attn: phil b. - re: outdoor nema enclosure

i'm ready to start messing with it outdoors.

would be really nice if phil would reply to my email or to this topic here. been a week of emailing him, still no response.

I am only guessing, but maybe PhilB decided to escape the east coast winter and celebrate the success of the AMT5000 by taking a cruise to the Bahamas.

That's what I would do if I was on the east coast and had just introduced a historic landmark transmitter in the history of Part 15 radio.

What I think I will do is actually look at the available outdoor enclosures that I've seen at the hardware store and see how close they come to being a good fit for either the AMT-3000 or 5000.

In fact, I will report the results here.

But I am celebrating The Winter Solstice until March, so maybe PhilB will be back by then.

well i can direct you to the actual nema enclosure for the amt5k but i am not interested in having to drill out for mounting. i rather give phil a little more to have him do it right the first time with the proper equipment then for me to do a dirty approach and risk not getting the mounting bolts placed properly and such. he probably has access to a drill press and a board guide plate to get everything proper which i dont have.

what would really be nice is if there was a phone number for phil.

I ordered an L-com case through amazon - around $50 with fedex shipping. I wasn't sure how long I'd do this "part 15" thing and wanted to get a case I could mount a ham auto-tuner inside in case I didn't have good luck with AM and decided to hook it to my vertical. Fortunately, I've had excellent luck with the AMT-5000! Anyway, the case is a little large (10x14???) but worked perfectly. I had an old, plastic pink clipboard from my daughter's school days and I just popped off the spring-loaded part and drilled it out. It fits PERFECTLY in this case and I mounted the AMT-5000 on the clipboard. Only holes drilled in the case were the ones for the antenna, ground, and power/audio wiring. It comes with the hardware to mount and I bought some aluminum angle "iron" from Lowe's for that. I then mounted it on my galvanized post and mounted a 102" whip with spring to the aluminum brackets. Inexpensive and it works.

Okay, the truth is out... so I've been running a "3 meter" whip for a few weeks and haven't given any results to you guys (although I've seen the posts requesting comparisons). To those wondering, this is my first adventure with part 15 and I can't give a comparison to other transmitters because I have none. All I'll say is that I had a plan for this for the future and the AMT-5000 has far exceeded my expectations regarding range (and that's a huge understatement). I have a "few" 24 gauge disassembled CAT5 component wires lying on the ground as temporary radials with the antenna a few feet from a travel trailer and I've picked up my signal a couple of miles away. Comparison comsmarison...the AMT-5000 is kicking butt.

well phils lack of communication aside i am more than willing to buy one from him that is pre setup for the amt5k as i want a rangemaster like case for it. i like how they mount and how they are made. i have one of those cases you are talking about. i may do that as a temp solution.

As far as I know, The SSTrans usually don't have their own outdoor case.
That being said, I remember a picture of one that looked a lot like a rangemaster.

I'd just order an outdoor weatherproof box. Theres TONS of them.

I think he is looking for the outdoor box that is supposed to be for the 5K unit to mount right up, already pre drilled with the mounting holes and feed through holes etc.

I would want that box too if I was told in public that there is a specific outdoor box intended for the 5K.

Maybe its just that it is so close to the holidays that Phil is occupied with other things. This time of year is always hectic.

RFB

I asked the same question a little over a week ago and got a reply a few days later.
The outdoor box will not be ready for at least another 6 weeks. As RFB mentioned, it is a very busy time of year.

I'm still debating if I should order the 5K now or wait. Maybe I can order the box only when my 5K is built and ready for it.

Andre

See if Phil will send me a 5K kit for free.

I'll find a box and custom fit the unit and make the plans available!!!

I'd even sell you the box!!!

i already know what parts. if i still had a drill press and had a spare sstran board or hole guide i would not mind drilling it out myself but im not going to attempt it using a hand power drill you will never get the holes just right already been there done that other times. i am beginning to believe some things i wont get into publically. seems others get a response in a matter of a couple days. no idea what that is about.

I'll likely end up getting my own outdoor box and mount the 5K the same way I mounted my 3K. I just epoxied the bottom part of the regular enclosure to the bottom of the outdoor box. Then screwed the board back onto it. The only drilling required was for the small holes to pass the wires. I believe the regular enclosure is ABS and if the outdoor box is PVC, there's an ABS to PVC transition glue available in the plumbing section of most stores. Just another option besides epoxy.

Andre

A company profile of SSTRAN by Manta gives the telephone number as 610-648-4474. I can't vouch for the number because I have not called myself.