Remote Base

OCARC provides an HF radio station to club members that can be operated entirely remotely. This page outlines the steps required to install and configure the appropriate software in order to operate the remote base.

Current Status

Antenna: 40/80m dipole. (This antenna also tunes up on 20m) ***NOTE*** At this time this antenna does not tune properly on 80m. Please do not use on 80m.
Tuner: The MFJ-998 tuner is not yet installed, so we are using the radio's built-in tuner

Software

1. Go to http://www.remotehams.com and create an account
2. Download the RCForb Client software and install on to your machine
3. Once your account has been approved, start the RCForb Client software
4. Find the radio "VE7OGO Radio #1" and double-click on it. (The #2 radio is not for normal remote operation)
5. Try adjusting the frequency. The system will tell you that your account doesn't have permission to do this, and give you the opportunity to request permission. Do this.
6. Send an email to mailto:remote@ocarc.ca with your callsign and qualification (basic, Basic+, Basic+code, Advanced), and I will prove your account (listen-only for users that don't have HF privileges)
7. Once you get an email from me confirming approval, you now have full access to the remote station!

A few operating notes:

• Make sure you have the antenna tuner switched on (the "ATU" button), and that you tune the antenna for the frequency you want to use (the "Tune" button)
• The "TX-d" button toggles transmit and receive
• Make sure your microphone level is appropriate to give a clean transmission. The adjustment is at the top of the screen labelled "Mic"

If you have questions or concerns, please email mailto:remote@ocarc.ca and I will try to help out. I didn't write the software and I don't run the remote hams.com site, so if you have issues with the software or your remote hams account, please check out their forums and support.

Detailed Operating Information

• Many of the buttons on the right side of the radio activate an option which can be set using the sliders on the left side of the radio.

• When you are finished using the radio, please set the radio buttons back to the default settings listed below.
• [ATU], [Pwr], [VFO a] and [Tx-m] should be ON, and all other buttons should be off.

• Buttons and sliders function as listed below.

BUTTONS

• A green button is ON, a grey button is OFF.

General [ATU] When ON, indicates the internal tuner is in line. Normally this should be left on.

[Tune] Retunes the tuner for a better match. NOTE: if the tune process seems to happen very fast and the ATU button turns off, the tuner FAILED to find a match. In this case do not transmit!

[Txd] Places radio in transmit. NOTE: The radio stays in transmit until you press this button again!

[Pwr] Turns radio off or on. Normally leave it on.

Receive Filters [NB] Noise blanker. The noise blanker level can be set using the “NB Level” slider.

[Nbw] Noise blanker alternate setting (wide). Try it if the regular noise blanker is not effective.

[ANF] Automatic notch filter. This works in the AF stage to remove interfering carriers. Since it is in the AF stage, the AGC will still reduce the gain of the radio on receive.

[MNF] Manual notch filter. This works in the IF stage, but must be manually set using the “Notch” slider. This notch can be very effective at removing an interfering carrier, and since it works in the IF stage, the AGC will not reduce the gain of the receiver, allowing you to hear weak signals better.

[DNR] Dynamic noise reduction. Works in the AF stage to remove background noise. The level can be set by the “DNR level” slider. Larger values result in more noise reduction but may muffle the audio if set too high.

[Cntr] Audio Contour. This acts like a custom audio filter. The center frequency of the filter is set using the “Contr Freq” slider. The amount of enhancement (positive) or notch (negative) for this filter is set using the “Contr Lvl” slider.

VFO Operations [VFO A] Sets receive to use the main frequency on the right (big numbers). This is the VFO you should normally use.

[VFO B] Sets receive to use the sub frequency on the left (small numbers).

[Lck] Locks VFO A so it cannot be tuned.

[Lck(s)] Locks VFO B so it cannot be tuned.

[Tx-m] Sets transmit to use VFO A (main). This is the VFO you should normally use to transmit on the same frequency you are listening to.

[TX-s] Sets transmit to use VFO B (sub). This would be used only if contacting a Dxpedition station, where you need to operate “split” with a transmit frequency different than the receive frequency.

[A>B] Copies the frequency in VFO A to VFO B.

[B>A] Copies the frequency in VFO B to VFO A.

[B><A] Swaps the frequencies in VFO A and VFO B.

SLIDERS

<Notch> 1.5 kHz Manual notch filter. See MNF.

<DNR Level> 3 Dynamic noise reduction. See DNF.

RF Gain 255 Normally set fully to the right for maximum sensitivity. RF Power 100% Normally set fully to the right for 100 watts output. IF Shift 0 Hz Moves the center frequency of the IF filter. See also “Fltr Width” slider. Normally left in the center at “0”. Contr Lvl 10 dB Audio Contour. See Cntr. Contr Freq 2000 Hz Audio Contour. See Cntr. Mic Gain 30 Normally set to 30. Adjust your transmit audio level using the “Mic” control beside the “Vol” control at the top. NB Level 50 Fltr Width 2400 Hz IF filter width. See also “IF Shift” slider. Normally 2400 Hz is a good setting to reject adjacent interference but still retain good audio receive quality.

FREQUENCY CONTROL

Either use the up/down arrows, or place your cursor on the number to be changed and use the scroll wheel on the mouse. You can also place the cursor on the radio knob (large for VFO A and small for VFO B) and use the scroll wheel.