Miles

I recently recieved my Technician License a month ago so i can legally operate a ham radio. I have a setup in my jeep, but i wanted something i could take out into the field (or disaster zone, since we're in the middle of tornado alley). So, i bought a Yaesu 2800 as my base unit, and planned on making my own antenna and carrying box with self contained battery to hold the radio (and manual and whatever else i might need). Here's the base unit. A Yaesu 2800. So, this afternoon i built the antenna. Its a Yagi (mono-directional antenna) made from pvc, and metal tape measure, and some coax. Took a little measuring, cutting, and soldering, but its together and working great. The antenna is handheld, so it can be pointed in the direction you want to transmit. I was able to make a contact 70-80 miles away on 25 watts. More pictures when the box build starts.

Little box build i whipped out today. Customer will be running DD 510's for now until he upgrades to a pair of XCON 10's! 2.8 cubes net 5" Octaport 33.08 hz

Since I know how to do a Cobra weave with paracord, I'll just make my own handle. What I'll probably do is a 3/4" piece with either grill cloth of metal mesh in the middle, held down by neo magnets as a top. Then, I'll paint the inside of the box white, and put some blue leds inside on a switch. I want this thing to be rugged, and look nice.

Thank you! I've been talking on it all night on it and the 12ah AGM battery I have it in hasn't dropped voltage at all. The entire unit weights 22 lbs, which might seem a little heavy, but if I'm taking this somewhere, I don't want it moving from where ever I decide to set it. Need to figure out a good design for the top. I don't just want to leave it open, but I need to do something that can be easily removable, be able to get air in and out to cool the radio, and allow for some type of handle.

Started the actual "ham box" this afternoon. Only worked on it an hour or so, then dropped the battery in and started talking. Will finish up the top tomorrow (still need to figure out how I want to finish it off), then bedline the whole thing. For those who know the lingo, I had full quieting 35 miles away on 5 watts, and was coming in about 80% 70 miles away... On 5 WATTS! This setup is awesome! I bet I could do moon bounce with this (for those who don't know, you can point a directional antenna at the moon, transmit, and it takes so long that when you stop transmitting you can hear your own transmission through your radio!).

Well, McGovney Designs isnt just about building enclosures. Ive been highly involved in skilled work ever since I was young, and I'm always wanting to learn new things. A couple of years ago I bought a Jeep TJ. Over the last year I have been modifying it to the point it is today. Ive known how to weld for years, but only on a stick welder. Just last year i learned how to MIG weld (which is so easy its not even funny), and I started building things for the Jeep. I'll make a detailed list of what all the Jeep has, then I'll provide pictures of stuff ive fabbed up or installed on the Jeep. OBA (on board air) Front bumper Rock sliders LOKKA front axle locker 2" suspension, 1" body lift 32" BFG KM2's 16" Moto Metal wheels L.e.d. dash light replacement KC headlight housings 55w HID's Hadley Train horn front sway bar removed Round LED taillight conversion Cobra 19dx (cb radio) Kenwood 281 (ham radio) Thats all i can think of right now. Anyway, onto the pictures... OBA install: Front bumper: Rock Sliders: LOKKA axle locker: Other pictures

Dont know if I said this before, but im KG5ASC.

Oh jeez, I've been told this one before.Yea I know, Cable is suppost to be a "closed loop system". LOL Haha. Just messing with you. Just couldnt believe they would put that in a study guide. To me, thats the hams fault and not the neighbors fault.

Gotcha. I'm a broadband Cable electronics technician is why I asked.So when you guys over modulate, you interfier with cable channels 16, 17, 18, and 19. Use to be a common problem for us old schoolers until digital haystacks came out. Now cable comapnies are getting rid of analog channels all together. You know what's funny about that is in the study guide they actually give us that scenario. And if that scenario happens to occur we are told to inform the person with the TV that they need to install a bandpass filter so they won't have interference. Lol. Because its never the hams fault. Haha. I thought it was kind of hypocritical of them to put it in the study guide.

Sorry I meant to say mobile unit. The Kenwood is dedicated just to my Jeep. The yaesu will be in a box I will build that I can take literally anywhere in any situation. Both radios are VHF only so I can transmit anywhere between 144 and 148 megahertz. However, both are also modified, so in case of a major emergency I can transmit on anything between 137 and 174 megahertz.

Im going to investigate shipping. I know a good box builder in OKC that ships around the world, so I'll ask him for advice on shipping method.

I might consider shipping, but with the way shipping companies have been lately, i would hate to build an enclosure just to have it destroyed in shipping. Even slight imperfections (smashed corner, peeling carpet from high humidity, scuffed bedliner) wouldnt make the customer 100% satisfied.

I forgot to add I also do bandpass boxes. Of course that's all completely dependent on what subs you run and what your goal is as far as how big the box isto going to be.

Video!!!

Agreed. Aero or Octaport.

I have built more boxes than I can even remember, but my real passion is furniture building. Woodworking in general is a great pass-time and can be very beneficial if you develop the needed skills past just putting mdf together. I would much rather work with hardwood than mdf/plywood. Anyway, here are some pictures of furniture I've built, and the age I was when I built them. I'm leaving out A LOT of furniture I've build because I simply don't have pictures of them. I will try to get pictures when I go back to Kansas, because most of my furniture is furnishing my parents house. Red Oak rolltop desk. I have roughly 160 hours of build time in this desk. Built this when I was 15. Solid Red Oad Shaker style queen sized bed. I have roughly 70 hours in this bed. Built this when I was 16. Red Oak entertainment center. The black is grill cloth so you can control the players without pulling the doors open. Built this when I was 19.

End table I whipped out this evening for a co-worker. Breast Cancer Awareness themed. Top will have high gloss polyurethane and the rest will be pink.

Thats my point Quinten. You're pushing 700 watts go to 75 miles on a cb. I can talk up to 100-120 miles on 25 watts and a 19" antenna. Im friends with a guy in Tulsa, OK who has made contacts in Europe and Australia on 100 watts with a base station at his house. The 5-7 miles was referring to a standard 4 watt cb. My point is, dump tons of money into powering a cb to reach the same distance as a ham that cost $80... also i find it hard to hold an intelligent conversation on channel 19 around this area, or any area for that matter. Smashed, what you are probably referring to is his call sign, which legally lets him talk on a ham radio. Moral of the story, cb's are decent, but require way too.much power to reach out any good distance, and all emergency bands/weather bands are on ham frequencies, so all around, if shit does hit the fan, ham radio is going to be a valuable life line.

Just curious. Do we have any licensed ham radio operators on here? I got my Tech a few weeks ago and have been loving it. Its amazing to go from cb (4-6 miles range) to 2meter (150+ mile range) and each base unit is the same size. Here is my setup in my daily driver. Cobra 19 in the right and a Kenwood 281 on the left.

That's just a CB (citizen band). I'm talking about Amateur bands. Cb's are only good up to 4-5 miles, 6-7 if youre lucky. I've been able to talk up to 120 miles with my 2 meter ham radio, and lots of people talk around the world on 10 meter.

Booooooo!

Nobody?

Light as well show some "temp" setups ive had in the Jeep...

I am always up to learning new things, and if it turns into a profitable hobby, then I'll pursue it even further. A hobby my wife got me hooked on a few months ago was glass working. So far I'm just working with solid pieces (molten non-the-less), and will start blowing in a couple of months or so. Here are some wine-stoppers and shift knobs I've made for myself and family in the last few months. (Can anyone tell me whats behind the glass pieces in the 4th picture down? )

Here is a condensed photographic list of builds and boxes i have done in the past. If you want more pictures for a certain builds, let me know and I'll make a new thread with more pictures of the build. Enjoy! 2 Fi BL 18's on 2 BXI2608's. 12" IA DP on a Powerbass ASA1500.1 Fi BL 12 in a T-line Fiberglass pods for a 5.25 and 6.5 in each door. Finished off in Bedliner. Fi BL 12 on a Powerbass ASA1500.1 Fi SSD 15 with kerfed port box 2 DD 1510's 2 Kicker CVX 15's double kerf box with built in amp rack 2 HDC3 15's 6 Sundown E8's IAD 12 with kerfed port 8 Obsidian 18's on a Sampson Sundown SA12 firing back Funkin Audio 10 in a 3:1 4th order