My Portable CB Solution
09-29-2011, 05:03 PM
#1
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My Portable CB Solution
One of my co-workers is a HAM operator. At some point he gave me the idea of mounting an CB inside an ammo can with battery and such. I thought this would be great to loan out the trail mates who have not bought a CB.
Materials:
Cobra 18 WX ST II
12-volt 10.5 Ah Battery
90° Antenna elbow
Firestick II 2'
Two-Way Trailer Wiring Connector
Misc Wire & Connectors
2' Coax
.50 Cal Ammo Can
I soldiered all of my splices and connections to make sure everything worked. The battery had 1/4" blade connectors which held a little to well. When I tried to disconnect it after the test, I pulled the wire off the connector. Thus, I added the trailer connector for a quick disconnect.
The hardest part of this was cutting the hole for the radio to stick through the lid. I used a dremel, but it was not exactly ideal for this project. I probably used 8 cutting discs. In the end it looks like this.
I am pretty happy with the results. I let me brother use it on the trails a few days ago. It was still going strong after 8 hours. I would like to make a couple more if I can aquire the materials at a reasonable price.
Materials:
Cobra 18 WX ST II
12-volt 10.5 Ah Battery
90° Antenna elbow
Firestick II 2'
Two-Way Trailer Wiring Connector
Misc Wire & Connectors
2' Coax
.50 Cal Ammo Can
I soldiered all of my splices and connections to make sure everything worked. The battery had 1/4" blade connectors which held a little to well. When I tried to disconnect it after the test, I pulled the wire off the connector. Thus, I added the trailer connector for a quick disconnect.
The hardest part of this was cutting the hole for the radio to stick through the lid. I used a dremel, but it was not exactly ideal for this project. I probably used 8 cutting discs. In the end it looks like this.
I am pretty happy with the results. I let me brother use it on the trails a few days ago. It was still going strong after 8 hours. I would like to make a couple more if I can aquire the materials at a reasonable price.
09-29-2011, 06:21 PM
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I need to buy another short section of coax to plug my SWR meter in. It gets great reception and transmits clearly. Since the Cobra 18 is known for being less than good, I would suspect the SWR is fairly low.
09-29-2011, 07:49 PM
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Power?
One of my co-workers is a HAM operator. At some point he gave me the idea of mounting an CB inside an ammo can with battery and such. I thought this would be great to loan out the trail mates who have not bought a CB.
Materials:
Cobra 18 WX ST II
12-volt 10.5 Ah Battery
90° Antenna elbow
Firestick II 2'
Two-Way Trailer Wiring Connector
Misc Wire & Connectors
2' Coax
.50 Cal Ammo Can
I soldiered all of my splices and connections to make sure everything worked. The battery had 1/4" blade connectors which held a little to well. When I tried to disconnect it after the test, I pulled the wire off the connector. Thus, I added the trailer connector for a quick disconnect.
The hardest part of this was cutting the hole for the radio to stick through the lid. I used a dremel, but it was not exactly ideal for this project. I probably used 8 cutting discs. In the end it looks like this.
Attachment 217119
I am pretty happy with the results. I let me brother use it on the trails a few days ago. It was still going strong after 8 hours. I would like to make a couple more if I can aquire the materials at a reasonable price.
Materials:
Cobra 18 WX ST II
12-volt 10.5 Ah Battery
90° Antenna elbow
Firestick II 2'
Two-Way Trailer Wiring Connector
Misc Wire & Connectors
2' Coax
.50 Cal Ammo Can
I soldiered all of my splices and connections to make sure everything worked. The battery had 1/4" blade connectors which held a little to well. When I tried to disconnect it after the test, I pulled the wire off the connector. Thus, I added the trailer connector for a quick disconnect.
The hardest part of this was cutting the hole for the radio to stick through the lid. I used a dremel, but it was not exactly ideal for this project. I probably used 8 cutting discs. In the end it looks like this.
Attachment 217119
I am pretty happy with the results. I let me brother use it on the trails a few days ago. It was still going strong after 8 hours. I would like to make a couple more if I can aquire the materials at a reasonable price.
Thanks
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09-30-2011, 04:47 AM
#8
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Also, there is some gap around the CB due to my lack of precision cutting equipment.
The CB is powered by the 12-volt Sealed Lead Acid battery. I am currently using a 12-volt car battery charger to recharge it. The low setting on the charger is 2 amps. I will probably add a 12-volt accessory plug to the case and make a male-to-male cable so it can charge off of the vehicles power. If I make it into Harbor Freight this weekend I will pick up a battery tender. They have them on sale.
09-30-2011, 04:57 AM
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Simply genius. You should change your name to Macgyver. I too would be interested in the SWR reading. Is that the full parts list? Being able to hook this up to the car via 12v would be simply awesome.