Tag: cup

Mobile Mount Upgrade IC-7100

There is always a better way to build a mousetrap

Last year I installed an IC-7100 in my truck. You can see the installation details here IC-7100 Install. The installation went pretty smoothly and I have used the radio on VHF and HF. The only fault I could find with the installation was how I mounted the control head. I used one of those Lido cup holder mounts. No matter how hard I tightened everything down, they still worked loose leaving the control head to wobble around.

Yesterday, I decided to fix this. It was simple. Using a 3 1/2” 1/4-20 bolt, some nylon bushings, washers lock washers and rubber grommets, I mounted the control head to the pull out drawer In my center dash.

I drilled one 5/16” hole in the bottom of the drawer. I put a lock washer and a washer on the bolt and pushed it through the bottom of the drawer. I then added 2-3 washers, a 1” nylon bushing (1/4” ID) a 1/4” rubber grommet, and another nylon bushing. The bushings, and washers acted like shims to keep the control head level and allow me to tighten the bolt without damaging the control head. The rubber grommet added a little extra “squeeze” so the lock washer would engage the bottom of the drawer.

It took me about an hour including driving to Tractor Supply for the hardware. It cost me about $6.

The control head is now firmly mounted to the truck and there is even a space for the microphone. The only thing I have left to do is reroute the control cable under the mat. This installation is more secure and looks nicer. I even get a cup holder back! 73-de Scott

Vertical Antenna Support

I like to tinker. Always have and probably, always will. This past weekend while I was activating K-2171, I swapped out antennas to see if one was any better than another. My first antenna was my Frankentenna set up as a vertical. Later in my activation, I switched to my random wire vertical. To use this antenna, I had to shoot a line up into a tree. Band conditions were not that good, and truth be told, I am not sure which antenna was better; however, for this activation, I gave a slight edge to the random wire.

For those that have operated within State Parks, rules and regulations sometimes seem to get a little blurry when it come to operating amateur radio within park boundaries. There is a general consensus that Park Rangers do not like things in their trees. I personally have not had this issue, but I was never approached by a ranger. I operate CW with earbuds on, so I do not really attract attention to myself.

Recognizing, that it might be a matter of time before I get “caught” with something up in a tree, I thought I would look for a solution to solve a potential problem. I have a B&M Black Widow 20′ fishing pole that should work just fine for my random wire antenna. A trip to TSC got me a 4 foot piece of 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ Aluminum Angle Stock. Tools used were:

Layout was pretty simple. The angle for the pointy end was 20 degrees and the slots for the straps were 3/8″ by 1 1/4″ (approx). The total length of the stake is 28″

I got everything cut out and deburred. I added a coat of zinc chromate primer and a finish coat of flat olive paint.

I have two small Velcro straps that I had lying around that work perfectly,

Then by turning the stake around, it stores nicely on the fishing pole. Together the outfit weighs a touch over 1 1/2 pounds. This is easy to carry and by moving the stake more to the center, it would be better balanced for walking.

This gives you options. You should be able to use this anywhere you can drive a tent stake into the ground. With this setup, you can use many different antennas besides a vertical. I am going to try it with my 40m OCF dipole (I may have to mount it a little down from the tip).

When I do an activation, I like to carry a minimum amount of gear. Sometimes, I feel my Frankentenna is too big even though it fits in a small Buddipole bag. It is fun trying to operate with a small amount of gear. For my next activation, I will bring the pole with everything else fitting in an 8 liter Bucket Boss bag. Instead of the Bucket Boss Bag, I could use a small backpack. In fact, I am thinking about doing a couple of SOTA activations this year. I hope to hear you out there! de Scott KK4Z