Build Process

Install 4 AGM batteries in the old oxygen compartment for “house power”

• Totaling 400 Ah @ 20 hours

Install a 2,000-watt pure-sine inverter and tether it to the AGM batteries

Install a Battery Isolator solenoid to automatically balance the charge between the house batteries and the chassis batteries.

• When plugged into shore power, it bonds the two sets of batteries together when it senses a lower voltage on the chassis batteries to keep them charged

• When the engine is running, it works in the opposite manner by engaging the solenoid when it senses a lower voltage on the house batteries

• Also provides backup engine starting power by pressing a button to engage the solenoid, should the chassis batteries become depleted

Install the first two radios that were on hand

• VHF Motorola Spectra with dual remote-mount heads

• Tri-band B-Tech VHF/UHF/220 radio

• Tether the two radios to the pre-existing NMO mounts on the roof

Install a computer console

• Zotac Mini PC

• Two monitors with lockable articulating wall mounts

Fabricate and install the first rack in the forward cabinet

• Business-grade Sophos router

• Wireless AC access point

• PoE network switch

• Run CAT6 cabling between the network rack and computer console

• Battery backup

• Populate it with network equipment

Upgrade the majority of interior and exterior lighting to LED’s

Place a dehumidifier and heater in the vehicle

• Moisture had become a problem after working inside the truck during the winter months as it would tend to collect and freeze

Replace the factory stereo with an Android-based touchscreen system

• The system was chosen for its ability to load any android based applications and tether it to the onboard WiFi for web-enabled applications (i.e. APRS, navigation, etc.)

• Install and tether a backup camera to the infotainment system

Prepare to install a 42’ pneumatic mast

• Having snowfall land on the roof of the vehicle with a heater running inside was a great way to identify the internal cross members of the roof that would have otherwise been invisible

• Measure out the appropriate location and cut the hole in the roof

• Used a Genie boom lift to lower the mast through the hole in the roof and bolt it onto a welded steel platform

• Extended the mast to verify it is fully operational

• Add drainage plumbing to the inside section of the mast so any collected water can cleanly drain out when it is fully extended

Design a logo and fit it for proper alignment

• Order a paint mask of the logo in preparation for painting the vehicle

Paint the vehicle

• Catalyzed primer keeps any missed contamination below the surface from transferring through to the final coat.

• Weekend 1: Sand down the entire body of the vehicle

• Prime the rear of the vehicle with a catalyzed primer

• Paint the rear of the vehicle

• Apply the paint mask of the logo and proceed with painting it gray with added pearl to give it a glistening appearance

• Apply clear coat to give it a shiny appearance

• Weekend 2: Prime, paint, and clear coat the front of the vehicle

• Also painted the awning to match (still has yet to be installed)

Dedicate a portable 3000-watt pure-sine generator to the truck and house it in a rear compartment

Install an automatic satellite dish for mobile DirecTV reception

• Chosen for its best reception due to the size of the reflector

• Winegard Trav’ler SK-SWM3

• DirecTV HD Receiver

Add a secondary 12-volt air compressor and a hose reel to the pneumatic mast compartment so the mast can automatically maintain elevation in a long-term deployment

• Non-lockable pneumatic masts have a tendency to sag after long-term use without adding more air

Install a VoIP phone and an onboard phone system

• Line 1: Local extension to the onboard phone system

• Line 2: Extension to the phone system at my house via VPN

• Line 3: Extension to the phone system at my house via HamWAN

• Line 4: Extension on the HamWAN phone system

• It has it’s own dedicated DID so the truck can be accessed from the public switch network

• The VoIP phone is a Sangoma S500 with 4 lines

• The onboard phone system is a Raspberry Pi running Asterisk

Purchased a GPS and compass enabled antenna pointer, primarily for use with HamWAN

• Automatically locks onto the heading of the chosen cell site from its present location

• Also added the ability for the pointer to communicate directly with the Mikrotik Metal radio to automatically peak the signal via SNMP

• Made by Nextmove Technologies. Model: LinkAlign 360EER

• It allows you to save specific coordinates (cell sites) into memory for quick and easy deployment

Install the first radio rack in the right-hand cabinet

• Custom cut a two-post rack to fit into the original cabinetry

Had the first radio rackmount custom made by Novexcomm

• For a Motorola XPR 5550 UHF (DMR) and a Motorola XTL 5000 800MHz

• When doing custom work with Novexcomm, it is best to drop-ship any new radios to them so everything can be fit to perfection

Installed a Motorola MCS 2000 VHF with two remote heads for use between the cab and rear workspace

• The MCS 2000 was chosen due to the vehicle already being wired for the same model radio in its past life

• The vehicle was also previously wired for tactical headsets in the cab, with the ability to communicate via the MCS 2000 with a PTT button in the dash

Installed a secondary head for the 800MHz radio in the cab for access while underway

With a need to easily add more antennas, I started designing an antenna rail idea to be mounted on the roof of the truck

• To keep moisture from entering the vehicle, a collar around the entry hole was applied to divert water around it, should moisture ever make its way inside the rail

• The coax safely lays inside the rail until it reaches the hole in the roof for vehicle entry

• The design was to take two C shaped pieces of metal and place one over top of the other (with the top one being slightly larger)

• Ended up going to Smiley’s Inc. in Mt. Vernon to have them fabricate two 10 foot aluminum rails with end caps and thumb screws

• The forward section of each rail is the only point where a hole was drilled for the coax to pass through the roof

• The NMO mounts were installed on the top rail caps in 2-foot intervals

Installed an Icom ID-5100 for D-Star capability

• Had a custom rackmount made for it by Novexcomm

Installed a Uniden BCD536HP scanner for situational awareness of analog, P25, DMR, and NXDN communications

• It was paired with a wideband 25MHz to 6GHz MP Antenna

Cut another large hole in the roof and installed a heat pump (heat & A/C)

• It was installed so the interior climate could be controlled without the need to run the engine

• Due to the high amperage draw, a separate circuit was added to keep it independent from the pre-existing circuitry

• When out in the field, it can be powered by the generator

Add two more custom made rack mounts

• One to house a CB and the B-Tech tri-band radio

• The other to house a TNC-X, a Kantronics PacketCommunicator, a clock, a voltage readout for the house batteries, and a KISMET backlight to fill the remaining space

• The B-Tech tri-band radio was interfaced to the PacketCommunicator primarily for Winlink communications

Installed 7 new wideband antennas (VHF/UHF/700-900MHz)

• Two of which are PCTEL Model: PCTWSLMR

• The remaining 5 are Browning Model: BR-136

Installed a laptop stand in the middle of the cab

• Used for additional navigation, APRS (via APRSIS32), and other forms of digital communications

Installed a Kenwood TM-D710G radio in the ceiling compartment of the cab

• Its primary purpose is for tracking the vehicle with APRS and to give the driver/passenger access to UHF while underway

• It was paired with another Browning wideband antenna that is mounted on the roof of the cab

• It has a built-in TNC that is also capable of interfacing with the laptop while underway, should the need arise

Mounted a water-tight box on the roof with quick connects for quick and easy interfacing with equipment on the mast

• Installed 2 water-tight N-Type connectors

• Installed 2 water-tight RJ45 connectors

Installed a second radio rack in the left-hand cabinet

• Custom cut a two-post rack to fit into the original cabinetry

Had two more custom rackmounts made, one for two high-powered radios and the other for speakers and magnetic mic holders

• Paired it with a VHF Motorola XTL5000 110W

• And a UHF Motorola XTL5000 110W

Installed a VHF Analog/DMR repeater in the forward network rack

• A Hytera RD982S

Installed a cellular booster for repeating the signal inside the vehicle with support for multiple users and all US carriers

• A Weboost Drive 4G-X with interior panel antenna

• It’s paired with a low-profile 4G antenna on the roof

Installed a Cradlepoint IBR900-1200M Cellular Modem 

Fabricated an alternative mount for the mast to support an NMO mount antenna and a PTZ camera

Added a WiFiRanger to the truck for connecting to nearby WiFi via an externally mounted 2.4 and 5 GHz antenna

• The WiFiRanger makes it easy to manage connections with the ability to set priorities and control a portal for segregated guest access

• All of its previous connections are retained in memory so it can automatically connect the next time you’re in range

• It also has the ability to automatically test multiple connections and pick the one with the best throughput

Installed a rack-mounted VHF duplexer and paired it with the Hytera repeater

• It has the ability to interface with a roof-mounted antenna or an antenna that can be mounted on the mast

Installed a number of other radios​

• Motorola MCS 2000 900MHz​

• Motorola XPR 5550 UHF (DMR)

• Motorola CDM 1250 VHF Low Band

• Icom A120 Airband

• Icom 7300 HF

• Icom 9700 VHF/UHF/1.2Ghz Satcom

• Uniden UM525-B Marine Band

• Motorola DTR 650 ISM FHSS tactical radio cache (5x)

Installed a JPS ACU-2000 Interoperability Gateway

• 10 of them are dedicated to interfacing with radios

• 1 of them is dedicated to RoIP communications

  • Gives you the ability to control and communicate over any connected radio via a remote PC console

  • Also has the ability to interconnect with other JPS ACU Interoperability Gateways or Network Extension Units

• It allows the ACU to interface with the onboard phone system via the VoIP SIP protocol

• When a radio is patched to the SCM-2 module, it allows the ACU operator to initiate a phone call, giving the phone user the ability to communicate via radio

• It also has the ability to do the same in reverse, allowing the phone user to initiate the call if patching has already been activated

• It provides the ability to easily patch 2 or more radios together in a single net or up to 7 separate nets

• It was configured with 11 DSP-2 modules

• It is additionally equipped with one SCM-2 module​

Replaced the portable generator with a 4000-watt generator that is permanently fixed to the truck

• Added an automatic transfer switch that will engage when the generator is powered on

• Added a surge protector to protect the truck from grid-tied surges

Installed an over-the-air TV antenna for reception of broadcast television

• Winegard Air 360+​ with amplifier

Upgraded to a new HPUE capable modem and antenna for higher power communications with FirstNet Band 14

• Assured Wireless AW12-MEGA-MOBILE Modem​

• Parsec Technologies Belgian Shepherd 4-in-1 Antenna (PRO4BS2L14G15BS)

Added Starlink Satellite Internet connectivity

Added 220W Renogy Flexible Solar Panel (Monocrystalline) paired with a Victron SmartSolar 100V/20A MPPT Solar Charge Controller

Added a Victron 500A SmartShunt to monitor the 12V battery bank status and the power demand

Custom built a hexagon mast-mounted box for cameras, antennas, and the microwave dish pointer

Installed Hanwha cameras and a Dell VMS server