> I have eight remote ports available to me... does the TopTen LPT output
> control mode (in the logging program DX4WIN) have the ability to select
> among all eight ports? Or only a subset of them? (Note that the TopTen
> switch does not have eight ports.)
Steve,
I could be totally wrong, but I just took a look at Dunestar's web site and
I didn't see anything that would lead me to believe that this product can be
connected to an LPT port or is compatible with the TopTen decoder output. Is
that mentioned specifically in the instruction manual?
Just judging from the information on the Dunestar website, it looks to me
like the control box uses a diode matrix to send one of eight signals down a
6-wire cable. The relay box then has a similar matrix that decodes this
information into one of eight relay signals. It also looks like the relay
box uses positive voltage switching. Unless there are features of the
control box not described in the text or shown in the photo, both of these
arrangements are not compatible with being driven directly by an LPT port or
being driven by a TopTen decoder box which is in turn connected to an LPT
port or ICOM rig. You could use one of the TopTen decoders instead if the
control box, but since the TopTen grounds each relay line instead of sending
a positive voltage signal, an external transitor array and diode matrix
would be required to run the eight-port box (not terribly hard to build,
though.) Again, maybe I'm wrong about this and there's a whole more to the
808 than is shown on the web page.
If it's of any help, here's a description of how the ToPTen system works.
The TopTen automatic antenna switching setup consists of two devices: a Band
Decoder interface and a remote coax switch containing the six antenna
relays. There are two models of the Band Decoder, one for Icom and one for
Yaesu/LPT. The rig or LPT port sends band data to the Decoder, which
activates the appropriate relay line to the remote coax switch.
The TopTen Decoder model made to be driven by a Yaesu or LPT port accepts
the band information as a 4-bit BCD (Binary Coded Decimal) number. The
number is converted to 1-of-9 relay outputs corresponding to the 9 HF bands.
So, even though the TopTen remote switch only supports 6 relays, the decoder
can handle up to 9. Lines can be paralleled with diodes to handle multiple
bands on one antenna (for example, you can connect each of the outputs for
20M, 15M and 10M to the cathode end of a small signal diode, then tie all
three anodes together and attach that end to the antenna relay for a
tribander.)
The connection between the Decoder and rig/LPT consists of four data wires
and a ground, which carry the BCD signal. When connected to an LPT port, the
data wires are connected to pins 2, 7, 8 and 9. When the computer program in
control (e.g., DX4WIN, NA, etc.) wishes to change bands, it simply convertes
the frequency to the appropriate band number and raises the corresponding
data lines on the LPT port. Support for specific antennas for subbands is
possible, but would be entirely a function of the control software (I know
NA doesn't have that feature, but don't know about DX4WIN.)
Hope this helps.
73, Dick, WC1M
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