Making the Antenna Coupler
Figure 7: Antenna Coupler (look at the nice weld)
(Click image to enlarge)
The antenna coupler attaches the antenna and antenna plate to the gun stock and also serves as the mounting point for a tripod. The coupler consists of a rectangular box with a plate welded at one end. Approximate dimensions for the plate are 5 X 6 inches (13 X 15 cm) and 6 X 2.5 X 1.75 inches (15 X 6 X 4.4 cm) for the box.
Drill four holes into the plate, to match the four holes you drilled in the antenna mounting plate. Also drill holes in the box portion, which will correspond to the holes drilled into the rifle stock.
The metal for the coupler was easily found lying around a metal shop as scrap. When welding the plate and the box together, you should wear a good welders mask and use good technique. In the Figure 7, you can see great weld, which should be very strong.
Figure 8: Always wear protection when welding!
(Click image to enlarge)
If you plan to mount your gun on a tripod, you will need to drill a hole on the bottom of the coupler. As with the mounting plate, you can paint the coupler black for a finished look. The coupler uses bolts, washers and nuts to mount to the stock and antenna mounting plate.
