[CQ-Contest] Multi Op and SO2R Station Configuration

[Richard L. King]

Hi Kevin.

I have worked with this problem here at K5NA for years. I call it 
"exploding" the station (to multi-op) and "imploding" the station (to 
SO2R). This is a task that would usually take me a couple of days to complete.

Unless you can afford to have six SO2R stations, there is the problem 
that you will have to take one of the radios off the SO2R device and 
put it on a separate controlling device for computer keying and radio 
control. That is the hardest part and I don't know how you might put 
hardware in place to make both configurations easily applied.

  The troublesome part of changing the station from SO2R to multi 
that I have managed to overcome is the movement of coax cables 
between stations. I bought the 4x8 antenna switch box from Array 
Solutions along with cables and band pass filters for the K3s. All 
the switching is driven from the K3s output and never needs to be 
moved around. So no additional antenna control is needed to convert 
the two K3s used for SO2R to multi-op usage. The radios select 
antennas first-come, first-served and the antenna is locked out for 
the other stations.

We now we have four stations always set up and I do not have to drag 
coax around to get any station to any antenna. Since Susan (K5DU) and 
I both operate a lot, this has made our antenna switching life a LOT easier.

Good luck. I would be anxious to see a summary of the responses you get.

73, Richard - K5NA


At 11:39 5/5/2013, you wrote:
>My dad, K5GO, and I are discussing ways to make our contest station 
>layout more efficient.  One of the primary goals is to switch our 
>station from multi operator to single operator with two radios 
>without having to touch a cable behind the rigs.  Our SO2R position 
>is also the same position as one of our multi positions with two 
>radios in place.  Can anyone share how you convert your setup from 
>multi operator to SO2R?  I would like to have the hardware used for 
>SO2R capability already integrated into our multi op setup.
>
>Thanks and 73,
>Kevin, N5DX
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