W1TR Antenna Switches

Updated 19-Oct-2007 23:35

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Switching Network

The antenna switching network allows switching of all the antennas among all the rigs.

HF and 6 meters are available in the main shack downstairs, but HF, 6, 2, 432, and 1296 are available upstairs on the TS-2000.

The backup rigs have separate antennas for the (3) primary USAF MARS region frequencies for simultaneous access to all MARS and one of the HAM frequencies from the main shack in the cellar (if they are disconnected from the main switching tree and are connected directly to the appropriate rigs).

Antenna Switch Controls

Office Cellar

Antenna Switch Tree

This is the antenna switch Christmas tree (Local Antenna Switch) and ground rod where all the coax and ladder lines terminate.

There are (3) Ameritron RCS-10L switches in cascade for HF, (2) Ameritron RCS-8V switches for 50 and 144 MHz, and a SSB Electronics AS304 for 432 MHz. The white cylinders are home-made 4:1 baluns to connect the ladder-line to coax for a short run to the shack inside the house. Having both an upstairs and downstairs shack created some challenges for switching the antennas from either location (duplicate control boxes). I’m wondering how I will handle this situation when I have rotor controls and beams to deal with ! ?

Local Antenna Switch

(hmmm I need to clean up that messy rats nest of feed lines – sez the XYL !)

RemoteAntenna Switch

Another RCS-10L is used in the back yard out in the woods at the end of 200 ft of 9913 coax.

Rig Switch (HF)

Another RCS-10L is used in the cellar shack to switch between all the HF stations there.