[CQ-Contest] so2r off the shelf?

[Rick Tavan]

I'm also an SO2R beginner. I took it up mainly so I could write upbeat, encouraging columns about the experience for the NCCC newsletter. So if you get responses from the Great Ones, listen to them more carefully. FWIW, here's what I got and am pretty happy with (in order of your questions):

1. Top Ten Devices DX Doubler - well thought out, simple to use. Just plug in the rigs, the
    paddel, an (optional) external keyer, the computer, the phones and the mic.
    Includes an optional cable for the 1000MP which is OK although the connectors
    and stiff cables stick out awkwardly from the radio. Good review of this box in NCJ
    recently by N0AX I believe.

    Note that if you want to put an external DVK between the mic and the DXD you will
    need to make up a cable with a male mic connector. Rare. I'm doing it this way but some of
    the logging programs allegedly do well with sound cards in the computer and that would
    be a simpler hook-up.

2. WX0B Array Solutions Six Pack two radio antenna switch does exactly what you want.

3. I got a pair of Dunestar 600 BPFs. One is driven by a Top Ten  Band Decoder for the 1000MP. (You will need one decoder for each MP). My second radio is a 930 so I have to use a manual switch for its filter. I got the decoder with two sets of outputs so I can, in theory, drive the MP half of the Six Pack automatically. Haven't hooked that up yet but I'm confident it can be made to work. You have to  build up a little diode matrix if any one feedline serves more than one band. If you have multiple antennas for some bands, you may prefer not to automate antenna switching.

You absolutely, positively want to use a single computer to drive this stuff for SO2R. Don't even think about two. Programs like trlog understand you are SO2R and do a lot of the headstanding for you. The DX Doubler has a cable to the (single) computer that eliminates lots of custom cabling in and out of your computer's parallel port. You don't want to worry about two keyboards and don't have to with this setup. OTOH, if you want to do M/S you will have to have two computers and network them. I've seen this done but never set it up myself.

The main alternative to all this stuff seems to be the Array Solutions SO2R Master. I found several excellent contesters using each box. SO2R Master has most of the connections on a box with no controls so it can be out of the way behind the rigs. But the switch box takes up desk space. But it has nice switches. The DX Doubler fits nicely under my rigs which sit on a shelf supported by 2x4's. If you keep your rigs at table level, this may be a problem. I chose DX Doubler because I understood the switch labels and N6RO recommended it. But K5RC recommended SO2R Master. Study the ergonomics and pick one.

If you have a second-radio antenna that is far away from the primary radio, consider skipping the BPFs. Mine are quite unnecessary when I have Rig 1 on the tribander and Rig 2 on the vertical 300' away. OTOH, when Rig 2 is on the 40m rotary dipole on the same boom as the tribander, the BPFs are the only thing that keeps the 20m receiver from turning to toast.

I have one RFI problem with this setup - the TTD band decoder gets funny when I transmit on 10m so I have to switch in the 10m filter manually. Even with the DXD you end up with quite a rat's nest of cables so I advise you to be more careful with cable construction, grounding and connections.

It has been much more fun integrating all this stuff than actually operating SO2R. That's hard!  ;-)

73,

Rick N6XI


David Robbins wrote:

> I hate to reinvent the wheel, don't have a lot of time to homebrew or
> put together kits, and don't know much about operating so2r besides what
> I have seen from a few guest operators.  But I am ready to buy the stuff
> needed to make a better so2r setup option on my m/m station.  I am
> looking to buy as much as possible, preferably including cables already
> made up.
>
> The equipment would be:
> 2x ft-1000mp
> heil proset headset
> ct or na logging software
> dvp board for voice keying
> aea morsemachine or other external keyer(s)
> each band has its own coax coming in to the table
>
> What I am looking for are suggestions for 2 or 3 things:
> 1. a headset/keyer/mic/dvp switch with cables
> 2. a 6 antenna to 2 radio antenna switch with band decoder for each
> radio and control cables.
> 3. a 6 band 2 radio bandpass filter switch for between the radios and
> amps, or possibly two separate switched bandpass filters with cables and
> decoder.
>
> Could one decoder run both the antenna switch and bandpass filter
> switch?
>
> What is available off the shelf to do this?
>
> What are the pro's and con's of different models that are available, if
> there are choices?
>
> Is it better to run 1 computer or 2??  Why??
>
> David Robbins K1TTT
> e-mail: mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net
> web: http://www.k1ttt.net
> AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://dxc.k1ttt.net
>
>
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--

Richard M. Tavan
TIBCO Software Inc.
3165 Porter Drive
Palo Alto, CA  94304-1213

tavan at tibco.com
n6xi at arrl.net
650-846-5214 Office
408-896-0476 Cell