S250 Comm Shelter Project - HAM & Military Radios

[Timberwolf22]

So I have been asked a few times to post some updates on my S250 Comm Shelter Project.

Instead of hijacking someone else's HAM radio thread thought I would start a new thread on the project.

There was some initial discussion of my S250 Comm Shelter project in a separate thread - link provided for reference:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...do-after-you-get-your-HAM-radio-license/page6

Let me start with – this project would be nowhere near as complete as it is now without the help of a bunch of other Steel Soldier members – so I will begin with thanking them….. they know who they are!

The project began with a simple idea….. I wanted a SINCGARS radio in my M35a3 cab…. How hard could that be to install?

M35a3 for project:



I will NEVER ask that question again. Short answer = for me it just did not work. Working around my current soft top, M66 Gun Ring, plans for my VIC-1 System and all the other “stuff” in the cab left zero room for the SINCGARS mount. Oh we tried…… some research into active and reserve units came up with ideas like moving the shifting column, special length cables for remote units with a under seat radio mount but it became complicated quickly.

But then it hit me…. Why am I trying so hard I have an S280 shelter in the bed of my M35a3…. Why not mount my radio(s) in the shelter instead? Great plan let’s do it….. but what started out as a SINCGARS project quickly morphed into a mobile HAM shack. First there was one SINGCARS radio, then three military radios, add in a SB-22 switchboard, then a radio shelf plus multiple HAM radios and yes you guessed it then there was no room.

Where did all the room go you ask…… well in my haste to build out a mobile radio command center I might have forgotten a few things in the S280 shelter….. thinks like bunk beds, battery boxes, cabinets, mini-frig… minor items that yes left no room for my glorious HAM radio center.

I also should add that I have a horrible habit of using the S280 shelter as "storage".... it is the infinite bag of holding or at-least I pretend it is.

S280 Shelter installed in bed of M35a3 truck….. Will complete a different thread on that project:



You may notice my outboard installed troop seats = shelving units - yet another Steel Soldier member recommendation.

So with no room in the M35a3 cab, a full S280....... I needed a new plan. So I decided on a dedicated S250 shelter that I would mount inside a M105 trailer...... so now I just needed to find one.

 

[Timberwolf22]

I already owned an S250 Shelter that currently served as a fuel shed.... now I just needed the M105 trailer. There were some momentary thoughts of using the XM1061a1 trailer I already owned but the trailer size and weight were just too much for the M35a3.

Planned S250 Shelter.



However as luck would have it I found an S250 already installed in an M105 trailer....... in North Carolina = road trip.

So off we go to North Carolina on a trailer/shelter recovery trip. MadCat2's truck with military trailer pintle served us well and did not require the use of a MV on the longer road trip.



Thanks to yet another helpful Steel Soldiers member hookup and trailer recovery went smoothly for the trip back to PA. So with a zero issue recovery and a new M105 trailer / S250 combo I was ready to get started on the project.

 

[Timberwolf22]

So then I finally began the S250 Comm shelter project..... a few steps backwards to get going but in the end I felt the best solution for what I was looking to build.

I spent a bunch of time cleaning the S250 inside and out.



There was already a AC unit mounted in the side of the shelter and a hard wire line for shore power was already installed.

 

[tim292stro]

Like it - keep the details and pictures coming, several of us are doing something like this now with an S-250. Nice to compare notes and ideas...

 

[Timberwolf22]

So after removing everything this is what I started from:



I then decided the first step was a moch up to see what would fit where, did I have enough room and what sort of wiring I was looking to complete.

Had no idea how I was going to mount the military radios... racks, table - the answer came at Aberdeen where I stumbled across a radio table that fit perfectly in the S-250. Then I thru up the radios to get an idea of the "look" for the S-250 Comm Shelter.



I decided the Comm Shelter or "CB" - [Comm Box] as it is now referred to around my house needed AC and the Refrigerator could stay as well..... sure they took up a bunch of room and used way to much power but the S250 was turning into my HAM Shack/Man Cave at this point..... so no turning back.

 

[Timberwolf22]

With the mounting for the Military radios solved I then turned to how to safely mount my HAM radios..... well that turned into way more than I expected. How do you mount non-hardened sensitive radio equipment into a S250 shelter that you KNOW your M35a3 is going to bounce around everywhere when on the road and even worse off the road.

First I considered embarking in foam cases all the radios and setting up onsite when at destination. This idea has not been completely discarded for the more sensitive and $ equipment.

My solution came in the form of rack mounting. I took an old 19" network rack from work and cut it down to fit into the shelter - leaving me 22U of mounting space on the rack. I then placed thick rubber pads on the top and bottom of the rack as a sort of shock absorber and secured the rack from the bottom and top.



The key piece to the puzzle was having located a company that makes customized rack kits for the HAM radios that we own. Purchasing a rack kit specific to the radios that I owned allowed for a security mount including auxiliary hardware such as speakers and fans.

Provided for reference - http://www.novexcomm.com

I used the remainder of the rack space to mount Network Hardware - LAN switch, Router, Cisco UC560 phone system appliance and a 120V PDU....... being a network engineer I wanted my work toys as well. Yes I even temporarily mounted a server in the rack....... once I accounted for every U of rack space it was time to move on to other aspects of the project.



And yes there is an Excel Spreadsheet documenting the rack U # assignment for every piece of hardware planned for the shelter........ let's just call it detail orientated.... yes let's go with that.

 

[Timberwolf22]

Taking a look inside the S250....with the left side of the S250 consumed by a Refrigerator and now a 19" network rack space was becoming a premium. The whole front area of the S250 was utilized with the radio table.



This left me the right side for "everything else". What I really needed was a desk - the size of my laptop at-least.

A computer was critical to interface with all the HAM radios - programming as well as CW and other HAM "stuff". The height of the desk like the radio table was all wrong so I mocked up a flat table surface that used up the remaining open space on the right hand side of the S250 shelter. I set aside some space for chargers, wall mounted monitor, HT Radio storage "bank" and that was it.... I was out of room.

I left the whole front wall blank to allow for mounting of speakers and other cabling/power systems.

Satisfied that I had the coolest Comm Shelter/Man Cave for a "Radio Guy" I then began to unbolt and remove everything.

 

[General Hood]

Very nice, the only problem I see is.....now I want one. And my wife is giving me that stare

 

[Jeff Nelson]

Just as an option for you, I've used these shock mounts for sensitive equipment. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/lordsq.php?clickkey=6946

Regards,
Jeff

 

[tennmogger]

Great project! You have an enjoyable presentation style too!

Bob WB4ETT

 

[Timberwolf22]

Power....... how could I have been so naive.

I had aspirations of powering up a VT-1000 Linear Amplifier and talking around the planet...... I should have thought that one thru a bit more and been a bit more honest with myself.

My shore power link is 120V AC plus I needed to find a way to convert back to 12V and 24V DC for my radios. So I ditched any aspirations of 220V in the S250 - for now. I actually fix this issue in the later posts - now have a L14-30 input for the S250 so IF I did feed from a 240 power source I could handle that load - just not wired internally for it ...yet.

While I am attempting to add some humor you really do need to take a step back and figure out what you need to be able to do with your shelter.... the more hardware I added the less mobile I was becoming.

I ditched the plans for an all mighty solar array since I could fit one solar panel on the roof of the S250. I decided to leave the battery bank in the S280..... the only place I could even find for the batteries was under the radio table and I needed that space for all my wiring = mock it up and make sure you can fit it all in - I am glad I did.



My original thoughts had been a split battery bank in the S280 and S250 configured as a 24V battery system.... being able to link them via a slave cable adapter mounted on each shelter = shelved that one. I will likely install a dedicated outdoor plug on the S280 in the future to use it as my power source but need to improve the S280 power systems before I get to that point.

The math was not working in my favor for power consumption once I started keying radio's any small battery bank was going to be consumed. I began to accept the simple truth..... shore power was required for my S250 to operate effectively.

So I needed to redefine shore power..... for my S250 at home = a heavy duty extension cord back to the house and I am fine. When in the field I require the use of one of my MEP generators....simply a fact of life based on my power consumption and the fact that I would like to still turn on my AC unit.

Power is a great topic to discuss...... I tried to stay DC where possible, use LED lights but the # of devices and their power consumption in the end were to much for anything other than at-least a 120V feed from shore/generator power.

We will revisit power issues and concerns a number of times throughout this project.

Follow on posts will also discuss heating and ventilation.

 

[Timberwolf22]

Great project! You have an enjoyable presentation style too!

Bob WB4ETT

Bob,

Thanks I hope that my documentation of the project .... with the successes and a few mistakes along the way will help others.

I give presentations all day long at work....... sarcasm is my friend.

 

[Timberwolf22]

Just as an option for you, I've used these shock mounts for sensitive equipment. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/lordsq.php?clickkey=6946

Regards,
Jeff

Jeff,

Great idea - I scavenged a bunch of the military ones from broken radio racks. There was even a guy at the Aberdeen show that was selling them by the bag..... grabbed a few for sure!

Plan to use them in some future hardware mounting requirements in the shelter.

Keep the ideas coming - please.

 

[Jeff Nelson]

Jeff,

Great idea - I scavenged a bunch of the military ones from broken radio racks. Plan to use them in some future hardware mounting requirements in the shelter.

Keep the ideas coming - please.

Not a problem! I've got lots of ideas. Some of them even work... usually....

By the way, I do a lot of work in Industrial Automation, Mining, Semiconductor, Aerospace, and more. It's amazing what is available in one industry that those in another have never heard about. If you need help finding stuff, drop me a PM. I may be able to help.

 

[Timberwolf22]

Paint........

So in the end I decided to stay with the lovely SeaFoam Green it grows on you after a while...... sort of. I have ordered some cans of it that should arrive shortly to allow me to repaint the floor [badly needed] and also paint all the woodwork I have used to place everything at the proper height and the desk I have constructed.

Will I paint the refrigerator.... yes. Post updated to show CARC Green refrigerator vs. original white version



Will I paint the AC unit ..... yes inside and definitely yes on the outside of the shelter. Post updated to show CARC Green AC Unit vs. original white version



Have to be honest...... not sure about the straps just yet.

Since the shelter and trailer don't match..... everything will get a coat of the Camo Forest Green and then I will use the three color camo scheme like my truck - why not make everything match.



Right now the differences are slightly noticeable.

Prior to painting I would like to get the additional antenna scoops mounted - I believe that I will end up with four or five of the military whip antenna on the S250 so far........

Military Radio's in rack so far:
RT-1523 SINCGARS - installed
RT-524 Transciever - installed
PRC-77 in MX2060 rack mount - installed

Plans:
RT-246 Transciever - currently looking to locate one
R-442 - one or two of them - currently looking to locate

 

[tim292stro]

I do have the field telephone switchboard version of the shelter - came with the full desk and racks at the cab-end of the box. I do not need them, yours if you want it ("free to a good home," have to get it to you though). Several 19" or 21" racks, on shock mounts (IIRC) and swing-outs to allow access to the backs of the racks. Even has what appears to be a back-lit grease-pencil board at the top of one side.

Doesn't fit my new design, so it'll be going in the scrap heap if no one claims it.

 

[Timberwolf22]

I do have the field telephone switchboard version of the shelter - came with the full desk and racks at the cab-end of the box. I do not need them, yours if you want it ("free to a good home," have to get it to you though). Several 19" or 21" racks, on shock mounts (IIRC) and swing-outs to allow access to the backs of the racks. Even has what appears to be a back-lit grease-pencil board at the top of one side.

Doesn't fit my new design, so it'll be going in the scrap heap if no one claims it.

Would like to see the internal layout of that shelter or if the hardware has already been removed what the racks and everything look like. Please post pics on this thread or my email address is in my signature for PM.

 

[Timberwolf22]

Heating & Cooling

Cooling was the easy one.............

Once you start throwing electronic equipment into an oven.... I meant a sealed metal box that looks like an S250 shelter there are some other considerations. Things like how to cool the shelter become important... more than just the baking of the hardware in the shelter while it sits in the sun but all the waste heat generated by my radios and other electronics.

The fact that the S250 had a "Built in" wall mounted AC unit took care of my requirement to pull cool air into the shelter.



I am now working on plans to install an RV style fan in the roof - 12V or with small integrated solar panel [decision pending]. I feel the need to get hot waste air out of the shelter is just as important as the AC unit bringing in cold air.

Heating.... tricky

Now it's July so heating the shelter is not my highest priority but in a few months I will have wished it "Made the list".

First thoughts were a Mr. Buddy propane heater unit...... but I was not really keen on the propane heat source in an enclosed metal box.... it was a oven earlier I would like to avoid it also becoming my coffin. If I do decide on the Mr. Buddy or other propane heating source I believe the roof fan becomes critical to the cooling and heating of the shelter.

Space was still a premium and not sure I have any floor space for the heater.

Other option was a electric heater.... I had initially discounted this because of the amp draw but having decided that shore power/generator being a requirement this does again become a heating option.

Considering a thermostat to automatically regulate the temperature.

 

[ODFever]

I LOVE your setup!!!! It looks fantastic! I can only dream of owning a rig as nice as yours. Also, this is a long post but I have lots of ideas that I want to share.

I'm also a 'computer guy' and a 'network guy'. Is that an aluminum Chatsworth rack in post #6?

I'm going to throw out a bunch of out-of-the-box ideas that you may want to consider. I get the sense that your mobile ham shack will be used in many places without shore power, and it will be used A LOT. If that's the case, I feel that your M105 trailer is too small for your needs. I get the feeling that you're trying to cram too much stuff into a very small space. I think you need a larger double axle trailer. Right now there is a bolster trailer with a large bed on it for sale in the Classifieds. (For the record, I have no affiliation at all with the individual selling the trailer.) You could move the S250 into the bed on the bolster trailer and sell the M105 if you don't see a future need for it. You'd have plenty of room for your MEP with that bolster trailer - you may even be able to mount the MEP under the bed and fit a Deuce fuel tank to the other side to counter balance the weight. The bed already has a cargo cover so you could extend your equipment into the bed. That bed looks huge, which means you could fabricate some ramps and load a small road legal vehicle or motorcycle which would help you make grocery/fuel/supply runs without having to drive the M35A3. You could move the refrigerator out of the S250 and into the bed, which would free up a lot of room.

I have a couple ideas as for your need of a heater. You will have a substantial heat load produced by all those radios provided you're using multiple rigs at the same time. My advice is to put a cheap fan in the shelter to circulate the hot air when the temperatures drop. You won't know what your true heat load is until you have everything installed, SWR meter checked, outfitted, and functioning. If you're using your shelter in sub zero temperatures and the radios aren't producing enough heat to keep your fingertips thawed, go buy a small ceramic space heater from Wally World. Stay away from propane heaters. The space you want to heat is small and there's no need to add a device that produces major BTUs.

 

[tim292stro]

Would like to see the internal layout of that shelter or if the hardware has already been removed what the racks and everything look like. Please post pics on this thread or my email address is in my signature for PM.

First, thank you for your service.

The configuration I have:


You'll see, it hasn't been removed (didn't have a reason to yet - didn't want to try and find a place to store it if I yanked it). I was mistaken about the shock mounts. Here are the pictures, the big picture:



Close up of each side:


How the legs mount:


Left side swung out (two 1/4 turn latches, one top, one bottom):


A look at the fixed center structure between the two halves:



Pre-configured shelving attachments, note that each shelf still has the stainless tie-down straps:


With a 19" 1U unit in there, I'd say this is either a 22-24" shelf, I didn't have a tape measure. Also, it's about 8-12" deep, which may affect your ability to mount deep radios - there's 2-3" behind the racks to the wall:


Even if you don't want it - I have someone looking for legs apparently, I'll reply to that PM shortly.

Let me know, you'll get first dibs