S250 Comm Shelter Project - HAM & Military Radios

What antenna(s) are you using and how are you mounting them?

The only antennas I own right now is a hand built 2M Cubical Quad and 2M/70cm wip for my car. Some S250 come with the bracket that allows one to pivot a large mast up. I am picking up the S250 in the next month maybe at the East Coast Rally Military Vehicle Show or Coleman's Military Supply or even ebay. I am looking for one with that bracket and EMI mesh over the rubber gaskets. My ham club and I two years ago combined a 40 ft telescoping tower and a boat trailer, most of the time the S250/M101A3 and the antenna trailer will be together and running.

-ibhiii

ibhiii said:

The only antennas I own right now is a hand built 2M Cubical Quad and 2M/70cm wip for my car. Some S250 come with the bracket that allows one to pivot a large mast up. I am picking up the S250 in the next month maybe at the East Coast Rally Military Vehicle Show or Coleman's Military Supply or even ebay. I am looking for one with that bracket and EMI mesh over the rubber gaskets. My ham club and I two years ago combined a 40 ft telescoping tower and a boat trailer, most of the time the S250/M101A3 and the antenna trailer will be together and running.

-ibhiii

Click to expand...

I think I know the mast you are looking for as I have researched some of them a little, but what is the EMI mesh that you mention? I would love to find a 15m telescoping mast at a good price myself.

I have tried a few different antenna solutions on the S250.




First for the SINCGARS and other military radios I used the Antenna "sugar scoops" and mounted the military antenna's.



Then I added my UHF/VHF antenna's using mounts I installed on the trailer fenders. I also make use of a good number of the aluminum camo net poles for antenna deployments.



For some of the smaller antenna's I used epoxy and "glued" them to the shelter roof. Then I also mounted some steel panels to the S250 shelter and used just the magnetic mounts on some additional antenna's. I did not trust the magnets alone so I ended up still using epoxy to add additional strength to the mount.

The magnet "thing" is a good joke since nothing "sticks" to the shelter's aluminum shell so I had to add steel panels just to use the magnetic mount for the smaller antenna's..... and then in the end I did not trust the magnets.

Timberwolf22 said:

I have tried a few different antenna solutions on the S250.


View attachment 619381

First for the SINCGARS and other military radios I used the Antenna "sugar scoops" and mounted the military antenna's.

View attachment 619382 View attachment 619383

Then I added my UHF/VHF antenna's using mounts I installed on the trailer fenders.

View attachment 619385

For some of the smaller antenna's I used epoxy and "glued" them to the shelter roof. Then I also mounted some steel panels to the S250 shelter and used just the magnetic mounts on some additional antenna's. I did not trust the magnets alone so I ended up still using exopy to add additional strength to the mount.

The magnet "thing" is a good joke since nothing "sticks" to the shelter's aluminum shell so I had to add steel panels just to use the magnetic mount for the smaller antenna's..... and then in the end I did not trust the magnets.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, that gives me some ideas.

well I started the S250 project just about 2 years ago so I thought it was due an update.

Here is how she looks now.......


Outside

Still work to be done - this is one of those projects that is NEVER done.... as needs change, technologies I can utilize change so does the layout of the S250.
Check out the inside.




Inside

Still need to complete some wiring and a bit of internal work. Plus then there is the chair...... I have been unwilling to bolt anything to the floor since once I do it makes it that much more difficult to run any needed cables under the radio table. Wall mounting the monitors freed up a tremendous amount of desk space. The Flex 5000a has been an amazing addition to the radio selection in the S250.

That's a nice job!!

The Flex 5k is a nice radio. I like that you have a Cisco IP phone in there too, LOL. Thanks for the update!

Since I am a Cisco certified Unified Communications / Collaboration SE Monday - Friday the Cisco IP phones work - I have a wireless bridge link back to the house so you are able to extension dial between the house and the Comm Shack. That is also how I get my Internet access out in "The Box".... after you pass thru my ASA firewall of-course - also allows me remote access to the systems in the S250.

Not sure if you saw the UC500 - Call Manager Express appliance mounted on the SINCGARS radio - phone system in a box and you can't see it in these pictures but there is also a Cisco UCS server running full blown Communications Manager so I am a mobile PBX as well as a radio platform. Add in the two SB-22's and I can go very high or low tech for my phone systems.

I picked up a trunk card for the SB-22 I plan to try and cross connect the two systems thru an an analog gateway this summer = one of my IT projects.

The FLEX 5000a is a fantastic radio I use it daily, I REALLY wanted a 6500 with the Maestro remote control system but I just could not spend that much $ on a single radio right now. The Maestro would let me control the FLEX from inside the house when it might be a bit cold in the box........

Went to my Radio Club HAMFEST this weekend. Picked up some "components" for the S250. Picked up two additional monitors, some Ferrite Chokes, Coax cables & jumpers plus a few adapters. Also managed to grab some waterproof metal enclosures that I plan to mount to the roof and two sides of the S250 to help me pass cables in and out of the shelter.

Mounting two additional "sugar scoops" on the S250 this week for the other military radios.

Also looks like I finally have a plan on what to do for the 105 trailer spare tire -since I have an M35a3 the tires on the trailer are a different size and I don't currently have a spare mounted. Borrowing the idea from a Jeep I was looking at yesterday. Going to install a roof rack system on the S250 and mount the tire inside the roof rack.



Had to do some post Field Day antenna repairs as well - Diamond 2m/70cm fiberglass antenna section was cracked - since it did not damage the internal elements I ended up using some of that fiberglass tape to repair it.

Very nice setups, hopefully one day I too will have something similar. While I'm working on it I'll be following you here. Please keep it up.

If any of you guys are around NE Texas this Saturday, many of us hams will be working communication at the annual Tour de Paris bicycle rally out of Paris Texas. Last year we had over 1500 cyclist in the Texas heat with 66 and 87 mile routes. I will be operating a station at Rest Stop 3 from my M998. If you're in the area listen in on 444.500 PL tone 100 or 146.76 PL tone 100. I'm hoisting a 20 ft J pole behind the truck. It's worked for me the past 6 years