WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

This thread has been inspired by a conversation I was having elsewhere about how people set up their shacks...

In the Foundation course, a bit is covered with regards to electrical safety when setting up a shack, but not much on shack design per-se.

Obviously everyone is going to have a different idea about how stuff is laid out in a way that works for them, with the equipment they've got.

The purpose of this thread is to discuss how you've set up YOUR shack and what you've found that works, doesn't work, could be improved on, etc.

Photos are welcome of course

Nice idea Doug.
I only have the dual bander in the house at the moment, and there are three PCs in the same room. Because of this, I detached the head and fitted the ext kit so I could locate the body across the other side of the room to keep interference from PC to radio and radio to PC at a minimum. The head is right next to my PC monitor, mounted on the desk using an old mobile phone dash swivel mount. I also used a short network cable to extend the mike (which uses RJ-45).

I made a break-out box which plugs into the TNC socket which gives me access to some handy signals. The main one I wanted is the '9600' output which is virtually access to discriminator. I plugged this into my soundcard so I can use ACARSD and packet monitoring. It works well on both.

It's running on a 12v 90 watt switchmode tweaked to 13.5v. Doesn't appear to create any noise. The coax runs up inside an outer wall, no where near power.

Oh.. somebody just said VK6RLM is now licenced for the Walliston location so that should be online any day now. Hopefully without all the QRM.

OK, mine's not exactly up and running as yet, but I do have a picture!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonic_echidna/2820718781/

The Yaesu on the left, and old Realistic scanner on the right with the handheld (and a conga) in the middle. Just to the right of this desk is my computer desk with 2 computers on it (plus sometimes the laptop as well). From Robbage's post it sounds like I should try and put some distance between the two desks?

You can't really see, but outside is a few acres of bush (ours, not a reserve) where the dipole will go for the Yaesu. It's a separate room from the house and has a separate power circuit with a circuit breaker/switch at the house - ok, not ideal but will have to do for now... Also there's a fire extinguisher by the door.

The three dogs do guard juty and hopefully won't try to pull the antenna down

Mine is really simple

Yaesu FT7800R mounted under a shelf, with a short RG213 patch lead to the antenna socket on the wall.



The remote head is conveniently blu-tak'd to the top of my computer monitor



Hardly worth making a post about!

From left to right.
Uniden 780XLT scanner, Alinco DJ-596 hand held. MFJ 969 antenna tuner, Mac Mini running windoze, Icom ID-800 D-Star radio and an Icom IC-7400 HF transciever.

I love your dalek But why put Windoze on the Mac Mini?

I need windoze for some radio applications, it was spare after I upgraded to my 20 inch iMac.

VK6ZMS wrote:I need windoze for some radio applications, it was spare after I upgraded to my 20 inch iMac.

I'm yet to start getting into apps for radio... What ones do you use?

My two computers near the radio are an old G4 tower (about to be replaced by an iMac) and a pretty nice Ubuntu linux box. We don't actually have any Windoze machines at home.

meg wrote: I'm yet to start getting into apps for radio... What ones do you use?

On the PC I have VK contest log for competitions
http://web.aanet.com.au/mnds/

VOA Prop to see what HF conditions are like
http://www.g4ilo.com/voaprop.html

Orbitron to keep an eye on satellites
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Mis ... tron.shtml

WinPSK for PSK
http://www.moetronix.com/ae4jy/winpsk.htm

A good Mac starting point is here
http://www.machamradio.com/

I use DX toolbox on my iMac and Mac Book Pro.

A bit of an update to my shack thanks to Robbage - an old Yaesu FT221 which he has whipped into working shape for me. Here it is sitting next to the FT990. Both radios belonged to a silent key who was the father of one of my friends - she's pretty stoked they're sitting next to each other again!

Upper rig is the FT-221 all-mode 2 metre , the other is FT-990 HF rig. Excellent stuff. Gotta get those antennae sorted.

I like that rig you have on the right there meg,

My shack needs an update too.

Basicly, all my equipment is connected with just a computer power supply for the moment until I can afford a normal one.
I although 3 of the radios can do 2 meters and 2 can do 70cms, i only have one antenna for all of this. I switch the antenna around to what ever suites the situation at the time.
The CB radio i have there is a dual bander as well, the uhf final in it has burnt out but the AM final still works so thats primarily what i use that radio for.

left to right is a FT-60 handheld dual band, Uniden Uh095SX, Yaesu FT-857 HF , FT-7800 dual bander, Icom IC-2200H D-Star Radio, I had that installed so its all set to go if i pass my standard course although i have disabled tx on the walliston repeater on it incase I were to press the PTT while it was on the walliston repeater...... and my Diamond SX-600 SWR/ Power meter, it has two sensors on it so you can switch between the 2 meter radio and the HF.

Hi Slipknot,
Do you ever pick up the wrong mic.

Heh and how long have you talked into the mouse before you realised it?

robbage wrote:Heh and how long have you talked into the mouse before you realised it?

Well seeings the mouse got mentioned...HOLY MOLY, that is an old mouse, it doesn't even have the most important feature...a scroll wheel!