Davie/Cooper City Amateur Radio Club
a 501(c)(3) not for profit organizaiton
We are Radio Active
Our Mobile Ham Station


Converting a 12' Utility Trailer into a Mobile Ham Shack

Around the middle of 2017 the officers and other interested members began kicking around the idea of having a mobile station that we could use at Field Day, take to the monthly outings, take to social events, activations, etc.

We presented the idea and some rough cost information to the members in january 2018 and received approval to purchase a used trailer and start work.

To that end we:
- Incorporated as Davie/Cooper City Amateur Radio Club so that the club could own the trailer, not any specific member
- Purchased a 1,600 lb, 12' long utility trailer, transferred the registration to Davie/Cooper City Amateur Radio Club
- Had a license plate issued for the trailer (will apply for a ham radio tag with the club call sign) (Rich WB4EHG)
- Determined what mods needed to be made to the trailer and created rough drawings (Pete, N8PR)
- Fred WB4BAG is having the mods made by his company free of charge!
- Started a Trailer donation fund (Tom, N4MEO)
- Started receiving equipment donations from members

Trailer specs: V nose, 6' by 12', ramp door, recessed track in floor

Donations
Trailer in progress 2:
-- Steel outboard frame rails added to
    make a new, longer tongue.
-- Old rails were 2" x 4" x 1/8" wall. 
    New rails are 2" x 2" x 1/4" wall.
    (1/3 heavier).
-- New 2" ball socket welded to the
    extended tongue. 
    Old tongue rails remain in place
    as added support.
-- Will now begin fabrication of the
    "tower hinge support".
-- Would not have been easy as it is
    without Pete's drawings!!!!
Trailer in progress 3:
-- Not in view are the reinforcing
    rails under the new tongue plate.
-- Room was left on the new rails to
    mount the spare tire carrier and
    the new tongue jack (has a wheel
    instead of a foot).
-- Tongue plate serves as a base to
    mount the tower support structure.
-- The 1/4" tongue plate added critical
    strength to the tongue and only
    delayed initiating fabrication of the
    "tower hinge support" by one day.
-- Planning to have a mounted tower
    by Friday, May 18.
Trailer in progress 4:
-- The mast is in place over the trailer body
-- The antenna it attached to right side of
    the mast
-- The left side then pivots down causing
    the antenna to go up in the air.
-- The mast is then cranked up to the
    desired height.
June 5, 2018, Fred brought the trailer to out June club meetiing. This is the first time we have seen the trailer with the new tongue and tower mount & raising assembly. The photos below are what we got to see.
Trailer Fund Donors
Bob Patten N4BP Astron 12V 7A Power supply
Telex ProCom 200 boomset
Vectronics VC-300 HF Tuner
Bubba Tim N2BBT Deal on trailer
Diane Joerger KC4BAR $150 Cash
Fred Perkins WB4BAG Labor & materials on trailer
George Wallner AA7JV Yaesu FT-1000D xcvr
Ivan Cholakov NO2CW $20 Cash
Neil Cinege WB2RUU Work & materials on inside
Pete Rimmel N8PR MA-40 40' telescoping tower
HyGain TH3 Jr beam

20/15/10m rotatable dipole
RG-213 coax
2 VHF/UHF fertical antennas
$50 cash
Al mast for 2m 4el antenna
Rich Joerger WB4EHG Small Refridg
Kenwood TS-450S HF rig
Gil Gillingham W1RG $100 Cash
The trailer as purchased Modifications 1 Modifications 2
Trailer in progress 1:
-- Frame reinforcing completed.
-- Old 2-5/16" ball socket removed.
-- Added wood to layout the positioning
   of the new rails.
Trailer as we purchased it
Trailer Fund Donors
Sandy Cowan K4OXM Diawa 12V 30A Power Supply
August passing around the hat All present $400 Cash
Latour Fire Equipment Co. KA9PYU 1 X 10lb fire extinguisher
1 X  5lb fire extinguisher
Pete Rimmel N8PR Assorted components equaling $110
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
September 16, 2018, The first outing with the trailer at Vista View park. We setup early in the AM and operated some FT-8. We learned some lessons that will be applied to future outings.

Neil WB2RUU has done a fantastic job on getting the trailer operational!
Tower up and visitors in the shade
Under the awning
Tom setup for FT-8
Grant & Tom working FT-8
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  a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization
                                          an ARRL Affiliated Club
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WebMaster: Rich WB4EHG