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.

Jan 2023 Activities

 

January was a month of variety, with times of peace and quiet, sorting out life issues; finishing up the camper renovation, and finalizing a plans and installations for a proper "portable" station setup. With all of that came a good shakedown of what works, what doesn't work, what's needed, and what's not needed for overlanding and radio operations.

Amateur Radio

The solar power system was completed with the mounting of the two 100 watt solar panels to the roof of the camper. So far, everything is working quite well. Power seems to be abundant for my requirements with the 200 AHr lithium battery, having yet to drop below 13.2 volts after many hours of radio, lights, and refrigerator use. 

The Yaesu FT-710 AESS with the ATAS-120A antenna has been a nice upgrade from the FT-991A, though I sure miss my Barker & Williamson BWD-90 folded dipole. On the next trip, it's coming along! Quite a few years ago I bought a Yaesu FC-40 long-wire tuner but have never put it into service, so I think I'll install it in the camper as yet another arrow in my quiver of HF antennas. 

The FTM-7250 fits the need, though I think I would like to see a FTM-400 in the camper so I can run an APRS digipeater, as I do at home, without the need for yet another radio. 

I haven't been spending a lot of time on the radio - mostly grayline times - but I've been able to make a few QSOs. My QRZ log is up to date, but I didn't bring my Linux computer so the CQRlog software and LoTW logs are behind until later.

The Camper

I was finally able to run a propane line to the Propex heater. The issue was the gas connection on the heater is/was a 7mm female, and the kit only came with a 7mm to 1/4" copper line L-connection. I needed to run a feed line to the heater with a T-connector so I could also run propane to the stove just above the heater.

As I was talking with Roy, a fellow camper and former tool and die guy, he suggested tapping out the 7mm connector to a 1/4-18 NPT, as it is slightly larger than the 7mm, and there is plenty of metal on the female connector to make this change. After a trip to Harbor Freight, and a few minutes of elbow grease, I now have wonderful propane heat in the camper and a permanently connected stove! Thanks Roy!

Overland & Outdoors

This month was filled with many hikes, bike rides, and miles of off-road exploring. For several of them, I recorded video and have published them on my YouTube channel. All but one were day trips, so I wouldn't say I got any real overlanding in. Plenty of off-road though.

Jan 1: Tucson to Globe, AZ

Jan 2 & 3: Ironwood Forest National Monument, BLM land

Jan 6: Cocoraque Archaeological District

Jan 7: Mt. Lemmon, Willow Canyon

Jan 8: Saguaro National Park, hike Wasson Peak

Jan 9: Tucson Mountain Park, bike trails

Jan 10: Ironwood Forest National Monument, climb Ragged Top mountain

Jan 12: Tucson Mountain Park, hike Brown mountain trail

Jan 14: Coronado National Forest, overland Granite Mountain and Cedar Flat via Box Canyon

Jan 19: Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, overland "Square to Nowhere"

Jan 20: Tucson Mountain Park, hike Sarasota and Explorer trails

Jan 22-23: Ironwood Forest National Monument, camp and star gaze

Jan 25: Ajo, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Mexico border, road and off-road trip

Jan 26: Nancy's Birthday, a day of thankful reminiscing of our years of marriage together 

Jan 27: Connecting the Propex heater! 

The one overnight trip was to star gaze and photograph the Arizona night sky, but at that time I didn't have the Propex heater connected, so it was a cold night. I woke early to take photos, but since I was warm in my bed, I fell back asleep and missed the opening time of a cloudless night. Bummer. I did get up just after 2:00 AM and took some photos, but I missed the best opening between 12:00 and 2:00 AM. Note to self: set an alarm and place it far from me. Next time...

Camper Remodel

Almost finished with the remodel, soon it will be time to stuff the mattress in and head to the southwest!

2022 was filled with many new adventures while camping, hiking, biking, kayaking, making new friends and visiting old friends. Travelling with the truck and camper all around Wisconsin, western Michigan, eastern Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah provided plenty of time and experience to discover some flaws with the camper setup and find remedies to some of those issues. In late summer, in between trips, the planning and remodel began. Once complete, a final shake-down will be done before hitting the roads and trails again!

The Cabin

The first remodel of the front cabinets has been removed. The twin mattress was moved forward and placed up on a 1.5 inch raised deck to force tempered air under the bed and prevent issues during cold weather camping. A full rear divider wall was installed to establish a rear-access kitchen and separated location for the new Propex furnace and battery/charging unit. A small shelf table is positioned under the passenger side window between the rear wall and the side door.

Propex thermostat, 120v outlet with USB charger, Renogy battery monitor and remote 2000 watt inverter switch are on the back wall. 

A new electrical system was installed consisting of a 200Ah LiFePO4 lithium battery, 40 amp LiFePO4 smart-charger, a 12 fuse 12 volt panel, 2000 watt inverter, 30 amp 120 volt breaker panel, and 300 watt roof-mounted solar panels with expansion for 300 watts of remote panels. The battery and charger are now in the rear of the trailer because the tongue box where they were located conflicts with the truck's bumper mounted spare tire during truck/trailer articulation. New interior lights, exterior LED rock lights, and a 4" axle lift for the camper are under way.

For amateur radio items, I'm unsure exactly how and where the Yeasu FT-710 and connected computer will be mounted, but the monitor, keyboard and mouse will most likely be at the side table. The FT-710 can be remote-operated using the CQRlog software, however, the Yaesu FTM-7250 dual band will need to be within reach for use.

A cold air return routes air under the bed panel to prevent cold weather camping issues under the mattress.
On the wall are three switches for interior and exterior lighting, and a 120v outlet.

With the large tongue box removed, there may be room to mount two Scepter water cans flat against the front, and my fat bike above them!

The Kitchen

Though not yet completed in this photo, this is the general layout of the kitchen.
The battery, inverter, and solar charge controller are mounted to the left of the refrigerator.

The trailer's rear double doors now open to a dedicated kitchen area that includes a cook stove and a split refrigerator/freezer, both on locking slides so they are very accessible. The Propex heater is mounted on the floor to the right of the refrigerator. Above the heater is a removable shelf for added kitchen storage. To the left of the refrigerator is a 200Ah battery, 40A charging unit, a 2000 watt inverter, the solar charge controller, the main battery shut-off and fuse block. Above the refrigerator is a full width shelf that holds the cook stove and storage areas on both sides.

Yeah, I think this will work just fine for what I want to do!

Update

With most of the work done, the camper is now my home for the next several months. It's small, but it's very comfortable, but it suits my needs for a go-anywhere camper and radio shack. I'll mostly be in an RV park, but am planning several trips to do some POTA and SOTA stations, and do some remote boondocks camping.

Desert Experience

Desert Trails RV Park site 15, Tuscon Estates, Arizona

I haven't been able to do anything with ham radio since Nancy's illness. It's been about nine months since she passed away, so I am slowly moving forward with my life without her. I took off from the Wisconsin winter snow shoveling by staying at an RV park in the Tucson area for two months. I have a few more days here before I start heading home.

Before I left home, I thought I would bring the FT-991A and accessories along, and I'm sure glad I did. I mounted the radio by it's mobile mounting bracket to the cabinet shelf I made. I placed a fused line directly from the battery to the RigRunner so I can have extra connections for the Garmin GPS and a few other things, and my Heil mic is on a short boom. So far it has worked out great! An upcoming test will be when I get back on the road with the trailer. I'm planning on leaving everything in place except for the antennas.

The Yaesu FT-991A and FT3D in the camper

For ease of operating, I purchased a Yaesu ATAS-120A screwdriver antenna for HF, and a separate 2m/440 antenna, both mounted to the rails on top of the all aluminum camper. I made some heavy braided ground bonds from the mounts to the aluminum skin roof. So far, so good, but I will likely make two custom mounts from aluminum and bolt them directly to the roof. The SWR suffers a little with the current setup, so I believe a closer bond to the counterpoise will likely fix that.

With this setup I quickly made eight contacts, four of which are trans-equatorial on 10 meters. Pretty fun thing to do sitting in a tiny camper! I can hardly wait to do this in the middle of, well, anywhere!

Next on the list is getting my Raspberry Pi computer in the camper so I can use my logbook and other ham software while away from home.

East of Gates Pass, Tucson