July 2nd, 2010, 21:31 hours
Given the limited space, low dash, and stadium-style seating in the Discovery, the best solution for mounting additional displays and controls turned out to be a custom dash pod. This position on the dash allows for easy viewing on the road, no obstruction of the road from the driver’s seat, and minimal permanent changes to the vehicle.
The pod is built out of 1/8th-inch aluminum plate assembled and ground smooth to match the contour of the dash. On the top of the box, two small speakers provide better sound quality from the radios and conceal access to the only two bolts required for secure mounting. An internal frame holds the CB radio, power wiring, phone charger body (USB based), and the data/audio splitter for the phone (routed to the stereo for music playback). Surface-mounted on the face is a Pro-Clip cradle for my phone, microphones for the CB and amateur radios, the display/GPSr of the amateur radio, dual 12-volt power ports, and dual Anderson power poles.
Underneath the passenger seat, a 1/4th-inch aluminum plate holds the guts of the amateur radio and other wiring where the original CD changer used to reside. An APO-3 cuts power to the aftermarket equipment before the battery’s charge drops too low to start the vehicle, and a RIGrunner 4005 distribution block provides clean wiring and the ease of Anderson power poles.
A slight trimming at the bottom of the “B” pillar allows antenna cable in protective conduit to slip in and up to the roof. The power cabling follows a similar route forward under the foot plate and passes through a factory-provided grommet in the firewall to the engine bay.
Once through the firewall, the 8 AWG wire heads through a 40-amp circuit breaker for fuseless protection, and has ample capacity remaining for a planned carputer setup. The primary battery has also been upgraded to an Odyssey 2150.
Tags: amateur, Anderson, cb, Discovery, Fuze, HAM, Land Rover, phone, power, power pole, radio, radios, stereo
Posted in LR Discovery | 1 Comment
February 19th, 2010, 15:00 hours
I’ve had nothing but trouble trying to get on the not-so-local Keller Peak repeater. At first, I figured this was just due to my limited equipment (a handheld radio with the stock rubber ducky at the time) and had all but accepted the fact that I would have to either drive up the mountain, or live with EchoLink delays and drops (which are really bad on Time Warner’s horrible service). Later, after getting a decent mobile radio and antenna set up in Dani’s truck (and verifying it was installed right by testing on simplex), I realized equipment might not be the whole problem after all. I did several trial runs by sitting on EchoLink to verify there was, in fact, traffic and listening in on the mobile with the squelch turned off – still nothing but sleep-inducing white noise (not even the occasional garbled static).
I mentioned this to a friend not long ago, and with his help was able to get this elevation profile:
So, I’m just over 55 miles from the Keller Peak repeater… and half of that distance is through solid rock. 
Enter the Elk
On his recommendation I ordered an Elk Antennas 2-meter/70-cm antenna, along with their carry bag since I figured this would end up becoming part of my standard kit in the truck. The antenna packs down small in the bag (about 24 x 6 x 1.5 inches) and is very light and easy to assemble. All of the individual rods are color-coded so there is no confusion getting them in the right order, and everything goes together without tools. The mount fits snug onto 1-inch PVC conduit readily available at any hardware store, which I have since cut to the length of my roof rack for easy transport.
I was able to test it out for the first time under less than ideal conditions (mostly my fault), and I am very impressed. Despite my hastily assembled “pile of firewood and a ratchet strap” mounting bracket, only knowing generally what direction the repeater was in, using the only very poor coax I had on hand, and with strong winds blowing the entire assembly around I was able to hear the repeater crystal clear, and transmit to the repeater with a scratchy-but-useable signal, which would impress everyone from ADT security experts to communication tech-wizards.
(Keller is behind the mountains in the distance on the right)
I think with a proper mount and an accurate bearing from here to the repeater I’ll be in business. I also think I’m going to order a second Elk to leave in Dani’s truck – something so useful and so easy to carry, it almost seems silly to be traveling the back country without it.
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