note: article first appeared in November 2015

Earlier this year I did a series of posts that showed how I store my radios long-term for safekeeping. I put them in military grade SKB iSeries hardcases. I really like those cases, very sturdy and less expensive than Pelican cases. But what I neglected to show you was how I store my radio antennas. So here you go…

The stated mission for this is –

“The ability to safely store and transport ‘stick’ antennas that match the radio storage and transportation system.”

First thing I did was put all the antennas in one location so I could see what I have. Then I measured each antenna to assess what was the length of the tallest antenna that would be stored in the case. That measurement was over 50″. Next I had to figure out where to find a reasonably priced hardcase solution that would work.

The first place I looked was the SKB cases, then Pelican cases; both of which were out of the question. I kept looking for other conventional options and either couldn’t find the “right” option or they were far too expensive to be realistic. I gave up…or rather took a break of several months.

One day I was working in my storage shed and low and behold, what did I see? Yup, an old plastic gun case. I had picked it up at a garage sale a long time ago and put in the shed for storage. It was in great shape, padded, lockable, and ready to be used.

Its interior usable space was 9” x 48” so it was plenty big enough. Too short for the longest antenna, the Diamond CR8900A. But then I remembered that the Diamond CR8900A “breaks” at the base so it can folder over while attached to a vehicle for clearance issues.

Once I folded the Diamond CR8900A at its base…BINGO! It fits just fine. The case is padded to keep everything from being damaged. The padding also kept all the antennas getting jumbled around. Looked like the perfect option. Into the shop it went.

I got all the antennas back out and started arranging them in the gun case. It only took about 15 minutes to get everything in the right place, the lid closed without any binding, and it locked up tight. A perfect solution!

So here is the picture of the gun case with all of the antennas in it. I hope it gets you thinking of a solution for you radio antenna storage and transportation needs. For me, this option will allow me to grab my radio cases and my antenna case and know that I can transport them safely and securely wherever I might be headed.

2009 - 2019 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content 
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
See Content Use Policy for more information.