describes new product ideas &

prototype purchasing program for interested customers

FOUR (4) **NEW** TRUCK BED

PROTOTYPE BRACKETS

Dick (N7EMW) is looking for pickup truck owners who would be willing to provide

truck bed measurements and feedback

on three truck bed antenna mounting brackets.

If you're interested please read on! Thanks for your feedback!

**NEW** Added a 4th bracket on Aug. 16

You do not have to be interested in  buying anything, just willing to take a some of your time to provide measurements, and/or feedback on whether you think our new prototype mounting brackets might work well (or not!) on your particular make, model and year of pickup. I'm seeking your input because I do not own a truck and am trying to build a database of truck bed measurements for a wide variety of truck beds. While I've gotten some measurements from manufacturers' web sites, I need additional measurements for the prototype mounts.

This information will help me to finalize the designs of the three prototypes in order to fit as many trucks as possible. If the feedback is positive, I will make the designs as a "standard" product. If the feedback is negative, this will at least provide me with "real world" information that may help in the design of a future product. All feedback is helpful!!

If I get sufficient feedback, I'll post a table of truck bed information on my web site for others who may need this information. I truly appreciate your time and effort to provide any feedback - feel free to provide as much or little feedback as you'd like even if you only want to answer a few of my questions!

The three protoype antenna brackets I'm seeking feedback on consist of:

Here's how my protoype feedback process works. You review the information below and click on the "Feedback Form" link to provide whatever information you want. This information is anonomous if you do not provide your contact information on the form - if you would like me to contact you then please do provide your contact information. Obviously, feel free to provide as much, or little, information as you'd like, and to comment on one or all three of the ideas. I LISTEN TO THE HAM COMMUNITY AND TO MY CUSTOMERS!

The following information is included for your review and feedback:

1. Diagrams of a "generic" truck bed showing the seven (7) measurements I'm looking for. I'd like to get accurate measurements that will help me to finalize the design for these three prototypes, to fit as many trucks as possible and also the make the installations as easy as possible. If you want to provide feedback on the designs but not provide the measurements, scroll down past the truck bed measurement diagrams.
2. Description and diagrams for each of the three brackets, to give you an idea of what I've come up with, for your comments, good and bad. Without feedback it is hard to judge the usefulness of a product!
3. An on-line Feedback Form is provided for your measurements / feedback  (the link is provided below, after "Bracket C").

For your information, we have a Protoype Purchase Program for customers who would like to purchase the "first" of our products. This is described at the bottom of this page. Please note that you do NOT have to be a customer now or in the future to provide feedback! Over the past year I've gotten a number of phone calls and emails from hams who simply want to discuss "their hobby"! This program has worked well so far and most recently, in June ('08), I built the protoype "BKT-HondaRL-1" bracket for Honda Ridgeline pickups at the request of a very satisfied customer. This is now one of my products offered on this web site, and the inspiration for "BRACKET C" described below. To see feedback from this "prototype customer", click > CUSTOMER FEEDBACK / PHOTOS .

If you have any questions before you provide your feedback, or want to provide feedback in lieu of the Feedback Form, you can contact me by phone or email; click > CONTACT.

Immediately below you will find two diagrams depicting the seven measurements I'm looking for. Following the diagrams, you will find the descriptions and diagrams for "Brackets A, B, C". Following "Bracket C" is the link to the Feedback Form.

 Truck Bed Measurements I'm Seeking

The following two diagrams show the seven (7) measurements I'm looking for, but feel free to provide only as many as you'd like. You do not have to be a ham to provide this information, but please be as accurate as you can with your measurements.

If you would rather not  provide measurements but would like to provide feedback on any of the three truck bed bracket designs, please scroll down.

Three (3) Prototype Designs - For Your Feedback

The three truck bed bracket designs are shown below. If you'd like to provide comments on any or all of them, please review the designs below and then scroll down to the on-line Feeback Form link. Listed below are the questions on the feedback form, so you can think about them before going to the feedback form. Thanks for any feedback you'd be willing to provide! The three designs are:

Bracket A: 

Truck bed front wall layback bracket, for large screwdriver / motorized HF antenna.

Bracket A is a tilt-back bracket that bolts through the front wall of the bed into a backing plate between the bed and cab, that helps to stiffen the bed wall and provide for a sturdy mount for even a large HF antenna. Four 3/8 inch holes are drilled through the bed wall. The bracket consists of two "outer" aluminum square tubes that bolt to the backing plate. A smaller aluminum tube is located between the outer tubes and bolts to an antenna mount. By removing the upper bolt/pin, the tube tilts 90 degrees to lay back the antenna into the bed.

The overall dimensions of the bracket that fits inside the bed is approx. 8.5 inches wide by 9 inches tall. The backing plate that mounts between the bed and cab is approx. 12 x 12 inches. The backing plate is 1/4 inch thick and with the nuts and ends of the four bolts you need approx. 1 inch of space between the bed and cab.

The user provides the antenna mount or the optional UHAM-150 mount can  be bolted to Bracket A with a hardware mounting kit that allows the antenna to be mounted at two different heights. A large screwdriver / motorized HF antenna can be mounted this way. The UHAM-150 has an upper support for larger antennas.

Here are my questions for you about this bracket design - feel free to provide feedback on only some questions. These are the questions on the Feedback Form (scroll down below Bracket C for the link when you're ready to input your feedback - thanks):

1. With the 12 x 12 inch backing plate, do you think the bed wall is stiff enough to support a larger HF screwdriver or motorized antenna?
2. Have you ever mounted a large antenna to the front bed wall, and if so, what kind of antenna and how did you mount it; and how sturdy was it?
3. Do you have enough space between the bed and cab to insert a 12 x 12 x 1/4 inch thick backing plate, and do you have at least one inch between the cab and bed for the backing plate + nuts + end of bolts? 
4. What are your overall thoughts about this design?
5. Would such a bracket be of interest to you; why or why not?
6. Do you have any other suggestions, comments, ideas?

The following diagrams illustrate Bracket A.

Diagram  below shows general location of bracket

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Diagram  below shows closeup of major parts mounted to front wall of bed (the colors are for illustration purposes only). 

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Diagram  below shows side view with optional antenna mount and motorized antenna tilted part way back.

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Bracket B: 

Truck stake mount for large screwdriver / motorized HF antennas.

Bracket B is a stake pocket mount that consists of a hardware kit for your mount or the UHAM-150 mount that fits motorized / screwdriver HF antennas with two points of attachment.

The bracket has a 5.5 x 1.5 x 1/4 inch thick backing plate that should slip into any of the stake pockets, on most trucks. Two 3/8 inch holes are drilled into the stake pocket. A hardware kit consisting of a vertical mounting plate bolts to the UHAM-150 mount that has an upper support for larger HF antennas including the High Sierra, Tarheel screwdriver and Hi Q motorized antennas. With the mounting plate the antenna can be mounted at two different heights. The stake pocket needs to be approx. 1 inch deep to allow space for the 1/4 inch thick backing plate + nuts + ends of the stainless steel bolts.

Here are my questions for you about this bracket design - feel free to provide feedback on only some questions. These are the questions on the Feedback Form (scroll down below Bracket C for the link when you're ready to input your feedback - thanks):

1. Do you think your stake pockets are strong enough to support a larger HF screwdriver or motorized antenna?
2. Have you ever mounted a large antenna to your stake pocket, and if so, what kind of antenna and stake bracket did you use, and how sturdy was it?
3. Would the 5.5 x 1.5 inch  backing plate fit inside your stake pockets and is there approx. 1 inch of space for the nuts and bolt ends?
4. What are your overall thoughts about this design?
5. Would such a bracket be of interest to you; why or why not?
6. Do you have any other suggestions, comments, ideas?

The following diagrams illustrate Bracket B.

Diagram  below shows one possible mounting location, in front right stake pocket.

Bracket C is a LONG bracket (50 inches plus long, depending on  truck) that mounts between a left and right stake pocket. It can mount 3 large VHF or small HF antennas "as-is" with 18 - 19 inch spacing between the antennas (antenna bases are optional). To fit a larger HF screwdriver / motorized antenna, you would need a mount that can bolt to either end of the bracket, such as the UHAM-150 mount with an upper support for the antenna (or fabricate your own mount or use another brand mount).

This is similar to our Honda Ridgeline bracket, but my goal is to come up with another version that would fit various makes of trucks that have stake pockets. Therefore, I'm looking for your input if you have another make of pickup besides the Honda.

The bracket is made from heavy-duty aluminum channel, and is 4 inches across at the top. The front and back "sides" are 1-5/8 inches tall. The bottom side is open to access the antenna mounts and coax. Mounting plates are provided on either end, that  bolt to stake pocket brackets via 1/2 inch bolts. I plan to use the Breedlove Machine Shop "heavy duty" stake pocket bracket as with it's unique design it is adjustable to fit just about any stake pocket. I've discussed providing a package deal with the Breedlove owner if I end up building this bracket - you would need a pair of the stake pocket brackets for mounting the LONG bracket section. By using the Breedlove stake brackets NO HOLES need to be drilled.

Here are my questions for you about this bracket design - feel free to provide feedback on only some questions. These are the questions on the Feedback Form (scroll down below Bracket C for the link when you're ready to input your feedback - thanks):

1. What is the distance between the inside of your stake pockets (if you don't mind please see the diagrams at the top of this page for the dimensions, as this distance is important for determining how long the bracket has to be)?
2. What are your overall thoughts about this design?
3. Would such a bracket be of interest to you; why or why not?
4. Do you have any other suggestions, comments, ideas?

The following diagrams illustrate Bracket C. The last diagram is a photo of this mount on a Honda Ridgeline, to give you an example how the antennas are mounted.

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Diagram  below shows 51 inch bracket mounted to forward stake pockets with three optional antennas

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Diagram  below shows closeup of major parts

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The image below shows a 51 inch bracket with three optional antennas plus screwdriver antenna mounted with our UHAM-150 mount "photoshoped" onto the image (photo is of Honda Ridgeline but same concept applies to all pickups)

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Bracket D: 

Truck bed floor / front rail, layback, bracket.  ** ADDED Aug. 16 ** 

Bracket "D" is a heavy-duty bracket with antenna lay-back that bolts to the forward portion of the truck bed floor and TOP of the rail. Two bolts fasten the bottom horizontal aluminum channel through the bed floor and into a (approx.) 12 x 3 x 1/2 inch thick backing plate on the bottom side of the floor. Two bolts fasten the top horizontal aluminum channel trough the top of the front rail - these bolt vertically so it does not matter how much space you have between the cab and bed.

Two vertical, fixed, aluminum channels bolt the the rear sides of the two horizontal channels. A center 2x2 inch aluminum channel is bolted to the two vertical sections with two bolts. By removing the upper bolt, which has a wing nut, you can swivel the antenna back into the bed.

All metal parts are aluminum or stainless steel. 

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PROTOTYPE FEEDBACK FORM

If you would like to take measurements and/or provide feedback on any of the three prototype designs above, please first review the information above and then click on the following link to input your information. Thanks very much for the time you take to provide feedback, it's really appreciated!

If you'd rather contact me by phone or email with your feedback, without using the Feedback Form, feel free to do so by clicking > CONTACT .

Click here to get to the on-line Feedback Form. After adding the information, go to the bottom of the form and click SUBMIT. THANKS VERY MUCH! Click > FEEDBACK FORM .

The following are other prototype product ideas that we have developed - these are NOT part of the current feedback program.

Please contact us if  you are interested or would like additional information.

"BKT-TB-1" Truck Toolbox Bracket

We have just finished the protoype blueprints for a bracket that can be used to mount our UHAM-100/150 mount, "other brand" screwdriver / motorized antenna mount, or antenna to a truck tool box or any vertical surface. The antenna or mount bolts to the "TB1" via a 3/4 inch diameter hole. This is designed for the full size motorized antennas made by Hi Q as well as those made by High Sierra, Tarheel and others.

We have also design a slight variation of the "TB1", for  mounting your large VHF or smaller screwdriver antenna (e.g. High Sierra Sidekick, Tarheel shorty, etc) DIRECTLY without a separate mount. In this configuration, you can directly mount your antenna with a 3/8x24, NMO or SO239 base. Please contact us for pricing on the"BKT-TB2" . 

The photo above is a preliminary view of the TB1 with our optional UHAM150 antenna mount and SHUNT100 load inductor. While we slightly enlarged the dimensions in our final blueprints, the general appearance is the same.

The "TB1" is a heavy-duty square tube made of type 6061/6063 aluminum and includes stainless steel mounting hardware. The TB1 includes the following:

• 4x4x12" aluminum square tube, 1/4" wall thickness, bare aluminum finish, all holes drilled

• 1/4x4x12" aluminum backing plate for inside the tool box, all holes drilled

• -4- 3/8x16 stainless steel, 2" long, stainless steel hex bolts, with flat & lock washers

• -1- set 3/4x10" stainless steel bolt, flat and lock washers, to bolt the UHAM to the top of the square tube

• -1- set 1/4x20 stainless steel bolt & hardware for a ground point (not really need for bare aluminum but non the less part of the package)

• -1- 4x12", 1/16" thick, rubber strip to go between the tube and tool box, to help water proof the holes in the tool box and prevent scratching the outside

   
   
  The preliminary cost is $97.00 + 22.00 shipping (USPS Priority Mail, insured), less 5% discount on 97.00 ("rounded" total cost with shipping would be $114) as you would be the first customer of this product.
  

With this design, the front of a UHAM mount would be 1.0 inch from the tool box, to allow for an overhanging tool box lid, etc.

The photo below illustrates the TB1 prototype and how it is mounted to your tool box. Also shown, are our optional UHAM150 antenna mount and SHUNT100 shunt load inductor.

The REP DESIGN

Protype Purchasing Program

This can be a great way for you to get that special bracket or accessory you have been looking for.

Here's how Dick's prototype customer purchasing program works:

(1) Dick prepares diagrams for a potential new product and posts it below, or, prepares a design at the request of someone. 

(2) Interested customers contact Dick to discuss the details and features they would like to see and design changes are discussed. It can take many hours and some gallons of gas to finalize a design, and these are not passed on to the customer.

(3) If the prototype seems to meet their needs, "on paper", the customer purchases the prototype at or below the standard product price. Normally this would be considered a custom-made, custom installation, and would therefore cost up to 50% to 100% higher than a normal product price. So far, my "prototype customers" have ended up paying a little less, and sometimes LESS than MY ACTUAL COST to fabricate a single item. As you can imagine, single items are a lot more expensive to fabricate than a run of duplicate items!

(4) The customer installs the prototype and evaluates whether it meets their needs or not. If it does NOT meet their needs, there are a couple of options.  I work with the customer to provide modifications or parts so the product does meet their needs, sometimes at my expense, or, they can return the product for a refund of the product price (less shipping). So far no one has ever returned a prototype or any of my products! I am very flexible and one of my core business concepts is to provide REAL customer service that is second to none - really, I'm not a politician but a detail oriented technology person!

(5) The product goes into production as a standard product, if it is deemed a marketable product that meets the stringent requirements of REP Design LLC. Once in production, the prototype information is removed from this web site page and it is posted on the PRODUCTS AND ORDERING PAGE.