My updated 'Shack' - Almost no cost thanks to others generosity and a bit of 'recycling' ingenuity

After constant moaning about needing to tidy up my shack and almost recently losing the room that I have it in I have finally got some sense of 'order' to it!

(Big thanks to those who have made mention of shacks just recently - gave me the kick up the ass required to post details up.)


Left side :-




Right side :-




I know, some will still cringe without site of an 'executive' desk accompanied by an Apple computer and flashy waterfall rig but this little lot cost me (as the title states) almost nothing.


Everything was either donated and repaired/restored by myself along with some homebrew equipment or generously gifted to me. Along with various bits of wood scrounged, donated or otherwise salvaged for 'furniture' (simple hammer, saw, screws affair!) it sit's quite nicely in the space I am so lucky to have.

Still could do with a few finishing touches (without making a flipping mess of it all!) and you really don't want to see the opposite side full of guitars, amps, leads, books and my wood turnings!

I do have at least a kettle with sundries on the far right side (out of shot) to make a brew and get to enjoy most of the RF spectrum from 1.8MHz to 446MHz.

Can't be bad and keeps this old 'crip' happy.


All the best,
Victor





Want to show off/share your 'shack' setup? Then pop along to the following link and make a new post :-

https://charlietangodxgroup.forumotion.com/f27-shack-rig-gallery

Nice radio room there Victor it looks purpose built i like it 

Hi Lionel,

Hope you are keeping well.

Yeah, sort of coming together and I think in many instances by luck rather than design!

A lot of what's in here is pretty much someone else's "junk" I've accumulated over time but luckily I've been able to repurpose it. All good fun!

Hello Victor,

The shack looks great. It is even cooler that you have done it on a budget and repaired some of the equipment too. Your tech skills are top class.

73s John.

hey i have just noticed is that a little black fridge Victor is that to keep the tinnies cold 

Hi John,

Really appreciate that mate.  

Been great cobbling all of this together and have taken pride that I've either fixed, repaired or built most of it myself. Hasn't been an instant job but learned a lot over the last couple of years or so.


All the very best to you,

Victor

Mine is a pigsty and your putting me to shame now Victor.
I need a warmer dry day as i would have to put stuff outside while sorted mine out.
Small black fridge to keep your milk in for a brew ???.

Lionel, 

That fridge was discarded by one of my daughters and destined for landfill before I saved it. (Rather she gave it to me knowing I'd be able to do something with it.) Power supply didn't work so I repaired it and the first time I plugged it in my HF reception was totally wiped out!! RF noisy as heck! 

With a redesigned and built power supply it no longer obliterates radio reception and chills nicely.  

You couldn't fit a tall tinny in there, about big enough for a can of coke! But my missus fills up a little milk jug for me in the mornings to keep me going with brews for the day. (Little kettle and tea/sugar/coffee pots on that side too.  )

Oh, and a 90's Kenwood stereo/tuner next to it (again, landfill saved) so I can listen to another type of radio....Radio Caroline.


Also an Alexa device hooked into it.....so I can call my better half when I run out of milk.

sounds good nothing wrong with recycling Victor it all makes for cheap living

radio caroline , my dad used to listen to that years ago it used to be moored not far from the isle of man

Hi Alan mate,

Well I'm not making promises but now I have something sorted a bit more permanently I'll do my very best to keep it tidy!

No build progress but just a final Ta-Dah. Did enjoy seeing your shack build.  

It looks tidy from this shot but a flipping wreck the opposite side of the room!! 

We do have lots of little bits of junk (ahem useful items) with our hobbies but I think I'll handle that with the little cupboard and drawers I've saved. That and all the ice cream tubs I keep salvaging to stop stuff rattling in drawers....roll on summer for more ice cream tubs!

Can't beat a bit of Radio Caroline.....music more in tune for some of us old farts!

(Modern 'nasal' crooning and autotune horridness is just awful!)

Mind you, most musicians nowadays 'recycle' too......just other peoples music!

I used to listen to Caroline with a little radio in bed when i was a kid.
Victor we are getting old and they all know now lol.

Very nice shack Victor, shame about radio Caroline!

Radio London (BIG L) all the way for me.

Hi Tony,

Ta very much, shack's doing the job right now.

No accounting for taste with our preference to radio listening.
Hee! Hee! We should all enjoy what we enjoy and how we enjoy it. Mind you I can hear Caroline on the old 648k/c's MW and when I shout it up on the 'Alexa' it doesn't scream at me about BBC Licensing(!)

Hope you are keeping well.

73

Here Alan, (sshhh), me too!

Probably all those great old stations responsible for me building radios as a kid too. Used to love Radio Luxembourg as well.

Victor wrote:

Hi Tony,

Ta very much, shack's doing the job right now.

No accounting for taste with our preference to radio listening.
Hee! Hee! We should all enjoy what we enjoy and how we enjoy it. Mind you I can hear Caroline on the old 648k/c's MW and when I shout it up on the 'Alexa' it doesn't scream at me about BBC Licensing(!)

Hope you are keeping well.

73

Hi Victor,
I will post a pic of my 'Starter for 10' shack in the next week or two, just need to get away from FT8 etc. and tidy it a bit.
I must admit I do sometimes listen to Caroline these days, but probably wouldn't if the BIG L was still going!

I'm good thanks, I trust you are too?

73

HI what station is radio caroline on, thanks

Hi Lionel,
as Victor said it's on 648/kc's MW but there are a number of other ways, see Radio Caroline Online

Tony 73

Tony Blackburn still on there is he lol.

Edit
Strange i just had an ft8 contact LX1RFJ in Luxembourg.
That was another radio station i listened to years ago Radio Luxembourg.
This is right off topic but i think Victor started the stray lol.

Are you sure you're actually using that shack?  Mine only looked that neat the day it was built!

Nice work though.

Tony,

Would be great to see your set up and in fact anyone's should they so wish to post up a picture.  

All as well as can be expected here mate, often that's the best we can ask for.


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Alan,

You know I'm a terrible admin when it comes down to hard and fast 'rules'.....anything radio related is fair game in my book.


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Hiya Jeff,

You're right, it's still fairly new and I did tidy up a bit for the shot. (Even unplugged the mics to make it a bit more photogenic!  )

Great to have a bit of 'organised' space to retreat to for some radio fun. Actually sorted my electronics stuff out a bit too so I can enjoy some homebrew construction without dropping blobs of solder over the radio gear!

Cheers mate, much appreciated and I hope you are keeping well.


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Big thanks to all for your replies to my junk-built piece of heaven.  


I've shown you mine, now show us yours.   

Nice shack Victor.
It certainly appeals to my OCD nature
It doesn't matter what equipment you have as long as it makes you happy. Especially the sense of achievement you must feel repairing the radios and building the layout up

I still haven't got my homebase gainmaster up too cold, too tired after nights and still haven't sorted a pole
But I will
The caravan base will probably be first.
I'll get some pics up as soon as it's done

At least my rigs are back in the car

Hi Nige,

Much appreciated mate.

I totally agree on the radio front, it doesn't matter what you have but rather what you do with it!
So long as that's mostly enjoying yourself then who's to argue.

Glad you're at least running a mobile setup as there's nothing worse than having a radio interest and no radio to scratch the 'itch'. I know you work hard long shifts mate but wishing you well for a bit of time to enjoy further getting your setup sorted. Look forward to some pics.


73's

Sharpshooter wrote:

Nice shack Victor.
It certainly appeals to my OCD nature
It doesn't matter what equipment you have as long as it makes you happy. Especially the sense of achievement you must feel repairing the radios and building the layout up

I still haven't got my homebase gainmaster up too cold, too tired after nights and still haven't sorted a pole
But I will
The caravan base will probably be first.
I'll get some pics up as soon as it's done

At least my rigs are back in the car

Cool mobile setup, Nige.