C. Interface (FUIM2)
• Enhanced Internet Upgradable (IU) Charge Control Software (free download)
• IU Firmware support (free for the life of the product)
• 25 User-Programmable Presets
• Also includes 50 built-in library presets and virtually unlimited potential for presets within the CCS
• Presets may be edited at the charger, -or-
• Advanced editing of presets may be accomplished using the Charge Control Software

Buddipole Standard Mast

The same company that makes our Buddipole™ tripod also makes this mast for us exactly to our specifications. We then affix a custom machined adapter to thread seamlessly into the center tee of the Buddipole™. We wanted something that would collapse to 22″ and extend to 8 feet.

This mast fits perfectly inside a pocket in the nylon ‘packcloth’ carrying bag that comes with the Buddipole™. The antenna and mast can then be placed within the black thermoplastic case (provided with the Buddipole™) for traveling. The mast is made from 6061 Aluminum and is anodized in black.

18′ Buddipole Long Mast

This mast is made by the same company that makes our tripod and smaller mast. Construction is 6061-T6 aluminum and all parts are anodized black. Thumb collar-locks make extending and collapsing the mast quick and easy.

The overall extended length of the mast is 18′. When collapsed the mast is approximately 39″. When mounted on the tripod the overall length above ground is approximately 19′.

The top of the mast has a solid aluminum 1/2″ NPT adapter for securing into our Versatee. The bottom of the mast has a collar lock for securing onto the base tube on the tripod.

PLEASE NOTE: This mast needs to be guyed at all times. Our guying system, available in the accessories section, includes nylon braided cord on linewinders, 3 ground stakes, and velcro strap w/loops for securing line.

The Ultimate Buddipole Tripod

We looked long and hard for the ultimate Buddipole tripod that was strong enough to handle all types of conditions.

We have these tripods custom made in the USA out of black anodized 6061 aluminum and they are as rugged as they are good looking. The legs extend to a full height of 40″ and collapse to 22″ for ease of packing.

This tripod is designed to accommodate our collapsible Buddipole mast. The mast fits snugly through the center columns and can be locked into place by hand with a wing-nut screw.

Total weight (without mast) is approximately 4 lbs.

Buddistick to Mast Adapter

This adapter threads onto the top of any of our masts (1/2″ pipe threads).

The mounting plate that comes with the Buddistick is then placed on top of the 1/4″ brass stud and secured with the soft-touch knob (included with Buddistick).

IT Adapter

Our IT Adapter was originally made for our Inverted Tee configuration. Since then we have used this item to configure several other antennas, including 2 and 3 element mini-beams on 2m, 6m, and 10m.

Each side has standard 3/8″ x 24 threads. The center hole will accommodate the standard 3/8″ stud found on our soft-touch knobs (provided with the rotating arm kit).

This new version includes pins which lock into the Versatee or IT Collar.

Shockcord Mast

The mast goes together like a tent pole and each section is ‘keyed’ to lock it into place and prevent twisting. We use a super heavy duty shockcord that is replaceable with the use of a hex wrench (provided).

Setting up the mast with no supports available is easy using guy lines. Our guying kit (see ‘accessories’ section) is perfect for this task.

Dimensions for the short mast are 13″ (33 centimeters) when collapsed and approximately 8′ (2.4 metres) tall when extended.

We also have a long version that collapses to 23″ (58 cm) and extends to nearly 11′ (3.3 meters) in length.

Military Style Shock corded whip Antenna

These shock-cord whips are custom made by us to be extremely rugged yet light-weight.

These are the same whips that we sell to our military customers who are using these in harsh conditions and need a reliable and quickly deployable solution.

Material selection is 7075 aluminum with all brass fittings.  Weight for each 3-section antenna is approximately 6 ozs.

Mini Banana Plug Leads

These are used on our  standard and low band coils.

The plug is a mini-banana plug.

They are available in 6″,  black or red.

Rigid Shock Cord Adjustable Whips

The Rigid Series Shock-cord Adjustable Whip Antennas build on the success of our standard shock-cord whips that have been in field use for over 8 years.

The new Rigid Series utilizes larger tubing diameters and adjustable base and top elements to provide more versatility for use with any vertical or dipole configuration.

We are now able to produce shock-cord whips up to 210″ in length (RSAW 5/32) while maintaining enough rigidity to withstand significant wind loads (may require guying).

Mounting Kit for Buddistick

This is the mounting kit that comes standard with our Buddistick antennas.

The single radial wire is 33′ in length.