Communications Trailer

Trailer 2006

Rocky Mountain Ham Radio has built several communications trailers for various uses.  Our first was built in 2006 originally for use as our mobile contesting support vehicle allowing us to easily set up for VHF contesting.  It was sold in 2010 to the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security as their Amateur Radio Support Unit.

SLC VA Trailer

Our second trailer was built in 2011, exclusively for the Salt Lake City Veterans Administration allowing them to have a platform where their local hams can operate and manage any incident.  It was a purely custom design and installation based on the VA’s requirements.

 


 

 

 

Trailer 2011  Photos Online Click Here

 

Our third attempt at building a communications trailer was to replace the trailer sold to the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security.  It’s our current platform and has been built for multiple uses.

Trailer Design Targets:

  • Maximum usable interior space
  • Ease of towing and minimum traveling windload
  • Minimum AF and RF interference
  • Multiple operating spaces
  • Support equipment housed in separate space
  • Fold down tailgate
  • External power (AC & DC,) telco, ethernet, and television connections
  • Plenty of cabinet storage space

Trailer Electronics:

  • 4 Desktop Computer Stations
  • 2 Television monitors capable of split screen with PC and Satellite TV with King Dome tracker
  • Internal Network
  • Network printing
  • Thin-client networking utilizing Citrix Xenserver
  • 500A 12V battery plant with 125A smart charging system and monitoring
  • MagnaSine True Sine Wave 3kW inverter with automatic transfer switch
  • Full DC distribution system with 80A 12V distributions at each operating station
  • Full antenna patch system with bulkhead cabling to each operating position

Trailer Radios:

  • 1x Yaesu FT-857 &  Signalink USB
  • 1x Icom IC-7000 and SCS PTC-IIusb Pactor III modem
  • 2x Motorola MotoTRBO 1-VHF & 1-UHF
  • 1 Icom ID-1 1200MHz D-STAR/Analog Radio
  • 1 Icom ID-800 D-STAR/Analog Dual Band Radio
  • 1 Icom ID-880 D-STAR/Analog Dual Band Radio
  • 2 Kenwood TM-D700
  • 1 Icom A-110 Air-to-Ground radio with licensed multicom station
  • 1 Motorola Astro Spectra State 700/800 MHz digital radio
  • 1 Motorola Astro Convert-A-Com
  • DV AP Dongle for hotspot capability
  • MotoTRBO XPR8300 UHF Repeater for hotspot capability

Trailer Networking Capability:

  • HP 10/100/1000 48-port switch routed to 30 locations within and outside of the trailer
  • Mikrotik 8 port firewall/router/VPN with integrated B/G/N access point
  • Cradlepoint MBA1200 cellular to ethernet bridge for automatic failover connectivity
  • Spacenet/Gilat Ku Band Temporary Fixed Earth Station with Motosat XF3 Satellite Tracking mount
  • Two HP DL360G6 Servers with Xen Server and Xen Desktop server
  • Two Polycom IP601 VoIP telephones
  • Buffalo Terastation 1TB Network Attached Storage

Trailer Environmental

  • 2x 1.5 Ton Ducted HVAC units on the roof (Heating and Air Conditioning)
  • Full Wall and Ceiling insulation
  • All lighting in the trailer is LED with dimmers for night use