Airstream Ham Radio

In May of 2023, I began living full-time in my 2023 Airstream Flying Cloud 23FBT. As my interest in amateur radio continues, finding good information on setting up an amateur radio station in an RV, with all the issues surrounding mobility and power, doesn't come easy. I hope this explanation of my station setup will be helpful to those who operate out of an RV, and to my fellow Airstream owners who don't want to poke new holes in their trailer.

The two radios sit atop the table I made for Nancy before she passed away. Linux Mint runs CQRlog software.

Your station itself will probably be as individual as we are from each other, but the behind-the-radio setup has some specific rules to follow in order for the station to work properly. I won't get into all of that, as, since you are reading this, you are likely an operator and have at least a basic understanding of things. The real issue for many RV'ers is finding unobtrusive routes for cables, providing sufficient ground plane for antennas mounted to the RV, and protecting everything from the extended "earthquake" from moving your RV down the road, or off-road.

One of my main goals in building a setup is to not do something that cannot be undone and appear as if it never was. In other words, no new holes or modifications that can be detected by the casual observer's view; everything must be out of view and reversible. With this in mind, I found a way to route coax without creating any possible leaks. 

The 2023 Airstream FC23FBT, like many other RV's, has a roof-mounted snorkel-like refrigerator vent that has a very nice cover over it. This makes a perfect place to run coax up to the roof that no one will ever notice. For those with non-metal RV roofs, a roof-mounted antenna may not work, but this location may provide a top-side entry location for whatever setup you have. Be sure a sufficient grommet and cable holds are made to prevent damage to the coax while your RV is moving.

The coax passes through the front end of the refrigerator vent snorkel, behind the large cover.

In my case, I ran the coax from the vent, down behind the refrigerator and forward to a floor port where the plumbing comes up from the fresh water tank. From there, I fished the line on top of the water tank to another floor port on the curb-side of the trailer where the water heater is located. The coax comes up into the trailer there and to the radios sitting on a little table I made for Nancy. 

A Yaesu ATAS-120A screwdriver antenna is mounted with a UHF connector antenna bracket to the lower half side of the metal AC chassis. This is electrically grounded to the trailer body/skin which also acts as a ground plane for the antenna. I can also swap out the HF antenna for a 2m/440 antenna and flip the antenna switch to the Yeasu FTM-7250D. 

The antenna bracket is standing off the side of the AC chassis with extended bolts to allow for the AC's composite top cover to clear the antenna. Of course, antennas are removed and the radios are safely stowed while travelling.

The UHF connector antenna bracket with stand-off bolts is on the curb-side of the metal AC chassis.

Power is supplied directly off the batteries via a RIGrunner 4004U fuse block.

Internet connectivity is supplied via Starlink, which is now powered by a 12v to 48v step-up booster and PoE setup I made. A Nest router is also running on 12v so no shore power or inverter is needed for internet to operate. When Starlink isn't available due to overhead obstructions, such as tree cover, a PEPwave 4G/WiFi repeater router (also 12v) provides internet when 4G cellular or public WiFi is available.

Outcome

So far, I've accomplished my goal of operating from the Airstream without making irreversible changes.

There are no wires or cables detectable except where they are connected to devices. Perfect!

To date, I have had nothing but good signal reports. Awesome!

I have not run the AC while transmitting, but testing will show if there are issues with interference.

There seems to be no issues regarding receiving signals with the AC on.

After removing the curb-side bed and adding a Stressless recliner, there's plenty of room to relax and operate from anywhere.

Operating out of my winter get-away near Tucson, Arizona in grid DM42ke (Nov 2023)

Operating out of Hartman Creek State Park near Waupaca, Wisconsin in grid EN54jh (July 2024)

Taste and See...

1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.