Genius 8x2 Incredible Remote Coax Switch
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- Опубліковано 24 жов 2023
- I have JUST plugged this in and so far it exceeds my expectation. Works with any radio although deep inside the guts, Flex is supported heavily as well as Yaesu and Icom. But any radio will work with this. You just need an ethernet connection between your shack and this box (and a 12V supply) to your shack bulkhead. In my case, it's going out in the field in a professional electrical metal box. I will show you that video at a later date - this is my initial findings. Enjoy! Callum.
The device is here: 4o3a.com/antenna-genius-8x2
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You've got it all , all the bells & whistles .
They should’ve done POE and it would be a lot cleaner / easier
We're right on the limit in terms of current and voltage I think.. I remember a while back we built a HUGE band pass filter with tons of relays etc and we had to run the voltage right up to get the current to slam the relays.
Depending on the generation of PoE you can easily provide up to 100 Watts of power and voltages around 50V. That should be more than enough to power two relays and some microcontroller..
ALL GUYS LIKE A QUICKIE 🎃 then a tea ☕️morning to you Mr. C.
Really Cool piece of kit!!!! Working on a remote station setup for our club. We looked very hard at the Antenna genius product. It is rock solid, but we need a few more inputs (5) and 12 outputs (bands and dummy load) so we are going to use the HamPlus line of products. I am sure you will really enjoy that set up Callum.
Good luck!
Having had mine for 3 years now. Very nice together with my Flexradio. On port 3 is since a week a modified DX Commander Classic. It’s performance exceeds all my expectations. GL Callum, you won’t be dissapointed with your AG 2x8, Johan, SE3X
Tnx John!
That is going to be so good to compare TX/RX on any combo of antennas!
Definitely!
Congrats on your new toy, Callum. I’m surprised it took so long for someone to come out with something like this - and so well polished. I’ve been switching power outlets and USB ports and controlling my entire observatory for years. I think ham radio has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to adopting the latest tech.
Fingers crossed!
CONGRATS! You are working your way towards that 6600. I know of a ham who put his 8X2 in the antenna field, then ran network cable to his shack.
Ah yes.. Same here :)
Looks all fancy Callum. Seems very streamline.
73
very nice bit of kit!
Yeah, it's a lot of fun Stu.. Putting the cabinet in the field today.
We use this unit at PI4DX contest setup with 2 OM modules connected to control the stackmatches. Fantastic solid solution !
Lovely!
Nice piece of kit. Enjoy
Thanks 👍
Nice piece of kit. The GUI looks great and easy to learn. I imagine that it's not cheap though.🤯
True!
He showed the website at the start of the video, it’s 899€ 😮
Hmmmmm, I may have to save up for one of those. Thanks, Callum! Look forward to a more detailed review when you get the time.
Yeah, will do..
Nice bit of kit 👌
Thanks 👍
Fantastic ❤🎉
Ranko did a presentation of those new switches during the Istra contest conference organized by the 9A1P contest team. Great stuff, you can stack them and connect more than 8 antennas...
Yes, you can link them up. Quite amazing.
The next logical step is the Flex you have your sights on 😊. Ranko did mention they are developing a solution that will work with any radio...
Stating the obvious (at least for anyone from the IT crowd) you only need one ethernet cable and a network switch. For 900€ I would expect a bias t supply, wifi and web interface. Saving grace is the API.
An ESP 32, a bit of "copy and paste" programming, and some coax relays for the DIYers out there. That is a nice looking unit. It's almost an expensive un it. 🙂
very nice
Thanks
Suggest if your going to mount that outside in a cabinet in the field, you will need an anti condensation heater in the cabinet, otherwise it won’t last 5 minutes.
See page 18: 4o3a.com/images/downloads/antenna_genius/documentation/AntennaGenius_User_Manual_v4-1_Rev1.pdf - I tell you.. if I listened to everyone on this channel, I wouldn't be able to do anything :)
For those in areas with risk of lightning, it might be wise to avoid having every single wired service in the house (AC power, Internet) running outside to the base of the antennas.
For network, one can purchase very inexpensive "Media Converters" to enable fiber optic Gb connection using fiber.
You may be surprised how cheap they are. Like Cdn$40 all in for a complete 50m system. Gb outside 50m away by fiber. Since then, bought another 100m system for not much more.
If you purchase the fiber cable that doesn't have a steel conductive support wire embedded in the plastic (many do), then it's one less lightning path into the house.
I just get nervous when I see people wiring up everything in their house to the outside antenna farm. Hopefully not including their electric blanket. Cheers.
WiFi maybe!?
@@DXCommanderHQ Experimenting with the FO option, I had ~1Gb at my lakefront hammock, which is a bit too far from the house for Wi-Fi (unless I tried harder). It's a really nifty technology, and crazy cheap.
Unfortunately, the cheap and cheerful eBay FO cables have a steel support strand embedded in the plastic, which makes them into a lightning path. My ISP's fiber uses Kevlar support strand, so immune to lightning (Yay!). Legacy POTS copper twisted pair is GONE !!!
Over 35+ years, our property has had two lightning incidents involving a crazy exploded pine tree and damaged pole mounted transformer. Each incident cost me about $500.
I hate lightning. Imagine how much beer and wine that $500 twice would buy !!!
Cheers.
This would make a great addition to your upcoming Flex 6600M + PowerGenius amp 😉
Love you Call😂You are the best in all demensione 🤘Regreds from S5🎃👻
Bostjan!!
@@DXCommanderHQ yes my friend? 🙂🙃
Nice I’m looking at the 4o3a 2 radio 1 amp switch
Nice
So you crossed to the dark site, next the Flex6600 🤣
Haha.. Probably not.. We'll see. We have FLEXX live on the channel on 14th November.
Such an amazing kit . Is there a smaller one for lets say 3 antennas ?
I see they do an 8 x 1 - 4o3a.com/antenna-genius-8x1
Looks fantastic but at nearly $2000AUD it's reserved for the "more affluent" ham types. Its nearly half the cost of my 7610
I have been talking about this for MONTHS.. Say $5 a day in a jar.. That's what I do.
Are you able to control the switch from a PC on the WAN? Security password, IP and port configurable? The manual mentions can only use the company's VPN to work outside the LAN. Confused.
You will have to ask them.. I use a remote desktop configuration.
Definitely top notch hardware no doubt. There are a lot of good alternatives on the market (RemoteQTH, ArraySolutions, LowBandSystems, EA4TX etc. I'm sure there are more..), which AFAIK have similar port isolation values; at least better than 60dB port to port isolation.
Many of these switches have nice functionality built in like automatic band switching and interlock functionality, most switches that are made for 2x radios have 60dB or better isolation port to port. I'm not sure about 4O3A but most of them support BCD or similar, for Kenwood you'll likely need a "band decoder" that connects to the RS232 port which parses which band the radio is on through CAT data and outputs BCD. It's possible to make a DIY solution too, purchase good PCB's (there are several variants out there with good design), buy good relays, use good connectors. Then you'll need a way to drive the board and switch the relays around (software & hardware costs), need a good box to put the antenna switch in, also costs money..
There's no such thing as a free? cheap lunch I guess.
Yeah.. It's got *ALL* that too.. You never know what I might need some day!
Very nice. Have looked at these also, but have recently been trying to find information on using the OM Module with it. Thinking this could work to control relays to something like your 4-square or triangle phased array. Just don’t understand if this module will let you activate 2-3 relays at once under one label and button. Still looking. Might make a good video though.
I can only activate 1 at a time.. And one 1 on any bank too.
This is a very cool switch and I can't imagine the cost. I do have a concern about the 12v transformer being in the field. Here in the USA, we can't by code run low voltage and high voltage in the same conduit, forget the coax for this because it is shielded, but the other cables you are running in the conduit. From my experience as an alarm technician when we run alarm wires parallel to 110v wires in an attic for long runs we get induction voltage as high as 30 - 40 volts AC, I would be curious to see if you have the same issue with your setup. Just a thought. Love the videos and keep them coming. Hello from Arizona, USA.
Well, I'm running mains to the cabinet - then a PSU in the field.. I have since bought a thermostat and heater for the cabinet.
Very nice and I wonder if you could select it with your radio. Very cool.
You can (apparently!)
Hope the 12v psu isn't noisy given its intended location.
We can always revert to a car battery and a small solar charger!
Nice. I wonder what sort of relays it has. Coax? They sound substantial anyway.
Yeah Andy.. Pretty chunky. The website have the details..
Hi Cal… bit off this topic but what are the headsets you are using for radio… seen you wearing a black headset and there’s one hung up which looks like a pro7…. I’ve been off the air for a long long time because of my life ( awwwwww ) any-road up, it’s resurrection radio time… I find your approach and personality attractive to listen to and learn. My back garden is a plant pot so I’m looking at antennas for a down the road purchase, your video channel is very helpful in my re education… yes this comment/request is at a tangent to the cabinet build… but there you go.
Best wishes to everyone. 73 G0UVL in jolly old Wigan
Lez.. Yes the one I use when I am remote is the HDM 300 Pro - and the one hanging up is the Pro 7. I do not like the Pro 7, it doesn't seem to fit me right and is very heavy. BUT I do use it sometimes on /P. The HDM Pro isn't anything to do with ham radio but works well remote. It's a "broadcast" headset. I would have thought for camere folks and stage managers maybe.
Mate for 900 euro it would want to make coffee as well
It does!
@@DXCommanderHQ😂😂 and tea and crumpets as well? 😂
you found out how to name each antenna but you can set it up for certain bands only and vfo a vfo b when you click the antenna name so every time you click it goes back to only what you set
I very specififcally want it manual because most of my antennas are multi-band AND I like to switch around..
🤔🤔🤔What about one antenna and other radios,,,,,, your thouhgts? Thanks 🤔🤔🤔
Erm.. Well you could do.. Not my thing though
Just make sure the port isolation is high enough. You want minimum 60dB port to port isolation. Some of the manual switches are really good for this application.
Does this mean your Flex 6600 is on order??? You're going to love this switch, it's perfect for your application.
You should put a packet of desiccant in the outside metal enclosure to mitigate any potential moisture ingress. I bring my coax into the box via individual cable glands so when the box is closed it's completely watertight. I also fount that right angle connectors on the coax make life much easier.
No.. However the man from Flex will be live on the channel on 14th Nov.
What a cool toy! But, I'm going to be "that guy"... Does it work on Linux?
I don't know.. Ask them?
Cool piece of kit but the installer screams 90s era software, so I wouldn’t call this modern 😂 But I agree that the UI is simple and concise which is great!
Geez.. I absolutely want plain and simple!
1K.I'll just stick wid me 5rv LOL
guess iam going have to find a new site for videos. utubes is puttin ads in front of ALL videos.. o will. iam out.. wont be back to utube
Nothing like getting something for nothing.
That's upsetting my autism. Why is green selector showing red LED and the blue selector shows a green LED? Why not green to green and then make the selector red for B so it matches the red LED on the modue?
Good point.. But since I will never see it, I don't mind! Probably what LEDs were available on the day!
Yikes! $$$$
Yeah.. Oh well..
@@DXCommanderHQ looks Really nice though thanks for the video!