[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Emcomm Box Construction - Getting Closer ***New Pics - Radios on Bottom*** (Page 4 of 8)
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Question: Why carry two source of power? The Samlex and Battery Tender + Battery....... I've been running my gear hooked directly to the battery, then I plug my battery charger in when I have AC.... Often I have the gear consuming from the battery at the same time that the battery charger is supplying voltage... True, it is not an ideal siuation for the battery - but it works out fine. My battery charger is a three stage and it seems to adapt immediatly to any consumption on the battery. In my case, 95% of the time I'm sitting in the shack on AC power. These radios are my only base station. If the power goes out I switch over to battery power and operate as normal until AC power comes back on. If I have to bug out, I already have an easy to move solution. I originally wanted something very simple that my wife and kids could use to talk to me on my HT if I'm at work when the SHTF. Not a lot different from what you are using, it sounds like. 
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Question: Why carry two source of power? The Samlex and Battery Tender + Battery....... I've been running my gear hooked directly to the battery, then I plug my battery charger in when I have AC.... Often I have the gear consuming from the battery at the same time that the battery charger is supplying voltage... True, it is not an ideal siuation for the battery - but it works out fine. My battery charger is a three stage and it seems to adapt immediatly to any consumption on the battery. In my case, 95% of the time I'm sitting in the shack on AC power. These radios are my only base station. If the power goes out I switch over to battery power and operate as normal until AC power comes back on. If I have to bug out, I already have an easy to move solution. I originally wanted something very simple that my wife and kids could use to talk to me on my HT if I'm at work when the SHTF. Not a lot different from what you are using, it sounds like. True - my setup works as a UPS in reverse.... I'm always on DC Battery, complimented with AC/DC boost when available. The nice thing about my setup is that it does not require a switch to move from one source to another source - the key thing is the "complimented with AC/DC boost when available". All good! Keigan |
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yech, unprotected conductive screw heads. 
use an IEC/Euro style feed through terminal block. then get an appropriate pitch (center to center spacing on the terminals) "shorting bar" (aka "circuit bridge") and you have a nice clean solution. the shorting bar is basically a long copper "E" which you cut to the proper length. ar-jedi 
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yech, unprotected conductive screw heads.
SNIP then get an appropriate pitch (center to center spacing on the terminals) "shorting bar" (aka "circuit bridge") and you have a nice clean solution. the shorting bar is basically a long copper "E" which you cut to the proper length. Won't the shorting bar be kinda like "yech, unprotected conductive screw heads?" Or is it protected somehow?
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Won't the shorting bar be kinda like "yech, unprotected conductive screw heads?" Or is it protected somehow? someone already thought of this.
the shorting bar is insulated except for the sections which insert into the connector recess. ar-jedi Makes sense to me. I must assimilate it. 
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that's IT! ar-jedi ps: just make sure to get the correct (compatible) pitch. there is no "standard". it could be 0.1875", 0.200", 0.250", 0.300", 0.375", 5mm, 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, etc. –– generally you would get the shorting bar from the same company and from within the same connector family/series. |
Starting to gather material for an antenna upgrade. I'm going to give the OCF Carolina Windom AFM made for his young college friend a try.
Here's the 500' spool of 14awg stranded insulated copper wire, snap hooks, and in the box are 10 ferrite beads for the vertical radiator choke. 
This is a view of where I'm planning to install the antenna. The trees are about 75' tall on average measured with my Leica Laser Range Finder from the bases looking up to some of the upper branches. I think I'll try for at least half that, or approx. 35-40' for the antenna height. 
To try to keep this a double-top-secret operation from our neighborhood CCR Nazis, I decided to paint the antenna components subdued colors using Krylon Ultra Flat Camo paint in Black, Brown, and Olive. The placement of the antenna is about 15-20' behind the fence inside the treeline for concealment. 
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Dang, friend! You look like your avatar!!! I can fix that forehead for you...
OD and black... perfect! That'll disappear. Ditto the black wire. It just won't be seen. And you will, of course, wrap the coax connector with tape and coax seal, I'm sure, to keep moisture out. That's the perfect application for that antenna! First, I like to spray some Corrosion Guard or Corrosion-X on the connector, or rather, inside, where they make contact. www.corrosion-x.com and Corrosion Guard is found at www.waterguardusa.com OK, get some Scotch 130C (3/4" wide butyl rubber tape). First wrap with electrical tape... ALWAYS Scotch 3M, but wrap it sticky side out. That way nothing sticks to the connector. Start down on the coax and wrap overlapping going up. Make sure the weep holes on bottom of the balun are not covered. Then wrap with the Scotch 130C, again, starting down on the coax and overlapping, wrapping up. Now, starting below the other tape and 130C, start wrapping again with electrical tape, now sticky side in, overlapping, and go up. Check the weepholes are clear. The 130C bonds to itself from heat of the sun. It makes a solid rubber mass that will not unwrap. It is very sticky. If you have to remove it you'll have to slice it and peel it off. That's why the tape sticky side out on the first wrap. Keep us updated! AFM |
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I have a metal buttplate on an AR...
If I were to give you a good solid buttstroke to the forehead it would create that nice serrated effect, and swell up nice and lumpy... and you'd look just like your high school picture. 
AFM "Hold still, you won't feel a thing. I swear, this won't hurt a bit." ––––- 
Truly, truly, an ARFCOM balun. |
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Hey BD,
After looking at your drawing I have a few questions: first off, what part of IN are you in that has palm trees? I'm moving... 
seriously: Don't you need a center support for the weight of the balun? (ETA: And feedline) Also, how do you plan to handle sway in the trees so it won't snap the antenna wire? Just leave some slack? Thanks, -Slice |
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Hey BD, After looking at your drawing I have a few questions: first off, what part of IN are you in that has palm trees? I'm moving... You don't have palm trees in your part of Indiana?
seriously: Don't you need a center support for the weight of the balun? (ETA: And feedline) I think the tension from the antenna support ropes will support the whole antenna. If not, stay tuned for me using the top eyelet on the balun for additional support. ETA: Radio Works recommends just that...."A system improvement would be to support the antenna at its middle. This would provide strain relief due to the weight of the coax." Also, how do you plan to handle sway in the trees so it won't snap the antenna wire? Just leave some slack? Yes, some slack and I plan on using some trampoline or garage door springs on each side of the center tie off point for the antenna support ropes. That should allow for some swaying. Thanks, -Slice -Slice, I think it will work this way. This setup is how they recommend installation of the Radio Works versions of a Carolina Windom.This is my first antenna of this type, so it's a learning experience for me also.
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There's a huge difference in an antenna's wire/line tension with some moderate sag and nearly straight. Some sag in the middle is acceptable and will not hurt performance at all.
You may still need to put a support line on the balun/coax. That will allow you to take a lot of tension off the two legs. And in the cold, with ice buildup on the wire, this might make the difference in keeping your antenna in the air instead of on the ground. |
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There's a huge difference in an antenna's wire/line tension with some moderate sag and nearly straight. Some sag in the middle is acceptable and will not hurt performance at all. You may still need to put a support line on the balun/coax. That will allow you to take a lot of tension off the two legs. And in the cold, with ice buildup on the wire, this might make the difference in keeping your antenna in the air instead of on the ground. Yep, I've been thinking about this while waiting for the pulleys and rope to show up (due Monday). There are enough trees in the area to put up another support line for the balun. Seems like some cheap insurance. Thanks for the ideas AFM and -Slice. 
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Speaking of rope...
CAMO (in a number of patterns/colors) 550 parachute cord!!! Or even black. ("black pajamas" worked well in jungle environments) Woodland, desert camo, and OD available here: http://parachutecord.net/ I've purchase here. And here, OD, desert digital, multicam, ACU, woodland, http://www.vtarmynavy.com/parachute_cord.htm I've purchased here. OD, ACU, Desert, Woodland, others http://countycomm.com/550cord.htm I've purchased here, too. Don't just order the minimim amount you require for this project. While you are ordering you might as well get enough to put 100' in your vehicle, shop, and other places. This stuff just comes in handy for a lot of things, camping, whatever. My kids' high school band even used it... to string the marimba and xylophone. A gazillion and one uses. Also, they all have Neon Orange, which is good for guying up your Field Day antennas. |
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This thread has been extremely informative. It's great to see how you've overcome various problems to create a simple and robust system.
Without getting into specifics of the radio set chosen for this box, I was wondering if anyone had tried incorporating PC control into your portable systems or do you think this is unnecessary? Seems to me that you could work a netbook in there, or even a pico pc. Overkill? |
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This thread has been extremely informative. It's great to see how you've overcome various problems to create a simple and robust system. Thanks Bones45. It's been a great learning experience and a load of fun too!
Without getting into specifics of the radio set chosen for this box, I was wondering if anyone had tried incorporating PC control into your portable systems or do you think this is unnecessary? Seems to me that you could work a netbook in there, or even a pico pc. Overkill? I got a netbook for Christmas from the XYL that I chose specifically for this application. I have HRD + DM780 installed for digital operation with rig control. Works great!
I'll see if I can take some pics of this for reference.
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Here's a link to the thread where I had some trouble-shooting fun HRD - Signalink USB - Failed to Read Frequency - RESOLVED!.
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something very wrong with those dimensions. it's impossible for one leg of a right triangle (28') to be longer than the hypotenuse (25') it's impossible to take a 50' piece of wire, pull the center of it up 12', and have the base underneath it 50' long. ar-jedi |
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something very wrong with those dimensions. it's impossible for one leg of a right triangle (28') to be longer than the hypotenuse (25') it's impossible to take a 50' piece of wire, pull the center of it up 12', and have the base underneath it 50' long. ar-jedi That's why I had 550 cord + insulators on each end of the top wire to make up the difference. Seemed to work for the one MS station.
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It won't be perfect on all the bands it is supposed to work on, but it should be easily tunable.
The 41'-25' (66' total) version is for 40 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters. You can experiment with the choke placement, 10' down or up by the feedpoint. http://www.hamuniverse.com/k4iwlnewwindom.html It has a comment about balun power limitations at the bottom, but the balun you have is a much higher rated balun. |
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I see room for a Super Loop 80 or other much, much larger antenna hidden in the foilage. Originally Posted By An Old Native Legend:
When I was little, we found a man. He looked like - like, butchered. The old woman in the village crossed themselves... and whispered crazy things, strange things. "El Diablo cazador de hombres." Only in the hottest years this happens. And this year, it grows hot. We begin finding our men. We found them sometimes without their skins... and sometimes much, much worse. "El cazador trofeo de los hombres" means the demon who makes trophies of men. "Name That Movie" 
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Real Genius. click me an airborne laser system is redirected to the professor's house, which is full of popcorn kernels... what do i win?
ar-jedi |
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Predator - He's in the foliage where you'll put that antenna. He causes Globull Warming... Gromit DING DING DING! We have a WINNER! Congrats Gromit! You obviously know your movie trivia well. "If it bleeds, we can kill it!"
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Real Genius. click me an airborne laser system is redirected to the professor's house, which is full of popcorn kernels... what do i win?
ar-jedi BBBBZZZZTTTTT! We have a LOSER! Sorry ar-jedi! Apparently you need to brush up on your movie trivia. The quote was a dead give away.
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Nice. Ever see that stuff that's supposed to be liquid electrical tape? I wonder if you could dip the whole balun. Thanks. I keep saying I'm going to try some of that liquid electrical tape, and I forget to get some. The balun has a couple of weep holes on the bottom that need to be kept open. I think a redo is in order with black heatshrink covering all the bare wire.
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BBBBZZZZTTTTT! We have a LOSER! Sorry ar-jedi! Apparently you need to brush up on your movie trivia. The quote was a dead give away. sarcasm, it's what's for dinner! ar-jedi When the laser hits the house, it shines through a stained-glass window and Kent becomes convinced that he is having a religious experience. The popcorn expands, the house bursts at the seams, and popcorn pours out of the house, pushing Kent along with it and allowing neighborhood children to frolic in the popcorn. Meanwhile, the laser overheats and destroys itself.
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