Mostly done, figured I'd share what I had done. Certainly open to suggestions.

I've got a coworker that stormchases, but doesn't have a ham riding with him most of the time. I want to chase but don't have a clue what I'm doing. Good match, eh? I'm planning to go chasing with him this year when our schedules line up, and wanted a VHF/UHF kit I could easily move from car to car. Beyond that, I wanted to be able to operate (at least briefly) without an external power source.

I already had a Yaesu FT-90R, Tram 1185 magnetic mount antenna, and a Vault VC-12 dry box. The next step? Adding a battery, some kind of external power, and shoehorning it all together. The VC-12 has internal dimensions of 11.75"W x 8.5"L x 4"D.



I did some digging for batteries, and ended up buying a 10Ah SLA via Gruber Power Services. It should be enough to run the radio for a couple hours of receive with minimal transmitting, can be installed in any direction, and most importantly will fit in the case.

But how to charge the battery? I looked at the West Mountain powergate, but ... $$$. Someone here mentioned the KI0BK Low-loss Powergate, which is much less expensive ($50), about half the size, and generally simpler. Done. Ordered. Add a cigar-plug cord and... steady power plus auto-swap to the battery if power is lost.



A fair number of hams will insist that an emergency box needs to be able to take power from an AC outlet... and I don't entirely disagree. But it wasn't in the cards for this particular setup; it would have added weight and complexity to the situation and seen very little use.

Next, how to connect the antenna? The radio is small but still cozy in the box. Much easier if the antenna just plugs in to the side of the case... so add a short patch cord and a bulkhead fitting, a bit of work with a 5/8" drill, and voila! (I bought both a 1" and 2" bulkhead fitting. Good thing. The 1" is too short to couple a pair of PL-259s with even that thin layer of plastic in the middle. The 2" is a bit longer than I'd like but it'll work just fine. I need to find a dust cover for the outside port still...



But that heavy battery ... that'll slide around if I'm not careful. So... I'll add a small L-bracket or two and some velcro straps, and I think that'll be set.

And the obligatory pictures:





I've got a bit of work left to do - I need to fab a bracket for the radio, a mic hanger, and get the battery strapped down. I'm sort of considering swapping the FT-90 for the FT-7800 I also have, which has a detachable faceplate and is a bit easier to navigate through (and program), but is slightly larger. We shall see. I really like the idea of putting the faceplate of the 7800 on the lid with the mic next to it, instead of fabbing a bracket to tilt the -90 up so I can read the display...

I've got a printout of local repeaters that are used for SKYWarn, need to laminate that and stuff it in the box along with a copy of my license.

ETA: Finished pics. I sliced up a couple of cheap cutting boards from walmart and used one as a base plate and the other to eleveate the FT-90 to a useful height. Pro-tip: superglue doesn't stick to poly cutting boards. Use screws instead. Velcro strapping to hold everything down, license in top, and a cheap headlamp for light as needed. I added a 90-degree adapter on the antenna jack to fit things in a bit nicer, and need to get a longer bit of red-black zip cord, but... it works. Like a charm. Next step is to do some battery life testing...

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/648273_The_EMCOMM_Box.html

 

Yep, I took lots of ideas from that and the various threads linked therein.

Too bad you couldn't use the threaded vacuum-break on the case as a port...  Still, I am envious of your project!

I seriously considered it, but since I expect to be sitting in the back seat of a truck or SUV with this in my lap ... having a wire poking me in the gut during a storm sounded like a bad idea.

 

KC area. Lots of repeaters and nice flat land.

I have a buddy in the area in need of an elmer....

Elmer I am not. I've only had my ticket about five months, with two contacts in my logbook. Hoping the new antenna helps, and me actually making some time to do it. And you know, doing more than just listening. I screwed up my guts and even called CQ 52 a few times today... with no answers.

That said, I'd be happy to learn with another newbie... he's welcome to drop me an email. Arf username at gmail.

Looking great

I drive to KC almost everyday for work (truck driver) I go to Guinotte ave a lot and I go to Independance also

He was my boot camp rack mate. He is knows he wants to get into it, he just needs the motivation. He has been busy setting up his FFL and gun company.

ETA sorry OP for the high jack

Not a problem at all. Happy to talk with him and see if I can give him a little nudge here and there.

Tag for updates. That looks pretty good Zercool!

And the AK-47 box strikes again! This time as a purpose built setup. Nice!

Only comment I'd make is the fact you used an unsealed bulkhead mount on a sealed case…

Little silicon

Ding ding.

ETA: Thanks for the comments and compliments. When I have this completely done, I'll update the OP.

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/parts/5907.html




Not seen, there is a little chain on the other side, like a ceiling fan pull chain.  You could solder a small ring terminal to it and screw it to the case.

Just ordered a 4-pack via ebay ... I can't choke down $6 shipping on a $2 part, so 4 for $10 shipped free sounded better. Not that I need four... yet.

That's why I like type N stuff…even the bulkheads have seals.

You made it!

Cool Box and nice idea!

Some suggestions after reading thru a few times.

1.  Mount the gear to some sort of platform/shelf to give it a good stable footprint.  You could then use the Gosh-a-mighty Velcro to attach the platform(s) to the bottom of the box.  That way you have semi-perm attached your gear to something that won't allow it to flop around inside the box.  (or rubber feet for desk use-add #2)
If you made 2 platform/shelves (cut to fit bottom of box then split in half) you could swap rigs or Power Supplies (batt) without having to remove the whole she-bang. Or if you wished to just remove the radio, and sit it in your lap or on the console you could; and power thru the cig-lighter on lower power.  
Compression Straps for Sleeping bags work great to snug down your battery!
1/2" plywood is my personal choice, but the cutting boards made of plastic are equal in all regards minus cutting/shaping.
Use T-Nuts (tee-nuts) to attach gear to shelves

http://www.fotolode.com/images/SCWolverine/Ham/box10.jpg
Battery Strap Example


2.  Pool noodles will be your friend when trying to keep everything from rolling around inside-Trim to fit!

3. Make a LONG extension cord for the rig to allow an alternate power source.  Harbor Freight has a Great Little Kitfor about $9 that they sell with their Solar Power Stuff that offers a great deal of options -you just add the Anderson PP to one end to make it play with your gear.


Sry for the diatribe....coffee was good this morning!  
Keep up the Good Work, and if you would allow me to again, toss the gauntlet at the feet of my Arf-Brethren regarding a Simple VHF/UHF AK-47 Box....Y'all get 'er done!

If you order from Universal and can't find enough other items to make a worthwhile order, you're not trying very hard.



Some center insulators, end insulators, other stuff to put away for "just in case".  Another half dozen (or more) PL-259s and reducers to put in the drawer.  10 or 20 or 50 feet of RG-8X to make jumpers or whatever.  Some "Stuff" (silicone gel type grease) and Coax Seal.  I can go on and on, but you get my drift.  First thing you know, it's up to $75 or so, and  you still haven't bought all the stuff you really think you need.  "I'll take one of these, and one of those, and four of those, and two of those thingies..."

nice work!

but please report to camp for training indoctrination on proper color orientation.  

ar-jedi

You do realize that the 90 has a remote mountable head?

I do. Have you seen what they go for when they're on fleabay etc? More than I care to spend, unfortunately.

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The issue is NOT finding enough stuff to make a worthwhile order. It's ordering little enough that the CFO doesn't notice.



All noted and under consideration.



You buy the box in orange, I'll move the stuff into it.

New "done" pics in the OP.

Looks Great!...



howabout a side 'elevation' shot so we can see how you jacked up the rig?

Done and done. Everything is velcro'd so it's easy to swap/adjust/replace. No pool noodles needed, either - everything stays put. What you can't see is the four screws going up through the bottom of stack of blocks, or the three holding the radio bracket on said block from the top.

Very nice!

Slight update...

I haven't run this on the mag mount Tram yet, but I worked a local 'net Sunday night on the base antenna (Arrow GP146 on the roof) running exclusively on battery.

The FT-90 has a voltage display, and idle/listening it showed around 13.1-13.2V the whole hour. When transmitting (at 20W and 50W) it dropped to 12.8V. Never saw a voltage below that... I'll have to actually test the battery life at some point.

Net control reported that I was pretty garbled on 20W (repeater is ~20mi as the crow flies with ~2-300ft ridgeline intervening), but bumping up to 50W was clear as a bell.

Looking forward to chasing some storms in the next couple months!

Excellent!

I was trying to figure out what you meant about a tuner ... I see it's since gone. I was all KINDS of confused!

Someone said they needed a dust cover...
Take the outer ring from a PL-259 & solder a dime on the back of it.
zada-bing...done

Looks good OP. Have you considered installing an automotive 15A fuse on the battery cable? It's always a good idea to have one.

I was having a brain f--t.  Your rig is VHF, my brain was on the wrong HF channel.  

So, you have the LLPG, will you be plugging in a power supply, too?  Or have that ready just in case?

Found a handful on ebay for ten bucks shipped, with retention chains. Since attached ... but tip noted.



I toyed with it, and may still ... there's just not a lot of cord to work with.



I understand brain fade all too well.

It's not in the picture, but I have a 10ga zip cord extension cable with powerpoles on both ends, and a cigar plug-to-powerpole adapter. When I'm storm chasing I can keep it plugged in unless/until we need the cigar plug for something else. I'm already considering trying some SOTA activations with it, if I pick up an Arrow handheld Yagi...

Worked like a charm with the mag mount Tram tonight. Doesn't have the gain of the Arrow at home, but I was hitting my favorite repeater (24mi straight-line) until terrain got in the way. I'm sure I'll go looking for a better/more permanent truck antenna at some point.