Radio drawer in trunk

[PrivatelyJeff]

What do you guys think of installing a drawer in the trunk of your car to keep all your radio gear safe when you install in back there.

I was thinking of going with this in my trunk to hold 2 WS1095s, a ham with remote head and a CB with remote mic control and a fuse block with ground and maybe a battery setup to help out with voltage drop when starting my car.

I know it will be a tight fit, but I’m thinking with some stacking and a bracket or two, it could be done. I was also going to use some angle adapters on the speaker and antenna cables to help things fit as well.

 

[belvdr]

Instead of a drawer, why not something like the sliding trays that is open on all sides for better ventilation?

 

[flythunderbird]

LEOs use trunk drawers all the time for radios, weapons, etc. It shouldn't be too hard to fit one into your vehicle. You may even be able to find a used one with some looking, maybe on eBay.

https://www.google.com/search?q=police+cruiser+trunk+radio+drawer

 

[iMONITOR]

What do you guys think of installing a drawer in the trunk of your car to keep all your radio gear safe when you install in back there.

Make sure longer remote cables are doable/available or you can make them. Also check if there is a length limitation for proper operation. I'm thinking mostly about the remote CB microphone. It would have to be shielded as well.

 

[mmckenna]

Here's an old photo of one of our CrownVic's at work:

Wider shelf than what you need, but makes working on them a whole lot easier. I'd look at doing something similar, suspended under the package shelf rather than in a box.
In the box, I'd be a bit concerned about heat buildup. Trying to cram a bunch of radios in there might be an issue.

 

[belvdr]

Here's an old photo of one of our CrownVic's at work:

Wider shelf than what you need,

That's a wider photo than we need. Ha ha!

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

I’ve looked around and found some on eBay, but they are just too large. I drive a 2011 Ford Fiesta and they do not have a lot of room ANYWHERE. LOL

I should be ok on the radio cables because they include extensions with them and the box I’m looking at is open topped because it’s designed to go under a work bench, so heat can also dissipate . I was also going to install under the rear deck because there isn’t any other place to put it really.

It’s going to be
2 WS1095s
Icom ID-5100
Uniden CMX760 (rarely used)

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

Here is the drawer

 

[iMONITOR]

How about something like this? Keep it simple!

Home Depot

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-12-Gal-Flat-Lid-Tough-Tote-206100/207207157

 

[mmckenna]

I've mounted RF decks under the package shelf using the stock brackets. Keeping wiring neat and out of the way will prevent damage.
I've seen people build shelves using painted plywood and some hardware store brackets to suspend it under the package shelf.

If you pull the trunk liner back from the walls, you can sometimes find void space where equipment can be mounted.

Lots of options if you get some ideas to start with. Doesn't need to be overly complicated.

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

That was the plan. I want to try to keep every tight and out of the way. The trunk space is small, so things get packed tight sometimes and I don’t want anything damaged. Plus it will allow me easy access to the gear if I need to make changes or update stuff on the radios.

Using plywood was my original idea but due to some odd design choices, there isn’t much space width wise, plus a combination of weak woodworking skills and lack of shop space make home building it impossible.

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

As a reference, here’s what the trunk looks like