[CQ-Contest] Desk design

[Kelly Taylor]

This thread reminds me of my first attempt at building a desk in the latest
QTH. I used edge-jointed pine planks (pine shelving, like at HD) and a table
saw and created a desk top hutch that raised the radios off the desk enough
to allow for keyers, paddle, etc underneath.

BIG MISTAKE!

Casual guys seem to like that arrangement, but I found it just too hard on
my elbows to tune the radio with the tuning knob off the table like that.
Circular saw ended that experiment pronto. Since then, I've always kept the
radio on the main table surface and my elbows have thanked me time and
again.

I've left raised radio cubicles on the end for little used stuff, like a 6m
radio and a rarely adjusted transmatch. The bonus is a tower that keeps the
amplifer RF deck in the clear for ventilation yet within easy reach for
adjustment.

A shelf over the radios holds the monitor and DX Doubler. I've resisted the
urge to stack the radios for the same elbow protection reasons as above.

The only problem with my arrangement is having to reach over the friggin'
keyboard to adjust the radios. A later update will put the monitor at a
better eye height between the radios with the radios on either side and the
keyboard directly in front of the monitor.

Now, if I could just master that SO2R thing...

73, kelly
ve4xt


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Rhodes" <k0xu at iowadsl.net>
To: "Tom Horton" <k5iid at sbcglobal.net>; <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 5:49 PM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Desk design


> I am always interested in these threads as they tend to help me not repeat
> someone else's mistakes. One thing I know for sure: I will be able to walk
> BEHIND my next desk so that I can better manage all the wires involved in
> my wireless hobby!
>
> At 03:37 PM 8/17/2004, Tom Horton wrote:
> >But I am in a quandry over how to build the desk. I can't use my old
> >station desk, so will have to build something.
> >  Seems as though I have seen plans before on the internet, but don't
> > remember where.
> >Anyone remember or have suggestions?
> >Thanks in advance...
> >73, tom K5IID
>
> Jim Rhodes K0XU
> jim at rhodesend.net
>
> Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
>
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