![Station Picture](station.jpg)
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This is
the K6NR remote amateur radio station which I control over the
Internet.
As of fall 2020 it centers on an Elecraft K4, which replaced a K3
that had been in place since December 2008.
Earlier I used a Kenwood TS480SAT, and before
that dialup modems and a Kachine 505 transceiver.
The K4 is connected to an Elecraft KPA1500
amplifier.
A Lantronix terminal server is used to control 7 RS232
interfaces to:
- Elecraft K4
Transceiver (actually connected via USB and TCP/IP)
- N8LP LP-Remote
board to select receive antennas and control power to the amplifier
power supply, receive antenna pre-amp, telephone line relay and other
devices
- Green Heron rotator
controller (15m yagi on AB577 military mast)
- Green Heron rotator
controller / TX-455 tower (20 meter yagi, D3W dipole)
- Idiom Press
card / Yaesu controller / Rohn 25 tower
(10m yagi, A3 TriBander)
- Winkey CW keyer
- Array Solutions PowerMaster II
Digital Wattmeter
I had a slow Internet
connection in the past, so I usually
use a telephone line for the audio in and out (the
real-time, no latency feedback is also very helpful in knowing the
current state of the radio).
The phone line also provides backup control capability to shut down or
"power cycle" radio and network equipment even if the network is down (via
controllers from Computer
Peripheral Systems, Inc).
Our Internet connection got upgraded to fiber a few years back, so I also use
voice over IP via REMAUD software.
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Main tower: 55' US-Tower TX-455
crank-up, with a Force-12 EF-420 4 element 20 meter yagi at 60', and a
Cushcraft D3W
30/17/12 meter rotatable dipole at 65'.
The tower also supports a 80m/40m dipole, and the horizontal part of an
Inverted-L for 160 meters. pics
See my TX-455
project
page.
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![15m yagi Picture](15myagi-small.jpg)
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Second tower: A surplus AB-577 mast with a 5 element 15 meter
yagi at 45'.
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![Rohn 25](rohn-tower.jpg)
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Third tower: 38' of Rohn-25
and 10 foot mast with a 5 element 10 meter yagi at 48' and a
Cushcraft A3 tri-bander to provide a second antenna
on 20 through 10 meters. This is handy to quickly switch between two
directions while contesting.
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40 Meter 4 Square: Vertical
array
based on the Comtek ACB-40
controller. Each homebrew 33' telescoping aluminum vertical has
about 60 some-odd radials.
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![80m Vertical Picture](80mv48ft-small.jpg)
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80/160 Meter Vertical: 48'
high with 4 top-loading wires for 80 meters. In
parallel is a 130' "inverted L" wire for 160. There are 66 67' radials on the ground (and a few
130' radials). At the
base is a small relay box which will switch in a series capacitor to
tune the vertical for 80 meter SSB, or add in some loading for lower
resonance on 160 meters. An earlier 56' vertical did not survive the strong Phelan winds -
brother Malcolm put up a temporary
HF2V for me until I could build the current vertical.
For receiving I've crammed a double K9AY loop and two 300'
beverages on our 2.25 acre property. (Beverage feed point )
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