I always love to put my radios and computers in a case to use them as easy as possible on the road.
In between I used a tripod as a carrier for my portable equipment. My previous GoBox with KX2, FT70D and a Raspberry PI4 is a lot of fun and with the great Build-A-Pi Script from Jason KM4ACK you are fast QRV in all digital modes.
But after I bought my IC705 the desire grew to build it into a stable, weatherproof box. Yes, I could have used a Raspberry computer here too, but I still had a small Windows 11 PC available. And yes, with a Raspberry computer everything feels a bit more experimental and amateur radio operator-like. But a Windows PC just works plug and play on the IC705. So all current and future digital radio modes are possible. For voice transmission I use a Bluetooth microphone.
So this GoBox is also perfectly suitable for QRP activity outside and as an emergency radio station. Grab and go.
As always I use a Hofbauer Explorer Case as a carrying case. It is very stable and weatherproof. And also as always I mount all devices on self cut and edged 2mm aluminum plates. The stable mass in combination with ferrite cores over the short connecting cables reduces Radio Frequency Interferences considerably. Another advantage of the aluminum sheets is that they absorb the heat of the equipment and thus contribute to cooling.
The 10.1 TFT touch LED monitor is powered by 12V, like the PC and the IC705. Built in is a 6.6Ah LifePO4 battery.
The power consumption is as follows:
Monitor: 0,29A
Monitor+PC: 0,46A
Monitor+PC+IC705RX: 0,52A
Monitor+PC+IC705TX-5Watt: 0,89A
In receive mode, this allows for about 12 hours of use. If one would transmit permanently, it would still be approx. 7 hours. The reality is somewhere in between.
The dimensions of the case are: 305x270x194mm. The total weight is 6,3kg.
In addition to the touch monitor, a removable mini keyboard with touch pad is always included. Both work great with Windows 11.
More information about me and my different GoBoxes can be found on my homepage https://dl1gkk.com.
All the best, stay healthy, have fun… Karl
