FT-857D in 2003 Silverado

I have been wanting one of these little wonder rigs for a while. Now I have one! My uses for the rig will be an on-the-go rig - whether it is tossed in a backpack for a hike, light-packing (relatively - if you have read my post on EN39 you know I don't pack "light"), mobile, or any other grab-and-go type scenario. I figured I would install my remote kit in the truck and use the rig/controls as one for the rest of the stuff.

My first task was to figure out where to put the control panel. That would dictate the type of bracketry I needed. This is where it gets interesting! I considered about five different locations, but I didn't like any of them for one reason or another. My mobile set-ups in the past have always had me reaching for the controls. Visibility was fine as my HF rig sat right on the dash - easy to see, hard to reach.

My main goal was to find a place that was EASY to reach. That meant being low and within reach. The places I considered were to the left and right of the steering wheel down low. The access was great - it was at a comfortable height. The issue here is the visibility. Also, I am right handed so the left side was out of the question. I also considered on the side of the center console. That was easier to see than next to the steering wheel, but it posed mounting and access issues. I didn't want to mount the control panel on the front of the center console (near the cubby holes and power ports). This would have limited access and use to those.

I now had three issues: ease of reach, ease of visibility, and not blocking anything. This is when I started looking at the lid to the center console storage compartment. This looked like a good place at first. My preference would be to keep the control panel in one place, but there was no way to mount it at this location without some fancy metal work to get bends that would contour to the plastic console. If I mount it to the lid itself then the control panel is mobile - it moves with the lid, and it weighs it down so it will no longer raise on its own.

I looked at this scenario for a good while and studied how it would work. The access was great - the controls were literally at my fingertips. The visibility wasn't great because of the angle I had on the display. The only thing I was blocking was the very rear part of the open compartments.

Looking at the other alternatives it was very clear - some compromises had to be made and the only location that made sense was the console lid. So thats just what I did.



In fact, it got even better than this. Instead of mounting the controls straight in line with the lid I bent the bracket at an angle to tilt the control panel backwards and to the left so I could see it better. This little tweak made all the difference in the world!



I may even bend the bracket a bit more to get even more of an angle on it. The location of the tuning knob is very comfortable as it is now, though. I can rest my arm on the console and just move my fingers to scroll the bands.

I got the remote microphone with the rig too. I figured it is the closest type of hand mic/controller to what my IC-207H has and I use that mic in the truck all the time. The remote control features of the Yaesu mic are great! You need to get to know it, but it really is a great addition. I still prefer to tune with the big knob, but surfing the menu is easily done with the mic.

My mobile ham station went from this:



to this:



Boy have I really missed out on mobile HF! I have always managed in the past, but this set-up really changes my whole experience to something really wonderful. I am sure this goes without saying, but I am quite proud of my installation. It doesn't solve every problem but it is very enjoyable to use. I hope to catch you on the bands!

Antennas! Seen from I70 mile 142-143 in Ohio, Whos are they? Also, another update

I have been trying for the past couple of weeks to get a picture of these antennas. The first week I just HAPPENED to catch them out of the corner of my eye on my way back from Zanesville. Since then I couldn't find them until the other day. They are located on the South side of I-70 in Ohio between mile markers 142 and 143 behind a "nodding donkey" (oil pump, looks like it isn't working right now) and behind a hill. All I can see is the tops of the towers and it is still hard to pick them out - you have to be looking for them to see them, or just get lucky like I did and just happen to focus your eyes in the right spot as you scan the sky!

It looks like a well-equipped station. If you have that many towers and big antennas, and even if you had them hooked to an FT-817, it is still a "well equipped" station HI.

Does anyone have an idea whos station this is? I remember an article way back a few years on the ARRL webpage in the "Surfin" column that described a big contest station seen on the east side of the state driving on 70. The author passes it on his drive to Dayton each year. I don't think these are the same places - the one 'Surfin" mentioned was easier to see if I remember right.

Anywho, I would like to find out whos that is. I try to catch those towers every day now and dream of what it would be like to have nice antennas HI. I can't stand being in the city.....

OK, for my update. Last week I put in over 54 hours on the clock with this new site. This week is headded in the same direction it seems. I have been in overtime every day so far and it looks like the same story for today (as I am typing this it just hit 4:30am eastern time - which reminds me I need to pack my lunch, I am supposed to be on the road to the office right now). Getting up at 3:30am isn't exactly easy for me to do - I am not a morning person. Once I get some coffee in me I can survive but boy is my clock off!

I took some time yesterday to do a little fly fishing. I wen't to my favorite spot on the Scioto (hey, its close). The first fish I caught was a nice 10-12" smallmouth bass. I have never caught a fish that big down there before so that was a lot of fun. It was a well-grown one too. It wasn't real thick like a largemouth can get, but it was a real nice size. I almost had to let the line go and let the reel do it's job (rarely happens - I hand-control the line most of the time, if you fly-fish you know what I mean). Anyway, that was a lot of fun. Not much else to speak of - just another baby smallmouth and watching the wildlife (cranes, ducks, frogs jumping off rocks as I wade past).

Antennas!

Job this summer

For the past couple weeks I have started working with a company called Professional Service Industries again. I worked for them in 03 and 04, I think. I did two summers in a row. Back then I was just in the lab testing soils, compression testing on concrete samples, and occasionally going out in the field to pick up samples. It was a job, I got paid, but the lab was not a real good place to work.

Now I am a field tech. This time around things are getting interesting. What I do is on-site testing of concrete (slump and if the concrete is spec'd with air, air content testing) as well as set cylinder samples for later compression testing in the lab. I have also done a few other things - coring concrete for forensic evaluation of trouble spots and vapor emissions out in the field, and more compression testing in the lab. There is a lot to concrete!

I was assigned to the Avon distribution warehouse in Zanesville, Oh this past week. I am not sure how long I will be on that job. The lead technician needed someone to fill in and I was the one that got picked. I guess you could say its a good thing - lots of hours, but the concrete starts flowing between 5 and 7am. With an hour and a half drive from the office and a half hour drive from home to the office I need to start my day rolling REAL early!

There are still a few wrinkles that need ironing. Once I am up to speed this job will be a lot better (I hope!). If you read my posts here much you know I like to understand what it is I am doing thoroughly. I know what my "job" is, but there are other things that the "job" relates to that I need a much better understanding of. Each day I learn more and more and get more and more comfortable with the site.

If you have ever been on a large construction project you can appreciate me saying this - it is like a well-conducted (hopefully!) orchestra. My job allows me time between my testing to observe, talk to people, and otherwise learn about what is going on. With all the engines running, back-up beepers, loader buckets banging, concrete sloshing, hammering, and all of that echoing off the 40-50' high walls in a building that makes people on the other side look like ants is somewhat of a harmony. I also have to remember to stay out of the surveyor's line-of-sight, the path of loaded (and unloaded) concrete trucks, telehandlers, scissor lifts, and crazy guys on skid-steers moving materials like they wont get a paycheck if they go too slow.