Tag: tdl

Hurricane Prep Update

Update. I got the cupholder for the desk. It’s important to have because I often use tall coffee cups or soda bottles in the field. They can tip over easily and make a mess. The cup holder prevents that. Here is a view of the table and chair inside the truck bed.

I have a couple of L-track cargo straps on order that will tie the desk to the bed floor. This is a pretty comfortable setup when I am not in the camper.

Speaking of the camper, the table fits nicely in there too. I will be taking the folding table I was using out and replacing it with this. The other table was too large. You will see the table in action on my next camping trip.

I received all of the pieces for the Chameleon TDL (Tactical Delta Loop). I plan on using it my next trip. What is nice about the TDL is it has a lower vertical height and will be safe to use around power lines.

Here in Georgia it can get pretty warm. At the time of this writing Fall is approaching and temperatures are moderating. I added a battery operated fan to my kit. I recently discovered Harbor Freight Hercules brand battery power tools. I needed a small trim router and decided to try Hercules. The router was $69 vs $219 (Dewalt at Home Depot). Since I no longer work out of a tool box, I felt the Hercules brand would have me covered. I really like that little router. I decided to try their fan at $25.

It runs off of 120 VAC and 20V Hercules batteries.

The Dewalt version runs about $125. I can buy 5 of these for one of Dewalt. The fan comes with a 5 year warranty and the batteries – 3 year. From what the folks at the store tell me, it’s no questions asked, any Harbor Freight Store, anywhere. I turned the fan on and it moves air pretty good. Certainly enough for inside the camper or the truck bed.

So far this year, the hurricane season has been quiet and we have only had glancing blows. I check my gear on a regular basis. I have been doing this enough that my annual improvements are incremental. I use my camping trips to check gear and my skill set. I feel that if a call came, I could be ready to go in about 4 hrs give or take.

For those that practice FunComm, good on you and for those that practice Fun, have more of it. Let’s hope for a quiet remainder of the season and that FunComm was only for fun this year. 73 de Scott

Hurricane Prep and a Little Project

About this time of year, I get a little antsy. This is the peak of the hurricane season. At this time, I tend to go over my gear and see of I can improve it. I practice Kaizen. It is the Japanese process of small continuous improvement. I learned this from my days in manufacturing. Each year I look at my gear and see what I can do to make it better.

My first improvement is with antennas. I have been a Chameleon Antenna user for years and I have been collecting bits and bobs as needed to make the antennas I think will do me the most good. This year I built their Tactical Delta Loop (CHA TDL). I already had their Micro Transformer and 1 – 17′ Stainless Steel Whip. All I needed was another 17′ Stainless Steel Whip and their Hub Kit. Sometimes when you deploy or even do a POTA activation, there my not be enough clearance (horizontal or vertical) to put the best antenna. The TDL gives me a good sized, free standing antenna that does not take up a lot of space. It is slightly directional giving me a little gain when operating at low power.

My next project was building a desk to fit in the back of my truck. I often activate parks for POTA alone and when nature calls, I do not like to leave my expensive radios on a park bench. I sketched a plan on a piece of paper and went to the shed to see what wood I had. I had enough scraps to build what I wanted to include a desktop I used in the cab of the truck. Part of the project was to try a new to me technology – pocket hole joinery. I stopped at my local Home Depot and picked up a Kreg jig. My first step was to cut the pieces to length and then assemble it.

I let it sit for a couple of hours and then took it out for the paint job. Bcause of the dissimilar woods I went with paint instead of stain.

I got creative and decided to camouflage it a little. After I let the paint dry I attached the top.

The hole in the foreground is for a coffee cup holder. I didn’t like the plastic ones I had so a quick look on Amazon netted me a stainless steel one. When operating portable it is very easy to knock over your drink onto your log, computer, or radio. Ask me how I know.

One last little bit is I added L-track connectors to the bottom of the desktop on each end.

I have L-track on my truck bed and using cargo straps with L-track connectors, it is easy for me to cinch the desk down to keep it from moving in the bed.

I have a low camping seat that easily allows me to slide under the table. The bottom of the desk top is approx. 17″ off of the ground. There is plenty of room for my legs. Now I can go to a park and all I need to do to secure my radios is flip up the tailgate and lock the camper top. The windows on the top slide open and have bug screens. I just have to add a small fan for the hot days, but for now, fall is approaching and cooler days are ahead. 73- de Scott