remote control for the ham radio station operate your station from anywhere don steinbach ae6pm
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Remote Control for the Ham Radio Station Operate your station from anywhere Don Steinbach AE6PM Santa Clara County Amateur Radio Association March 10, 2014. Why Remote?. Zoning restrictions Condo or Apartment living Unfriendly HOA or landlord Poor antenna location - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Remote Controlfor the
Ham Radio Station
Operate your station from anywhere
Don SteinbachAE6PM
Santa Clara County Amateur Radio AssociationMarch 10, 2014
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Why Remote?
• Zoning restrictions• Condo or Apartment living
– Unfriendly HOA or landlord• Poor antenna location
– Small lot, obstructions– High noise level
• Dual residency / Vacation home– Maintain local contacts/nets
• Convenience– Get equipment out of the house– Travel with minimum equipment
• Combine resources– Partner with others for “Super Station”
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My Motivation
• Desire to operate my SF Bay area station while on travel– Operate from Butte, Phoenix, Pacific Grove,
San Diego and ??• High noise level on 40-meters in Butte, MT
– Magnetic loop is very effective, but received signal levels are marginal
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Objectives
• Keep primary station equipment in Saratoga– Transmitter, receiver, power supplies, antennas
• Operate the primary station from any remote location– Laptop computer and headset
• Use the internet for communication between locations
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Literature Search
• Remote Operating for Amateur Radio (ARRL book)• VoIP: Internet Linking for Radio Amateurs (ARRL book)• Remote Radio Control Made Easy (QST Aug 2012)• Remote-Controlled HF Operation over the Internet (QST Nov
2001)• Remote Control of Accessories via the Internet (QST Apr 2013)• A Ham Radio Public Utility HF Station (QST Nov 2002)• K7RLD Remote Ham Operation (Internet)• Internet Remoting Toolkit (Internet W4MQ)• Tools & Techniques for Remote Operation (K6TU presentation)• How To: Wake on LAN/Wake on WAN (Internet
smallnetbuilder.com)
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Cost: Make or Buy
• Commercial off the Shelf (COTS)– Can be expensive
• RemoteRig ~ $490• Web-controlled power strip ~ $150
– Definitely consider internet operability if buying a new radio
• Build It Yourself– Low cost ~ $50– Implement with purchased and/or homebuilt
hardware– Simple circuits -- not difficult to design or build
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Design Requirements
• Needs– Ability to turn station power on and off remotely– Transceiver capable of computer control (CAT)– PC to control the transceiver– Ability to operate the PC remotely– Audio connection to/from the transceiver
• Wants– Ability to turn the PC on and off– Monitor station dc power, rf power, swr, etc– Ability to switch antennas
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Design Requirements
• Deferred/Don’t Care– CW Operation
• Has been done by others – requires some more research
• Possible latency issues– Antenna rotator control
• I don’t have a rotatable antenna– “Wake on LAN”
• My PC BIOS doesn’t support• Review of literature indicates this could be
another giant time sink
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Architecture
Complete Station PC and Headset
Software:Skype
Software:SkypeLogMeInHam Radio Deluxe
Audio
Control
Power Antennas
Audio
HOST CLIENT
Data
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Host (Station) Hardware
• Transceiver (Exists)• Power Supply (Exists)• PC (Exists/modify)• PC/Radio Audio IFU (Build)• DTMF Controller (Build or buy)• Telco Isolator (Build)• Remote Power Controller (Build)• Station Control Unit (Optional/Modify)• WaveNode™ (Optional/Buy)• Network TV Camera (Optional/Buy)• Answering Machine (Exists)
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Host (Station) Software
• PC Control– LogMeIn
• Transceiver Control– Ham Radio Deluxe
• Audio– Skype
• Station Monitoring– WaveNode
• Antenna Switching– WaveNode
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PC/Radio Audio IFU
Provides DC isolation and level adjustment for audio channels between transceiver and PC
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PC/Radio Audio IFU
..
..
tipr ing
s hell
.. tipr ing
s hell
..
..
....
..
..
tipr ing
s hell
T2
Tx L e vel
Rx L evel
T1 C1
C2
R1
R2J3
J1 J2
P C M IC
P C L INE7
8
DA T A I/O
J1 -J3 1 /8" s tereo jack
FT-84 7
RIG M IC
J4 8 -pin (m ) m ic co ne c torR1 ,R 2 10 k A B T ype WR3 4 7 0K
C1 ,C 2 T1 ,T2 M id com 6 7 1-93 7 3 6 00 :60 0E nc lo sure R ad io S h ack 27 0 -1 89 3
P C
R3
Audio from radio
Audio to radio
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PC (EeePC)
Added connections for controlling power switching
Found a schematic on the Internet.
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DTMF Controller (Decoder)
Decodes DTMF tones from telephone line and provides 16 independent logic-level outputs
DCI2 kit from Ramsey
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Telco Isolator
Provides AC and DC isolation from the telephone line
Added to resolve polarity issue with DTMF Controller connection
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Telco Isolator
..
..
RIN G
TIP
To D T M F C on tro lle r
C1 T1
C1 2 uF 30 0V m y larT1 M idcom 67 1-9 37 2 6 00 :60 0
(G rn )
(R e d)
Te lep ho n e L ine
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Remote Power Controller
Provides opto-isolated switch closure to PC for power control and relay drive for AC power switching
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..
..
..
9
11
20
18
1
2
3
4
5
6
..
5
3
19
7
+..
....
..
..
..
..
A C P o w er S trip+ 5V
+ 5V
OF F
..
..
Re d
E ee P C
ON
+ 9V
(M od if ied )
+ 9V
+ 9V
..
+ 5V
..
Gn d
Y el
2.93 V O.C .
# 4 *
# 6 *
# 7 *
W ht
Y el
Orn
Grn
B lu
B rn
Gn dB lk
W as D *Re d
* 74 H C1 54 Ou tpu t
7 9
# 5 *
2,9
6
Re set
Th re sho ld
Tr igg er
Disch arge
V +Ou tpu t
Co ntrol
12
..
..
..
+ 5V
1 0 K
+ 5S W
+ 5S W
13
8
+ 5S W
IC 1 B
IC 4
K 2
IC 3
IC 1 A IC 2 A
IC 2 B
K 1
1 N 4 7 3 3
1 N 4 0 0 6
1 0 K
31 0 K
1 0 K
DC
12
DT
MF
Co
ntr
olle
r
2 2 0
1 0 K
+ 5V (Re gu la ted )
N.C .
10
5
1
4,73,8
# 8 *
IC 4 : 5 5 5 T im er
IC 3 : 4 N 27
IC 1 : 7 4 04IC 2 : U L N 28 03K 1: A ro m a t TQ 2E -L2 -1 2 vK 2: Tyco P C LH = 2 02 D 1S
Remote Power Controller
+ 9V (Un re g )
2
1 0 K
1 0 M1 2 0
7
6
4
5
1
11
1014
2 17
1812
.0 11 /3 5
+
10
1
AC Power Control
PC Power Control
Power Control Timer
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Remote Power Controller
..
..
..
9
11
20
18
1
2
3
4
5
6
..
5
3
19
7
+..
....
..
..
..
..
A C P o w er S trip+ 5V
+ 5V
OF F
..
..
Re d
E ee P C
ON
+ 9V
(M od if ied )
+ 9V
+ 9V
..
+ 5V
..
Gn d
Y el
2.93 V O.C .
# 4 *
# 6 *
# 7 *
W ht
Y el
Orn
Grn
B lu
B rn
Gn dB lk
W as D *Re d
* 74 H C1 54 Ou tpu t
7 9
# 5 *
2,9
6
Re set
Th re sho ld
Tr igg er
Disch arge
V +Ou tpu t
Co ntrol
12
..
..
..
+ 5V
1 0 K
+ 5S W
+ 5S W
13
8
+ 5S W
IC 1 B
IC 4
K 2
IC 3
IC 1 A IC 2 A
IC 2 B
K 1
1 N 4 7 3 3
1 N 4 0 0 6
1 0 K
31 0 K
1 0 K
DC
12
DT
MF
Co
ntr
olle
r
2 2 0
1 0 K
+ 5V (Re gu la ted )
N.C .
10
5
1
4,73,8
# 8 *
IC 4 : 5 5 5 T im er
IC 3 : 4 N 27
IC 1 : 7 4 04IC 2 : U L N 28 03K 1: A ro m a t TQ 2E -L2 -1 2 vK 2: Tyco P C LH = 2 02 D 1S
Remote Power Controller
+ 9V (Un re g )
2
1 0 K
1 0 M1 2 0
7
6
4
5
1
11
1014
2 17
1812
.0 11 /3 5
+
10
1
AC Power Control
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Remote Power Controller
..
..
..
9
11
20
18
1
2
3
4
5
6
..
5
3
19
7
+..
....
..
..
..
..
A C P o w er S trip+ 5V
+ 5V
OF F
..
..
Re d
E ee P C
ON
+ 9V
(M od if ied )
+ 9V
+ 9V
..
+ 5V
..
Gn d
Y el
2.93 V O.C .
# 4 *
# 6 *
# 7 *
W ht
Y el
Orn
Grn
B lu
B rn
Gn dB lk
W as D *Re d
* 74 H C1 54 Ou tpu t
7 9
# 5 *
2,9
6
Re set
Th re sho ld
Tr igg er
Disch arge
V +Ou tpu t
Co ntrol
12
..
..
..
+ 5V
1 0 K
+ 5S W
+ 5S W
13
8
+ 5S W
IC 1 B
IC 4
K 2
IC 3
IC 1 A IC 2 A
IC 2 B
K 1
1 N 4 7 3 3
1 N 4 0 0 6
1 0 K
31 0 K
1 0 KD
C1
2 D
TM
F C
on
tro
ller
2 2 0
1 0 K
+ 5V (Re gu la ted )
N.C .
10
5
1
4,73,8
# 8 *
IC 4 : 5 5 5 T im er
IC 3 : 4 N 27
IC 1 : 7 4 04IC 2 : U L N 28 03K 1: A ro m a t TQ 2E -L2 -1 2 vK 2: Tyco P C LH = 2 02 D 1S
Remote Power Controller
+ 9V (Un re g )
2
1 0 K
1 0 M1 2 0
7
6
4
5
1
11
1014
2 17
1812
.0 11 /3 5
+
10
1
PC Power Control
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Remote Power Controller
..
..
..
9
11
20
18
1
2
3
4
5
6
..
5
3
19
7
+..
....
..
..
..
..
A C P o w er S trip+ 5V
+ 5V
OF F
..
..
Re d
E ee P C
ON
+ 9V
(M od if ied )
+ 9V
+ 9V
..
+ 5V
..
Gn d
Y el
2.93 V O.C .
# 4 *
# 6 *
# 7 *
W ht
Y el
Orn
Grn
B lu
B rn
Gn dB lk
W as D *Re d
* 74 H C1 54 Ou tpu t
7 9
# 5 *
2,9
6
Re set
Th re sho ld
Tr igg er
Disch arge
V +Ou tpu t
Co ntrol
12
..
..
..
+ 5V
1 0 K
+ 5S W
+ 5S W
13
8
+ 5S W
IC 1 B
IC 4
K 2
IC 3
IC 1 A IC 2 A
IC 2 B
K 1
1 N 4 7 3 3
1 N 4 0 0 6
1 0 K
31 0 K
1 0 K
DC
12
DT
MF
Co
ntr
olle
r
2 2 0
1 0 K
+ 5V (Re gu la ted )
N.C .
10
5
1
4,73,8
# 8 *
IC 4 : 5 5 5 T im er
IC 3 : 4 N 27
IC 1 : 7 4 04IC 2 : U L N 28 03K 1: A ro m a t TQ 2E -L2 -1 2 vK 2: Tyco P C LH = 2 02 D 1S
Remote Power Controller
+ 9V (Un re g )
2
1 0 K
1 0 M1 2 0
7
6
4
5
1
11
1014
2 17
1812
.0 11 /3 5
+
10
1
Power Control Timer
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Station Control Unit
Provides for antenna switching among other things
Power supply board provides ±24V for existing remote antenna switch.Relay board is a kit from qkits.com.
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Station Control Unit
tip
2
3
1
A NT E N NA
+ 24
-2 4+ 24
-2 4
18 va cC1
C2
D1
D2
To R e m o te A nte nn a S w itchDC C ou p ler
UL N 20 03
2 3 4 5
QK 7 4 R E L A Y B O A R D
R ela y 1R ela y 2
R ela y 1
R ela y 2
R ela y 3
Logic Ou t 1
Logic Ou t 2
Logic Ou t 3
Logic Ou t 4
W aveN o de
C1 , C 2 2 2 0 u F 50 VD1 , D 2 1 N 40 0 3
+ 12
R ela y 4
W htGrnBlkR ed
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Host System Interconnect Diagram
TelcoIsolator
TelephoneLine
PowerModule
DC PowerSupply
WaveNode
PC/RadioAudio IFU
PC Mic
PC Line
On/off
PowerSensor
AC HousePower
StationControl
PowerModule
DCCoupler
2 31Dummy Load
RemoteAntennaSwitch
PowerModule
74HC154
DTMFController(DCI2)
TTL
+9 Vdc
+5 Vdc
Data I/O
Rig Mic
OptoIsolator
RemotePowerController
Remote Control Interconnect DiagramAE6PM 6/3/2013Revised 3/2/2014
Switched AC power on/off
FT-847 Transceiver
AnsweringMachine
USB/SER
HF Ant
Relay
Always on
Switched
PowerStrip
WirelessLAN
Spkr
Mic
USB
USB
Remote control interconnect.tcw
EeePC 1000Computer
WirelessRouter
TV Camera
CableModem
Internet
Port 8091
Built ormodified
CAT
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Host System Interconnect DiagramTelcoIsolator
TelephoneLine
PowerModule
DC PowerSupply
WaveNode
On/off
AC HousePower
StationControl
PowerModule
PowerModule
74HC154
DTMFController(DCI2)
TTL
+9 Vdc
+5 VdcOptoIsolator
RemotePowerController
Switched AC power on/off
AnsweringMachine
USB/SER
Relay
Always on
Switched
PowerStrip
WirelessLAN
Spkr
Mic
USB
USB
EeePC 1000Computer
WirelessRouter
TV Camera
CableModem
Internet
Port 8091
CAT
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Host System Interconnect Diagram
DC PowerSupply
WaveNode
PC/RadioAudio IFU
PC Mic
PC Line
PowerSensor
StationControl
PowerModule
DCCoupler
2 31Dummy Load
RemoteAntennaSwitch
Data I/O
Rig Mic
Remote Control Interconnect DiagramAE6PM 6/3/2013Revised 3/2/2014
FT-847 Transceiver
USB/SER
HF Ant
Spkr
Mic
USB
USB
Remote control interconnect.tcw
Built ormodified
CAT
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WaveNode™
Displays RF power, SWR, DC voltage and current plus several diagnostic displays. From WaveNode in Campbell, CA.
WaveNode WN-2(d)
Sensors connect to the box.Box connects to the PC via USB port.
I use the Logic Outputs to change antennas.
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TV Camera (Webcam)
Airsight XC36A handy for looking around the station and for troubleshooting PC problems
I purchased two of these. The first died in a few days – the second is still working.
Access directly from the internet. E.g., http://192.168.0.106:8092
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TV Picture
Screen shot of the network TV camera operating
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Issues & Answers
• Ham Radio Deluxe is no longer free– Last free version (5.24.38) works fine– TRX Manager might be an option (QST Feb 2006 p 62)
• LogMeIn is no longer free ($98/yr)– Consider GoToMyPC ($9.95/mo/PC)– Consider TightVNC (free)– Consider RealVNC ($30?)– Consider NetMeeting (Caution – See QST Nov 2002)– Consider Windows Remote Desktop (May require OS
upgrade)– Try HRD in Server mode?
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Issues & Answers
NortonSkype
•Host PC waiting for keyboard input was a major pain in the beginning
–Skype, Norton, Microsoft
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Issues & Answers
• Automatic updates need to be turned off– Microsoft and Antivirus (e.g. Norton)
• Sleep and Hibernation must be set to NEVER– Can’t connect to a PC that’s asleep or hibernating
• ISP fiddling around can knock cable modem offline– Keep their phone number handy (1-800-945-2288)
• ISP fiddling around can knock range extender offline (?)– Leave a key with someone (power cycle to restore)
• ISP changing WAN address disrupts TV camera– Use www.whatsmyip.com from host PC to find new address
• Need better protection from in-house phone dialing– Add “combination lock” to enable DTMF Decoder
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Operation
STARTUP• Start client computer (VGN-FS940)• Launch Skype on client computer• Call host telephone number
– Send DTMF 5 then 6 to power-up host computer– Not required if host computer was left in standby
• Launch LogMeIn on client computer– [email protected]/remoteops/mp6ea0491
• Call host telephone number– Send DTMF 5 then 7 to turn on host switched ac power
• Launch WaveNode on host computer• Launch Ham Radio Deluxe on host computer
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Operation
SHUTDOWN• Close HRD on host computer• Close WaveNode on host computer• Call host telephone number
– Send DTMF 5 then 8 to turn off host switched ac power• Close Skype on client computer• Select Start/Shutdown/Standby on host computer
– Leaves host computer in standby mode• Immediately disconnect LogMeIn on host computer
– So that program is not running when host computer tries to shut down
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Operation