Handiham Remote Base HF Stations

Both stations are on line, W0EQO using W4MQ software; W0ZSW using ARCP-590 software.  (W0ZSW returns to W4MQ software Monday morning.)

 

• W0EQO is off line for a short time today for Windows updates. (Speech frequency readout available when on line.)
  

 

The problem with W0ZSW losing connectivity on transmit has been resolved.  A bad crimped power connector was opening up, causing the transmitter to power down for an instant before coming back to life.  The bad connector was soldered and the station has returned to service, meaning the IC-7200 is now available during the week as usual.  The Kenwood TS-480HX is still in the shop awaiting repairs.

We have brought W0ZSW back on line with the W4MQ software for today’s operations.

When in use, the ARCP-590 software controls a Kenwood TS590S transceiver.  It supports independent blind user operation.  There is no tech support available at this time, and the users are beta testers. Please report problems to wa0tda@arrl.net.

Please note that the IC-7200 does not support speech frequency readout over the internet when used with the W4MQ software.

 

Some changes come to our W0ZSW remote base station.

We have been hinting for some time now about putting the Kenwood TS-590S in place at W0ZSW.  Here you see a cutaway version at the Kenwood booth at last year’s Hamvention®. 

There are several good reasons to begin our test run now.  One is that the TS-480HX finals have failed and the temporary replacement IC-7200 does not provide voice frequency readout for our blind members when operated as a remote.  Another is that the excellent Kenwood ARCP-590 software provides very good access to all radio functions, which includes the option to turn the voice frequency announcements off or keep some of them but make the radio less verbose.  This has been one of the most requested options from sighted users, who find the speech announcements distracting.

But there is a down side to the change, too.  While the W4MQ software we have been using allows us to limit transmit privileges by license class, there is no such provision in the Kenwood software.  The W4MQ software is also quite limited in its functions to basic controls only.  The Kenwood software really opens up the radio for all sorts of customization by the users.  We already have some supporting material on our remote base website for the W4MQ software, but nothing for the Kenwood software.

With those things in mind, we are limiting the initial user base to carefully chosen operators who will be able to learn and use the software without a lot of hand-holding.  These will include some blind users and some sighted, but what is common to all of them is that they will have operated remotes in the past and they know what they are doing and can problem-solve.  They know how to stay within the band and follow the rules.  This isn’t exactly handy for the rest of the existing W0ZSW user base, but remember that W0EQO is available as an alternative and does feature a Kenwood TS-480SAT with speech frequency readout.

W0ZSW currently uses a 270 foot double extended zepp antenna, commonly referred to as a “W0OXB Special”, and it’s a great wire antenna that can be tuned 160 through 6 meters. We expect to use that antenna for the TS-590S, which means shutting down the existing W0ZSW station – because it won’t have an antenna!

Tech support is a fact of life with this stuff, but we will try to head most of it off by posting updates on the Handiham Remote Base website.  Time is in short supply, and this is a big project.  We appreciate it when users check the website instead of picking up the phone and calling us to let us know that W0ZSW is off line.  The website is also the quickest way to find out what’s going on, since leaving a voice mail between Thursday afternoon and Sunday will result in days of waiting for a response.

When the TS-590S goes live, we will begin learning the ways of the new system.  No doubt we will be delighted with some features and puzzled by others.  We will run into problems, of course.  There are always unexpected issues with every new system.  What we would like to do is to iron most of them out before adding more users from the old W0ZSW user base.

W0EQO has returned to service after a weekend outage. Our thanks to Lyle, K0LR, for his help.

IRB station W0EQO has gone offline over the weekend.  We are investigating.  Meanwhile, W0ZSW is up & running.  IRB Sound is not enabled at W0ZSW, so you must use Skype for transmit/receive audio.

Echolink may be used to connect to W0ZSW-L for receive audio only.

Important service announcement, March 2015:  W0ZSW supports SKYPE audio only.

A failure of the transmit section of the Kenwood TS-480HX radio has made it necessary to substitute an Icom IC-7200.  There is NO support for the IRB Sound part of the software, so only SKYPE audio may be used.  Echolink receive also works as before. The SKYPE name for W0ZSW is “W0ZSW Remote Base”.  Only registered control operators with transmit privileges may use SKYPE audio.

W0EQO has returned to service.  Thanks to Bill, N0CIC, for rebooting the host computer!

W0ZSW is back on line with a new host computer running Windows 7 and an IC-7200.

IRB sound is no longer available as a sound option for transmit and receive. All sound is ported by Skype.  Since the IC-7200 is not directly supported in the W4MQ software, some functions on the interface are not available.  The basic functions of mode, frequency, and transmit/receive are available as usual.

Please hang up your Skype call when finished using the station.