tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66788022417351486372024-02-18T21:55:38.732-08:00The Real Rich HandAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-9542424913451154692017-04-02T18:55:00.004-07:002017-04-02T19:07:18.948-07:00BEARS Radio Station in a box assignmentI have been having so much fun building Radio in a Box projects, but just how many radios in a box does one need? I know, it was rhetorical !<br />
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Lucky for me, I belong to the BEARS (Boeing Employees Amateur Radio Society). They have found a new home at the Museum of Flight (MOF). Quite a few BEARS volunteer at the Museum doing a wide variety of tasks. In turn, the Museum allows them the use of a meeting place and a location to place their radio shack. As part of our efforts to give back to the MOF, I was assigned to assemble a radio station to be used in their Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Basically, the BEARS said replace the current setup with something that looks a bit more "professional". Other than that I was on my own.<br />
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The MOF resides in Tukwila, Washington. The <a href="http://tukwilaradioclub.org/" target="_blank">Tukwila Emergency Communications Team</a> has been "Partnering with the City of Tukwila to Provide Reliable Communications" for quite some time and we decided that would be a good resource to communicate with during an emergency. Their amateur operators are focused D-STAR radios, so to that end we needed to have D-STAR capability.<br />
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In addition, we needed normal EMCOMM ability on a local, county and state level. The station of course needed to operate without commercial power for at least a few hours and longer with additional batteries or generator. With that as a starting point off I went to gather the parts and hopefully come up with a professional looking radio resource.<br />
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The bits and pieces that went into the BEARS Radio(s) in a Box are:<br />
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First, purchased a ICOM ID-880H radio ($200) from Arlene, KF7NDO. This is the same type mobile radio used by the Tukwila Team. This purchase included manual, programming cable and software, a older Donner sound card interface for packet work and various other items to make operations easier.<br />
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Next, the BEARS had received a complete HF/VHF/UHF rig donated by Dan, N7PWO. This included a Yaesu FT-897, and compatible LDG tuner, RigRunner 4005 power distribution unit and the bits and pieces to hook everything together. <br />
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Rich, K7RFH (that's me) donated several items from the salvaged parts bin, such as, parts carrying case, switches, wiring, brackets, screws, bolts, zip ties, etc.<br />
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The rest of the items were purchased either online or from other Hams. Since I carefully shopped sales, the current prices for these items may be different from what I payed. Listed below are what I payed and links to examples products. Those items included:<br />
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<li>6U 19 inch rack audio case (did not need to be weather resistant) $93 <br />Example: <a href="https://goo.gl/XAdpDU">https://goo.gl/XAdpDU</a></li>
<li>Two 2U metal 19 inch rack shelves $28 each <br />Example: <a href="https://goo.gl/jmxRBj">https://goo.gl/jmxRBj</a> </li>
<li>2U 19 inch rack slotted panel for holding gauges, switches and power inlet $15<br />Example: <a href="https://goo.gl/r9LBz1">https://goo.gl/r9LBz1</a> </li>
<li>12 VDC power supply sized for the needs of the box $20 <br />Example: <a href="https://goo.gl/jRgbzJ">https://goo.gl/jRgbzJ</a> </li>
<li>power management unit to provide auto-switch-over between commercial power and battery, plus battery charging maintenance $55<br />Example: Low-Loss PWRgate <a href="https://goo.gl/oFLGx3">https://goo.gl/oFLGx3</a> </li>
<li>Anderson Powerpoles, fused commercial power inlet, Powerpole bracket and LED lighting strip. <br />Examples: powerpoles $45 <a href="https://goo.gl/wAoBnT">https://goo.gl/wAoBnT</a><br />power inlet $5 <a href="https://goo.gl/eTTDYU">https://goo.gl/eTTDYU</a><br />PP bracket $5 <a href="https://goo.gl/HOviU3">https://goo.gl/HOviU3</a><br />LED lighting $6 <a href="https://goo.gl/pFPuVe">https://goo.gl/pFPuVe</a><br />LED 8mm connectors $4 <a href="https://goo.gl/cbKzhP">https://goo.gl/cbKzhP</a> </li>
<li>Sealed Lead acid 7AH AGM battery $29<br />Example: <a href="https://goo.gl/b0MCwd">https://goo.gl/b0MCwd</a> </li>
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Most items were purchased through amazon.com, but they were not necessarily sold directly by Amazon. All other products were purchased from other amateur radio operators.</div>
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Below are some photos of the parts donated and purchased.</div>
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6U audio case with shelves and front panel installed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEi78G_8GsxDS4BmTaMTBvOsHwSXrjcc-mk7wXHNiKl8pV05mbsDuCc2d_YtJE9fBDJbw6S6rNNdRsGH9XIYpK-5C-QvK1g3ndNxx_vThCDBtH7RJPRcizvAi4k23gif0FufABFWfDqH1L/s1600/box+shelves+panel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEi78G_8GsxDS4BmTaMTBvOsHwSXrjcc-mk7wXHNiKl8pV05mbsDuCc2d_YtJE9fBDJbw6S6rNNdRsGH9XIYpK-5C-QvK1g3ndNxx_vThCDBtH7RJPRcizvAi4k23gif0FufABFWfDqH1L/s200/box+shelves+panel.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoW5EREXpS3UWlo7eIxmnxJFZjWiC-Z8nTC6AAxittKnnBTiLGHpszTzMgJ2mFvsGupTUeBft5FtlvtK6NXfftVfgrf01t8b3i1KVZXDGlSTB_7C9AHJIYMTFi7kq0cqsKYsGmmMe8YBm/s1600/FT897+and+tuner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoW5EREXpS3UWlo7eIxmnxJFZjWiC-Z8nTC6AAxittKnnBTiLGHpszTzMgJ2mFvsGupTUeBft5FtlvtK6NXfftVfgrf01t8b3i1KVZXDGlSTB_7C9AHJIYMTFi7kq0cqsKYsGmmMe8YBm/s200/FT897+and+tuner.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Donated FT-897 and LDG Tuner</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNZQfa6ZWfe__2Xs_CVn6EaAovtKkNRPZIFOQ5OspxzzH0QyBTO60jDHGevsnm-VQlcX2sZgbFHlXq2BSEKkjaGA767xuqNA1aElIF_uBtbxEFCLa74h0VcaNsdxZT5BPPiJv11bghd82/s1600/rigrunner+4005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNZQfa6ZWfe__2Xs_CVn6EaAovtKkNRPZIFOQ5OspxzzH0QyBTO60jDHGevsnm-VQlcX2sZgbFHlXq2BSEKkjaGA767xuqNA1aElIF_uBtbxEFCLa74h0VcaNsdxZT5BPPiJv11bghd82/s200/rigrunner+4005.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Low Loss PWRgate from Flint Hills Radio</span></div>
<span style="text-align: center;">Donated RIGrunner 4005</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQD83Q-ix1YpAE9q2D0-miH3hOWEI-N8jSomOLI0xO_yB3zTs7WO3m5yhUognca8G9hAnbRyU5PawJ4TvugotUT37DzWQTQb3SOm2hWhtzWzD3NGqiGSh8-rPru5S6FoC8eyqNdna0u2M/s1600/lowlosspwrgate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQD83Q-ix1YpAE9q2D0-miH3hOWEI-N8jSomOLI0xO_yB3zTs7WO3m5yhUognca8G9hAnbRyU5PawJ4TvugotUT37DzWQTQb3SOm2hWhtzWzD3NGqiGSh8-rPru5S6FoC8eyqNdna0u2M/s200/lowlosspwrgate.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
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12 VDC Power Supply, grounding block and two power inlets.</div>
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(The inlet on the right was selected for this box.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGdUOPPshTdLaAUDJ3aN-svUTcB5caIT8bH42H8gHsZmgEY7D2NFR7msFa-9OqoASCfsMvkUEfHvr7HvYIm1FwQ4fkuZYAQnEj0Bp7Jv4ca_kETPxACalDCdXbQMEExpmnPyFtMYIuau4/s1600/power+supply+grnd+block+pwr+inlets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGdUOPPshTdLaAUDJ3aN-svUTcB5caIT8bH42H8gHsZmgEY7D2NFR7msFa-9OqoASCfsMvkUEfHvr7HvYIm1FwQ4fkuZYAQnEj0Bp7Jv4ca_kETPxACalDCdXbQMEExpmnPyFtMYIuau4/s320/power+supply+grnd+block+pwr+inlets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the construction, all radios were attached to the shelves with bolts or screws either directly or using a mobile bracket. In addition, nylon zip wire ties were added to secure FT-897 to the rack shelf.<br />
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The following photos are of the completed box and show some detail (closeups) of the installation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuuY0Qorrq9zMxdM2zjiBbFEnx9Lr0cdor0sHQTvvcx3tzeSsLJaZInQCl4U4rfCXL-eMjcqQzF0nhTOLOfHeU5CtqgeGS_z_359eYLHPAIOkmUEICtl6PFa0KIoSyNP62aOt4_Nhih9l/s1600/MOF+EOC+RIAB+ACCESSORIES+BOX.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuuY0Qorrq9zMxdM2zjiBbFEnx9Lr0cdor0sHQTvvcx3tzeSsLJaZInQCl4U4rfCXL-eMjcqQzF0nhTOLOfHeU5CtqgeGS_z_359eYLHPAIOkmUEICtl6PFa0KIoSyNP62aOt4_Nhih9l/s200/MOF+EOC+RIAB+ACCESSORIES+BOX.JPG" width="142" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvBaKm7dERcCWlI_nsZpipkD2KOhYny6mnNHD-i58lfz4Zc9acgwXcCf2cMKyVG_OeVP6z0Am3Z5Jpq0we7PqYggrx02ah2SLuLOeRYtq7MIqxYXlkXt1e_qoSjCgkatGGJfkpSy14tVG/s1600/MOF+EOC+RIAB+FULL+FRONT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvBaKm7dERcCWlI_nsZpipkD2KOhYny6mnNHD-i58lfz4Zc9acgwXcCf2cMKyVG_OeVP6z0Am3Z5Jpq0we7PqYggrx02ah2SLuLOeRYtq7MIqxYXlkXt1e_qoSjCgkatGGJfkpSy14tVG/s200/MOF+EOC+RIAB+FULL+FRONT.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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On the left is the box in travel mode. Note the yellow lettering is done with reflective vinyl. Using a flashlight, these glow and make the box easier to find in the dark.<br />
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On the right is the accessories box. It contains microphones, power cord, etc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2jKQ0J5WSvLdymRWNyHHNO6zJmGrTKcf5UXtDNihxAmsZv0J1F5iEB9KHkGSi3T4uE4IW3YWk_cw3HrpK3qwoX7_WX3dJkG44UtPa8WB2ipz1_5cbqWk5rQ4KV4UxK4JoyrK6PrPSwDb/s1600/MOF+EOC+RIAB+LATCH+CLOSED.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2jKQ0J5WSvLdymRWNyHHNO6zJmGrTKcf5UXtDNihxAmsZv0J1F5iEB9KHkGSi3T4uE4IW3YWk_cw3HrpK3qwoX7_WX3dJkG44UtPa8WB2ipz1_5cbqWk5rQ4KV4UxK4JoyrK6PrPSwDb/s200/MOF+EOC+RIAB+LATCH+CLOSED.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRD87R-2j0oFAVg5mt9LEp9q6koeEtUTiDrVcHMgg_QgrmLhfwW8KrMY2zmo7-ZJcdRSrpkh1nvCscz52KOZ58SRLuegagbRHjZdY1oyhY-HHz6duNK0Sg-W7DHz1o_xtm8DU0ytHuyv8p/s1600/MOF+EOC+RIAB+LATCH+OPENED+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRD87R-2j0oFAVg5mt9LEp9q6koeEtUTiDrVcHMgg_QgrmLhfwW8KrMY2zmo7-ZJcdRSrpkh1nvCscz52KOZ58SRLuegagbRHjZdY1oyhY-HHz6duNK0Sg-W7DHz1o_xtm8DU0ytHuyv8p/s200/MOF+EOC+RIAB+LATCH+OPENED+2.JPG" width="200" /></a>This pair of photos show the "butterfly" latch operation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6_oFhmcbC-cziKgiZIGOtStPhDaIKzWjrbk0KGOv0b8JnJi4H8VRbJiS0Df884OrGZLq9_bWLU6Tt-AIoXLWbpovFcQjc8jf2xL7fWj187Qg_VZqc2TSCKBlBkaKUYa5e1Qr2fmmXNgP/s1600/MOF+EOC+RIAB+FRONT+DETAIL+POWERED+ON.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6_oFhmcbC-cziKgiZIGOtStPhDaIKzWjrbk0KGOv0b8JnJi4H8VRbJiS0Df884OrGZLq9_bWLU6Tt-AIoXLWbpovFcQjc8jf2xL7fWj187Qg_VZqc2TSCKBlBkaKUYa5e1Qr2fmmXNgP/s320/MOF+EOC+RIAB+FRONT+DETAIL+POWERED+ON.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shown on the right is the front view of the box components with the LED light strip illuminated.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXO2UzahTrOOPbLw8oz1mlHPcoR6bb9eyPBmFAwvkuBlbHRFVtl9MKRsdSdng2qeTjNgjDDHsg-hZuILxJAuTXON4Q0t3B2qwyppU9iuMenGjSJ0PAUE0lk_IfgkebSm5388OREnP0L-WA/s1600/MOF+EOC+RIAB+FRONT+PANEL+BATTERY+SWITCH+POWER+IN+OUT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXO2UzahTrOOPbLw8oz1mlHPcoR6bb9eyPBmFAwvkuBlbHRFVtl9MKRsdSdng2qeTjNgjDDHsg-hZuILxJAuTXON4Q0t3B2qwyppU9iuMenGjSJ0PAUE0lk_IfgkebSm5388OREnP0L-WA/s200/MOF+EOC+RIAB+FRONT+PANEL+BATTERY+SWITCH+POWER+IN+OUT.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
Detail to the left shows the battery enable/disable switch. Next to the switch is the Battery IN and 12VDC OUT Powerpole connections. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5852A3ne-mbI7k8oCxSuZveX8iX8OGRESAFFnVHoWSCOesqMDyLFBeRh-PZMfLmZfCzU8j8Ot3yCacLBv7wrd5vBeyQjUhrARCUTP4EFw4mqWm1gB7ZrC07BeE_ADVi9C10T9eQI0drw/s1600/MOF+EOC+RIAB+FRONT+PANEL+LIGHT+SWITCH.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5852A3ne-mbI7k8oCxSuZveX8iX8OGRESAFFnVHoWSCOesqMDyLFBeRh-PZMfLmZfCzU8j8Ot3yCacLBv7wrd5vBeyQjUhrARCUTP4EFw4mqWm1gB7ZrC07BeE_ADVi9C10T9eQI0drw/s200/MOF+EOC+RIAB+FRONT+PANEL+LIGHT+SWITCH.JPG" width="200" /></a>Detail to the right shows power panel (cig socket, meter, USB power), LED light switch and power cord connection and fused inlet switch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiF_tc7cTffNbBQVpmdscV1oFF97HErNeCHh5fdRrFNjkffii7mLdd-DfHJMzVexdT0J9L8lvxIJf0gdQOgINuc4xnyY7iWCXuA-NChwLv_CCN6wI6VdBtTHPIQqGle3qi-fLqXHDhebt/s1600/MOF+EOC+RIAB+FULL+REAR+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiF_tc7cTffNbBQVpmdscV1oFF97HErNeCHh5fdRrFNjkffii7mLdd-DfHJMzVexdT0J9L8lvxIJf0gdQOgINuc4xnyY7iWCXuA-NChwLv_CCN6wI6VdBtTHPIQqGle3qi-fLqXHDhebt/s320/MOF+EOC+RIAB+FULL+REAR+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shown on the right is the rear view of the box components with the LED light strip illuminated.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">On the left, is the Low Loss PWRgate and behind it is the RIGrunner 4005. Just to the right of the PWRgate is the 12V power supply.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuVn6Pc_bqIBi4JhVFWHcRQWPyETktqyiEAGEoVXY9X2EAKpDQ2Lmebim92uWWecvYaIs9mlE2HcRei-1YUweLg-xYL1f9ybwsXJOrxBCir4kBcLL4vPoLrUg1MuLUd9Rer77W6CFA1mk/s1600/MOF+EOC+RIAB+REAR+880+SIDE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuVn6Pc_bqIBi4JhVFWHcRQWPyETktqyiEAGEoVXY9X2EAKpDQ2Lmebim92uWWecvYaIs9mlE2HcRei-1YUweLg-xYL1f9ybwsXJOrxBCir4kBcLL4vPoLrUg1MuLUd9Rer77W6CFA1mk/s200/MOF+EOC+RIAB+REAR+880+SIDE.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFJ_mpTabPfnAIPzeADYd8S8pNYkQZomdaQyP-uIOWjgJ7vIw2E7-foaKW_IZqyc4G_F_McuuYwV3xbT1rgPHB8gHsdb0MHAqELiswHqI-IGW8RCU-WtANuqKa5jW-zqqbdZenrRRYo83/s1600/MOF+EOC+RIAB+REAR+897+SIDE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFJ_mpTabPfnAIPzeADYd8S8pNYkQZomdaQyP-uIOWjgJ7vIw2E7-foaKW_IZqyc4G_F_McuuYwV3xbT1rgPHB8gHsdb0MHAqELiswHqI-IGW8RCU-WtANuqKa5jW-zqqbdZenrRRYo83/s200/MOF+EOC+RIAB+REAR+897+SIDE.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="text-align: left;">On the right is the accessories box, an example of the antenna connectors, programming cable for the ID-880H and lower in the frame the AGM battery.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-27951855562935598632017-03-26T18:45:00.001-07:002017-03-26T18:45:17.023-07:00New power distribution kit build - Now that was fun!At the Mike & Key Flea Market I came across a table which was displaying a radio in box concept in a small ammo can. Not unusual, but how they put it together was very intriguing. A QYT tiny radio was interesting, but the real surprise was the power distribution box that was built from a kit.<br />
It had more outputs than I had see before in such a small box and there were LED lights that displayed when power was on and status of each of the outputs, as well as a digital power meter. Since I was working at the flea market I didn't get around to buying one of these kits, until afterwards, when I contacted K9JEB and below is the result.<br />
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<a href="http://k9jeb.com/" target="_blank">K9JEB </a>, John Boal offers the power distribution center <a href="http://k9jeb.com/PDC.aspx" target="_blank">kit </a>at $50 plus shipping (at the time of this writing). Per his web site its features/advantages are:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>Build your own Kit - save money and do it yourself!</li>
<li>Flexible - build only what you need now, add or upgrade options later</li>
<li>ARES, RACES, RSGB, ARRL standard connectors</li>
<li>Industrial Strength DC Power distribution</li>
<li>Genuine Anderson PowerPoles</li>
<li>Each output Fused with its own Fuse-Blown / Short-Circuit LED</li>
<li>Filter Capacitors on each output connection (optional) - keeps electrical/vehicle noise down</li>
<li>Hot-Connect, quick-change PowerPole connections</li>
<li>Daisy-chain several units together for lots of outputs</li>
<li>Use for collecting energy from multiple Solar Panels</li>
<li>Great for power distribution from Solar Charge Controller output to the DC load</li>
<li>Use in the Car, EOC, Go-Kit, Home, Base station, or all of them!</li>
<li>Handles 30A (total load) with optional upgrade to 45A</li>
<li>Optional features:</li>
<li>Digital Voltmeter</li>
<li>3A Max (2.5A continuous) DC-DC USB 5V Charger Power Module Option</li>
<li>1-10V 3A Step-Down DC-DC Power Module option Can use for Baofeng, other Handheld Radio Chargers</li>
<li>15-30V 3A Step-Up DC-DC Power Module Option - Charge your laptop battery!</li>
<li>Shipping is about $5 in the USA</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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You never known with "kits" what the quality will be or if the instructions cover everything. I can say with this kit, the instructions were close too perfection. The quality was excellent and surprise, it came with all the parts needed. The only things I had to add was about 18 inches of #18 solid wire (which came from my scrap wire bin) and the soldering labor to make everything stay put.</div>
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Any question I had was answered by the <a href="http://k9jeb.com/Assembly.pdf" target="_blank">downloadable documentation</a> and in an evening I had everything together, tested and in operation in the shack.</div>
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My power distribution center box is the standard one with no optional power modules noted above. Basically, one Powerpole pair for 12 volt input and eight Powerpole pairs of various amperage outputs. The power meter was quite accurate and I mounted it on the surface of the project box. Also included was the USB power port which is rated at 3 amps. This works well for phone charging, running a USB light, charging a tablet or whatever other USB powered device you have hanging about.</div>
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I replaced a RigRunner 4005 with this kit. The advantage over the 4005 was more output pairs, the power meter and of course the USB power. The 4005 is rated a bit higher amp-wise then the basic kit, but even that is covered in the instructions. Details are provided on how to modify the board so that it can surpass the amperage of the 4005. I did those mods, but have not fully loaded the box.</div>
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You can see several photos of the power distribution center kit on John's website. They are nicely put together. I have included a photo of mine below. Since I immediately put it into service the night I finished it, there aren't any "progress" images. Did I mentioned it only took an evening from start to finish? Trust me, it was easy to assemble, as long as you follow the excellent instructions.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2qpMQ7P5aZ4WtAQBEkfEWP53upKKXRekhboHzLct20cRgquJ1cpzYc2knixDJzbDDsWS6DaVOOe0FJHFyp8ME964X75Xsww7CwpVleRb9oHVEBsPrgMqRTDSoSymhlX5RcynK_i-5vB7/s1600/K9JEB-PD-Kit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2qpMQ7P5aZ4WtAQBEkfEWP53upKKXRekhboHzLct20cRgquJ1cpzYc2knixDJzbDDsWS6DaVOOe0FJHFyp8ME964X75Xsww7CwpVleRb9oHVEBsPrgMqRTDSoSymhlX5RcynK_i-5vB7/s400/K9JEB-PD-Kit1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Overall, I would highly recommend this power distribution center kit to anyone interested in learning what goes into making one and as a side benefit save a bit of money. It was a fun project! </div>
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Thanks to John Boal, K9JEB for creating the kit and answering all my question prior to purchase.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-83943693851866253502016-02-11T17:09:00.003-08:002016-02-11T17:18:25.443-08:00Fox Box - Can it be this easy?For quite some time both Arlene and I have looked at article after article on something called "<a href="http://www.homingin.com/" target="_blank">fox hunting</a>" also known as<a href="http://www.arrl.org/direction-finding" target="_blank"> direction finding</a>. This is an amateur radio "sport" of locating a hidden transmitter by using various methods such as a radio with a handheld Yagi antenna.<br />
<br />
We have some of basics we need to go searching but no one was doing fox hunting in our area. At least we had never heard of anyone doing it. Therefore, we decided to do a hunt for ourselves. But wait there was one thing, one very important thing, missing.<br />
<br />
THE FOX!<br />
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I decided to look into building a fox box, which is typically a weather proof box which contains a low powered transmitter and a controller of some sort that fed the transmitter some information to, well, transmit. I looked through the internet resources and found some great little gadgets that work on one or maybe two frequencies at very low power usually in the milliwatts range. This was fine, but what if you wanted to use a little more power and be able to try fox hunting on 2 meters or 70 centimeters and vary the frequency from hunt to hunt let's say. I really found nothing.<br />
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This of course this led me to building one for myself. I sat and thought about it, assembling a parts list and drawing possible designs and then suddenly it hit me. What do you really need for a fox box?<br />
First you need a transmitter. Well, as you probably already know there are several handheld amateur radios that are so cheap, everyone considers them as disposal radios. Could I use one of these? Let's say an old Wouxun or Baofeng or one of the other no name manufacturers. Seemed reasonable.<br />
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Now the hard part was the controller. What does a controller do? On a periodic basis it sends information to the transmitter so that people can hear it, to basically find it. I looked at Raspberry Pi, Audrino and specialized units, but being someone who is frugal to the point of cheapness, these were all too expensive.<br />
<br />
Again I pondered what did I have in the house already that would do the same thing. It had to give audio to the handheld's microphone port. That port on a Wouxun is an 3.5 mm jack. Then the light went on. I have an MP3 player, which I brought for $30 AND a Wouxun radio. Is that all I needed? <br />
Could it be that easy?<br />
<br />
I recorded a 3 minute MP3 audio file which has in it the following:<br />
<i>"Here is the K7RFH fox box operating on a frequency of 145.65 FM, K7RFH fox box"</i><br />
The 3 minutes included a period of silence to make up the total of 3 minutes including the message. Now, this can be any amount of time, so I made several version of varying times. The shortest being 30 seconds and the longest my original 3 minute version.<br />
<i><br /></i>
I then setup the Wouxun to accept VOX input. Using a 3.5mm to 3.5mm plug cable, I plugged one end into the MP3 player and the other into the Wouxun microphone input jack. Set the VOX level to 3. Turned on the radio. Turned on the MP3 in "repeat a single track" mode. Now, every 3 minutes the radio announces its call sign and a little more. <br />
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Since I have never done this before, I am not quite sure if this is a good way to do it. I think I need to stay in control of the radio, so that means I will need to know were it is at all times and be able to get to it quickly in case something goes awry. This is because the fox box operates in the ham band and runs 2 to 5 watts. Although given the antenna, it may be quite a bit less power. The control part should not be a problem. The high power may be an issue for the hunters. With the higher power, it means that the signal will be stronger and may ricochet giving false directions.<br />
<br />
Finally, I needed a weather proof case. Fortunately, I had purchased an ammo can set at Sam's Club. The larger can was used to make a radio in a box. You can see that one <a href="http://richhand.blogspot.com/2016/01/yet-another-radio-in-box-ammo-can.html" target="_blank">here</a>. However, the smaller one was just one of those sizes that might have worked to carry a small 7 AH battery and maybe some extra parts. However, now I have a handheld which is 124.5mm × 61.49mm × 33.88mm plus an MP3 player which is 0.6 x 1.6 x 2.6 inches. These together would be nothing inside the ammo can. So, perfect!<br />
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Laying the ammo can on its side, this was clearly a good spot for an NMO antenna mount. I had one just laying around. Drilled a 3/4 inch hole and poof, the antenna mount was ready.<br />
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Final issue is power. The Wouxun should be able to transmit for about 6 hours and the MP3 player is good for about 18 hours, all on their own power. If I wanted to make sure I had more battery power I could put a 7AH battery or a USB power brick in the case. Both would fit. So now with just a few more parts the entire box could probably run for 24 or more hours. Of course, fox hunts are usually over in just a few hours. Everyone would get too bored if it took much longer than that. So each devices' on-board power will be just fine to start out.<br />
<br />
Personally, I was very surprised how easy it was to create this very simple fox. Total cost for parts I did not already have is... well nothing. You may not have all the share parts that I keep around so here is the estimated breakdown of costs:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Handheld radio = $30</li>
<li>MP3 Player = $30</li>
<li>Ammo can = $10 (part of set)</li>
<li>NMO mount and connectors = $12</li>
<li>Antenna = $12</li>
<li>Miscellaneous wiring = $2</li>
<li>Total is about $96. </li>
<li>You can probably do better than this on e-Bay!</li>
</ul>
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Now on to building some hunting devices!<br />
<br />
Days have passed and I now have two options for a fox box. In addition to the original MP3 version, I decide to spend some money and buy a unit that could be controlled via radio signals. The new option came from <a href="http://byonics.com/">Byonics.com</a><br />
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The first option as described above is the MP3 player/Handheld transceiver. This provides voice transmissions and timing is controlled by how long the voice portion plus a period of silence is recorded. That is it. Nothing special. No control of unit.<br />
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The second option replaces the MP3 player with Byonics PicCon unit. The PicCon unit costs $42 as a kit or assembled for $66. What the PicCon provides is pretty amazing. When connected to a transceiver via the microphone in and speaker out, the PicCon can be remotely programmed and controlled. Connecting the PicCon and radio required either building or buying a compatible cable. I selected to buy the cable from Byonics for $19. I figured the ease of assembling the fox box accounted for some time well spent. The PicCon's capabilities and user manual can be found at <a href="http://www.byonics.com/piccon/" target="_blank">http://www.byonics.com/piccon/</a><br />
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Below are photos of the two configurations. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVPCOI9ccTYS6pvzAuaFyb7OVvrXQjgTJrOSodjHwu7V4JFbCKRpdtjissx0TTOPgzHDG5kPAIMCrogtTxybiN7llc2scVmdc77b5sh_YxvqhE0ER1P1KgPT411YdZ1Sdr64jh-i13SdQ/s1600/FoxBox1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVPCOI9ccTYS6pvzAuaFyb7OVvrXQjgTJrOSodjHwu7V4JFbCKRpdtjissx0TTOPgzHDG5kPAIMCrogtTxybiN7llc2scVmdc77b5sh_YxvqhE0ER1P1KgPT411YdZ1Sdr64jh-i13SdQ/s320/FoxBox1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q2p_lzSGokLeelfY02cY70rLNU3idwi-daOi5s1Ecm2f371dc6yrCXbzWXpp4g3muA-fSuS9B5b6urLLYFNPedMWSuJG0-hZyIN22kec8HqbFgvLXs3LfrEk60f40q2U-D2caEJIkX_Y/s1600/FoxBox2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q2p_lzSGokLeelfY02cY70rLNU3idwi-daOi5s1Ecm2f371dc6yrCXbzWXpp4g3muA-fSuS9B5b6urLLYFNPedMWSuJG0-hZyIN22kec8HqbFgvLXs3LfrEk60f40q2U-D2caEJIkX_Y/s320/FoxBox2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;">This is what the Fox Box looks like from the outside. Photo 1 is the "carry" look. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Photo 2 shows the NMO cap removed. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Photo 3 shows the 2 meter antenna attached.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha52qOhTLMiqsH5yxNN6TjEikIZemN6LbHK-mJNR3jYcSAAJ71SFhOYACo1fu3JzuVXZNrBUH-m6vMiCV-Pm4OffBcFNcQZgVwrwprJ6fgjygOM8JCpv5k__r5jAPtn_sctYX331SbrQ-8/s1600/FoxBox3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha52qOhTLMiqsH5yxNN6TjEikIZemN6LbHK-mJNR3jYcSAAJ71SFhOYACo1fu3JzuVXZNrBUH-m6vMiCV-Pm4OffBcFNcQZgVwrwprJ6fgjygOM8JCpv5k__r5jAPtn_sctYX331SbrQ-8/s320/FoxBox3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGjqQJtQ_ufV6LjNKn9f4kNBdk5LNHIWNKrxqg7S_wkNSciHrY1O3h-1y-dokZTzZ1h4kLYejJGUeRI0BDgTkqS_yDckmcIwnEb2oveJp1IQM6z-DMaHUBkKckSvdD3iW6Q0A2bK0q60U/s1600/FoxBox+MP3+version.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGjqQJtQ_ufV6LjNKn9f4kNBdk5LNHIWNKrxqg7S_wkNSciHrY1O3h-1y-dokZTzZ1h4kLYejJGUeRI0BDgTkqS_yDckmcIwnEb2oveJp1IQM6z-DMaHUBkKckSvdD3iW6Q0A2bK0q60U/s320/FoxBox+MP3+version.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the MP3 version. Note the headphone jack on the MP3 player is connected directly to the microphone input on the HT. The HT is setup with VOX control on the microphone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbFbxt4Fn6U3khGs8ZttPh0um9PLf2wRe1ZOIbkMbH8Kg0mrSsrMwVJTNf6DfJIM64K8FQb8VjAh412M_HIKw0MnZdIZew8RJIT_sJmGt-sz7kwiO7knQIT9OrZq9xF8YTaBD5cpvxmYd/s1600/FoxBox+PicCon+version.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbFbxt4Fn6U3khGs8ZttPh0um9PLf2wRe1ZOIbkMbH8Kg0mrSsrMwVJTNf6DfJIM64K8FQb8VjAh412M_HIKw0MnZdIZew8RJIT_sJmGt-sz7kwiO7knQIT9OrZq9xF8YTaBD5cpvxmYd/s320/FoxBox+PicCon+version.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the PicCon version with 12V battery pack to power the <a href="http://www.byonics.com/piccon/" target="_blank">PicCon "Hidden Transmiter Controller"</a>. The PicCon is controlled by DTMF tones from the HT or via tones heard over the air.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-37638563780744898652016-01-26T10:17:00.002-08:002016-01-26T10:21:04.948-08:00Yet another Radio-In-A-Box (ammo can version)Inspired by an ad from Quicksilver Radio, I decided to make yet another radio in a box.<br />
This was the <a href="http://www.qsradio.com/shop-now.html#!/New-Item-Hammo-Can-XL™-Complete-Go-Box/p/58978487/category=13274007">inspiration</a> the Hammo-Can go box<br />
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The parts are:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=71-002024">Yaesu FTM-100DR</a> mobile System Fusion radio, </li>
<li>7 amp hour battery, </li>
<li><a href="http://www.powerwerx.com/">quad panel, (with cig socket, Powerpole socket, switch and VDC meter)</a></li>
<li>variety of Anderson Powerpole bits</li>
<li><a href="http://ki0bk.no-ip.com/~pwrgate/LLPG/Site/LLPG.html">Low-Loss PWRGate</a></li>
<li><a href="http://goo.gl/0mCJTL">MFJ power supply </a></li>
</ul>
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You can price things out at the current time, but my costs were far above the Hammo-can price.<br />
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Below are photos of the box. Unique features are:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Tilt up stand (to angle front up)</li>
<li>Powerpoles connectors for 12V power out and 12V battery in</li>
</ul>
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First configuration with ammo can lid attached</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_x6cvRycxDezfyzikyErp-ZcCoGXerJH03DsW30klvVrNgRPCizLF3iMLP9biMKsUCWD44R4j66SGrDNfwynaqMy1Ka0TBbHJo0rYO66qcNe5RqHpqW3fRF0dO8_ToMuFiWo4OhheN2v/s1600/IMAG0079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_x6cvRycxDezfyzikyErp-ZcCoGXerJH03DsW30klvVrNgRPCizLF3iMLP9biMKsUCWD44R4j66SGrDNfwynaqMy1Ka0TBbHJo0rYO66qcNe5RqHpqW3fRF0dO8_ToMuFiWo4OhheN2v/s320/IMAG0079.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_gNOSGVtMLshWrKWkJKCdzReL0bs7442AavX_5x8dUaNXVLGvx6RVLHJXJIj6hAwt8jdbAF1_zoixk9hVZHHj_OQpWFWLYTYyYqtYfn9U2NjN7znSsrt_tkVb2JpETQW4rBf2Pt5DlOG/s1600/IMAG0077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_gNOSGVtMLshWrKWkJKCdzReL0bs7442AavX_5x8dUaNXVLGvx6RVLHJXJIj6hAwt8jdbAF1_zoixk9hVZHHj_OQpWFWLYTYyYqtYfn9U2NjN7znSsrt_tkVb2JpETQW4rBf2Pt5DlOG/s320/IMAG0077.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Note flip out stand. This came from my FT-897 which was installed in another radio in a box case. Also note that the power cord, microphone, programming cable and short antenna jumper cable are all stored inside.<br />
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Second configuration without ammo can lid. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8txi5xk9X4mofKNbW3nGwq0CySgmOSe5lw9N0sQO4HU0-sXWtN84P3AoLSkal8T5X_IzVe9P1nSEcgRYuuD3s8JogarZrtIJN9mGnpQzUfULFKIdXnpSrXIHiFgBQknA71NEI11Ti09n/s1600/IMAG0073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8txi5xk9X4mofKNbW3nGwq0CySgmOSe5lw9N0sQO4HU0-sXWtN84P3AoLSkal8T5X_IzVe9P1nSEcgRYuuD3s8JogarZrtIJN9mGnpQzUfULFKIdXnpSrXIHiFgBQknA71NEI11Ti09n/s320/IMAG0073.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHGfSjcJLLA6f3tW5dniDRmbwkbVvtkrjbIKRu9f47WJq59xNRuxlO993U_bG7fXWO_GjJa7_tkrO9eZcBXFluCz2CWfffJa2IELhTLMO1bI7VNHIRdk8a7q8Gs3tFoyQj9qpO3KLYkh-/s1600/IMAG0074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHGfSjcJLLA6f3tW5dniDRmbwkbVvtkrjbIKRu9f47WJq59xNRuxlO993U_bG7fXWO_GjJa7_tkrO9eZcBXFluCz2CWfffJa2IELhTLMO1bI7VNHIRdk8a7q8Gs3tFoyQj9qpO3KLYkh-/s320/IMAG0074.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NvxDFIDJ81_YSjCaWvcEc722BjRGTEQ91me-kEk3lRDvb5XdTE0-3KoTd2wO9YulKKATnHVcaHCs15eLLaWReS44t05RFKikpDygZWRoNlpRcn4JnAFJCq8nqIQ4owV8qh5UMf6aY5Yc/s1600/IMAG0075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NvxDFIDJ81_YSjCaWvcEc722BjRGTEQ91me-kEk3lRDvb5XdTE0-3KoTd2wO9YulKKATnHVcaHCs15eLLaWReS44t05RFKikpDygZWRoNlpRcn4JnAFJCq8nqIQ4owV8qh5UMf6aY5Yc/s320/IMAG0075.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Antenna is not connected in these photos. The antenna jumper comes out just above the right side of the power supply.<br />
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<br />
This is a photo that show the radio a bit better.<br />
Sorry about some of the photos being blurry, used my phone to take photos.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-92009985697389283752016-01-13T12:11:00.002-08:002016-01-26T10:22:02.999-08:00Comcast strikes again or why I hate Comcast!<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="6ut7-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="6ut7-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="6ut7-0-0">Got a call from Comcast promotions. </span></div>
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="8q66-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8q66-0-0">Stop there I should have. But no, </span></div>
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="3odld-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="3odld-0-0">I listened to the offer and at the end of the call said I was not interested. Hung up. At that moment our internet went down. Coincidence?</span></div>
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="d16u5-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="d16u5-0-0">Called them back and they denied that they had the ability to "turn off" our internet. Since I went through this same scenario several years ago, I knew that they did. I have never ever had a good experience with Comcast. </span></div>
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="eiuc5-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="eiuc5-0-0">Stop there I should have. But no.</span></div>
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="fk75b-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="fk75b-0-0">Called Comcast customer service. Well, you can guess how that went. Ended with me saying, that I could not waste anymore time with them.</span></div>
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="44tg-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="44tg-0-0">Final result, the network did eventually come back, obviously.</span></div>
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="dtafm-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="dtafm-0-0">If there was a high speed alternative to Comcast in our area, I would be off Comcast in a heartbeat. </span></div>
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="9ujft-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="9ujft-0-0">In my opinion, Comcast sucks! </span></div>
<div class="_45m_ _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="fh0r8-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="fh0r8-0-0">P.S. Hopefully, it is just our case because a lot of people still subscribe to Comcast and they would all be very angry people if they went through the crap that we have experienced with Comcast.</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-71272672672948061182015-12-25T19:44:00.001-08:002015-12-25T19:44:24.167-08:0020151225 sUAS First Flight<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RsR8Iyng3Ys" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
<br /><br />
Like just about everyone else, we too got a quad copter for Christmas gift. Thanks Jen!<br /><br />
This is Arlene's first flight learning how to fly it. We are both already registered with the FAA sUAS database. Although this one really didn't need that since it is well under the .55 pound weight threshold. But we figure you can't beat the free registration for the first 3 years.<br /><br />
<br /><br />
Go for it ace!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-42650493033683965162015-04-01T08:34:00.000-07:002015-04-01T08:34:52.328-07:00Started DXing on 2015-01-01, here are some QSL cards for K7RFH<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/101222589751897417777/albums/6125473921040119169">e-QSL Cards for K7RFH</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-10083538955852678942014-08-08T17:18:00.004-07:002014-08-09T04:38:27.499-07:00Search and Rescue Radio in a boxArlene is a member of the Incident Support Team (IST) for King County Search and Rescue (KCSAR). She recently decided to purchase the standard KCSAR radio, which is a Kenwood TK-780. Initially, she didn't want it permanently installed in her Toyota pickup, so I suggested putting it in a small box. Apparently, I must really like building radio-in-a-box setups because below you will find photos of the end result.<br />
<br />
Before that here are some of the details that went into making the project. Total build time approximately 60 minutes, except for the travel time to Harbor Freight where I purchase a small "aluminum" case on sale for just over $11 (always use your coupons!). It has only an aluminum frame. The black portions between the frame members are made of a fiberboard that comes very close to a highly compressed cardboard. Yet, they advertise this as an aluminum case. <br />
<br />
Case measures 7 1/2 by 11 1/2 by 4 1/2 outside dimensions. Inside dimensions are 6 3/4 by 11 by 4 1/8.<br />
Granted this isn't very big, but Arlene's request was to make it small enough to easily carry and store anywhere in her pickup. I believe that was accomplished, because it is in fact "Arlene Approved".<br />
<br />
The weight needed to be light and to that end the entire setup weighs a mere 5 pounds, 6.5 ounces. Optionally, there is enough room to include a direct connected 12 volt 7 AH battery, however this would nearly double the weight since the battery weighs 5 pounds, 4.4 ounces. Although Arlene tested the "carry" of this option and said this would not be a problem for her, if needed.<br />
<br />
A small aluminum bracket was used to raise the radio enough so it could be angled to make the display easily readable and the microphone jack is above the box edge. The bracket was from an old tower PC, it was a 5 1/4 inch drive bay filler. This came out of my projects junk box, so it was free. The bracket is pop-riveted to the bottom of the case. The radio included a mobile bracket, which was then screwed to the aluminum bracket. That was the entire construction process.<br />
<br />
Radio is attached to the mobile bracket, power and chassis ground cables were routed so can be used with the power accessory plug and chassis ground connection installed in the pickup, respectively.<br />
<br />
The setup for in pickup operation is as follows:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Open box, drag out the antenna pigtail, Anderson Powerpole connectors for power and chassis ground</li>
<li>Attach antenna, power and ground wires already in pickup to the matching box items</li>
<li>Turn on pickup and then radio</li>
<li>Listen and talk!</li>
</ol>
<div>
The photos below can be enlarged with a click. Purchased items were Harbor Freight case, KCSAR radio, Anderson Power Poles and battery (from earlier project). Recycled part was the aluminum bracket.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9GhebBWj3z1660iXrwFgSRgapZsHlOK2si7oeZKWe_yVLAJF9gVIYZQrnld2ZH_xQ9XtShi2w1JzDln1lUVqoO9LFTUBVwt9jXzbY_2-tziLzW5k24iJL0dMrtfbiechyphenhyphenmOfRFY14vGN/s1600/IMAG0371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9GhebBWj3z1660iXrwFgSRgapZsHlOK2si7oeZKWe_yVLAJF9gVIYZQrnld2ZH_xQ9XtShi2w1JzDln1lUVqoO9LFTUBVwt9jXzbY_2-tziLzW5k24iJL0dMrtfbiechyphenhyphenmOfRFY14vGN/s1600/IMAG0371.jpg" height="101" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from handle side, standing on hinged side.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrozzhURpghKEaa84dAnUbAtMKPB7crbNx6C24m9fcFVzdkD9J_eH2eJ7kYwmEkOXC7t3mxBC9IpdcnpDJBxyMZJTIpUaBr_v3RVTxIRwASMPqluYKgb1pWvryO3mxEB9Bj4ujIku8Vr_h/s1600/IMAG0372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrozzhURpghKEaa84dAnUbAtMKPB7crbNx6C24m9fcFVzdkD9J_eH2eJ7kYwmEkOXC7t3mxBC9IpdcnpDJBxyMZJTIpUaBr_v3RVTxIRwASMPqluYKgb1pWvryO3mxEB9Bj4ujIku8Vr_h/s1600/IMAG0372.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View with box on base.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcQx55zxj9FasmYahI5JBke8nfkMhA9e2yQjzKOAO6aB1kkYXpF1s9naS4_KphlZteWVmW2C9YunemNVzTL9XnS64XrSXOgjmJOz2vHGJMgG7PdcJ58UoN6TjLrrJW7JO4U3HoHt86YTD/s1600/IMAG0373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcQx55zxj9FasmYahI5JBke8nfkMhA9e2yQjzKOAO6aB1kkYXpF1s9naS4_KphlZteWVmW2C9YunemNVzTL9XnS64XrSXOgjmJOz2vHGJMgG7PdcJ58UoN6TjLrrJW7JO4U3HoHt86YTD/s1600/IMAG0373.jpg" height="168" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opened box with basic setup.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9sZvkiG_r4voxYHltRWiClfo4n2L16Rd3crEkNN-Nah_-ku8WsoBEDkdt1ribOFGwklFPkV2pPpkjH2JQQg2pt8KWe6S6L4z6EV8Y59xUlque1zFPHRTRWgKE_24ZDb_twRz5RIuSDnB/s1600/IMAG0374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9sZvkiG_r4voxYHltRWiClfo4n2L16Rd3crEkNN-Nah_-ku8WsoBEDkdt1ribOFGwklFPkV2pPpkjH2JQQg2pt8KWe6S6L4z6EV8Y59xUlque1zFPHRTRWgKE_24ZDb_twRz5RIuSDnB/s1600/IMAG0374.jpg" height="173" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cables shown are VHF antenna pigtail, fused power lead, <br />
chassis ground and microphone.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrymHik8FgaK6p64jt2ryrhegHoKHDPML8Al0oPZyGKGqieyj8ZhnSltNQQjhj0WvJC6nuuKhKhaxb1ZU8LP4oBbt1-GF_bvKdKW35i2dR3yCrgV7HwNsK_AAQiTdyz3jCNe2_ATOK5bs1/s1600/IMAG0382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrymHik8FgaK6p64jt2ryrhegHoKHDPML8Al0oPZyGKGqieyj8ZhnSltNQQjhj0WvJC6nuuKhKhaxb1ZU8LP4oBbt1-GF_bvKdKW35i2dR3yCrgV7HwNsK_AAQiTdyz3jCNe2_ATOK5bs1/s1600/IMAG0382.jpg" height="120" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Optional battery is inserted to the right of the radio.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaG78gYZLtrbbbxVX9LzqGNbCoPwBractxDiiAO_UzhwO-JSU8mAIom9ZfpY_LIk9BW7b6Aop8nBI7UD4q2aopzAIZYPAeWawZlDjwfyEn6ajtQhGVxwVOU420X1qHDXS6PvcRVN4iNLq/s1600/IMAG0383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaG78gYZLtrbbbxVX9LzqGNbCoPwBractxDiiAO_UzhwO-JSU8mAIom9ZfpY_LIk9BW7b6Aop8nBI7UD4q2aopzAIZYPAeWawZlDjwfyEn6ajtQhGVxwVOU420X1qHDXS6PvcRVN4iNLq/s1600/IMAG0383.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Packed for case closure, with optional battery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-33073631128149628282014-05-10T10:59:00.002-07:002014-08-09T04:44:40.018-07:00Power your laptop from your radio Go-Box battery!First off, I am not any kind of electrical expert. However, that never stopped me from experimenting.<br />
Granted fuses fear me when I come near, but if you know someone who is skilled with electrical knowledge then you have every reason to give your ideas a path to reality.<br />
<br />
Well, Jim, K7JGM gave me a new idea for my Packet Go-Box. He mentioned that his Go-Box contained a Powerpole outlet to power his laptop computer. This means that it is possible to tap the 12 volt power supply for the radio to power a laptop. You just need a way to step up the 12V to something like 18 to 19 volts. The specific output voltage depends on which laptop you own. In my case the Toshiba laptop I have dedicated to my packet station needs 19 volts. I obtained this information from the power brick included with the laptop. The power brick tag says output is 19 volts and 3.95 amps. Being the trusting person that I am, I measured the voltage coming out of the brick and it read 19.6 volts. Close enough.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoymVh4_LPJZmKk6RlRZnBziVrdS4qEgX2qTZDwo7NeJXFhMdLr8zOl249Luvqs0rbcBeeyGAaFrGwAlS165LLTDm2rmB-dNfuMDKkt_6SbXMdgDHfwIXNTPtgHwUxsUbrsXu3L1aIsGZR/s1600/IMAG0284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoymVh4_LPJZmKk6RlRZnBziVrdS4qEgX2qTZDwo7NeJXFhMdLr8zOl249Luvqs0rbcBeeyGAaFrGwAlS165LLTDm2rmB-dNfuMDKkt_6SbXMdgDHfwIXNTPtgHwUxsUbrsXu3L1aIsGZR/s1600/IMAG0284.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>The voltage step up is done by using a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/DROK-Converter-Voltage-Regulator-Supply/dp/B00BXDH9A2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399418210&sr=8-1&keywords=drok+dc+converter">DROK DC Converter Voltage Regulator 8-32V to 9-46V 12/24V 150W Boost Step Up Power Supply Module which is available from amazon.com</a> The regulator can be adjusted easily to match your output needs. However, be sure the output range of the regulator is appropriate for your particular laptop.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHWjHS9cP14pyC4BEKCV_ioYKnnMjVarDvQH0iM3iZSfy56NM006eSxIoaTeY2Wa_qLc8XEbt7j6iVPIg3vi8yiG2tsf8EiM9BKI_I3b5TetwS-0GrQFnRBdtqvLX_b3D7BxMvOJL39JL/s1600/IMAG0281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHWjHS9cP14pyC4BEKCV_ioYKnnMjVarDvQH0iM3iZSfy56NM006eSxIoaTeY2Wa_qLc8XEbt7j6iVPIg3vi8yiG2tsf8EiM9BKI_I3b5TetwS-0GrQFnRBdtqvLX_b3D7BxMvOJL39JL/s1600/IMAG0281.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
For your Go-Box, you simply tap the 12 volts and install a Powerpole outlet somewhere accessible for you laptop. In my case, I already had a Go-Box built with 12 volt Powerpole outlet so, I decided to make an external 19V converter. Below you should see the convertor installed in a plastic "case" with Powerpole connectors on both input and output. <br />
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The case for the converter is a $1 plastic box from the stationary section at our local Fred Meyer. Several holes were cut in the case to allow the Powerpole wires to enter the box and to allow the cooling fins to be exposed. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGeR6d08wG6fsSWyXCzPiR0FHTHoh3YHwqCdwVsiX1MBWW9LPejJg2XcgaBccjRuJSI3_3_Qw-hx6gy1gB8W5hUVZZZGvFobjt-UNFJMTITmvG71JORwoz3Ko3VygrXrb4xHurRy498h4/s1600/IMAG0282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGeR6d08wG6fsSWyXCzPiR0FHTHoh3YHwqCdwVsiX1MBWW9LPejJg2XcgaBccjRuJSI3_3_Qw-hx6gy1gB8W5hUVZZZGvFobjt-UNFJMTITmvG71JORwoz3Ko3VygrXrb4xHurRy498h4/s1600/IMAG0282.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYI2TbI6IGbcuF9ZxjZ_rfWnu_6aWfFn8ULW-PyNQZENFPaDf7xRNjFpYLbjsX1MFUYcV7x4RuuljGYuk8gmHgCnryZ28ORcHspoExc7kiPCQN7sI7_OuWfKVhV3CmqOqZTtNZEqKfh7S/s1600/IMAG0283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYI2TbI6IGbcuF9ZxjZ_rfWnu_6aWfFn8ULW-PyNQZENFPaDf7xRNjFpYLbjsX1MFUYcV7x4RuuljGYuk8gmHgCnryZ28ORcHspoExc7kiPCQN7sI7_OuWfKVhV3CmqOqZTtNZEqKfh7S/s1600/IMAG0283.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Finally 5 small holes were drilled to allow access to the screws which secure the wires AND the voltage adjust screw.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREWTrP9DAZpyO1AD4jqPcn7ALDmXaMfVHcv35B4kinTc0gBW6ElrMEYx7MpjH1QqCFeQ8kLxJrF3xWMo-Mu4heEI1MoGdaAWv7Gq7DhE67bHc1XfMVJ5fCLkkL_2RXCoi6K6QkRNn1V9u/s1600/IMAG0286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREWTrP9DAZpyO1AD4jqPcn7ALDmXaMfVHcv35B4kinTc0gBW6ElrMEYx7MpjH1QqCFeQ8kLxJrF3xWMo-Mu4heEI1MoGdaAWv7Gq7DhE67bHc1XfMVJ5fCLkkL_2RXCoi6K6QkRNn1V9u/s1600/IMAG0286.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>Lastly, the scary part is cutting the wire on the power brick that goes to the laptop. This way you can install Powerpole connectors on each side of your cut, as shown here. This allows you to connect the laptop's power connector to either its original power brick OR the new converter you just assembled. That's it, enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LbW0_9U0_8F2F6LVnT1oK_v-pisSrOsNuPbEiJlQ8-z-SEUvhVQj9RXVG2JMbHaTK0mgUe2a1lkjpXheLQhkoF7HVIx35gGlqJ7ejZMizX3XUbd0SdPloUBGQ_bm1MxoHTJsZRbyQ_DV/s1600/IMAG0285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LbW0_9U0_8F2F6LVnT1oK_v-pisSrOsNuPbEiJlQ8-z-SEUvhVQj9RXVG2JMbHaTK0mgUe2a1lkjpXheLQhkoF7HVIx35gGlqJ7ejZMizX3XUbd0SdPloUBGQ_bm1MxoHTJsZRbyQ_DV/s1600/IMAG0285.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKBO4RPFFhd65BmNNvu44SHm-PUZ9WI0iwGCGsu7HBHksR1w5XUJijVNPURJV5hHZMqQldIlSRNPot6MTwsaWkWLjk7ql-zcIEba9iREg6maudkl8G8eu9prlAcl9NDPXF0BNECWm7nOq/s1600/IMAG0287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKBO4RPFFhd65BmNNvu44SHm-PUZ9WI0iwGCGsu7HBHksR1w5XUJijVNPURJV5hHZMqQldIlSRNPot6MTwsaWkWLjk7ql-zcIEba9iREg6maudkl8G8eu9prlAcl9NDPXF0BNECWm7nOq/s1600/IMAG0287.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>UPDATE (2014-05-10) :</b> <br />
<br />
So, you have a Dell laptop and it has a "smart" power brick. Well guess what! Instead of having the typical 2 connector power port, it has a 3 connector setup. That center pin is a way for your laptop to tell if the power brick is the correct one. Unfortunately, if it thinks the charger isn't the correct one, then it allows it to power the laptop but not charge the battery, even if it has the correct voltage. Some folks in the various forums have suggested to just send the 19 volts down the center connector as well, but don't do it. That connector expects no more than 4 volts so more then that may kill the "smart" chip. See <a href="http://kakopa.com/Dell_PS/index.html">http://kakopa.com/Dell_PS/index.html</a> for some background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqNC6xlkd0eqo4GIVGUE4OuLjJ5UM20R2J9J4A2lBueUt_SGU1x3rBVaK2MC5cteswNDxZyaPPi-D3kwcIi0TZ9w92byJtahkbTYRer8ShCJ0Cw8TrZowERAGXpl1HW4UNh7Tp775aIn6/s1600/IMAG0289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqNC6xlkd0eqo4GIVGUE4OuLjJ5UM20R2J9J4A2lBueUt_SGU1x3rBVaK2MC5cteswNDxZyaPPi-D3kwcIi0TZ9w92byJtahkbTYRer8ShCJ0Cw8TrZowERAGXpl1HW4UNh7Tp775aIn6/s1600/IMAG0289.jpg" height="275" width="320" /></a>However, all that said it is possible to use the converter with a Dell. Since I have a great appreciation for Anderson Powerpoles that is what I used to make sure everything connects correctly. The images show how to wire the connectors to use all three wires when the power brick is connected and how the converter connects. Note that the Center Pin is labeled for photo reference, since the Powerpoles are used there is only one way to actually connect everything. Red goes to the + 19 V connector which is the inner shield. One black goes to the ground outer shield and the other black (sorry I didn't have another color, which they do make) goes to the center pin.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf29Vt6YkJr_zP0f4jehExKOw9wm5Q_yjeP0B5Kl91doUGWazMrHu32lkzs8IMtSYaboLfFx_P3nD8XiGjUACvAn-TicJ8dMb1TZFO-JnK_N324VAQ2A-lEYdVbIu12pxHfoTHY-TblRAP/s1600/IMAG0290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf29Vt6YkJr_zP0f4jehExKOw9wm5Q_yjeP0B5Kl91doUGWazMrHu32lkzs8IMtSYaboLfFx_P3nD8XiGjUACvAn-TicJ8dMb1TZFO-JnK_N324VAQ2A-lEYdVbIu12pxHfoTHY-TblRAP/s1600/IMAG0290.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a>Everything works as usual when connected to the power brick. However, when the converter is connected the laptop whines about it being the wrong charger and it won't allow battery charging. How rude! If you leave this situation alone then the battery slowly discharges. You probably won't notice it because the converter is powering the laptop. The issue occurs when you disconnect the converter and expect the battery to power the laptop. If the battery has fully discharged, well you guessed it, the laptop goes black when converter is unplugged. <br />
<br />
An extremely simple solution is to remove the battery after the converter is plugged in. The only change with the battery removed is that the converter's fins warm up just a bit more than with the battery inserted.<br />
<br />
If someone knows a way to fool the laptop into believing it has the correct power brick, please let me know.<br />
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Hardware - 2 meter capable amateur radio; antenna; computer and interface between computer and radio AND of course "some" software.<br />
<br />
Back then it was, to say the least, a challenge to get find everything you needed then get it all installed, configured and running correctly.<br />
<br />
Not so now!<br />
<br />
Now, you can go over <a href="http://w2ygsoftware.com/Home/AGWE">W2YG's Software web site </a>and download AGW Express Interface - Solution Set which will assist you in installing and configuring all the software parts needed to send and receive packet messages. BTW, it also covers HF messages as well, but I won't touch on that here.<br />
<br />
Here is my list of parts:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Yaesu FT-897D</li>
<li>SignaLink with appropriate cabling and jumpers</li>
<li>Old Dell laptop (running Windows 7)</li>
</ul>
<br />
Procedure for setup:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>I will assume that you followed the directions to install the SignaLink. If not, finish those steps using the Tigertronics web site instructions.</li>
<li>You now have the USB cable coming from the SignaLink and the SignaLink's other cable plugged into your radio. The USB of course gets plugged into your PC.</li>
<li><a href="http://w2ygsoftware.com/Home/Downloads">Download the AGW Express Interface</a> , also snag the documentation from there as well.</li>
<li>Run the downloaded file. Follow along with the instructions, carefully. There are a couple of spots where the answers to the installation choices aren't exactly obvious.</li>
<li>Once the installation is complete, you can run the AGW Express Interface and it will start all the pieces needed and then ask if you want to start RMS Express. Since you installed it as part of the solution set, of course you will start it.</li>
</ol>
<div>
That's all there is! Well, you need to get familiar with RMS Express, but also reasonably straight forward. Just remember there are two parts the main screen and then the piece that does the send and receive. This send/receive is started using the "Open Session" icon which looks like this<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWw48bEy8hYegUWb7HB7SnoO5kOSx3_KWHiw294XcZqK1YMQ90Wx_EXnpRD9r3UWDBrfw7bGaMXlIWelENLw60tqDK_RCSaMhAb9Kw_ELuCfNoP0U2_NVRcXD7Z2ZlCEpqC7z17qZcRSWm/s1600/RMS+Express+Open+Session.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWw48bEy8hYegUWb7HB7SnoO5kOSx3_KWHiw294XcZqK1YMQ90Wx_EXnpRD9r3UWDBrfw7bGaMXlIWelENLw60tqDK_RCSaMhAb9Kw_ELuCfNoP0U2_NVRcXD7Z2ZlCEpqC7z17qZcRSWm/s1600/RMS+Express+Open+Session.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div>
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<div>
Previously, I was using AirMail as the packet client, RMS Express does both VHF/UHF and HF packet, plus it is being actively updated. So it feels like a better choice.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Okay, I lied! There is one more thing you need and I bet you already asked... How do I get a Winlink email address? Check out the <a href="http://www.winlink.org/GetStarted">How to get a Winlink RADIO e-mail account</a>? It is fairly straight forward, but relies on you having the ability to connect via your radio to an RMS Gateway using your new packet setup. The information and links on this web page will be of immense help. If you can find an local elmer it goes much quicker.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Good luck! If you have questions, feel free to post comments or email me at K7RFH at arrl.net</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Other resources:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.winlink.org/faq/56">RMS Express FAQ</a></li>
<li><a href="http://w2ygsoftware.com/Files/Download?file=How%20To%20-%20Full%20Installation.wmv&mimetype=video%2Fx-ms-wmv">Installation Of All Solution Components</a> (Open or Save As)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.la3f.no/faste/digi/winlink/ExpressTutorial1130a.pdf">RMS Express Tutorial</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
UPDATE: 2013-12-18 <a href="http://w2ygsoftware.com/Home/Downloads">AGW Express Interface Version 2</a> is now available </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-83589662445788543102013-12-15T19:49:00.001-08:002013-12-15T20:35:24.119-08:00Face palm: Why didn't I get a monopod? A DSLR video must, but I use a real camera!Attended an online seminar which focused on cinematography. Now as everyone knows video has moved to the DSLR realm. Why use those heavy, bulky video camcorders, just doesn't makes sense.<br />
<br />
Yea, right!<br />
<br />
Nope, I love those big ol' cameras. BUT, never ignore the tools of the trade and experiment with everything!<br />
<br />
I recently did a shoot that required handheld capture for long periods. Needless to say by the end, I was quite shaky. Could have hauled around my lighter tripod, but that would have been a bit disruptive in the small theater during the sensitive classical music moments.<br />
<br />
Back to the seminar. They talked quite a bit about using a monopod for run and gun action. Their favorite one seemed to be the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/737980-REG/Manfrotto_561BHDV_1_Fluid_Video_Monopod_W_Head.html">Manfrotto 561BHDV-1 Fluid Video Monopod and Head</a>. This has proven to work well with the lighter DSLR rigs. Check out one of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSA-lnDxOSg">reviews</a>. This felt like another opportunity to try something new and solve the shaky cam, wearing out the old guy's shoulder issue. But could this one handle the cameras that I use. The cameras are just too heavy. However, Manfrotto makes another <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/757124-REG/Manfrotto_562B_1_Fluid_Video_Aluminum_4_Section.html">model </a> which can handle triple the weight of the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/737980-REG/Manfrotto_561BHDV_1_Fluid_Video_Monopod_W_Head.html">561BHDV</a>. Since I already own a couple Manfrotto fluid heads, this was an obvious choice.<br />
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<br />
I have had the monopod for a few days now and after experimenting with it, I find that this will solve my exhaustion shaky cam issue. Plus, I now have several new options for shooting. First, the monopod gives you the ability to perform a limited range dolly-style move for a forward and backward motion. Next, it is far taller than my tripods so I can get above the scene and still occupy a large footprint. Finally, this allow a much more run and gun style for me and my big cameras.<br />
<br />
Not all is nirvana. Unlike a tripod, you can't just leave it stand while you prep some other aspect of the shoot. It does require some planning to make sure you have everything ready prior to dedicating all of your attention to the monopod.<br />
<br />
Also, I am using an old <a href="http://www.manfrotto.com/501hdv-pro-video-head">Manfrotto 501HDV Pro Video Head</a> as the topping for the monopod, so I will still need to keep working out to make sure that I can haul this entire rig around easily for long periods of time. But at least now I get to rest a bit during extended shots. <br />
<br />
I really like this setup and can't wait to try it out for some actual assignments<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-73376149117733685232013-05-26T15:27:00.001-07:002013-05-26T16:26:06.282-07:00Even more serious about this video thing!It has been a very long time since I last wrote about anything here at richhand.blogspot.com, well then, I guess it is about time.<br />
<br />
First, since my last post in January, 2012 a lot has happened. I am now working full time for the Museum of Flight in the Seattle area. The work involves a lot of event and exhibit creation, preparation and take down. It also includes the best part, which is the video production. My last post noted some new equipment I purchased for personal use. This personal use has expanded to some gigs as a cameraman for <a href="http://www.latonaarts.com/">Latona Arts</a> and at times the equipment is also used to supplement event captures at the museum as well.<br />
<br />
Here in my studio, we (Arlene & I) were using Sony Vegas Studio to create a variety of videos. In the year and a half since the last equipment purchases a lot of skill progress has been made and it is time to make the next leap in equipment and software.
Software will remain in the Sony Vegas line, but now going with Vegas Pro and Sound Forge Pro. We will continue to use DVD Architect, but plan to look at possible improvements there as well.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNatyOP3LneKQxuuNQHkUKUGtOnC0-Fo1OPmICyjmqtfpRLNMh1YuCfHnWjb9amYBQgeJSUJmwEm3Gd0UozC4B_OH-xkpQjbQpyl0eX1R2yMpqKO4uE4IzKLKzmf0UVUhV8F5sdVPGu9J/s1600/2013+tripod+case.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNatyOP3LneKQxuuNQHkUKUGtOnC0-Fo1OPmICyjmqtfpRLNMh1YuCfHnWjb9amYBQgeJSUJmwEm3Gd0UozC4B_OH-xkpQjbQpyl0eX1R2yMpqKO4uE4IzKLKzmf0UVUhV8F5sdVPGu9J/s320/2013+tripod+case.jpg" /></a><br />
Since the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/367746-REG/Rode_NTG_1_NTG_1_Condenser_Shotgun_Microphone.html">Rode NTG-1 microphone</a> has worked well, it is on the new equipment list again.<br />
<br />
<br />
Areas that needed improvement are - carrying cases, tripod and camera.
The current cases are okay, but through experience, it is clear that the current tripod case is not rugged enough to protect an expensive tripod. With the newest tripod purchase and a replacement for the older case, Handmade Enterprises Video will be purchasing the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Hakuba+PSTC+300+Extra+Large+Pro+Series+Tripod+Case&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=">Hakuba PSTC 300 Extra Large Pro Series Tripod Case</a>. Large enough and padded enough for the various excursion the tripod will endure.<br />
<br />
The next case improvement is to secure one large enough for the new camera and all the extra accessories that must tag along to any shoot. The current case fits the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/709719-REG/Panasonic_AG_HMC80_AG_HMC80_3MOS_AVCCAM_HD.html">Panasonic AG-HMC80</a>, but isn't as durable as I had hoped. Nothing new for the AG-HMC80, but for the new camera I will purchase the B&H recommended case. The <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/551134-REG/Pearstone_HDC_1010W_Pro_Camcorder_Case_with.html">Pearstone Professional Soft Camcorder Case with Wheels</a> is the choice. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2Vbi-vxGYAGdDHHBXxxXyJFN5o22cyJhR994ii7jgwSfb8Xe1U16x_xKOh60tEWQ20ztl8EE4cpFBxyGIVp9yvaL9H5eo33isRucYpKmLd-VNZfKWgtcDMy1J8TnDkoFCrLkphPSU5vM/s1600/2013+camera+case.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2Vbi-vxGYAGdDHHBXxxXyJFN5o22cyJhR994ii7jgwSfb8Xe1U16x_xKOh60tEWQ20ztl8EE4cpFBxyGIVp9yvaL9H5eo33isRucYpKmLd-VNZfKWgtcDMy1J8TnDkoFCrLkphPSU5vM/s320/2013+camera+case.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a> This is a little bit of overkill, but provides ample protection and interior room for camera and many of the accessories that must follow me around. This eliminates the need for many of the secondary cases I was hauling. The wheeled nature of the case now means that I arrive with tripod on the shoulder while pulling the camera case and that's it. Sometimes I still need to bring a cart for a full setup, where a full setup means adding cables, microphones, mixer, recorder and monitor, plus sometimes a lighting kit. May still need a roadie when that happens.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsyGcChXF6bY1jWKufMdu2yhQ6PBayXp080DApa1v5LSmihyiYWhhAQ0bFh5R3MEwqi7DoIBIt4HLNbcZtqeUBWmI6hMVdXTqrRGr8mFqA8rjLlHs4T3xE4juGphw0HpY2kt_kk2HKYtL/s1600/2013+new+tripod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsyGcChXF6bY1jWKufMdu2yhQ6PBayXp080DApa1v5LSmihyiYWhhAQ0bFh5R3MEwqi7DoIBIt4HLNbcZtqeUBWmI6hMVdXTqrRGr8mFqA8rjLlHs4T3xE4juGphw0HpY2kt_kk2HKYtL/s320/2013+new+tripod.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a>What holds up your cameras is often as important as the cameras themselves. Previous tripod purchase was the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/506635-REG/Manfrotto_055XDB_Tripod_Black_with.html">Manfrotto 055XDB Tripod (Black) with 501HDV Head</a>. A very nice tripod for use where having the camera up high (to shoot over the audience's heads) and staying in one location (such as setup on stage or in venues where moving the camera would be too much of a distraction) is the order of the day. It is heavy enough to be stable and with the 501HDV head provides very smooth motion. That said, there have been several situations where rapid mobility would have allowed me to get to a new location to catch the action missed by a static camera. To that end, a different tripod was needed. Enter, a new combo for 2013, the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Manfrotto%27s+MVH502A+Pro+Fluid+Video+Head+%2875mm%29+w%2FMVT502AM+Telescopic+Twin+Legs&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=">Manfrotto's MVH502A Pro Fluid Video Head (75mm) w/MVT502AM Telescopic Twin Legs</a>. This tripod is far lighter than the 055XDB and with its center braces allows me to grab and go quickly without much adjustment at the new location. The fluid half ball head permits near instant leveling and the new "Bridge Technology" makes for an overall fluid movement and a lighter rig. I enjoy using both the tripods for very different reasons.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeB43TXPONqyKlc_hbWD1-HfRhfx6bmO5IK3vqLfU9ctdiwNCT8grqKKZVkkMl_WkQe_yoiutf4_LZg16QSmSXyd36N1Je2E0Tng1fNL4BEpUC2spTd4ulvRcMkMc2LxBEdbsSRZRDACb/s1600/2013+camera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeB43TXPONqyKlc_hbWD1-HfRhfx6bmO5IK3vqLfU9ctdiwNCT8grqKKZVkkMl_WkQe_yoiutf4_LZg16QSmSXyd36N1Je2E0Tng1fNL4BEpUC2spTd4ulvRcMkMc2LxBEdbsSRZRDACb/s320/2013+camera.jpg" /></a> Next, a new, more capable camera was the order of the day. For compatibility and HD performance on the various shoots, I selected another Panasonic camcorder, the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/857500-REG/Panasonic_AG_AC160A_AG_AC160A_AVCCAM_HD_Handheld.html">Panasonic AG-AC160A AVCCAM HD Handheld</a>. <i>The Panasonic AG-AC160A AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder is an upgraded version of the AG-AC160. The upgrade consists of the addition of 1080/60p and 50p recording (max. 28Mbps in PS mode), expanded focus assist functionality, and a "turbo speed" one-push auto focus function. </i>
Compatibility of accessories, batteries and software utilities were definitely a factor in the selection. HD performance is a step above the AG-HMC80 and with the added SDI features, it provides professional capture in line with Latona Arts and the future configuration at the Museum of Flight. In addition, the 22X optical zoom was just what I needed for those "I can't get that close" assignments on which the 12X zoom in the AG-HMC80 fell short. Another factor was the recording times, the AG-HMC80 has a single SD card slot, on long shoots it required a pause in the recording to change the card. Whereas, AC-160A has dual SD card slots which allow for tandem recording. Unfortunately, it does not allow for hot swapping out a full card during recording, therefore continuous recording is limited to however much fits on the two cards already in the camera. Since two 64GB SD cards provide 12+ hours of un-interrupted HD recording, I am hoping most of the shoots will be under that. However, having two cameras now allows pauses on one while the other covers the action. I guess technically I could shoot continuously as long as I had empty cards to insert.<br />
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Overall, I am really pleased with my selection of Panasonic equipment. I won't say that I am a Panasonic fan-boy, but thus far their cameras have definitely delivered. There you have it, always learning, always improving. Here's hoping someone finds this information helpful.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-39462427085260117052012-01-14T13:37:00.000-08:002012-01-14T16:16:44.071-08:00Getting serious about this video thing.Recently, decided to get a bit more serious about this video thing. Up until now I have been using the normal consumer grade camcorders: a Panasonic GS-150 (my first) is still a convenient small standard definition and a Canon HV20 Hi-Def was my last jump up. Added some accessories like a Rode VideoMic, Azden wireless mic and a small light for the Canon. My editing/production was done on Adobe Creative Suite. <br />
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Well, I have been volunteering and now employed part-time with the Seattle Museum of Flight (MOF). I do video production work. His means I am a camera operator and perform video editing with the final result being DVDs for use and archival at MOF. This effort got me to move to new editing software. First, I purchased for home the Sony Vegas Movie Studio Suite. Excellent choice but I soon found some limitations as my efforts became more complex. Recently (through November 2011) Sony had an excellent upgrade path from Movie Studio to Sony Vegas Pro 11. I am still using the sound and DVD production from the Movie Studio Suite. <br />
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One of my last projects at MOF was a series of interviews using a High Definition camera and that led me to my next set of purchases.<br />
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One brief personal note. Arlene and I are two of a kind when it comes to our projects and hobbies. We commit! I mean we give it our best shot and enjoy the learning of new skills and crafts. That said, you may now understand why the following list of equipment was perfect for the projects I have planned.<br />
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Finding B&H Photo and Video online was probably not a great thing for my wallet. Not because they are expensive, which they aren't. As a matter of fact they have a great selection, very good prices, knowledgeable staff and have been the most reliable online purchase experience to date. Which is saying a lot since I had been purchasing quite a bit from Amazon.com.<br />
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Okay, here is what I got. First the camera selection. I wanted something that was bigger than the small consumer camcorders I already owned, yet light enough to shoot for long periods. Enough features so I wouldn't be missing some key thing down the road. And of course, it needed to be within my limited, non-professional sized budget.
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<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/709719-REG/Panasonic_AG_HMC80_AG_HMC80_3MOS_AVCCAM_HD.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAJOnfLL5phmUiG1XyTBSbwtIa5cN7-u7yv9hqNvhfESgGlMkEZies9Os115fqGDfCSdnrlxaYg0u_W44RXEilWkSzcV9MmjfLCxxyvAMFfRYQKoh74rZmVnyEt_HTwmQ9FxXTpjp3Qel/s200/aghmc80_m.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
These requirements led me to the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/709719-REG/Panasonic_AG_HMC80_AG_HMC80_3MOS_AVCCAM_HD.html">Panasonic AG-HMC80</a> shoulder mount HD camera. What I like about it is the professional features but it was one of the lower cost cameras I investigated. It records to SDHC cards (can't use the newer SDXC cards), which is moving me away from tape. Not sure how I feel about that, but one advantage is that moving the clips from the camera to computer doesn't involve replaying the shoot in real-time to capture from tape. Major, major advantage.<br />
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Next, I moved on to the extras.
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<ul>
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<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/506635-REG/Manfrotto_055XDB_Tripod_Black_with.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbHSVkDprezWrjpfXIskmtJd9mGcnvDRFRDuojEGquJCozdfh639G4GSYnggVCDM7uO-TlCa1Kyqo5Qq4LZlR2-2kQDrNQBcZxKmkyqGybxTMIUGdng-ev9L_4ABmrhLBS7QnvM_cSTIm/s200/tripod-head.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/506635-REG/Manfrotto_055XDB_Tripod_Black_with.html">Manfrotto 055XDB Tripod (Black) with 501HDV Head</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/547674-REG/Panasonic_VWVBG6PPK_VW_VBG6PPK_7_2V_5800mAh.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrm839WCMV_xxGZPrOwi7STJxDRMoOvOdCcILp7PTLJdNs4fBvcH_aYficui7h1NzO_gze2IgeNgp6sjXpIdQoUR1NrK9XQKBIZ5d23z6fLfQ6rwdz6NloyCrwMCFvE9bpSZ__W0g-cAm/s200/battery.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/547674-REG/Panasonic_VWVBG6PPK_VW_VBG6PPK_7_2V_5800mAh.html">Panasonic VW-VBG6 Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery</a> </li>
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<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/400812-REG/Rode_NTG_1_Condenser_Shotgun_Microphone.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uz4ijEg2GVlJCGqLx2sJH_qiKU_XFtXYtOgHBp5msByu0F2FjX2tJeNJw7TEFmYKnxwNIs5v35YcMzJpX4Mxm_RlFDHBBfY_Wny8uuEaMDXnzaElEzm2uF1-RsspKZN78nVVhNN4PJmg/s200/rode-ntg1.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/400812-REG/Rode_NTG_1_Condenser_Shotgun_Microphone.html">Rode NTG-1 Condenser Shotgun Microphone Ki</a>t</li>
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<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/406873-REG/Panasonic_ROCK_DVX_ZFI_Panasonic_Varizoom_RockDVXZFI_Rocker_Controller.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyd9gqDrDUDSu2k-VA-oKlzdrwuisSbxY0vNldZTLn2eerstn9Kt_TKUlIWoP5l6be4Gmg2g2v-kR1KZUqIzNZ_iUof5SjHFuZbcjDKuCh0OkFGvX2sj3kA64Fqd121-5eG5lGdLHe3Ho9/s200/remote.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/406873-REG/Panasonic_ROCK_DVX_ZFI_Panasonic_Varizoom_RockDVXZFI_Rocker_Controller.html">Panasonic Rock-DVX-ZFI Zoom/Focus/Iris Rocker Controller</a>
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</ul>
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Now, I need something to carrying everything. Looking at the following cases:
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<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/153017-REG/Tamrac_32601_326_Tripod_Bag_Large.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="100" width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSak48v96AM8G0Gr7URrUv7i2RdxvyXe0d4a4q3MQlU2psqp_TZfe040blzqtOvbfhXnUtnXfZYIsnKijs8T8lOuAKunQSc3MTj9x6qiGslY2GpShR1C5UVO_Uy73kREAL0OJ6lGFYVQYS/s200/tribag.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/153017-REG/Tamrac_32601_326_Tripod_Bag_Large.html">Tamrac 326 TRIPOD BAG LARGE</a></li><br /><br />
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<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/743261-REG/camRade_CB_SINGLE_SPECIAL_CB_Single_Special_camBag.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left; margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="100" width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjconEhjeHuLU4I52ZQr1iVyo9nTgRxaSQ9cBtigKT1W-nyIda5Yz8gOvYGHKjYLtpi4lpoo2w-ynU-dcavgjgXcYh69q4JYzb4pii-9peOzytenX_SeEwjgczht66K3Q5BSrXwkqCn9xEy/s200/camrade-bag.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/743261-REG/camRade_CB_SINGLE_SPECIAL_CB_Single_Special_camBag.html">camRade CB-SINGLE SPECIAL CAMBAG</a><br /><br />
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</ul>
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Overall, I'm quite pleased with the combination. Fortunately, I was able to get rebates on the Manfrotto tripod and head, camera had a special price while the rest were all the normal B&H low prices. The projects are interviews, events, documentaries and whatever might come up. I guess time will tell if these were all the right choices. So far, so good.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-81640221472831801952011-07-10T13:17:00.000-07:002011-07-10T13:17:26.699-07:00Finally, an HF antenna (well sort of)After the 2011 Field Day, I definitively got the bug to do HF. However, our house is on an extremely small lot and antennas are not prohibited but aren't on anyone's roof.<br />
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This is my current solution. We shall see how long I get away with it. During the slideshow below you can click on any photo to get a bigger version over on my Picasa page.<br />
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In addition to the HF wire, we needed 2 meter and 70 centimeter antenna for working with the Kent Communications Support Team. The final two photos show this one atop a 20 foot flag pole which is mounted to our upper deck which is another 10 feet above the ground.<br />
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<embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Frichhand%2Falbumid%2F5627812887274459457%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCIqxkfSa2KO2qAE%26hl%3Den_US" height="267" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"></embed>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-1779316930773191212011-03-25T13:27:00.000-07:002015-03-29T09:42:58.005-07:002011 Radio-in-a-box for Comm AcademyOnce again it is time for the <a href="http://www.commacademy.org/">Comm Academy</a>. I attended this conference for the first time in 2010. Very interesting with many great talks and presentations. This year will be no exception.<br />
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Coincidently, this year's sessions have a "digital" track and I just finished my "digital" radio in a box. Each year <a href="http://www.commacademy.org/">Comm Academy</a> hosts a contest to see what new ideas the Hams come up with. You will find a presentation below that shows the project I have been working on for the 2011 contest.<br />
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This is a <a href="http://richhand2.home.comcast.net/ComAcad2011-RIAB-compressed.pdf">brochure </a>in PDF which describes the project.<br />
Enjoy! If you have question, feel free to contact me at k7rfh.rich at gmail.com<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="451" src="https://docs.google.com/present/embed?id=dc4vsqqr_478c4fqcqd5&interval=5&autoStart=true&loop=true&size=m" width="555"><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>Update <br></iframe><br />
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Update 2011-07-22: Since the Comm Academy, the Vertex radio has moved out of the box and was replaced with an ICOM V8000. The V8000 is now dedicated to the packet/WinLink connection via the Kantronics TNC. Now, this radio in a box can send and receive via AirMail. Soon with the addition of a second USB to Serial adapter the station will be able to operate both AirMail and FLdigi connections at the same time.<br />
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Update 3/29/2015: This box has gone through major changes. Removed Red Cross radio and added an IC-2200H to do the digital work and the ID-880H is dedicated to voice & D-STAR. Surface arrangement has been modified almost entirely. Replaced Kantronics KPC3+ with Costal Chipworks TNC-X. Added power meter and USB ports, each has ON/OFF switch to conserve power. Replaced Alinco power supply with much smaller Jetstream Power supply. <br />
Photo below shows the changes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovlt5xksYQoiwMQs6Qt37UzShDhvYxkRe31EPg4z_vSNkH1O4jqWrqmbg2J87T3vy0MvYYq83yWFrPmQ6kzWGZ9kbUi-WjZ-KmsrpiDmbtEnhpA2xvU_dCTzQeiOtKikDgPQg2Byi4zfI/s1600/IMAG0540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovlt5xksYQoiwMQs6Qt37UzShDhvYxkRe31EPg4z_vSNkH1O4jqWrqmbg2J87T3vy0MvYYq83yWFrPmQ6kzWGZ9kbUi-WjZ-KmsrpiDmbtEnhpA2xvU_dCTzQeiOtKikDgPQg2Byi4zfI/s1600/IMAG0540.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-44462883012745270392010-09-09T19:34:00.000-07:002012-01-22T04:22:03.333-08:00Volunteering for the Red Cross<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.redcross.org/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.redcross.org/files/site/images/logo.gif" /></a></div><br />
Back in July 2010, I volunteered to be a member of the <a href="http://www.seattleredcross.org/">King and Kitsap American Red Cross</a> Communications Team. As of this writing, I am completing the various steps to be an active volunteer.<br />
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Why did I volunteer? I am originally from the East Coast, specifically New Jersey and even more to the point a small town called Rio Grande. Rio Grande is about 3 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean and at about the same elevation as the local beaches. In 1960 we were hit with hurricane Donna and the Red Cross's actions left me with a mission of one day giving back to the organization. It has been a long time between hurricane Donna and this moment, but the need still exists, so now is the time to give back.<br />
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Recently, I heard the Seattle Chapter was creating something called the <b>Reserve Corps - Communications Team Auxiliary.</b> The concept of the auxiliary is to provide supplemental communication capability during disasters to that of the normal Red Cross Communications Team.<br />
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When a disaster such as flooding, wind storms, power outages or earthquakes occurs, the Communications Team Auxiliary would be mobilized and work alongside Red Cross employees and fully trained volunteers. The Auxiliary program allows for recruiting, training and processing of amateur radio operators to meet the extraordinary emergency communications needs. One point that was emphasized was if you already have a role in another organization's emergency communications, the auxiliary understands your primary responsibility would be to that organization. However, as an auxiliary member you will have cleared all the processing and credentialing for the Red Cross, so if you are available, you will be able to immediately assist with the Red Cross efforts.<br />
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<b>How do I get started?</b><br />
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If you live in the King or Kitsap County area, once you <a href="https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=1641503136">sign up</a>, there is one-day training and orientation class, provided free of charge, which details the basic skills required to assist the American Red Cross in a major local disaster.<br />
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<b>What would I do?</b><br />
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You would be asked to provide emergency communications for the Red Cross King-Kitsap chapter. <br />
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You could be assigned to work in the chapter radio room or provide communications duties at command posts, shelters and in vehicles.<br />
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You might be assisting mass care workers in the assembly of radio kits and providing on-site training in the use of the radios as needed.<br />
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<b>How will I know what to do?</b><br />
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The Seattle Red Cross Chapter office will provide the following:<br />
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- one hour orientation and paperwork session<br />
- three hour "Fulfilling Our Mission" (AKA FOM) course <br />
- two hour radio room orientation and Red Cross radio operations training session<br />
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Prior to the above training sessions, you will need to <a href="https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=1641503136">submit an online application</a> which asks for your contact information and three references who the Red Cross Office of Volunteers will contact. There is also an online background check which gets completed.<br />
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Finally there are several administrative processing requirements which happen during the one hour orientation listed above. These include:<br />
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- Signing a job description, photo release and intellectual property agreement<br />
- Signing a local policy statement and code of conduct <br />
- Getting your photo taken for your Red Cross identification badge<br />
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As you can see the processing takes some time. Therefore, having the Communications Team Auxiliary pre-processed and ready to go removes most of the bureaucracy and gets you helping others as rapidly as possible.<br />
<br />
In addition to the personal satisfaction of helping others, the Communications Team Auxiliary members are eligible to take Red Cross Training, free of charge.<br />
<br />
If any of this has sparked your interest, but you're not quite ready to sign up, send an email to <a href="mailto:n7cfo@n7cfo.com"><b>Lynn Burlingame</b></a> at <a href="mailto:n7cfo@n7cfo.com">n7cfo@n7cfo.com</a> requesting more information about the local Red Cross Communications Team or Auxiliary.<br />
<br />
Thanks for listening. Stay safe.<br />
<br />
Online links:<br />
application is located at <a href="https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=1641503136">https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=1641503136</a><br />
Lynn's email address is <a href="mailto:n7cfo@n7cfo.com">n7cfo@n7cfo.com</a>
<br />
<br />
Update after more than a year from first volunteering -
<br />
<br />
Back in July 2010 I first volunteered for the American Red Cross through the Seattle Chapter. Things some how got delayed for several months until September 2010 because my original application disappeared from the normal processing. As I mentioned above Lynn Burlingame magically retrieved it and I was once again moving through the maze of classes and volunteer opportunities. From September 2010 through April 2011, I completed a variety of classes and qualified as a ERV driver.
<br />
<br />
In the spring and summer of 2011, I attempted to volunteer for the various deployments, but never got any responses to my efforts. I assumed that the Red Cross was getting enough volunteers and I was just signing up a little too late. Later, I was to find out that this wasn't the case.
<br />
<br />
The surprise came in September 2011 when I received an email asking if I was still interested in become a Red Cross volunteer, since it had been a year and I had taken any action towards become a active member. To say I was surprised and extremely disappointed is an understatement. I started imagining that all my efforts in training had been lost or something like that. Then I decided that this may have been why I wasn't able to be deployed. Clearly the Red Cross records indicated that I hadn't done anything to become a volunteer. Well, it ended up that somehow my records were split between to different email addresses. My original application was under one email address and all my classes, etc. were under another. I notified the DSHR folks that I was interested and had completed many classes.
<br />
<br />
I have never heard back that anything was corrected. So, at this point, even though this has been a long time dream of mine to be part of the American Red Cross, I am taking this as a sign from the "Force" that perhaps my energy should be better spent elsewhere. The "Force" gave me an indication early in the process and now after hours of classes, volunteering, and study on my own it provided a rather obvious "sign" that perhaps a different path should be taken. Normally, I am an extremely tenacious participant. Of course all of these obstacles are most likely clerical mishaps that can be corrected. But as you look back across the 2011 Red Cross efforts you will see a major need for volunteers and hours upon hours needed to make those efforts succeed. For me, due to some clerical error I could not participate and could not find out why until long after the events.
<br />
<br />
This is a sad moment for me, but I will be backing off from my involvement with the American Red Cross. I will maintain my semi-active role in the Red Cross Communications team.
<br />
<br />
So what have I learned from this experience? Well, several things. First, never assume that an organization as huge as the American Red Cross can't make simple clerical errors. Second, be persistent and a bit more demanding when trying to get answers about applications and transcripts of your many hours of effort. Finally, when fulfilling a dream, listen to your heart, observe how others treat your efforts and evaluate whether or not your efforts are making a difference. Some times reaching for a dream can blind us to the reality of the moment. In some cases, that focus is a good thing helping us past obstacles other see as roadblocks. While at other times, there are signs along the route that need to be taken as warnings and indicators of needed new directions. One always should have situational awareness. My awareness: new direction.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-64319519815911657042010-07-01T07:55:00.000-07:002010-07-01T07:55:40.220-07:00Neighborhood HamWatchIn the June 2010 (page 77) issue of QST, Norm Lauterette, WA4HYJ wrote a piece on a growing aspect of Amateur Radio known as the Neighborhood HamWatch. Much like the old Neighborhood Watch elicited neighbors to help within their local areas, this concept adds the "when all else fails" resiliency of Amateur Radio to the mix. Norm mentioned the new program was developed in 2009 by Andy Gausz KG4QCD of the <a href="http://www.lmars.org/">Lake Monroe Amateur Radio Society (LMARS)</a> in Seminole County Florida.<br />
<br />
In our local CERT group the question was asked "How do we communicate to official channels about our situation in the event of a major emergency?" With Hams throughout the neighborhoods, this may be a possible answer to that question.<br />
<br />
A short "<b>What is Neighborhood HamWatch?</b>" sheet provided by Andy Gausz states:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Neighborhood HamWatch is a <b>voluntary </b>program for all amateur radio operators who want to provide a helpful service to their neighbors during times of extended power outage.<br />
<br />
When the power goes out for long periods of time, such as after a major storm, and everybody’s batteries wear out and their generators run out of fuel, people are virtually left in the dark and without any way to receive radio or television, or talk to friends and relatives outside the affected area. It gets lonely and you feel isolated because you can’t talk to anyone and you can’t find out what Emergency Managers in local governments are planning or doing to help you. “Communication Isolation” can be worsened by downed trees and power lines which make it very difficult for emergency services to reach your neighborhood. This is a time period that often lasts several days, maybe even weeks. It is a time when Amateur Radio Operators, often called, “Hams” can help.<br />
<br />
<b>There are three things “Hams” can do</b>.<br />
<br />
1. Neighborhood Hams can get on their radios and talk to each other across the city and county and share information about what’s going on in their neighborhood. This conversation provides effective therapy to fight against the psychological depression that often accompanies communication isolation. Just talking to each other, and sharing information with their neighbors helps keep people in touch with what’s going on and how the community is coping with the emergency.<br />
<br />
2. Hams in your neighborhood can also contact local government Emergency Operations Centers that are equipped with Amateur Radio Stations and operators and describe conditions and special needs in the neighborhood to local emergency managers. This information helps officials plan and coordinate a response to current needs and organize the recovery effort with first hand information about community conditions. Emergency Managers can also relay information through Hams to neighborhoods providing vital information about the recovery effort and reassurance that action is being taken to help the citizenry.<br />
<br />
3. Hams that are equipped with special capability can also relay simple, short messages from their neighbors to distant relatives or friends, helping people reassure others that they are OK, survived the storm, and are in the recovery stage. There are two ways they can accomplish this special service, one through an amateur radio nation-wide message relay system called the Amateur Radio National Traffic System, and another more direct and efficient way, by using their Ham Radio to link their computer to the Internet, totally independent of Internet providers who are likely to also be without power.<br />
</blockquote><br />
In the ARRL article Norm summarizes the three elements of Ham Watch in a different way.<br />
<blockquote>The NHW program design consists of three levels of participation. <br />
<br />
The first level is nothing more than ham’s <b>communicating with each other</b> during the recovery period for the purpose of <b>sharing information and relieving communication isolation</b> associated with an extended power outage. Just hearing another hams voice from a different neighborhood can help ease the suspicions that grow from not knowing what is going on outside your immediate area.<br />
<br />
The second level of participation is <b>establishing a NHW net and communicating with local EOCs</b> through their ARES station and operator. This is the information relay tool that connects emergency managers with the neighborhoods in their community.<br />
<br />
The third level will allow <b>hams with Winlink capability to directly send welfare traffic at the request of their neighbors to extended family outside the stricken area to relieve concerns and reduce clogging of commercial cell phone and telephone systems</b>. Winlink allows hams to send email directly to message recipients without stressing the National Traffic System with routine or welfare traffic requests.</blockquote><br />
I have additional information from Andy including a customizable <a href="http://richhand2.home.comcast.net/Universal-Brochure.pdf">NHW brochure</a> for sharing with neighbors, clubs and public officials or just about anyone else who has an interest.<br />
<br />
Andy Gausz is President of the L<a href="http://www.lmars.org/">ake Monroe Amateur Radio Society</a> in Seminole County, Florida.<br />
Norm Lauterette is ARRL Public Information Officer.<br />
<a href="http://www.w1hkj.com/developers/PUBLIC_SERVICE_June_QST.pdf">QST June 2010 Public Service Section </a>(includes Neighborhood HamWatch article)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-19913506820983446992010-05-20T07:30:00.000-07:002010-05-20T07:30:00.281-07:00Finding Amateur Radio resources on the InternetI recently came across several amateur radio information sites. Here is my newest find, although it appears they have been around for quite a while.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amateurlogic.com/">AmateurLogic.TV</a> <br />
<br />
There is an article on <a href="http://QRZ.com">QRZ.com</a> about episode 28 of <a href="http://www.amateurlogic.com/">AmateurLogic.TV</a> where they state:<br />
<br />
"In this episode Tommy demonstrates the great EchoLink for iPhone application. Peter shows us his shortwave QSL collection. Our guest Charlie, KY5U teaches us about Streaming Video and CamRadio.Net. And George talks about I.F. (Intermediant Frequency) in radio receivers and how it can relate to Software Defined Radio use. Plus plenty of viewer email and Facebook comments."<br />
Its 56:30 of very informative amateur radio content. <br />
<br />
Their blog is found at: <a href="http://www.amateurlogic.com/">http://www.amateurlogic.com/</a> <br />
Their videos are found at: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/gthomas">http://www.youtube.com/user/gthomas</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-4592856825617771112010-04-10T18:37:00.000-07:002015-03-29T09:35:37.600-07:00Comm Academy 2010 Portable Radio Contest - K7RFH Radio in a Box Entry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVyQO8lzXvfINVvDlb25c_Cdh5J-NopOWAJ_qIzqD2VBNWmX7FmXIvZJ4_YFPC9q9ExY1i3RSpxOxq9IiiM0EgrrIQIIozGr67XVYMX92K-Nj0wRITmcxRSgFNg8khcd_fMy2HSB7rkiy/s1600/IMG_4073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVyQO8lzXvfINVvDlb25c_Cdh5J-NopOWAJ_qIzqD2VBNWmX7FmXIvZJ4_YFPC9q9ExY1i3RSpxOxq9IiiM0EgrrIQIIozGr67XVYMX92K-Nj0wRITmcxRSgFNg8khcd_fMy2HSB7rkiy/s200/IMG_4073.JPG" height="148" width="200" /></a></div>
Today I attended for the first time, the <a href="http://www.commacademy.org/">Communications Academy 2010</a>. Having my Amateur Radio License since December 2009, it was a real challenge to come up to speed fast enough so that I was able to create a "radio in a box". Just finishing the radio only about 2 weeks prior to the Comm Academy's start. All in all, I am very proud of the outcome. The following information was provided to the contest organizers.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<br />
<b>Purpose of Project:</b><br />
The original purpose was to provide a radio system that could go anywhere, yet be stored easily in a compact space. This project morphed into a portable radio shack to be used for EMCOMM, Field Days or home base station. Requirements were to be able to run using any adequate power source in fixed, mobile or portable modes.<br />
<br />
<b>Capabilities Available in Package:</b><br />
Current total weight of this unit is 27.5 pounds (12.5 kilograms)<br />
The portable shack is designed for use on AC or battery power. Power options include providing power output to charge handhelds, run power inverter or powering a secondary external radio. Power is regulated using the Super Powergate 40S so with battery connected, auto failure is provided and battery is charged when AC is available. System power is provided by the FT-897’s FP-30 power supply.<br />
Yaesu FT-897D can operate on all Amateur Radio Bands in a variety of modes. Local Emergency frequencies are preprogrammed in the FT-897D. Onboard antenna tuning is provided using an LDG AT-897Plus<br />
Signalink provides soundcard based digital operations capability. <br />
<br />
<b>Deployment Process:</b><br />
<br />
<b><i>Deployment steps:</i></b><br />
1. Connect power source(s). AC, battery or both.<br />
2. Connect required antennas <br />
3. Connect ground wire<br />
4. Power on and operate radio<br />
<br />
<b><i>Optional deployment steps:</i> </b><br />
1. Connect computer to CAT and Signalink (marked TNC) cables<br />
2. Start software on computer and operate radio<br />
<br />
<b>Design Features:</b><br />
Unique modular open frame design provides easy access to equipment for maintenance, modification and inspection. Aluminum framing significantly reduces weight. Cooling is provided without the need of powered fan because of open over/under air paths. Sound chamber style layout means no external speaker is required.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yuYMOthv15kavdtcftETzRt2vqMk7Li9neJbBmNKUysOEVuivQ137r63LgfEYI2_q16aCK4rC4kgrmY1AKV6Op-XRlgaBONOa124oprXUSPMlKThXyhAhC2XdSi3TPE-VPfHFj21Qs3R/s1600/IMG_4328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yuYMOthv15kavdtcftETzRt2vqMk7Li9neJbBmNKUysOEVuivQ137r63LgfEYI2_q16aCK4rC4kgrmY1AKV6Op-XRlgaBONOa124oprXUSPMlKThXyhAhC2XdSi3TPE-VPfHFj21Qs3R/s200/IMG_4328.JPG" height="153" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjf8ioxmi5OhArcbCLeN65RWqUYv2JpDORV6txt5rwKRdaMX8PbmeFVYxG55DDmn3xCHqngWbEBxOShNqhtTw7tMjwAJFucBa96E6skSJjfXfZg2ESSBs6mPdrDUA3BpTbBXA9tRnxwy9/s1600/IMG_4347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjf8ioxmi5OhArcbCLeN65RWqUYv2JpDORV6txt5rwKRdaMX8PbmeFVYxG55DDmn3xCHqngWbEBxOShNqhtTw7tMjwAJFucBa96E6skSJjfXfZg2ESSBs6mPdrDUA3BpTbBXA9tRnxwy9/s200/IMG_4347.JPG" height="153" width="200" /></a><br />
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<b>Other features: </b><br />
• Separate HF and VHF/UHF antenna inputs<br />
• External grounding block<br />
• Cigarette lighter DC power output<br />
• Powerpole DC power output<br />
• Powerpole battery power input<br />
• Power monitor displays power consumption and charging reference.<br />
• Time of day clock<br />
• Laptop/document storage compartment <br />
<br />
Secondary power box provides battery power via Anderson Powerpole connections.<br />
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</blockquote>
Starting at the top right and moving clockwise, the power box presently contains all manuals needed, 200W power inverter, powerpole cigarette lighter socket, 2 - 12V 7.0 AH batteries, MFJ SWR meter, rollup 2 meter antenna, rollup 6 meter antenna and the power box itself. The tray contains a spare Yaesu microphone, LDG 4:1 Balun, Yaesu compatible headset, cheap set of earbuds and tape measure. Not pictured is a 12V AGM 135 AH battery.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
Radio carrying case is weather resistant SPUD-7 MTM Case Gard. Lid can be used to hold documents or provide some weather/sun protection. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<b>Additional Comments:</b><br />
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Pictures demonstrate equipment’s easy separation from carrying case; layout of components and simply, clean design elements.<br />
Additional items available – equipment user manuals, coaxial jumper cables, variety of connectors/adaptors, SWR meter, antenna analyzer<br />
<br />
<b>Antennas to be used: </b><br />
• 2 meter J-pole roll-up<br />
• Dual band (2 meter/440) aluminum J-pole<br />
• Dual band (2 meter/440) mobile mag-mount<br />
• 300 Ohm twin lead 6 meter vertically polarized omnidirectional end-fed antenna (roll-up or fixed)<br />
• G5RV-lite dipole 80 meter-6 meter<br />
• 40 meter Tak-Tenna<br />
<br />
<br />
Links to related material:<br />
<a href="http://home.comcast.net/~buck0/combox.htm">http://home.comcast.net/~buck0/combox.htm</a> THE BOX: PORTABLE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS STATION IDEAS<br />
<a href="http://www.fabulousrocketeers.com/WA4DQS_Go_Kit_Ideas.htm">http://www.fabulousrocketeers.com/WA4DQS_Go_Kit_Ideas.htm</a> Hints and tips for your GO-Kits<br />
<a href="http://www.reactintl.org/blog/?p=372">http://www.reactintl.org/blog/?p=372</a> Emergency Ham Radio Portable Go-Kit Revealed<br />
<a href="http://w4ti.net/gokit.html">http://w4ti.net/gokit.html</a> Building a Go-Kit<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmnnf0xUWNM&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmnnf0xUWNM&feature=related</a> Emergency Amateur Radio Communication Kit by KH7O<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=72D1EFED8705E8FF">http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=72D1EFED8705E8FF</a> HAM Radio Emergency Go-Kit presentation Benicia Amateur Radio Club (BARC)<br />
<a href="http://www.wi-aresraces.org/projects_ares_boombox.htm">http://www.wi-aresraces.org/projects_ares_boombox.htm</a> ARES Boom Box<br />
<a href="http://www.n1ib.com/gobox.pdf">http://www.n1ib.com/gobox.pdf</a> A RADIO GO BOX OR PORTABLE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS BY David P Schornak N1IB</blockquote>
<br />
Several people have asked about where the MTM SPUD 7 box came from, so here is a list of the various parts and where to get them:<br />
<br />
MTM SPUD 7 Case: <a href="http://www.ammoboxes.com/spud7-35.html">www.ammoboxes.com</a> OR <a href="http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/13815/s">Sinclair International</a><br />
Powerpole parts and other power accessories: <a href="http://www.powerwerx.com/">Powerwerx.com</a><br />
Aluminum framework parts and other hardware: My local Home Depot<br />
<br />
<br />
Download the <a href="http://richhand2.home.comcast.net/ComAcad2010-RIAB.pdf">PDF brochure</a> for my creation, which was given out at the radio contest.<br />
<br />
Update 5/20/2010: Just found this <a href="http://www.eham.net/articles/17836">article </a>about another SPUD-7 based Go-Kit<br />
Update 12/5/2010: Found another <a href="http://losdos.dyndns.org:8080/public/ham/RACES-box.html">Go-Kit Radio in a box article</a><br />
<br />
Update 4/19/2011: Recently, Shane Cruze wrote to me and had some great questions that weren't answered in the information above. So I thought I would share the questions and answers with everyone here.<br />
<br />
Update 3/29/2015: Revised configuration. Only minor surface changes.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>Q: Where did you get the front mesh? I can find the aluminum angles, etc at Home Depot but could not find the mesh.</b><br />
<br />
A: The perforated aluminum was the hardest to find, but we have a local hardware store called McClendon's Hardware that basically is the place you go when you can't find it anywhere else.<br />
The to finding it online is the terms "perforated aluminum".<br />
Amazon.com carries it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Perforated-Staggered-Center-Spacing/dp/B003DKJQM2/ref=pd_sbs_indust_1">http://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Perforated-Staggered-Center-Spacing/dp/B003DKJQM2/ref=pd_sbs_indust_1</a><br />
<br />
<b>Q: How do the roll up antennas work for you?</b><br />
<br />
A: The TV antenna wire J-Pole roll-ups work okay in a pinch, however, I haven't needed them yet. I can connect the box using standard mag-mount antennas in the car, in the EOC and at home. One of the antennas I like for 2M and 70cm is the EE-3 <a href="http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/8175">http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/8175</a><br />
It is definitely an in-the-field style antenna for light duty use.<br />
I am still researching a better roll-up style 6M antenna.<br />
<br />
<b>Q: How did you connect the 12V feed from the radio's AC power supply back to the Powergate?</b><br />
<br />
A: Connecting the 897's power suppy required getting and extra connector and installing Anderson powerpole connectors to the other end. Or I found later that you can buy them from Powerwerx pre-mode. <a href="http://www.powerwerx.com/adapter-extension-cables/">http://www.powerwerx.com/adapter-extension-cables/</a><br />
<br />
<b>Q: Can you say more about how the Powergate is wired to everything?</b><br />
<br />
A:All connections use Anderson Powerpole connections, bulkhead adapter and/or splitter.<br />
<br />
External AC runs from front bulkhead into FT-897D power supply. <br />
Power supply output runs into Powergate "PS" connection.<br />
<br />
Powergate "BAT" connection runs to the battery IN Powerpole bulkhead adapter's lower connection<br />
<br />
Powergate "OUT" connection runs to a Powerpole fused splitter. It has one input connection and three output connections. Each output connection runs to the one of the following:<br />
- FT-897D power input<br />
- bulkhead cigarette lighter adapter<br />
- Powerpole bulkhead upper connection<br />
<br />
With these connections you can attach an external battery which will run the "box" when no AC is available or the battery will be charged if AC is available. The Powerpole bulkhead 12V out connection can be used to power another radio or radio charger.<br />
<br />
<b>Q: I bought the identical SPUD case so that I could duplicate your setup exactly. Do you happen to remember the dimensions you cut the aluminum angles as well as the flat strips? Do you also remember which screws and the size holes drilled in them?</b><br />
<br />
A: The key was to make the face plate fit as snug as possible. The dimensions are: <br />
Faceplate: 16" x 11" (Rounded corners) Rear: 13 3/4" x 9" Sides: 12 1/2" long<br />
As I understand from others, sizing is a little variable with the boxes, so customized fitting is needed. <br />
Wherever possible I used aluminum pop rivets. I don't recall the size, but probably 1/8 inch. Any screws, bolts and nuts used were those that came with the equipment.<br />
The tricky part is aligning the shelves so that the knobs, etc don't hit lid when closed. Lots of trial and error adjustments to get it right. I used screws initially to allow for adjustments then replaced with rivets for final assembly.<br />
<br />
<b>Q: Did you get your grounding block (s) inside the box and on the front panel from Home Depot also or did you get that from an electrical supply? </b> <br />
<br />
A: Yes, I brought two sizes from Home Depot and used the longer one. Only ended up needing the shorter one since only 3 ground wires needed (1-897D, 2-AT897, 3-faceplate grnd). Also discover with second box that the chassis itself is a ground, so grounding block was just an extra but convenient ground. The faceplate grounding terminal has a matching one on the inside of faceplate. Again, overkill, a bolt holding terminal through faceplate would have worked fine to attaching wire.<br />
<br />
<b>Q: Did you use a flat black paint or a glossy?</b><br />
<br />
A: Neither, I used a textured or pebble finish. It gives it a more "equipment" look.<br />
<br />
<b>Q: Did you get the strain reliefs for the accessories that attach to the perforated aluminum at home depot as well?</b><br />
<br />
A: No, most of the little stuff came from Harbor Freight or Radio Shack or my "parts" drawer.<br />
<br />
<b>Q: Were you able to use tin snips to cut the aluminum or did you just use a hacksaw and sand down the edges afterwards? Did you just punch out the holes for the accessories on the perforated aluminum?</b><br />
<br />
A: Yes, snips to cut the perforated aluminum. Hacksaw and grinder for framing. All holes were drilled. Larger holes were Dremeled out. Don't have a punch.<br />
<br />
<b>Q: I assume you used 12 gauge wire for all your connections?</b><br />
<br />
A: Yep, from Powerwerx, red/black 12 gauge zip cord <br />
<br />
<b>Some other thoughts and additions for future modifications:</b><br />
<br />
Added 12V LED light bar from IKEA<br />
<br />
Laptop section in the top will later be changed over to hold Signalink, power monitor, clock or maybe another radio for doing dedicated sound card digital. Found that I carried the computer separately and the size has dropped significantly with the purchased of a netbook.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-64489880796502734892009-12-12T18:10:00.000-08:002009-12-12T18:50:12.244-08:00New Amateur Radio Operator - KF7GOS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.arrl.org/"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 199px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbXkJ0h7sMV7XbMvWqZnnP4GubaqBNOArpiHP1TMG2Z7OGLxdZijBihxcqgrQcH9suuPhzXhTa6aaX3l4Eo_mRP3J2L5xnlL4qvWSI13dEynDXJn9fdYQNQlLR-Xta_VtPWPs9VKVUD6F/s200/Amateur-radio-logo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414544682927078514" /></a><br />Back in November 2009, I finished up 8 weeks of classes to become a C.E.R.T. member.<br /><a href="http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/">CERT</a> stands for <a href="http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/">Community Emergency Response Team</a>. <br />The <a href="http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/about.shtm">purpose </a>of CERT was to better prepare individual citizens to handle emergency needs prior to the arrival of formal emergency response.<br /><br />During this training, it became clear that communications between CERT teams as well as response teams and other resource was vital. Several of my classmates were amateur radio enthusiasts and gave me information about how HAM radios are utilized during emergencies and in particular how they were used during the past hurricane seasons that were so disastrous. One fellow CERT member got me in touch with the <a href="http://www.fwarc.org/">Federal Way Amateur Radio Cloud (FWARC)</a>. I went to a FWARC regular meeting and met some of the nicest folks ever. This started me on the path to become a licensed amateur radio operator for the purpose of helping with emergency communications. FWARC holds classes, followed by official testing. During the weekend of 12/06/2009, I attended a 2+ day Technician class and passed. It took about 5 days for my successful completion to be registered with the FCC and my call sign to be generated/entered into the ULS database.<br /><br />Lacking a radio makes things a bit anti-climatic, but this means I may actually get the appropriate equipment. The immediate next steps are:<br /><ol><br /><li> contact local emergency amateur radio groups (RACES, ARES) for advice on equipment</li><br /><li> study and test for the General class level license</li><br /><li> establish a base station, mobile station and supplement with Handheld Transceiver (HT)</li><br /></ol><br /><br />Who knows where this may lead, since beyond the emergency radio applications there are possibilities to communicate with people around the world.<br /><br />If you are an amateur radio operator, my call sign is <a href="mailto:kf7gos@arrl.net">KF7GOS</a>, feel free to CQ me in near future. Checkout <a href="http://www.arrl.org/">ARRL</a> web site if you're interested in Amateur Radio<br /><br />Cheers!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-45264821292721139092009-11-26T17:28:00.000-08:002009-11-26T19:19:28.093-08:00Thanksgiving 2009This year Thanksgiving was very different than the usual fair of turkey, stuffing and a boat load of calories decorated liberally with salt, sugar and lots of fat. <br /><br />For me, Thanksgiving is no longer traditional since I found that I am allergic to turkey. Who the heck is allergic to turkey?! In addition, my daughter has been following a vegetarian lifestyle and my wife and I have lost significant weight. Our diets have completely changed.<br /><br />So for Thanksgiving 2009, we had the following fare:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Appetizer</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Amaretto-Apricots-With-Walnuts-Teriyaki-197580">Amaretto Apricots With Walnuts Teriyaki</a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61JtSihzncKAz6PpyakzrZ2dszXAHMP5NA7RF6HsTkamYccaSAYFn0_riju3WLgrGH80dKgBb3jWhd74766fvyEcEKLvm0egXbr7Mgeyb1A5ptfrIR5CXmXmalvxFjqz8mP5uMxf43jzM/s1600/rrh-apricot-walnut.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61JtSihzncKAz6PpyakzrZ2dszXAHMP5NA7RF6HsTkamYccaSAYFn0_riju3WLgrGH80dKgBb3jWhd74766fvyEcEKLvm0egXbr7Mgeyb1A5ptfrIR5CXmXmalvxFjqz8mP5uMxf43jzM/s200/rrh-apricot-walnut.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408617642065765234" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Salad</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/baby-mixed-greens-with-apple-pear-pecans-and-feta-393458">Baby mixed greens with pear, pecans and feta</a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-am6RFc6NZZGVQLjUQ7IgwjCTAQt36IVGtgH9bhn3v1mUpILb-gpKJVttidjmXif3T7pRtwiNH8kTnAypEMWmKgGCwP6QAC7QJNubt56BjGunNtx9vK7GSZoBrWfQoNFgFpSXKisIpmbw/s1600/rrh-pear-salad.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-am6RFc6NZZGVQLjUQ7IgwjCTAQt36IVGtgH9bhn3v1mUpILb-gpKJVttidjmXif3T7pRtwiNH8kTnAypEMWmKgGCwP6QAC7QJNubt56BjGunNtx9vK7GSZoBrWfQoNFgFpSXKisIpmbw/s200/rrh-pear-salad.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408614541120033794" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><br />Entree</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1950,153171-251193,00.html">Butternut squash and apple bake</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArzaRafx_7FcXhDYxahy-WNCgH-4wAAyn3DjxGagf7K4IbxuQETS8fKQApcGaA0RKwmkkvttznFJ5-eEvxKPqTNCTHsoC_4KSPywq_LizGhV1U2Am7GO7lhWiiEHS2uk-n2A8Ne3wshzc/s1600/butternut-apple.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArzaRafx_7FcXhDYxahy-WNCgH-4wAAyn3DjxGagf7K4IbxuQETS8fKQApcGaA0RKwmkkvttznFJ5-eEvxKPqTNCTHsoC_4KSPywq_LizGhV1U2Am7GO7lhWiiEHS2uk-n2A8Ne3wshzc/s200/butternut-apple.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408614961882486738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.kristianregale.com/orange"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 53px; height: 220px;" src="http://www.kristianregale.com/assets/img/bottle-orange.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> <br /><a href="http://www.kristianregale.com/orange">Kristian Regle Orange Sparkler</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeId=51184">Phyllo crust pumpkin pie</a><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Dessert</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeId=51184"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 158px; height: 192px;" src="http://aka.weightwatchers.com/images/1033/dynamic/foodandrecipes/2005/11/pumpkinpie_lg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Herbal tea<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><br />As you can see, not your normal Thanksgiving dinner. We still came away rather stuffed, but not bloated.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-63543852961893084532009-10-27T17:35:00.000-07:002009-10-27T17:37:50.589-07:00Rotavirus Vaccine's Remarkable Impact<embed src="http://www.gatesfoundation.org/_layouts/swf/Multimedia/player.swf" width="400" height="225" bgcolor="000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://gates.edgeboss.net/download/gates/gfo/nicaragua-rotavirus-video.mp4&image=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/livingproofproject/PublishingImages/video-living-proof-rotavirus-clinic.jpg"></embed><br /><br />Success against a disease that hit Nicaragua's children hard.<br /><br />Rotavirus kills 2 million children per year worldwide. Its impact hit Nicaraguan children hard. But in 2006, a vaccine came to the villages. And the results are remarkable.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-81221253361081703462009-07-17T20:12:00.000-07:002009-12-28T10:35:39.154-08:00Looking for tile or stone for your remodel?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tilelines.com/"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 103px;" src="http://www.tilelines.com/mediac/400_0/media/tilelineslogo.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />
We were flooded on the lower level of our home this past January (2009). We had to rip out everything and decided to tile all the floor surfaces and bathroom walls. <br />
<br />
We went to <a href="http://www.tilelines.com/">Tilelines</a> in Kent, WA.<br />
<br />
For those of you in the Puget Sound area, <a href="http://www.tilelines.com/">Tilelines</a> is a great place to get tile, stone and installation classes and supplies. Great selection, helpful reps and fair prices. We are using them for our remodel. We worked with Darren Helbling, tell him Rich Hand sent you.<br />
<br />
Pictures of our project will be added soon.... hopefully!<br />
<br />
Cheers!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-73359390294053705472009-07-17T14:03:00.000-07:002009-07-17T14:04:23.457-07:00My twitter mosaic<p><a href="http://sxoop.com/twitter/">Get your twitter mosaic here.</a></p><p><a href="http://twitter.com/AJHand"><img width="48" height="48" title="Arlene" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/69600276/IMG_1902_normal.JPG" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/canine"><img width="48" height="48" title="Greg" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/53529966/mini_nose_normal.jpg" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/chrisbrogan"><img width="48" height="48" title="Chris Brogan" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/296302819/daddyandharold_normal.jpg" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/jeffy"><img width="48" height="48" title="Jeff Youngstrom" border="0" 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href="http://twitter.com/cbcurran"><img width="48" height="48" title="Chris Curran" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/278486781/Curran2006_normal.jpg" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/nicolesy"><img width="48" height="48" title="Nicole Young" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/119693093/istock_generic_91777_normal.jpg" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/jeremyhall"><img width="48" height="48" title="jeremyhall" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/55827042/icon_shooter_normal.jpg" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/Hogrydr"><img width="48" height="48" title="Vern Snow" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/72754137/Vern0707-760x_normal.jpg" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/LizDalyLiz"><img width="48" height="48" title="Elizabeth Daly" border="0" 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Franco" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/201375084/IMGP8289_normal.JPG" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/AMD_Unprocessed"><img width="48" height="48" title="AMD" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/54535180/AMD_twitter_logo_normal.gif" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/VoipConference"><img width="48" height="48" title="HotConference" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/218684646/hc4_normal.gif" /></a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678802241735148637.post-47295562080954576752009-06-23T17:25:00.000-07:002009-06-23T17:32:00.735-07:00Something new ...<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sA8_xv2bcPu9swO-7XVRrA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVExyp9ah2TwpHnvPgMwTD5kaVgfjtx-LzGx-T4zxozqLc-UBxu6HoTrABeV5yoRkp3L55y9osQVjIeskGde0BJrpW8OMfU3jreuxTmazve2QJKkL0AkCW57OYz43zmed4Ybbl5yzar6Ia/s144/2009-MSBF-titlebanner.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/richhand/20090620Marysville?feat=embedwebsite">20090620-Marysville</a></td></tr></table>I haven't posted much here since the blogging month effort. Arlene is starting a new endeavor of becoming a Seafair Parade Marshall (SPM), thus I now have a new endeavor.<br /><br />I will be documenting the various parades we attend through photos. Our first parade was:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.maryfest.com/home.htm">Marysville 2009 Strawberry Festival</a><br /><br />I haven't decided where the best place will be to post the photos, so for now I will use my Picasa web albums. Here some of the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/richhand/20090620Marysville#">parade's photos</a>. In addition, I have posted a <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/richhand/PoTI2009Marysville#">photo series</a> on <a href="http://www.thepiratesoftreasureisland.com/">The Pirates of Treasure Island</a><br /><br />As we progress through this new adventure, I plan to create a photo album book of all the parades we attend.<br /><br />Enjoy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486713912589843397noreply@blogger.com0