Ian, check out
http://www.controlanything.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=NCD&Product_Code=R165W1LR
It is a 16-channel wireless relay board with relays. It uses 418 mHz and
has more than enough range. You connect the transmitter to a serial port
and send commands from your computer. You can expand by adding more
boards if you need them, and can get boards with various styles and size
relays.
They only offer simple DOS command line software to control it, but they
do offer ActiveX plugins and I am expanding my relay control software
apps to support their boards in conjunction with a remote control
article I have written that will appear in the September issue of QST.
I am also thinking about a hardware controller based on a PIC, but the
software conrtroller is much more flexible.
Check out my website for more info on the software.
73,
Larry N8LP
www.telepostinc.com
Ian White G/GM3SEK wrote:
>I'm starting to lay out a new HF/VHF home station on a 1-acre site...
>and can already see the numbers of 200-500ft control cables expanding
>out-of-sight.
>
>Obviously there is a basic minimum of links that have to be hard-wired:
>RF signal lines, AC/DC power rails and ground bonding. But there seems
>no reason why a lot of the simple control wires (eg antenna select and
>direction switching) couldn't be converted into radio links.
>
>What I had in mind is a pair of radio modems that provide "virtual
>wires". So each modem would have a big array of terminal strips -
>whatever goes into one terminal strip, comes out the other. (Obviously
>there has to be a power and some jumpering at the remote end, but you
>see the basic idea.)
>
>Does such a product exist? I've only seen units providing say 4 relay
>closures, which are far too few. This application really needs a minimum
>of 16 "virtual wires", with capability to add further blocks.
>
>
>
>
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather
Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions
and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
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