Radio Carrier Part 2 - Build Tips and Shortcuts for the Nearly Universal Radio Carrier

 Executive Summary (you know why we do this by now....)

1) There will be separate sections with build details for the carrier board, the load-bearing shelf, and the adjustable bracket; and

2) "Cheats" - easier ways to make a carrier if you have fewer radios, less time, or more (but not much more) money - are imbedded in each build section.

3) You'll be relieved to know that this entry is pretty dry and mostly devoid of failed attempts at humor.....  😂

Radio Carrier Part 2 - Build Tips and Shortcuts for the Nearly Universal Radio Carrier

Unlikely you would want to build the carrier I did.  Even I didn't want to.

The point was to show possibilities, so that if you wanted to try one, you didn't have to start from scratch.  

The build is simpler if you don't need to accommodate multiple radios or orientations.

The Carrier Board

My carrier board is made from Kydex.  Kydex is readily available, easily cut, weather resistant, available in a variety of sizes, colors and thicknesses, and can be heat formed.

Why weather resistance is good goes without saying. 

Varying thickness lets you vary the flex of the board to fit your needs.  Kydex often is used as a pack frame sheet - the stiffening board in a pack. Consider the flex or lack of it in your pack and factor that into the stiffness of your radio frame sheet.

The Kydex should be able to support the shelf and radio without buckling or objectionable bending when the board is in the pack.  0.08 inch Kydex is often used as an internal pack frame sheet, I used that. It's pretty stiff, and great for packs that have no internal frame sheet or frame. YMMV.

Heat formable means you can curve the frame sheet. Careful work with a heat gun and a form will provide a radio carrier board with a curve to fit your back. Practice on some scrap if you try this.

Kydex ain't cheap. I payed $14 for a 12" by 24" piece.  To cut the sheet exactly as you need it, make a paper or cardboard pattern of the inside of your bag, and trace that pattern onto the Kydex before cutting. 

You can use the carrier in multiple packs if you consider them all when you size the Kydex.  Or you can remake the carrier later when you remember there's a pack you forgot to consider. I'd go with Option A, having tried B already.

Use any material you can find for the board. My prototype University of Illinois orange and blue carrier board is made from the aluminum bottom cabinet panel of a junked SX-122 receiver (this is why you never throw anything out).   

The same wide PALS webbing holds the shelf, but the blue smooth surfaces are loop material for holding quick attach hook material-backed pouches and straps.  This isn't as robust as the MOLLE/PALS system, but great for lighter objects.     ILL  !

The prototype's perforated aluminum sheet means not having to drill holes in Kydex to attach the straps.  Yes.

If you use Kydex, you need to drill holes for the stitching.  Like this.  I used holes spaced about four to the inch.

Sewing through straps is hard.  Use a sewing awl if you can.  About 20 bucks from Sailrite, with some thread and a couple extra needles.  Your hand will thank you. You can spend less on EBay, but your hand may not thank you.

I used 0.8 mm waxed thread like you might use to stitch leather.  The straps are triple stitched to the board.

Learning to sew with a sewing awl is a great skill for anyone with outdoor gear.  It takes a bit of practice, but Sailrite's YouTube videos can teach you in a jiffy.  There is a bobbin in the handle, but you'll learn soon enough that you can use thread right off the roll.  Photo from Sail-Rite.com.

Drilling and stitching the Kydex board is the worst part of this project. There are some off-the shelf solutions that may work for most people.

5.11 Tactical sells what they call a Small Insert for a pack.  This insert is about standard pack size and has vertical PALS webbing covering one side and horizontal PALS webbing covering the other side.  

A removable Kydex-like sheet sits inside the insert.  It's a bit floppy for this application, but a Velcro-type closure allows access to the inside of the insert, and you can change the insert stiffener to whatever stiffness or material you prefer.  If you shoved a piece of 0.08 inch Kydex in this insert, you're ready to use your shelf with or without the bracket.  You would have to modify the sling a bit.

5.11 also sells a Hex Grid Gear Set.  This is a $26 (but on sale now for $12.99) 9 by 9 inch piece of hook and loop material, with a hexagonal fabric pattern layered over the loop side.  I think this is magical because:

1) unlike typical PALS webbing, the hex grid allows MOLLE-compatible accessories to be inserted several different ways in addition to the traditional horizontal/vertical mountings; 

2) because the loop material on the outer facing surface is accessible where the hex grid is cut out, you can stick lighter weight hook-backed accessories directly to the panel; and

3) the hook material on the back surface will mount directly to a loop surface - a common feature in and on many backpacks.

A 9 by 9 inch panel is large enough for most amateur applications, so other than being floppy, this is another off-the-shelf carrier.  You might use plastic pop rivets to attach this to a Kydex board. Or use the attached G hooks and buckles to attach the hex grid panel to complimentary fabric loops (described below) you've added inside your pack.

Finally, how do you attach the carrier board inside your pack?  Consider these examples, you may have better ideas.

1) Insert the board into a computer pocket, and use a toggle or strap in the top of the bag that is furnished for securing a hydration bladder.  If you do this remember to size the board for the location of the pocket bottom you use. Many but not all computer pockets use a sling suspension that doesn't extend to the bottom of the pack; or

2) Install a couple retaining belts in your pack.  At the top only, if the board is a reasonably tight fit in the bottom of the pack, or top and bottom if it isn't.  Below is a picture of a belt I added to the top of my Mystery Ranch Urban Assault 18 pack - the board fits and stays in place well without a lower belt.

Some explanation may be helpful.  The belt is anchored to the pack with two webbing loops.  These loops are made from a three inch long piece of one inch wide webbing, doubled over, with the cut ends hand-stitched into the bound edge where the side and back panels were originally sewn together and covered with thin green binding.  This is a strong attachment point, and use of these small webbing loops means that the belt (or other structures) can be easily removed from the pack.  

On the left side, a female quick connect buckle half has been mounted to the loop.  The buckle was a standard buckle, modified to be a quick connect by opening a section of the outer buckle with a Dremel tool.  The loop slips through the opening. The picture below shows before and after buckle views.  You can buy quick connect buckles, but it's easier to find and modify standard buckles.  You could sew a standard female buckle half to the pack, but it can't be removed easily, and I much prefer the flexibility of a removeable buckle. 

On the righthand side, a fabric loop is sewn to the pack.  The next item is a Slik-Clip, which opens on both sides to accept looped webbing, and then locks shut.  The final portion is a piece of webbing with a loop sewn to one side for the Slik-Clip, with the other end of the webbing adjustably inserted through the male buckle portion, This makes the length of the strap adjustable and useful for securing things larger than the board in the pack.  

That description was totally tedious, but hopefully helpful.

The Shelf

Nothing special about the shelf assembly.  Start with a flat metal piece back plate, with four tines cut at the end to fit in the PALS webbing loops.  Add a shelf with a lip to fasten the shelf to the back plate. I used three small Harbor Freight pop rivets that came in a $6 dollar rivet kit that included the barely adequate rivet tool.  You can see these details on the picture below.  The grid scale is one inch for reference.

Two tines are enough if the metal used is reasonably stiff.  If you don't need the shelf - that is if you only want to mount the adjustable clamp for the KX-format radios and not bolt on an IC-705- I would use a U-shaped piece of metal.  

A MOLLE-compatible U mount is used on the PRC-155 radio sling shown below.  The adjustable bracket could be mounted to the U mount through its rear 1/4-20 receiver, simplifying things for the KX or Xiegu owner.  You could cut three pieces of 3/4 inch aluminum stock, bolt them in a U as shown, drill a hole for the bracket, and you're done.  If you buy either of the off-the shelf 5.11 MOLLE-compatible inserts to slide the U mount into, you're 90 percent done with the system, with way less effort.

The Clamp

Finding the right clamp to securely hold a radio was a challenge.  Here is the source for the screw-style adjustable clamp I used. The clamp adjusts from about 2 inches to 4 inches, prefect for this application. 

I overpaid. These clamps are available for $7 from a number of Ebay vendors.

The prototype used an iPhone mount that was tossed from my Jeep several years ago, but the style is still available.  Shown disassembled in the left photo below, that mount is used by removing the ball mount arm from the bracket.  Drill a 7/8 inch hole in the carrier board, and us the nut originally used to tighten the ball tension as a mounting bolt.  The right hand picture shows this mount on the prototype carrier.  

This mount adjusts from about 2 to 3 3/4 inches, enough for all the KX's, but is spring loaded, rather than screw driven.  This old discard served admirably for a while, but I'm happier with the screw style clamp, and expect that its grip is better. Lots of other mounts are out there.

Finally, if all you need is a KX radio mounted to be forward looking from a clamshell style pack, just buy a piece of Kydex, screw in the mount and you're done.  

If you're neurotic you could use two clamps spaced apart on the shelf.  I decided against it, but I periodically check the mounting for tightness.  What do the SEALS say, two is one and one is none? 

I needed MOLLE-compatible PALS webbing because I have lots of kit set up to be stored and carried in MOLLE pouches, and because I find the battery sling very helpful - that's a big weight I don't want bouncing around in a pack.  You might not - losing the PALS webbing makes this a lot easier.

If you made it this far you deserve a drink. That's about all I've got, but please feel free to drop me a note if you have questions or have better ideas I should add here for the benefit of radiokind.

 ka9p@aol.com