I read in the most recent QST where some fellows helped out during the Colorado Floods.  They operated from within their cars parked in the local FD parking lot for 4 days passing traffic and such.  Ok, so they went home each evening, but they still spent the majority of 4 days straight In Their Cars...

Now I'm not sure if they didn't have any gear they could deploy inside the FD or what, but I'm certain I don't want to sit in a RAV4 all rainy day long with one of my gassy buddies talking on the radio


I was taken back to another story in QST right after the Joplin MO Tornado breakout.  I believe it was the Section Mgr or some ARRL brass that stated they were overwhelmed with Hams volunteering to assist in the recovery.  The hang-up was, most had plenty of gear to make mondo contacts, but it was either in place in their Shack or Permanently mounted in Their cars.  The volunteers were unable to utilize the gear from another vehicle or location....Hence the EMCOMM Box, but more locally focused...the VHF Go-Box.

while not nearly as sexy as some posted before:


The Plano Ammo Can from Academy Sports $12



A little 1/2" ply-wood for a shelf, rubber feet and a few Tee-nuts



add a little Krylon to protect and preserve...(and flip the shelf over)



Down in the bottom is more 1/2" ply-wood with a 12v 7Ah Battery, 12v Trickle Charger, and 12v 15a MFJ PS



Trickle Charger not shown.



so the lamp needs to be replaced, cool points lost there I know






Anderson Power-Poles all around, even on charger ,to K.I.S.S.



Long extension cord to operate from an alternate 12v Power Source (car battery)



Added feet to the battery/ps shelf as well to prevent surface marring



Remove the 2 screws from the radio/mount brackets and place it in the Mobile Mount you have in your car, or on your desk...have the box pre-packed for future use.



This way you're not stuck with Chuck in the RAV4, but inside in the day room with the coffee pot...
The radio shelf can be completely removed and used on a table top or in a passenger seat...as long as you have a power cord long enough to reach a 12v power source.


I like the box because you can remove the Lid to save space in your operating area.
It's also plenty big to tote everything together.  
I need another N9TAX roll-up J-Pole and I'm gonna try to factor in the $16 Tram mag antenna too...
more pics to come if needed.

most Dual-Band rigs would work as well...I just had this one sitting around looking for a purpose

SCW

Not bad!  I like the flip-over board.  That's the same Plano dry box that Wallyworld stocks on the shelf?

I will be stealing elements from this design. Unlike some of the other "cooler" layouts, this is one I can actually start AND finish and be ready with.

You could spend months tricking that out, but as a functional item it gets a 10/10 as it sits.

Love the ancient Kenwood rig





I have a TM-231 that i have had for quite a while, it's set aside for packet use hooked up to a KPC-3. I think I need to replace the memory backup battery again.





I'm going to have to go plug my power meter into the 231 and see how much power it draws, but a 7Ah battery isn't going to last very long without another power source. I have a larger battery for my go-kit project, but it adds a lot of weight - and I can't afford to experiment with LiFePO4 batteries right now, but it's definitely on the list of things to look at later on. I guess I'm just paranoid about not being able to find power where I end up being deployed... But then I'm not on one of the EOC teams, so chances are I'm right.



Otherwise, I love the setup. What are the outside measurements of the box?

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I have been following some of the build threads here for a while now, and have a few questions and comments.  I have no experience with VHF go boxes, so I'm looking for some discussion.

Is the 50-75W of a mobile truly required, or will 30W be enough?  The reason I ask is that an HT with a small brick amplifier might draw less current.  I have a Radio Shack brick that puts out 30W with a half watt input.  My HT will run (seemingly) forever on Eneloops or alkalines in a AA pack on low power.  The brick draws 4A on transmit.

I can see some downsides to an HT, like fewer memories, smaller display, and smaller external mic without rig control functions.  I'm just curious if the tradeoffs to get longer life from the 7A or larger gel cells would be worth it.  

I have thought about putting a go-box together with the brick, batteries/charger, and one of my HTs.

i frickin' love SIMPLE.

see my signature line.  

question:

what holds the plywood battery/PS "tray" to the bottom of the box?  screws from the underside, or industrial strength velcro, or ???

ar-jedi

The 'little' battery is there as a just in case, last hope kinda thing. (and it was all I could find while I was at Academy Sports-cheap too)

The real strength lies in the extra long power cord that can attach to the Anderson Power Pole end of Large Alligator Clamps that can fit on most any 12v battery on the planet :)  The tag along 12v PS is an added bonus.

I plan to 'pack' the box with 'pool noodles' as a way to keep stuff from flopping around.

After posting I've decided to add the 'feet' to the bottom shelf as well.  2 points-shock absorption and non-marring on table top ops

Jedi.... thx

it's not 100% complete, but had to share

ETA: I think it's the Plano 1612 Black Box
The "Green/Camo" 1612 offers the Watertight seal, and is what I use for the Battery Box for the Big Green EMCOMM Box...

the primary advantage of an HT is the ridiculously low RX (squelched) current; a modern HT draws around 50mA on RX, and this in fact is a peak while the PLL and front end are powered during the high side of the receiver duty cycle.  using the power save features, the average RX (squelched) current can be as low as 30mA.   moreover, an HT is far more tolerant of low input voltage, easily accepting down to 8 or 9 volts and providing good output at that input range.  

in contrast, the RX (squelched) current of a mobile rigs generally on the order of 500mA to 1000mA (1A).  this can be dropped a bit by disabling the LCD backlight, among other things, but as you can see it is orders of magnitude more current than an HT.  in addition, most mobile radios are not that tolerant of voltages below 11.5Vdc or so.

if you assume that RX is the vast majority of your operating time when SHTF, an HT will provide at least 10 to 50 times the operating interval from a given SLA type battery.  the HT draws far less current and operates satisfactorily way deeper into the discharge curve (not that you want to drain an SLA down much past 11.0Vdc, as this significantly shortens the lifespan of the battery).

that said, a typical HT does suffer from getting very hot when run in high duty cycle applications.  running net control with an HT is not advised; you may find yourself with an HT that has gone into thermal shutdown.

but your approach will work, and the nice thing is that if you want to cut-and-run you can just take the HT with you.  and, it will be fully charged if you did it right.

ar-jedi

I like it, you could add a solar panel to the inside of the lid with cables to plug it in quite easily.

Also, have you made the battery in the 231 removable yet? Or is it still soldered on? Somewhere here on AR15 I did a tutorial on a watch battery upgrade. I also absolutely love my old 231. Two things I keep with it that make life easier, first is a laminated (a little bigger than a credit card) quick reference guide for the radio on one side and a channel list on the back (easy fit the radio is simple and it only has 20 channels). Second is a "write in the rain" notepad and pen, you never know when mother nature will decide you need to be watered.

ETA: If you want something much more durable than wood, look at cheap plastic cutting boards from walmart, ect.  They are slightly harder to cut but still not too hard, very strong/durable and very cheap for projects like this.

pics added in OP

Memory battery mod is a good idea. I'm going to have to do that soon. Found a link, info is near the bottom of the page - http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=10&f=22&t=658975

+1 for all the previous comments on the beauty of a simple, inexpensive design like the OP's.

Many of us have old rigs that currently aren't doing anything useful - Rigs that would do a perfectly adequate job during an emergency, particularly if no significant expense was involved in converting them to serve that purpose.

Ah-Ha!  I found the article/thread I was referencing above right here!

Nice box, but I'm concerned about the small battery on it. If your purpose is to have something that you can carry into an EOC then it works, but I'm not sure how long you could operate without power.

Have you run any pen and paper simulations on it yet?

An EOC will have a backup generator and be on a priority list to get power and comms restored. Odds are that if you are going into an EOC, you will have power and won't need to use the battery much if at all. If you are really lucky, you don't even need to take it in with you as they oughta have radios and an operating station already in place.



The other side of this equation is that it gets you on the air immediately in places where there is no power. That also means that in addition to the self-contained battery, you need to have power options for long-term operation. That can mean a whole mess of different things depending on the situation, your AO, how much money you want to spend, how much support you will have, how long you are in the field - can go anywhere from a couple of larger batteries you can lug around to solar battery chargers or even a small gas-powered generator.



My current plans when I have the money to do it is to put an AGM deep cycle battery around 100Ah in size inside a Pelican 1440. Then I'm going to work on setting up some of those cheap Harbor Freight solar panels in a way that they can be transported easily. Not the most useful thing in the northwest except in summer, unfortunately - but it's better than nothing, and I already have the panels.



 

the battery is there for a last ditch effort or whatever you'd like to call it.  (there is a little bit of room in there to up-size the battery if you wanted)

The premise of this box is based upon having shore power (emer genny, EOC, etc...), operating mobile in a vehicle that is not your primary, or finding a spare car battery to 'borrow' while in use.  The trickle charger is there to keep the battery topped off while under shore power-again to use as a just in case...

It's not a Bug-out, run through the woods kinda thing.

I've fielded this question a few times since posting (here & on another forum) and I can see it's validity; if you're looking at the battery as being there as a primary power source, but that's really not it's intent.  This combination is made for the scenarios as laid out in the OP and the above link from the Joplin mess (quoted below).



I tried to make it as KISS as possible, and at the same time useful.  There are lots of options for add-ons and such to fit the intended purpose; and I may investigate them further in the 'next build'

SCW

ETA: quote

adjusted title of thread to reflect Nickname as granted by Our Most Esteemed AR_Jedi.......

finally, for the first time ever on the ARFCOM ham radio forum i am given credit instead of being blamed.  

i suppose other miraculous things could happen, such as a record low overnight temperature.  oh, wait...

ar-jedi

ps
you still didn't answer my question above

Note that that blame you are receiving is the blame for :

A) getting people involved
B) showing people a cool way to do something with stuff they have laying around

Nothing, nothing holds it 'down'....it lays in on it's 4 rubber feet....there is a patch of foam insulation that goes between it and the top of the radio (which rides in box upside down)---the box's lid holds it in place....I wanted to be able to remove all parts, just like the Big "Shack in a box"....

whatcha see is whatcha get

Oh, make no mistake.  You are still being blamed.  Just in a way that looks like a compliment.  Nothing like a backhanded compliment to truly place the blame...

Excellent!  Love the build.  

Welcome to the Ammo Can Club  

What size/model number is that plano ammo can?

Plano 1612

two part post:

1. to further enhance the utility of the AK-47 box I added a 3/4" flat washer to the lid of the box.  This will allow me a 'spot' to attach the Mag Mount Antenna in the event of needing/wanting to deploy it vs. the Roll-up.  While it will not allow running down the highway with the box on the roof of the car; in a static environment it gives me another choice.  To protect what 'weather proofing' the box provides, I used Epoxy to 'glue' the washer down.  Testing to follow



now I'm having visions of a thru-mount BNC as well (bulkhead type)




2.  I'm taking this opportunity to call those of you out who have spare gear and wanna find a use for it

This is a VERY important accessory many people forget.  Even with the danger of hooking it up backwards, it is still necessary.  

Simply clamp the black, or ground wire, to chassis first.   Then if you put the red / positive on the wrong post, no current flows.

I have yet to update my pictures, but I have an LLPG in my box, and I ran it last night for 30 minutes at 70W output with no issues. Then switched on the power supply and let it charge.

Get one here:
http://ki0bk.no-ip.com/~pwrgate/LLPG/

It's tempting to make something like this

I would try the washer on the underside first.

Your mag mount antenna doesn't require a ground plane to work against?

mag not strong enough to work through box

prolly, but didn't have any more 'metal' laying around....

like the battery in the box, it's there 'just in case'........

eta:
Eureka!  I'll toss in an Emergency Space Blanket in the box and drape under antenna.....

How about an NMO mount ans some telescoping antennas for a ground plane.

some of this will look familiar

AK47 box Power Point Presentation

good stuff!  

ps
the intro seems "familiar"...

ar-jedi

didn't someone say...."Imitation is the most Sincere Form of Blame".....

Yes!  The perfect application for your older gear.  PLUS you are familiar with its operation.

About the LLPG (Low Loss Power Gate), I give a quick rundown on it here:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/671603_Portable_power_and_Solar_Charging_Gadgets.html

In addition, these will serve the same function:


http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamps/5603.html




http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamps/6037.html




And this is the next power supply I will buy:

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamps/3382.html



This supply has the same basic specs as the SEC-1223 popular with many hams combined with the Battery Backup Module above.

If you're worried about that, you could always throw a large bridge rectifier in there. I haven't hooked anything expensive up backwards yet(OK, once I fried an electronic ignition in my VW... But those silly europeans use backwards colors for their wiring ), just make sure your batteries are well marked.



 

I would swap the power pole connectors out for Dean's connectors.
















 

Good info on the connectors, albeit the Anderson is kinda the "industry standard" so it helps to play nice with others.

and most importantly-Congrats on the Ticket!!!!!!

 

everyone in the amateur radio-sphere uses powerpoles.

ar-jedi

 










 

I looked for this go box and did not see it.
There were some real beauty's out there at the Charlotte Ham fest this year.

Orange you glad you got so many good ideas on how to build your own?







ar-<sumbliminal-messaging-is-my-specialty>-jedi

Tagging this for later retrieval.

Great looking box!

How'd you miss me? red-neck standing by the door...BFL's on the gear....




cheap sunglasses

didn't get there till 1100, may have missed you by the clock?

SCWolverine,
did you take any pictures of the other EMCOMM boxes?

just saw your other thread.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/672728_So_SCW_goes_to_the_Hamfest_and_enters_the_AK_47_box_in_the_go_box_contest__update_in_OP_.html

ar-jedi