2 METER "GO BOX"

Here is my 2 meter “go” box project.

I have never had a “base” station for 2 meter... not technically speaking. The only thing I have ever had is a “go” box that I moved from the car to the shack. However, I probably need to explain what I mean by “shack.”

I have seen pictures of other’s “shacks”… just let me say, my ham “shack” is NOTHING like what I have seen. In the beginning... when I first started, my mobile 2 meter rig was setting on top of the clothes dryer with a coax running out the door to a copper j-pole mounted on a tripod. I couldn't afford a "real" antenna, so I went online and found plans for making a 1/2 inch copper j-pole. For a few bucks, a little effort, and some horrible soldering, I was on the air. It was powered by a 12v battery that I stole out of my boat.

My next big step was to get a “box”. I got one of those aluminum cases that you can purchase at Home Depot. I was moving up… With a smaller 12v battery, and a 15 amp power supply (Christmas gifts) I could move wherever I wanted. I finally purchased a mobile whip antenna and my shack became my car. Most of the time I was mobile / stationary. Using Anderson Powerpole connectors (again, a Christmas gift - who would have thought that Santa made big boy toys too??) I was able to easily get power from the car or from the power supply or virtually any 12v source.



During the fall of ’09 and the spring of ’10 I began to make some major "elbow grease" improvements to my man cave / garage. My 2 meter box would find a new home. However, I came to a point where I wanted to make changes to the “box”. What I was using was working, but it had a lot of drawbacks. The main problem was a lack of storage. Assorted wires, tools and such could not travel in the box. What follows is an account of that change.

The box I chose to use was a 10 x 12 x 18 inch Dry Box that I purchased from Gander Mountain. Its side walls were not quite as thick as I would have liked, but I knew that a partition wall that I was planning for the interior would provide considerable strength and stability.

After placing the box in several different locations (car / man cave) to determine what area inside the box would be occupied by the 2m Yaesu FT2800, I decided an end rather than side location would work best. This was not the most efficient use of interior space, but it was the most appropriate for how I would be placing the box. The new Go-Box has a lot of capacity, so I knew I could afford this "less-than-perfect-usage-of-space" location for the radio.

I also had to think about the best location for my cooling fan (which I stole from an old non-working computer CPU. The mounting bracket that I had made previously was slightly modified so that it now mounted to the original radio mounting bracket. I wanted to make sure that I didn't stifle air circulation around the massive heat sink that is so prominent on the FT2800.


Next was to figure out where to mount the 7.5 amp/hr battery and the 15 amp MFJ power supply. While picking up some cable ties at the Depot I spotted some “mounting bases”. I determined that these would work well to secure the battery to the base of the box. I wanted to use epoxy instead of the sticky tabs on the bottom of the bases. I drilled 3/32 holes in the corner of each base so that the epoxy would ooze up through the holes and provide a better attachment.




The divider wall was made from a small plastic “serving tray” that I found at GFS. My first attempt was to use a thin sheet of plexi glass. That ended badly, but the brown serving tray worked perfectly as my raw material for what would become my wiring/switch panel/box support bulkhead... you get the idea.


My power distribution box was a plastic electric utility box cut to accommodate a small Anderson Powerpole chassis mount fixture. This became basically a poor-man's RigRunner.


The antenna connection was made by using a “thru-the-box” mounting. Because of the wall thickness of the box, all through the wall holes were “washered” appropriately to give the necessary support.


Two switches were needed. The one on left is for power distribution. Center position is “off”. Left provides power from the 15 amp power supply. Right position provides power from the 12v battery. The switch on the right controls the cooling fan. The FT2800 has a tendency to get hot when TXing for long periods at 65 max watts. When it gets hot, signal quality has a tendency to deteriorate. I don’t use the fan when just listening, but when I start moving a lot of traffic, it is always on. Because the fan was designed to be used in conjuction with computer electronics, it is very clean electronically. I have never heard any complaints about my signal with regards to fan related noise.


The final assembly is done and is working as expected. As with anything connected to Amateur Radio, I am already thinking of improvements. But, I am satisfied with the project as it is now. It suits my needs better than my previous box, and I now have the additional storage room that was needed.

BIO

One of the things that I strangely like the most about Amateur Radio is the lack of a picture. Years ago, I hosted a weekly AM Radio broadcast. I always enjoyed having nothing but my imagination with which to paint the picture of my audience. So it is with Ham Radio. My mind fills in the blanks… and just so you know, everyone I talk to is young, healthy, and good looking…. Just like me!

In an effort to allow you to get a more detailed picture, I thought it might be fun to post a little personal “bio”.

I married my high school sweetheart; we’ve been together for 36 years. Because I so very much like to “screw” with people, I will normally introduce her as “my first wife”. I love to watch people’s expressions as they try to figure out what I mean. We have 2 daughters and currently 4 grandkids. Our most recent granddaughter was the 2009 American Heart Association Heart Child. You can read her amazing “story” at www.emmasmiracle.blogspot.com.

I have spent the last 23 years as a Pastor. This has afforded us with many rewarding friendships and challenges. Our first Church was what they call a “pioneer” Church; which means there were no people. We went to a community, found a vacant building, and started from scratch. Those first years really were some of the very best years of my life.

I have never been one of those people who likes to set around and watch… I like to do. Over the years I have enjoyed the opportunity to pursue several different challenges. Although I am not current, I hold a Private Pilot’s Licence. I am a Certified Underwater Diver. I have been both a Journeyman Meat Cutter and a Journeyman Tool and Die Maker. I enjoy slalom water skiing and boating… Piloting an 88 ft Houseboat on Lake Cumberland is one of my favorite summer vacations. I enjoy riding my motorcycle… I really enjoy this. Riding the “Tail of the Dragon – 318 curves in 11 miles” was a ton of fun. During the Summer of ’09, I enjoyed completing my first “Iron Butt” ride: 1000 miles in 24 hrs. I would one day like to attempt the “Coast to Coast in 50” ride; Jacksonville to San Diego in 50 hours!

Oh, I almost forgot... I often ride with the "Patriot Guard Riders" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G10T_Ih222E . If you happen to pass by a funeral for a fallen veteran, look for me standing there among the gnarly, scruffy, leather-clad bikers.

So whether it is Skydiving in a 120 mph Wind Tunnel, or butchering a calf on a Jamaican hillside, or riding on some twisted mountain road… I am willing to give just about anything a try, my primary goal is to NEVER have an “empty” Bucket List.

However, if you find me on the Radio, you will probably find me handling traffic. This has given me a very simple and enjoyable way to expand both my knowledge and experience. It has given me the “challenge” that my mind needs. It also gives me a great way to disconnect from the many pressures that I handle on most days. I absolutely love passing traffic on HF when conditions are horrible. Turn up the QRN, QRM, and QSB… I am QRV. Ultimately, it gives me the ability to build a network of reliable “radio” friendships, that when (not if) the communication infrastructure collapses, I will be able to communicate with my family which is scattered across the midwest.

I owe a tremendous “THANKS” to Morley / N8JU, who helped with that all important first licensing test… Thanks to Morley’s friends who helped him help me… Thanks to Jeff / WB8WKQ, who has made room for me, and helped me advance my skills. Thanks to Ben / K8KV, who has no idea how much he inspires me. Others like AF8CS, WB8FBG, and KC8SFH… the list is a long one and I know there are others whose call sign is missing; thanks for your encouragement.

I'LL NEVER DO THAT...

How many times have you said, “I’ll never do that… I have absolutely NO interest in that… I just don’t understand why anyone would do that… Those people need to get a life…”?

I have said those very things more times than I care to admit. And, as I have grown older – I may have to get older, but I don’t have to mature – some of the very things that I said I would never do, I have ended up not only doing, but enjoying it as well. So it has been with Amateur Radio.

Over the years, I have known a few Hams. Some were very good friends. But, to be completely honest, I just didn’t get it. I understood to some extent what they did; I just didn’t understand why.

For those who care to know what happened… it began with a book.

I have always had a bit of interest in a self-reliant lifestyle. Back in the 1970’s, when the price of electricity spiked – I believe in was in the winter of ’77 – I was making $165 / week and I had a monthly electric bill of $368!!! That was the genesis moment… I began to get “off the grid”. Growing up in the farming communities of north central Indiana had instilled in me the knowledge of how to grow stuff and to “can and freeze” the fruit of the land. We converted our “total electric” home to 100% wood heat, got a subscription to “Mother Earth News” and began making changes. However, at that time, I had no need for a self-reliant form of distance communication; for, everyone that I needed to talk to lived within a couple of miles. We purchased CB radios. If the phone quit working, it was no big deal. Oh, we looked into Amateur Radio, but you had to know Code… and there was NO way I was going to mess with that.

As the years / decades passed… I became a Grandpa… with 4 of the most wonderful grandkids in the world. HERE WAS THE FIRST STEP toward my interest in Amateur Radio. My grandkids live 800 miles away.

THE SECOND STEP was a re-awakening of the need for personal self-reliance brought about by the knowledge of just how fragile and interdependent the national infrastructure had become. If one little piece goes down… the potential for the house of cards to collapse was becoming more and more obvious.

THE THIRD STEP was a very severe ice storm in southern Missouri that resulted in the call up of the Missouri National Guard and a temporary blockade of the region in which my kids live. Power was out… phone service was sporadic… and Grandpa panicked. There and then I knew I had to figure out a way to be able to communicate with my kids “when all else failed”.

The FOURTH step came coincidentally about the same time as the Third Step; I was reading the book “Patriots” by James Rawles. “Patriots” is the story of survival after a massive economic collapse. In the story, the main characters tell of hearing about what was happening only by means of listening to ham operators on a short wave radio.

The pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place… and the mission was on. I would need a license first. The rest is now history and here I am 14 months after I got my Technician license – now with a General license – writing my first post for my Amateur Radio Blog.

One must be very careful saying, “I would never do that…”.