Here's my 'Shack in a Box' that I've been putting together over the past couple of months. I'm a Tech and will be upgrading to General before spring and wanted something with HF capabilities to easily pack away and lug between my home QTH and our camp in Maine, with the potential of operating pretty much anywhere.
The enclosure is a Gator 6U half rack (10.4" rack width) and Gator shelves. I had to cut down the shelves as they were a bit long as supplied. This was kind of a pain as they are heavy gauge steel but with the right tools and a steady hand the results were perfect.
The three 2U front panels and one 2U rear panel were custom made by Front Panel Express using their free design software. I modified a stock rack mount faceplate template to the proper width, added holes for the rack handles and openings, added anodizing for the front, and etched lettering. The rack handles are from Mouser Electronics. Here, the 'measure twice, cut once' rule worked well as the fit and finish everywhere was spot on.
The PowerWerx supply, LDG tuner, and Icom IC-7100 radio are bolted to the shelves at the proper height, and use either Nylock nuts or liquid thread lock. I shouldn't have to worry about things coming loose.
I used Anderson Powerpole connectors throughout, and can run off of the built in 30 amp power supply with the short jumper (shown) from one of the three DC outputs, or off of external DC via a feed with a Powerpole connector. The Icom IC-7100 is fused. This is a simpler and cleaner solution than switching the power source from internal to external.
The LDG antenna tuner is powered off of the IC-7100's rear-mounted antenna tuner control cable.
The bottom rack shelf is a bit longer and there's plenty of room to stow the IC-7100's remote head, cable, and hand mic.
I haven't weighed the finished product but I bet it comes in in the mid to high 30 pound range. Definitely not something I'd want to lug any real distance but it's no trouble for one guy to move between operating stations and vehicles.
Have a look at the pics.
The enclosure is a Gator 6U half rack (10.4" rack width) and Gator shelves. I had to cut down the shelves as they were a bit long as supplied. This was kind of a pain as they are heavy gauge steel but with the right tools and a steady hand the results were perfect.
The three 2U front panels and one 2U rear panel were custom made by Front Panel Express using their free design software. I modified a stock rack mount faceplate template to the proper width, added holes for the rack handles and openings, added anodizing for the front, and etched lettering. The rack handles are from Mouser Electronics. Here, the 'measure twice, cut once' rule worked well as the fit and finish everywhere was spot on.
The PowerWerx supply, LDG tuner, and Icom IC-7100 radio are bolted to the shelves at the proper height, and use either Nylock nuts or liquid thread lock. I shouldn't have to worry about things coming loose.
I used Anderson Powerpole connectors throughout, and can run off of the built in 30 amp power supply with the short jumper (shown) from one of the three DC outputs, or off of external DC via a feed with a Powerpole connector. The Icom IC-7100 is fused. This is a simpler and cleaner solution than switching the power source from internal to external.
The LDG antenna tuner is powered off of the IC-7100's rear-mounted antenna tuner control cable.
The bottom rack shelf is a bit longer and there's plenty of room to stow the IC-7100's remote head, cable, and hand mic.
I haven't weighed the finished product but I bet it comes in in the mid to high 30 pound range. Definitely not something I'd want to lug any real distance but it's no trouble for one guy to move between operating stations and vehicles.
Have a look at the pics.