Consider adding a local phone and a touchtone decoder to do some basic functions, on off, resets, and etc. More reliable than the internet and it makes the station "legal" having a secondary means of control.
Bob, K4TAX Sent from my iPhone > On May 14, 2019, at 9:22 AM, Barry Baines via Elecraft > <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> wrote: > > Ken: > > > >> On May 13, 2019, at 10:48 PM, Kenneth P Alexander <ve3...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> I'm considering buying a KX2 for remote operation; CW and digital. The >> radio will be set up in VE3. I am retired and living in Thailand. I can't >> get a Thai license because Canada and Thailand do not have a reciprocal >> licensing agreement. >> >> I'm planning on using Win4K3Suite to control the rig and will have the >> power supply and remote computer on a UPS. That said, I'm sure there will >> be occasions when I will have to shut down and re-start the KX2, but this >> seems to be impossible because the 2-button on/off switching can't be done >> remotely. > > Something to seriously consider is the robustness of the remote connection, > Given that you’ll be depending upon internet that spans the globe, the ham > site will be remote and presumably not occupied for the majority of the year, > and where a software failure or PC hiccup can destroy your ability to > operate, please think about establishing a system that can be managed. I’m > also struck that given all of the effort to put a remote ham site in service, > you’re thinking of a (very good) QRP transceiver where QRP adds to the > complexity of making actual contacts. > > I operate remotely 85% of the time where my station is in SE Georgia and I’m > in Texas or New England. When something goes wrong at the ham site, it will > be typically be 5-6 weeks before I’ll be back at the site. In your case, I > suspect that you will not be able to visit your ham site as frequently. If > your ‘host’ is not a ham, it may be difficult for that individual to help > resolve any problems if he/she is not familiar with your equipment. > > So here are some suggestions/comments for your consideration: > > 1. Use a transceiver that allows for remote power on/off as a feature. > > 2. Avoid having to depend upon a PC at the remote site. PCs can have > hardware failures. PCs can fail to reboot. A UPS may help mitigate power > surges and short time power loss, but if the site is remote what are the > chances of extended power outage? True, PCs can be configured for ‘boot on > power-up’ but what if the PC fails to reboot due to loss of power or while > doing a Windows update (which Microsoft continues to make it more difficult > to prevent from happening)? If you’re depending upon a PC at the remote site > to make things work, you’re also creating a single point failure. > > Do I use a PC in the shack? Yes, but it is not controlling critical systems > so that if the PC is offline I can still operate. I can control it remotely > with VNC Viewer. > > 3. What level of internet is available at the remote site? If it is > relatively slow DSL (in Georgia I had to initially contend with 6 Mbps > downlink/768 Kbps uplink until two years ago), you’ll need to use something > that takes relatively little bandwidth to control the radio and feed audio > both directions. Given the distances between Thailand and Canada, you may > also have to contend with internet latency. > > 4. Will you need to control other devices such as an amplifier or rotor? If > so, look for devices that provide a web-based interface so that you can avoid > a PC in the shack and simply use a browser on the PC, tablet or smartphone > in Thailand. > > 5. Think about remote access. Will you need to be able to remotely configure > and/or activate/deactivate your equipment from Thailand? > > 6. Presumably you will be traveling to Canada to install your remote site. Be > prepared to spend a considerable amount of time necessary to not only do the > install but to extensively test your system through a remote connection > including ‘disaster recovery.’ You don’t want to end up back in Thailand and > then realize that a connection was missed, something did not reboot/come back > online, something was wired backwards, etc. > > > So with these considerations in mind, here is what I use for my remote > station that meets the above criteria. I am not suggesting that my > ’solution’ is necessarily applicable to your situation or budget. Rather, I’m > suggesting that taking the time to think through what it will take to > establish a reliable remote system that meets your needs is critical to your > enjoyment and that selecting the transceiver is but the first step in > designing your system. > > > A. The transceiver at the ham shack is a K3. This transceiver is designed > for remote operation. I use the K3/IO-mini which mimics the front panel of > the K3. I use the Remote Rig RRC-1258MKII "pair” for interfacing the two > devices with one unit at the ham shack connected to the K3 and the other unit > connected to the K3/IO-mini where I am. The beauty of this approach is that > 1) I have complete control of the K3 operating it as a K3, 2) I can turn > on/off the K3 with no problems, and 3) There are a variety of built-in audio > Codecs within the remote rig available that allow you to select one based > upon the quality of the internet connection. With only 768Kbps upload at the > shack, I had no problems with audio quality while controlling the K3 as the > remote site was uploading to the internet from other devices for other > purposes simultaneously. > > B. The Remote Rig RC-1216H provides a web interface capable of controlling a > variety of amplifiers and rotor controllers. I have one to control my KPA500 > and one to control a Green Heron rotor. > > C. I use a Digital Loggers Web Power Switch Pro to remotely turn on/off AC > devices. The system can be configured for each AC port (there are 8) to > power off, a timer can be configured for a desired interval, and then > automatically turn power back on. This allows me to reset my DSL modem, my > router, the radio’s power supply, and other devices as needed. Again, > equipment can ‘hiccup’ so being able to restart something as needed is very > handy. The Web Pro Power Switch can also be configured to determine if an > internet connection is lost and if so, power cycle the modem and router. > > D. For devices that use 12 VDC, I use a West Mountain Radio R4005i that > allows web access to control five ports. This allows me to remotely turn > on/off preamps, other radios, etc. > > E. I setup DDNS and port forwarding within the router at the remote site to > be able to access the Remote Rig setup, Digital Logger and other devices. > This allows easy connection to access everything in the shack from anywhere. > Each device has its own UDP/TCP port identifier so that using a browser makes > it possible to access individual devices. > > F. I will also note that I have a KAT500 tuner which does require a PC > connection to be able to control remotely. However, I installed a Lantronics > Serial-to-Ethernet converter that allows a PC where I am to access the KAT500 > directly without having to use the PC in the shack. Hopefully, Remote Rig > will someday modify the RC-1216H to be able to control the KAT500 through a > web interface. > > My system has also evolved considerably since 2014 when I purchased my > K3/KPA500/KAT500 I’ve added web-based devices to control my system. I > added the Digital Loggers device and the Lantronics serial interface. I > added an Antenna Genius that can be remotely accessed as well as configured > for automatic band changes. I also use a Flex given that SmartLink 2.x was > introduced in 2017 that made it possible to remotely connect to my Flex-6700 > through SmartSDR, SmartSDR for iOS, DogParkSDR, and Maestro without a PC in > the shack and my DSL in Georgia now has 2 Mpbs upload speed that can support > the wider bandwidth requirements of Flex products. > > Bottom line is that it takes a considerable amount of time and effort (and > money) to install a robust and reliable remote site. Reliability and ability > to manage your equipment remotely are critical for sustained performance. If > the system is offline and can’t be put back into service within a ‘reasonable > period’ (whatever that means to you), then you’ve gained nothing. Remote > operation allows me to operate HF anytime as there are restrictions to > installing such a system where I am in Texas and New England. Given the > benefits that it has provided me, I believe it has been worth the investment > in dollars and sweat equity. > > > FWIW, > > Barry Baines, WD4ASW > Keller, TX > (Currently in Boston, MA) > > > > > > > > > >> >> Is it possible to "hotwire" the KX2 so it's ON all the time? Then I could >> re-start it remotely by putting the 12V supply on a USB controlled relay. >> I'll be living 12 time zones away and need this to be very reliable. The >> setup will be in a friend's summer cottage and he's only there a few times >> a year. >> >> Many thanks in advance. >> >> Ken Alexander (VE3HLS) >> So Phisai, Thailand >> Blog: bueng-ken.com >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
