Comm shack building, help me plan!

[Lowdown3]

Got this little container a while back at an auction about an hour away.



It's one of those deals designed to go on a large truck bed. Good seal on the door, lighter metal body. I walked on the roof recently and it seemed as tough as the 40' sealand container roofs.
One small repair that I could find in the side wall. It was evidently bumped by something some time back and repaired. Other than that in relatively good condition.

A view of the interior-



The shelves are removable, but I will likely leave them in place.

There is a light and an outlet. Not sure at this point if they work or not, but given the condition I assume they will.

Has an odd plug on the outside to connect power, I'm not familiar with this, but then again I don't claim to be an electrician and I didn't stay at Holiday Inn last night...




So I need ideas on what to do with this.

It is currently placed close to my AE system, so running power to it won't be a major hassle. It's first use will not be to just stack supplies, it needs to function a little better than that.
My thoughts have been this would be a good place to finally set my comm gear back up at. Given that it's a sealed metal box, I may get some EMP protection as well. Need to explore that further including what all I can/should do in that regards- i.e, ground the whole container, shunts on wires coming in? etc.

Here is the left side-



This is the side I will likely build a bench for comm gear. The outlets are right there so it might cut down on cords running here and there on the floor.

There are perforations that I'm aware on in this, and before I make one I need to be sure where I'm going to put everything, future needs, etc. This will NOT be a living space. The comms bench will only take up the wall on the left side (probably not all of that). The right side I'm considering building another bench platform against the wall there and use that for general work on firearms. Put all my cleaning gear, armorer's tools, most spare parts, etc. there. Maybe finally get one of those neat little holders for the rifles so you can clean it while it's being held instead of on your lap in front of the TV lol.

I have painted the roof thick with truck bed liner material for additional waterproofing and protection of the metal. Painted the outside body of the container as well and cleaned out the interior. Next move is shelves, running power, etc.

Need ideas on how to "pimp my comm shack!" Give me some ideas.

[norincofl]

Cool shack!

The radio bug bite me fairly hard within the last couple of years. My interest in radios has come and gone over and over since I was a teenager. I installed an HF end-fed antenna, a new mobile VHF radio and setup an APRS digipeater at the house in 2015-16.

The following may not be useful:

My advice is simply to hook up an an antenna and radio and sit there with a pad of paper and write down what you hear, when you hear it and what frequency for a few days or nights. I know you know there's not much of an easy button with radio, especially HF, if that's your interest. I wouldn't worry about running stuff through your bulkheads just yet. Setup your antenna and run the coax out the door for a while and make sure everything works that way. Then go and start making changes to improve the convenience of your operation.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HF-End-Fed-Antenna-200W-80-10m-Ham-Antenna-NO-TUNER-NEEDED-130-feet-long-/262555494586?hash=item3d2186e8ba

Most of what I played with last summer was listening to the night time 80 meter nets using NVIS. I found 80 meters interesting because the operators were somewhat regional and perhaps the information gathered now, and in some dystopian future, might be the most relevant.

The ham radio forum on ARFCOM may actually be the most helpful place on the net that I've seen. Also, the Ham Radio 360 podcast has a good production value and many of the podcasts have relevant and useful info.

[Templar]

It looks like the van is wired for 15 amps, so plan your elec load accordingly if you use the existing wiring. Drive a ground rod outside, and run it into a bussbar inside. Maybe overhead cover for heat control,in case global warming returns. Loodk for some sort of weatherhead fixture to keep water and bugs outside when you run antennas. An antenna patch board incorporated into the start of the project will save much heartburn later.

I am in process of planning my shack here, and am trying to keep it as safe and simple as possible. You may want to run a 12VDC circuit inside, while you have bare walls. Lotsa fun, enjoy!

[Lowdown3]

No habla "antenna patch board" que es eso?

[Mannlicher]

I have not graduated off cell phones and a VHF for the boat yet. Sure looks interesting. Keep us posted. Templer, it's good to see your smiling face again. :)

[protus]

It's a twist lock style like you'll see on some gennys, and RVs.
Your limited to 15amps. Possible wire it as a back up vs primary. Via sub panels.
Power goes out you plug into gen or AE..to power necessities.
Sides that your gonna need h umidty and temp control. Airflow at least.
Not just for your comfort.

[Lowdown3]

I was thinking of some kind of sliding screen door assembly on the inside. It's in a shaded spot, but still will be hot as hades on warm days.

So I can probably find a similar plug at Lowes and run 12-2 from the inverter to it?

[Lowdown3]

Got some butchering and a helluva lot of mowing to do this weekend (old bush hog broke and just got a new one yesterday), but outside of that I'm going to try to get the shelves for the comm part of the building started this weekend.

[Templar]

Patch board = panel with all your antennas attach to from outside, dipoles, verticle, etc, and they each have a panel mount connector , so when you have to switch bands, you move the coax from your xcvr to a different connector. Lets you cut different band antennas and be more flexible, kinda like a switchboard for radio.

More here:

http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-4706

[protus]

I was thinking of some kind of sliding screen door assembly on the inside. It's in a shaded spot, but still will be hot as hades on warm days.

So I can probably find a similar plug at Lowes and run 12-2 from the inverter to it?

Yes they should have that plug. 12/2 will handle 120/15 no issues.iirc its like 30 max..but I've never done it to accede 20.what you could do is put a quick disconnect at the one end. And just hard wire it. That way it's flip of a switch.

On vent. Could put in a small 12v push/pull fan to keep air flow moving as well. Aka solar powered she'd fan or make one .

Hell , just make the comm shake independently powered with a single panel,small controller and 2 batts.
Cost more but even that cheap horror fraud kit would work lol

[Lowdown3]

Patch board = panel with all your antennas attach to from outside, dipoles, verticle, etc, and they each have a panel mount connector , so when you have to switch bands, you move the coax from your xcvr to a different connector. Lets you cut different band antennas and be more flexible, kinda like a switchboard for radio.

More here:
http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Produc...uctid=MFJ-4706

OK, thanks. That will definitely be helpful.

[Lowdown3]

I thought about just putting together a small 12v system to run the radios and may still do that.

The problems I see in that are the container is pretty much air tight. So if I put batteries inside venting will be an issue. Also the thing is already wired and 110 is just about 20 yards away if that.

Templar- so I could cut the wall and place that patch board in the wall correct?

[tech]

Patch board = panel with all your antennas attach to from outside, dipoles, verticle, etc, and they each have a panel mount connector , so when you have to switch bands, you move the coax from your xcvr to a different connector. Lets you cut different band antennas and be more flexible, kinda like a switchboard for radio.

More here:
http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Produc...uctid=MFJ-4706

or just design your own...

http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-7701

[Templar]

Templar- so I could cut the wall and place that patch board in the wall correct?

You could, or just cut in a weatherhead and run the antenna cable through it. That keeps the connector out of the weather, and easier to maintain. You may want a physical disconnect for lightning/emp protection.

[Bill Foster]

My two cents...As you are planning and building, remember to ground everything. In my shack, I have my two radios and my power supply grounded to a 6-foot in-the-ground copper rod. Houses aren't always grounded as they should be from original construction to things getting loose over time. When mobile, power should come directly from your battery (batteries) to avoid noise. You should have fuses on the positive and negative cables. If you don't already have a 110V power supply for your coms, go larger than you currently need. If you decide you want a more powerful rig in the future, your power supply will not have to be purchased again. Start scavenging and stockpiling copper wire...you will be glad you did.