[CQ-Contest] SO2R with Automatic Switching

[Bill Hider]

HI Bob,

Today, I've updated my website with photos & technical descriptions of my SO2R implementation that I briefly describe below.
Go to: http://users.erols.com/n3rr/

My SO2R station uses band switching & bandpass filtering equipment that will work with Yaseu.  This year I upgraded my station to SO2R, but I have been running automatic band and antenna switching with my ICOM gear since 1990 as SO1R and SO2V.

Now as SO2R, I use ICOM gear with two IC-7800s and two PW-1 amplifiers.  I switch antennas in SO2R mode (CW & SSB) with the following  switching system and bandpass filtering that may also be used directly (stock) with ICOM, Yaseu, Elcraft K3 and others, per the manufacturer's operating manuals:

Array Solutions Bandpasser (model AS-419)  (qty 2) 
Array Solutions 6-PAK (qty 1)
Top Ten Devices "Band Aide" band decoder (qty 2)
Top Ten Devices DX Doubler SO2R controller (qty 1)

My logging program is N1MM Logger. I've been using N1MM Logger since October, 2011 and it is my choice for my contest logging and SO2R station control for contesting.

73,

Bill, N3RR








-----Original Message-----
From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bob Shohet, KQ2M
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 4:07 PM
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [CQ-Contest] SO2R with Automatic Switching

Hi,

I am using two FT1000MPs for SO2R and would like to use the band output from the radios to automatically electronically switch all antennas, amps and filters every time I change bands rather than the tiring/inefficient manual switching by hand that I have been using for the past 26 years.

I would appreciate hearing from SO2R ops what amps, antenna switches, boxes and /or other devices that they use to accomplish this fully automatic switching which would be necessary on both phone and cw.  Also, if there is a particular contest logging program that you have found to be especially useful and well-integrated with all of this switching, please tell me as well.

Reliability and durability are of paramount importance to me as I do not want failures occurring due to RF, cheap components and/or questionable or short-sighted design issues.

I would appreciate any thoughts and experiences with products, vendors and station design either on or off the reflector.

Thanks in advance for your help.

73


Bob KQ2M

kq2m at kq2m.com
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