Station 2.0 Phase I: Desk
NOTE: This was originally posted on my old blog that has been taken down. It was originally posted in 2016.
I recently have begun rebuilding the shack. The family has really gotten into contesting and the kids often help me log. Because of that we are now working on expanding the station and improving it for multi-single contesting.
The current operating station was created from a small desk we had laying around. As you can see, it was good as a starter station, but very cramped.
We started by looking at our needs, which were more comfort, additional space, an ability to provide long term station growth, and ease of use. Another item was to have space for the kids to be with us, but perhaps do something else. Finally, we eventually want to host others for contests at our station so it needs to be flexible to fit many different operators.
The first step was to find a new desk. In talking with my wife, KC0RBV, she said we could rearrange things and provide more space. We decided to make the station operating desk almost entirely the size of the window you see in the above picture. Unfortunately, I had a hard time finding a suitable desk that big. Thus, I built a new desk.
I will admit that I am a pretty good woodworker, but I did not want to spend a lot of time, plus I wanted to maximize space under the tabletop for legs. I decided that I would like metal to maximize the amount of under desk space and provide plenty of support. While at Menards, I noticed a butcher block counter top that was eight feet long. I had also been eyeing this industrial look that some DIYers were creating by using black pipe. That's when it hit me that I could create my operating desk from these.
As I said, the top is an eight foot long, three inch thick maple butcher block countertop. I put three coats of Minwax Polycrylic to create a durable finish. On the back, I mounted a large ground bar for single point station grounding. The bar had threaded holes in it for inserting screws. I selected a Harger ground bar kit with small supports from HRO to maximize space. All of the equipment is grounded to this and then a wire leads outside the shack to the ground rod.
The legs were made by various pieces of black pipe and fittings. I have a pipe threader so I was able to cut and thread the pipe myself, but you can have you local home improvement store do the cutting and threading for you. I laid the pipe out in my shop to ensure once it was assembled it would fit the top and each leg was the same height. Black pipe is oily when you buy it so before painting or final installation, you should remove the oil. There are a lot of methods for removing the oil, but I found using CRC Contact Cleaner and a rag works best to remove the oil and leave no residue. Once that was done, I painted them black with spray paint.
Here is the right side.
Middle section. The pipe does not extend to the front entirely so someone could technically sit right at this location if needed. It is more comfortable than I thought it would be.
This is the left side. The flanges are used to screw the legs to the top and then also spread the weight across the carpet. They can also help to level the table in its final location.
Final assembly occurred in the shack because it is so large. Here you see it with the new station layout. Another item you will notice is the swivel arm monitor support. These are a great idea to provide flexibly and reduce desk space use. We also wanted it so operators could move it to the position most comfortable for them. Similarly, we use a small wireless keyboard from Logitech (K380).
Power distribution occurs using a set of West Mountain Radio RIGrunners. Both are mounted to the underside of the table. One is located directly below the power supply, while the other is located near the set of middle legs. I Velcro tie my lines to the horizontal bar between legs to keep the operating positions clear.
I hope this helps others figure out how to layout their shack or inspire them on making their own operating desk. It was not a very hard project.
I recently have begun rebuilding the shack. The family has really gotten into contesting and the kids often help me log. Because of that we are now working on expanding the station and improving it for multi-single contesting.
The current operating station was created from a small desk we had laying around. As you can see, it was good as a starter station, but very cramped.
We started by looking at our needs, which were more comfort, additional space, an ability to provide long term station growth, and ease of use. Another item was to have space for the kids to be with us, but perhaps do something else. Finally, we eventually want to host others for contests at our station so it needs to be flexible to fit many different operators.
The first step was to find a new desk. In talking with my wife, KC0RBV, she said we could rearrange things and provide more space. We decided to make the station operating desk almost entirely the size of the window you see in the above picture. Unfortunately, I had a hard time finding a suitable desk that big. Thus, I built a new desk.
I will admit that I am a pretty good woodworker, but I did not want to spend a lot of time, plus I wanted to maximize space under the tabletop for legs. I decided that I would like metal to maximize the amount of under desk space and provide plenty of support. While at Menards, I noticed a butcher block counter top that was eight feet long. I had also been eyeing this industrial look that some DIYers were creating by using black pipe. That's when it hit me that I could create my operating desk from these.
As I said, the top is an eight foot long, three inch thick maple butcher block countertop. I put three coats of Minwax Polycrylic to create a durable finish. On the back, I mounted a large ground bar for single point station grounding. The bar had threaded holes in it for inserting screws. I selected a Harger ground bar kit with small supports from HRO to maximize space. All of the equipment is grounded to this and then a wire leads outside the shack to the ground rod.
The legs were made by various pieces of black pipe and fittings. I have a pipe threader so I was able to cut and thread the pipe myself, but you can have you local home improvement store do the cutting and threading for you. I laid the pipe out in my shop to ensure once it was assembled it would fit the top and each leg was the same height. Black pipe is oily when you buy it so before painting or final installation, you should remove the oil. There are a lot of methods for removing the oil, but I found using CRC Contact Cleaner and a rag works best to remove the oil and leave no residue. Once that was done, I painted them black with spray paint.
Here is the right side.
Middle section. The pipe does not extend to the front entirely so someone could technically sit right at this location if needed. It is more comfortable than I thought it would be.
This is the left side. The flanges are used to screw the legs to the top and then also spread the weight across the carpet. They can also help to level the table in its final location.
Final assembly occurred in the shack because it is so large. Here you see it with the new station layout. Another item you will notice is the swivel arm monitor support. These are a great idea to provide flexibly and reduce desk space use. We also wanted it so operators could move it to the position most comfortable for them. Similarly, we use a small wireless keyboard from Logitech (K380).
Power distribution occurs using a set of West Mountain Radio RIGrunners. Both are mounted to the underside of the table. One is located directly below the power supply, while the other is located near the set of middle legs. I Velcro tie my lines to the horizontal bar between legs to keep the operating positions clear.
I hope this helps others figure out how to layout their shack or inspire them on making their own operating desk. It was not a very hard project.
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