[TowerTalk] Coax and control lines in same PVC(SteveJones)-Option

[Patrick Greenlee]

Jim, Thanks for your input. I have also received some very helpful PM's on 
this.  I'm not really going to be dong anything complex.  Mostly each tower 
and each "other antenna" will need a two position coax switch to either 
connect an antenna to the distribution coax or not.  I don't envision having 
more than one active antenna on this system at a time.  Each coax switch 
either connects the "main line" to an antenna or passes the signal on down 
the line where one of the other switches can be energized to connect its 
antenna to the main line.  This is a distributed system and doesn't use a 
multi switch in one box approach.  I do have a 1 in 5 out remote switch in a 
metal barn with a vertical on the roof and a 270 ft Carolina Windom off one 
end.  The third position to be used on this 1 in 5 out switch will be to 
feed the "main line" going to my three towers as well as the 
dipoles/inverted V's etc supported by those towers.

The 1 in 5 out coax switch is already operational.  What I need is a way to 
energize any one of many coax switches along the "main line", a sort of 
single pole multi-throw switch, realized by other than hard wired means.  I 
think Green Heron may be the answer but I'm not in a "rush to judgment." I 
want to take my time in choosing the way ahead. I find that what you do in 
haste you may regret at your leisure.

Patrick AF5CK



-----Original Message----- 
From: Jim Lux
Sent: Monday, June 17, 2013 11:41 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Coax and control lines in same 
PVC(SteveJones)-Option

On 6/17/13 1:01 PM, Patrick Greenlee wrote:
> I don't have a dog in this fight, yet, but almost.  What about towers
> 200 ft away from the shack or 300 or more. I am in the  S L O W
> process of putting up three towers and they will be daisy chained for
> some semblance of efficiency in cabling rather than a star or other
> control line and coax gobbling pattern.  This puts the last tower in
> line the farthest away from the shack and at least 200 ft straight line
> (I'm still trenching for the coax run to the first tower and working on
> the excavation and rebar cage for one of the towers.  Just how practical
> would it be to replace control lines with RF links?
>
> I will have to trench to all the towers installing conduit for the coax
> and running another conduit with AC power for electric winches, lights,
> and convenience outlets so the trade off study will be hard wire to
> everything for control vs remote control.  I will have remote coax
> relays at each tower that need to be switched as well as rotor cables.
>
> So, I'm open to information regarding feasibility of radio remote
> control vs hardwire control. Casual conjecture or vague refs to Google
> are not productive. Anyone out there have actual experience they'd care
> to share?
>


What kind of switching complexity are you looking at?

You can get a serial interface 8 channel relay board from Velleman for
$50, and it would lend itself to something like a current loop interface
needing only two wires.

Running 110V out to the towers as a separate branch circuit, and local
power supplies is a pretty effective way to do stuff. 12 and 24V power
supplies are very cheap.

If you want a bit more sophisticated, something like an Arduino with a
relay board would be in the <$100 range, and could give you a lot of
sophistication.

WiFi can easily go hundreds of feet with directional antennas, and you
can arrange the system so it is "lightning proof" for all intents and
purposes.


>

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