Handiham Remote Base HF Stations

Ever wonder what the remote base station looks like? The answer is that it’s surprisingly like a typical ham radio station anywhere, sporting a radio, power supply, and that all-important station accessory: the shack computer.

In this first photo we see the Kenwood TS-480HX transceiver paired with matching SEC switching power supplies. The Systemax rig control computer is in the background, interfaced to the radio with a RIGblaster nomic from West Mountain Radio. The RIGblaster is on top of the antenna tuner, an LDG AT-200PRO. On the wall above the radio there is a board with a two-position coaxial antenna switch that allows us to switch the output of the radio to a dummy load for testing. Our vintage sign, “Amateur Radio Station W0ZSW” sits atop the computer, just beneath the LCD monitor screen. This sign has been in the Handiham radio room for as long as anyone can remember, so it seemed appropriate to keep it in place at the remote base station.  Partly obscured by the control head of the radio is a W0ZSW QSL card.

The two power supplies are needed to accommodate the TS-480HX’s requirements, since it is capable of running at 200 watts.  The same is true of the LDG AT-200PRO antenna tuner.  At our sister station, W0EQO at Courage North, the radio is a Kenwood TS-480SAT, which is capable of a maximum 100 watts and thus needs only a single power supply and an LDG AT-100PRO antenna tuner.

This dual-position switch is mounted upside down, which seemed to be the best way to accommodate the heavy RG-8 cables. George, N0SBU, gave me the switch, and I mounted it on a scrap of pine board for stability before affixing it to an outer wall near the point where the antenna cabling goes through the wall.  This switch allows for a dummy load antenna to be placed into the circuit so that testing can be done off-air.

Here is a close-up of the RIGblaster nomic interface by West Mountain Radio. In our installation only the microphone audio is interfaced through this device.

Next, we head outdoors, to the other side of the wall above the antenna switch.  We see the coax exiting the wall and dropping down from the entry point so as to prevent water from following the cable into the wall when it rains. The coax is coiled into a five turn choke coil to prevent RF from following the outside of the coax back down into the shack. Under the plastic radome (really just a poly food container) is a rehabilitated MFJ 4 to 1 current balun.  450 ohm ladderline exits the top and goes out to the center insulator of a 200 foot double extended zepp antenna commonly known as a “W0OXB Special®”.  This photo was taken late last summer, so don’t go on the assumption that the greenery on the nearby bush is common in Minnesota in January!

Finally, here is the view from the point of a remote user:  The W4MQ screen shows up on a computer monitor and a USB desktop microphone does the honors for voice communications.  Remember that there is no microphone at the station itself, since the rig’s microphone port is connected via the RIGblaster to the rig control computer’s sound card.  The W4MQ software will also run CW and PSK-31 with its built-in interfaces for those modes.

 

CW Operation: Operating CW 

For CW operation, you must be in CW mode – hit
“C” on the keyboard.

The CW Keyboard is activated via the C key when
you select the CW mode and can be reactiveated/reset again via the C key
(typed in the main radio window)

Type in what you want to send and the system
will send it automatically using the VOX to control the radio. (Note: PTT is disabled
in CW mode.) The “macros” shown at the bottom of the “CW
Keyboard” will send common items including your own call in the messages.
Typing in the call of the other station will allow its use in the macros.

 

MACROS

Now that you are ready to go, it is good to set
up a few Macros to reduce the tedium of continually typing in the same thing
and to make the switchover between transmit and receive a little easier. For
those operations used to the extensive MACRO capability of the DigiPan, etc
this interface will appear quite simple, but it should be adequate for normal
remote ops (e.g. non-contesting). Several Macros used at W4MQ are shown below:

The MACRO capability supports two special
insertions, illustrated in the above examples:

• <MC> — Insert My Callsign here —
  This is the logon callsign
• <OC> — Insert the Other Callsign here
  (This is the callsign in the QSO Call text box).
• Each MACRO is settable by selecting the MACRO
  button using the RIGHT mouse click. The editing windows illustrated above then
  appear. Remember to SAVE when you are finished.

  To activate the MACRO you must either LEFT
  click on the MACRO button or use the key combinations SHIFT+CNTL+1 through
  SHIFT+CNTL+ 0 to activate the MACRO (you must use the  standard number
  keys and not the numeric keypad). The top five buttons are numbered  as 1
  through 5 and the bottom five buttons are numbered as  6 through 10 (0),

  CW Keying Speed

  The cw keying speed is adjustable by clicking
  on the speed or using the K from the keyboard and then using the < and >
  keys to decrease and increase the speed

  CW Sidetone Level

  Not all stations enable the CW side tone. If it
  is enabled then the level can be adjusted using the Mic Gain slider control

  Radio Control When in the CW Window

  Generally use of the ALT+key from within the CW
  window will provide the same functionality as the same key used directly in
  the Radio window.

   

   

   

Page updated on Tuesday, March 06, 2012

FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. It’s always a good idea to look through this list when a question pops up in your mind, because you may find the answer here. Please help us to make the station better by letting us know when the instruction pages are not clear, or if you find errors. If you have a question that you think should be included here, please send it to wa0tda@arrl.net. 

Read the FAQ.

Canadian stations may take advantage of reciprocal operating agreement provision to control a remote base station that is physically located within the United States or “places where the amateur service is regulated by the FCC”. The specific section of Part 97 is reproduced below.  For operation from countries other than Canada, please check the FCC website:

http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/index.htm?job=about_4&id=amateur 

It should be noted that United States citizens are expected to hold United States licenses.  The wording from the FCC website is:

No United States citizen, regardless of any other citizenship also held, is eligible for reciprocal operating authority. The alien must be a citizen of the country that granted his or her amateur service license. Amateur radio operators who will be in the United States for extended periods of time are encouraged to obtain an FCC-issued amateur service license grant. Any person, except a representative of a foreign government, may apply for an FCC amateur service license upon passing the qualifying examinations. An alien holding an FCC-issued amateur service license grant, however, is not eligible for reciprocal operating authority. A FCC-issued license grant, moreover, supersedes reciprocal operating authority.

[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 47, Volume 5]
[Revised as of October 1, 2010]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 47CFR97.107]

[Page 597]

TITLE 47–TELECOMMUNICATION

CHAPTER I–FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED)

PART 97_AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE–Table of Contents

Subpart B_Station Operation Standards

Sec. 97.107  Reciprocal operating authority.

A non-citizen of the United States (“alien”) holding an amateur
service authorization granted by the alien’s government is authorized to
be the control operator of an amateur station located at places where
the amateur service is regulated by the FCC, provided there is in effect
a multilateral or bilateral reciprocal operating arrangement, to which
the United States and the alien’s government are parties, for amateur
service operation on a reciprocal basis. The FCC will issue public
announcements listing the countries with which the United States has
such an arrangement. No citizen of the United States or person holding
an FCC amateur operator/primary station license grant is eligible for
the reciprocal operating authority granted by this section. The
privileges granted to a control operator under this authorization are:
(a) For an amateur service license granted by the Government of
Canada:
(1) The terms of the Convention Between the United States and Canada
(TIAS No. 2508) Relating to the Operation by Citizens of Either Country
of Certain Radio Equipment or Stations in the Other Country;
(2) The operating terms and conditions of the amateur service
license issued by the Government of Canada; and
(3) The applicable rules of this part, but not to exceed the control
operator privileges of an FCC-granted Amateur Extra Class operator
license.
(b) For an amateur service license granted by any country, other
than Canada, with which the United States has a multilateral or
bilateral agreement:
(1) The terms of the agreement between the alien’s government and
the United States;
(2) The operating terms and conditions of the amateur service
license granted by the alien’s government;
(3) The applicable rules of this part, but not to exceed the control
operator privileges of an FCC-granted Amateur Extra Class operator
license; and
(c) At any time the FCC may, in its discretion, modify, suspend or
cancel the reciprocal operating authority granted to any person by this
section.