DIY Build your own radio communications go box- the Ham-O-Can

Who's building one!?

Haha! Awesome!

My question is, how well does it work with such a small ground plane?

I am not a radio guy, but the little I have messed with them makes me think that ammo can is not enough.

I may be completely wrong.

It works pretty well, but I'm not going to be I sung that antenna in the field. I'll be using the Slim Jim from N9TAX.

Btw, tiny antenna, tiny ground plane, lol

Cool project.

What size battery did you use?

Looks like maybe 7-9 Ah.

How long does she run without a charge?

LOL...good point!

Neat!!!

If it's going to be a bulky "can"....it should cover all the SHTF bases.
A real "Communications Can" would not be just GMRS.
....it would include HAM, GMRS and CB in one can.


PASS.

I am the ultimate prepper hippie survivalist doomsday cult leader one uppper.

I will build five of these while blind folded and all will include everything including copies of your mom.

Amen.

Meh...Ham and CB are all but dead in the USA, except for the hardcore guys. But, everybody that hikes, hunts, or skis has a pair of GMRS walkies in their closet.

You can't shove 15 gallons of crap in a 5 gallon hat. Oh, and this is the first in a series, so stay tuned.

Just started re-watching the video.

I know I said it a year or so ago, maybe two, but holy crap, your video production is like 10,000% improved now.

Looking really professional now!

Ham is nowhere near dead.
...and when/if the SHTF....lot of people will be pulling out their CB and HAM units.
There are MILLIONS of them out there of both flavors.
Also in a SHTF scenario....the government is going to have much larger problems to deal with than some lowly unlicensed HAM operators.

The point is, if one if going to build a big bulky box (base station) that is not easily portable, it needs to cover all the bases to be worth the effort.

A small handset and a foldable solar charger battery pack will get the job done with a lot less weight and bulk.




Last Edited by Useless Cookie Eater on 03/20/2016 09:53 PM

7ah. As far as how long it runs, a long time. I've been too busy filming, taking it apart and putting it back together and testing the charging portion. According to midland, about 9 hours in RX on half the 7ah, but I've let it run for four hours off a full charge and the meter still reads 12.7v. I've also metered the meter to make sure. By your request, I've just turned it on and I'm just going to let it run while scanning.

You can stop over and charge your handset when it runs out of juice in the middle of the night.

Jealous?

You only carry one battery in your kit?

Cool story bro.
....and not well thought out.

A far cry from a helmet and a $39 camera, huh?

cool vid. thanks

Naw, just bat shit crazy after my red dawn dvd got stuck on repeat.

Darn clever.

That, sir, is an excellent retort.

Huh huh, funny. I guess I missed your video.

Well, maybe not, but you CAN put a Ham radio, a CB, a GMRS ,a 10,000mAh battery, a charger, a voltage meter and a fuse terminal in an ammo can with alot of room left over. It's only 3 gallons in a five gallon hat if you don't use unnecessarily large components. For instance you can buy a voltage monitor that is less than 1 cubic inch and does the same thing as that huge piece this guy is marketing.

The concept is basically a good idea, a waterproof communications "center" in a tough container that will withstand a lot of abuse. However, the designer is NOT an engineer and has very little experience designing things like this. For instance several improvements I can think of right off the bat would be a built in solar panel for charging built into the lid of the ammo can, the use of lithium-poly batteries for compact lightweight power instead of lead acid ( a gel pack would actually be alright), and external antenna jacks and waterproof external speaker so the equipment can be used for monitoring with the lid completely closed. The addition of a micro CB and Ham would add about 60 cubic inches overall and give a tremendous amount of versatility and usability to what is as it is almost useless.

To give the reader here a basic idea of how far miniaturization of electrical components has came I suggest looking into what is called a ZMR 250 "racing" drone (there are several variations). In the space of approximately 15 cubic inches is contained a sophisticated flight control computer synced to a GPS transponder that can be used to set automatic waypoints using any iphone or android device, as well as return-to home capability,a telemetry monitor, a receiver, a telemetry transmitter capable of 6-10kms distance, an audio-video transmitter capable of 6-10kms effective transmitting distance,three high frequency antennas, a high resolution camera that delivers almost studio quality high resolution in normal light as well as infrared capability over several miles distance with little degradation of signal,and a 2200 mAh battery that allows for about 15 minutes of operation. By increasing the volume of the battery, the ecs's and the motors, the range and duration of operation could be increased to just about any parameters necessary. . It is capable of speeds of over 60 mph in the miniaturized form described above and can be used for reconnaissance with almost zero chance of a shoot-down. I have two of these on my work bench in almost completed form that I find to be absolutely amazing in their capabilities. It costs less than 350 dollars to built one if you buy the components separately and assemble it yourself, if you already have a ground station (simply a series of cheap receivers synced to a flat screen TV) and a good high frequency RC transmitter.

The next step I think will be controlling these drones as well as receiving telemetry and video over great distances using the cellular 4g network. The operating range of such a device would be theoretically unlimited and constrained only by the battery life. A large drone which is made of a lightweight carbon fiber that is all battery and motor could fly great distances,and a fixed wing drone even further, the later possibly staying aloft indefinitely with solar cells to charge it.

Doyou still exist?

How come karma hasn't gotten you, yet?


It's building up.... Think, Watch your knees, before you ban me!

Oh, good lord! IDW, the scientist that never was, has found your thread.

This is the guy that used to throw temper tantrums and try to DDOS the forum with AOL.