When using my trusty Yaesu 817ND in the field I often struggle with the fear that it may drop on a stone or gets scratched through other equipment. Also, the 817ND is quite small, so using the front panel is also a pretty cumbersome job, especially when the panel is not elevated from the ground. I always used my portable battery bank as an elevator for the radio, so I can reach the front panel knobs and buttons. But it was mostly a frustrating thing because it tended to slide down or fall
I often watched at those aluminum framings on the internet, but paying astronomical prices for them was a no-go. That money can be spent on other stuff that I can’t build myself – let’s say a SpiderBeam 12m pole. I really want that pole, I hope I’ll get it this year.
Anyway, after I got my 3d printer a whole new world opened up. I looked up on Thingiverse for usable rails to just print out, but the available files were not really useful to me. So I fired up my CAD software and designed the rails for myself.
Yaesu 817ND with stock rubber antenna
The first version was a bigger rail without foldable legs. I really liked it, the radio looked sturdy and bigger as it is. But when looking at it, it was kind of too big and somehow neutralizes the advantage of the 817 which is its compact size.
So again I started to redesign the frame and wanted to add legs which don’t make the frame wider as it is but are rather integrated.
Using as a hampack 
Integrated legs 
As for now, I am very happy with the result. I am still waiting for a shipment of better printing materials to make the frame even sturdier and more shock absorbing. The current materials should not be exposed to direct sunlight in the hot sommer, nor left in the car in the direct sun. I have to try out other materials though.
If you are interested in those rails, contact me via the contact form.
All the best,
Aleks / 9A3AKF
