Looking for a weatherproof outdoor transmitter enclosure?

[westlife]

Try a mailbox! Really, it works.... get one of the traditional metal ones, and you'll even have a shielded enclosure, which can be grounded. You might not think of a mailbox as being 100% weatherproof, but even in the worst rainstorms you've ever had, has the mail inside your mailbox ever been wet (assuming you have a door on it)? I know mine hasn't.

I now have my Part 15 transmitter sitting outdoors in its new mailbox enclosure right at the base of the antenna. My "STL" is a length of 4-wire household telephone wire running indoors; Red = +12 VDC, Black = common Ground, Yellow = Left channel audio, Green = Right channel audio.

Now, I'm trying to rig up a motor to the mailbox's flag, so that it can be used as an "On Air" indicator when it's in the raised position.

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[RadioJockUSA2005]

CUTE! I love that idea...

> Try a mailbox! Really, it works.... get one of the
> traditional metal ones, and you'll even have a shielded
> enclosure, which can be grounded. You might not think of a
> mailbox as being 100% weatherproof, but even in the worst
> rainstorms you've ever had, has the mail inside your mailbox
> ever been wet (assuming you have a door on it)? I know mine
> hasn't.
>
> I now have my Part 15 transmitter sitting outdoors in its
> new mailbox enclosure right at the base of the antenna. My
> "STL" is a length of 4-wire household telephone wire running
> indoors; Red = +12 VDC, Black = common Ground, Yellow = Left
> channel audio, Green = Right channel audio.
>
> Now, I'm trying to rig up a motor to the mailbox's flag, so
> that it can be used as an "On Air" indicator when it's in
> the raised position.
>

 

[CherryHillRadio]

How do you manage heat dissapation in the summer and heating the unit in the winter?

 

[westlife]

> How do you manage heat dissapation in the summer and heating
> the unit in the winter?

At Part 15 power levels, this shouldn't be much of a problem. Any properly designed transmitter should perform just as well at 30 and 90 degrees as it does at 70 degrees.

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[RPowers]

As an alternative to a mailbox, one of those molded weatherproof boxes, for example: http://www.gatewayelex.com/abswxprf.htm Should do the trick quite nicely- Probably cheaper than a mailbox too... but I guess not as original an idea with the "on air" flag and all.


> > How do you manage heat dissapation in the summer and
> heating
> > the unit in the winter?
>
> At Part 15 power levels, this shouldn't be much of a
> problem. Any properly designed transmitter should perform
> just as well at 30 and 90 degrees as it does at 70 degrees.
>

 

[ironbear]

> As an alternative to a mailbox, one of those molded
> weatherproof boxes, for example:
> http://www.gatewayelex.com/abswxprf.htm Should do the trick
> quite nicely- Probably cheaper than a mailbox too... but I
> guess not as original an idea with the "on air" flag and
> all.

Thanks for the info. I've been looking for a source for these, which appear to be similar to what Rangemaster uses.

I've used that mailbox trick, too...but it's sure an attention-getter up on a radio tower. 8o)