W4DOI

I too have one of the original TGE Boost Regulators and have been using it for about 4 years during portable ops.  It has been great not worrying about the transceiver shutting down, especially during transmit, because the battery voltage sagged too low.  And it has been RF quiet also.  Once the West Mountain version is out, we'll see if if meets and/or exceeds our expectations that we've come to expect from this Battery Booster.  I fully expect it to since everything I've purchased from West Mountain has met my expectations!  Now, can't wait to see when they become available and how they price it.

I have used this lightweight antenna wire for almost five years now for portable ops -- it has proven to be easy to work with and strong for its weight.  Its also a good buy..... price in Sep 2019 was $8.57 for 100meters of wire.  That is shipped from the UK, so you have to add in the shipping costs.  Also, you have to be able to wait for it to arrive from the UK which has usually taken about a week or so.  Some SOTABEAM products are also available from DX Engineering at a higher price but with less wait time since it ships from the US.  This lightweight wire is rated for up to 150-watts.  They also sell a heavier wire rated for 1000-watts.

I have used this DX Engineering Multiband antanna both in a permanent home station installation as well as a car portable antenna.  This is a very good buy since if you add up the prices of all the individual components included their sum would cost more than this packaged antenna.  Using it as a multiband antenna does require a wide ranging antanna tunner and a balun to convert the 300-ohm ladder line to coas into the tuner.  All the components are of very good quality and includes the two-legs of the antenna wire to form the doublet (dipole), the end insulators, the center-T insulator to hold the antenna wires and ladderline feedline, and the 100-feed of 300-ohm ladderline plus a nice set of instructions that highlights a few of the pitfalls of setting up a doublet.  Its a great first antenna since with one antenna you can operate on all bands from 80 to 10 meters plus is also can be used on 160-meters.  Since it is a non-resonate antenna, no tuning (trimming) is needed to use it on all bands (but you do neet that wide ranging tuner and balun).  It does require enough room to install, the total length of the "80-meter" version is 135-feet from end to end.  They also sell a 160-meter version with 260-feet of antenna wire and also a 40-meter version with 70-feet of antenna wire.  I have been using one of thse for almost 5 years, first in a permanent installation then as a portable antenna.  I helped another ham install another one at his house in a permement installation and that one has been in use for about 4 years.  This is a quality package of components that results in a good basic first antenna for the ham that understands what it needs to be a multiband antenna.  Once you get used to this antenna and the ability to jump from band to band, its hard to go back to a single band antenna.

I own three of Bioenno's LIFEPO4 12v batteries.... two 50AH and one 60AH.  I use them to power my transceiver and accessories in my go-box while operating portable.  I previously used a large car-battery size SLA 40AH battery.  Now, after using the Bioenno's for over a year, I could not go back to the SLA battery.  Just the shear weight difference alone made the switch worth it since I have to schlep the battery up and down from my apartment to the car.  The SLA battery weighed in at close to 60 pounds while the LIFEPO4 battery is only about 20 pounds.  It fits perfectly in a cheap 50cal ammo "can" with a handle and the battery is easly carried by one hand.  Also, the "resting" voltage of the Bioenno is typically above 13volts and it tends to hold this voltage much longer than the SLA.  The SLA usually started around 12.5v and would drop down to near and slightly below 12v sooner.  I very rarely run out of battery power in the field.   I have used solar to keep one of the batteries topped off while I'm using another.  The quality of the batteries and chargers from Bioenno is solid as was their service.  You can communicate with them via email and they tend to respond promptly to any questions or inquiries.  One thing to keep in mind is that they tend to produce their batteries in batches, so if getting a particular battery is time sensitive, you might ask them if the one you want is in-stock and/or when it will be available to ship if its not.  Great batteries from a good company.

I have one too and I love it.  I would rate the IC-7300 as a best buy/best bang for your buck in a first HF transceiver.  Typically selling for under $1000 and recently dropping to $900 after rebates.