Outdoor enclosure for MFJ Tuner

[W5RDW]

I want to mount my MFJ 998 tuner (14 x 16 x 5 in.) adjacent to my 43 ft. vertical in a weather proof enclosure. Does anybody have any idea of what I can use that does not cost a ton of $$$?

Roger W5RDW
Murphy, Texas

[AE4RV]

Ammo box?

[KB9WIS]

You can use a electrical utility box (the UL type accepted plastic type with a rubber gasket to seal it)..  That should do a good job with keeping water and elements out of it.  Lowes may not have them this big, (I only saw 12"x12"x6" as the largest size), however you can generally find larger sizes on the net..

You can also find even more rugged, larger designs made out of fiberglass as well, however these usually start at $50.00 and up.  You may also want to try ebay or some surplus/discount stores.

[W5LZ]

Try 'Wal-Mart'.  As in 'Tuperware'(sp) or the other brands?  Shouldn't be very difficult to weather seal one.
Paul

[VE3WMB]

This is a bit of a late response but .. my suggestion is to look at REI or some other outdoor
sporting goods shop and find a waterproof Lexan box. I am using one made by GSI.

http://www.gsioutdoors.com/products/pdp/lexan_l_gear_box/storage/

Lexan is very hard, but not brittle and will provide a number of years of service. It can easily
be drilled with a wood bit. It stands up to UV exposure very well.

Beware of any plastic box whose composition you can't determine. (Hint much of the plastic these days is recyclable so you can normally determine what sort of plastic it is by looking at the codes). Stay away from Polypropylene (sometimes abbreviated PP, plastic recycle code #5) as it will quickly deterioriate with UV exposure. Many food storage containers have LDPE lids but the main part of the container is Polypro. If you use a polypro container expect to replace it
once or twice per year as it will crack and crumble.

One piece of advice ... I suggest you drill a small hole on the bottom side of the box to allow any accumulated moisture to drain out. It is virtually impossible to ensure that the box remains 100% moisture free so it is best to allow any condensation a way out.  Also I suggest that any connection holes that you drill, you should also do so on the bottom. 

I have used one of these GSI boxes to house a LDG Original QRP autotuner on the side fence in my back yard for a few years. I use the tuner to match a sloping 30m delta loop fed with open
wire line.  If you would like to see some pictures of my installation drop me an email
at  VE3WMB at RAC dot CA.

Cheers,

Michael VE3WMB

[KI4VEO]

Give Skycraft a call.  They don't have all their stuff on their web site.  Give them your required enclosure dimensions.

http://www.skycraftsurplus.com/projectboxesinstrumentcases.aspx

[N3OX]

That's a cool link KI4VEO, thanks.

[K7ZRZ]

Roger,

How about something like this  http://bingoldsby.com/gadget1.jpg and http://bingoldsby.com/gadget2.jpg

If you don't hide a sandwitch in there, the animals won't try to get into it, but you could put a big rock on top.  I'm using mine out here on the coast of Oregon, and it's kept dry as a bone in there.

[WA7NCL]

I ham buddy of mine once used a plastic dog house to shelter an SGC tuner.  The tuner was one of the marine versions and so was somewhat water proof.  The dog house added shelter from storms and direct rain and snow.  It worked pretty well and the neighbors just thought he had a dog.  The wire coming from it was hard to see.

[K8KAS]

Hoffman WX proof enclosure that can be purchased at any electrical supply house. PS don't forget to replace the junk hardware (screws and nuts that MFJ uses in their outdoor mounted toys).  They never heard about brass and stainless nuts and bolts. Denny K8KAS 73

[KF6ABU]

I have the 994 in thjis enclsoruse from dx enginnering. I actually took the tuner out of its metal enclosure and mounted it inside the box   http://www.dxengineering.com/Parts.asp?ID=1269&PLID=212&SecID=112&DeptID=19&PartNo=DXE-UE-1P