My Remote Shack

Inner Cabinet Detail

Overview

Due to the excessive, and increasing, levels of man-made interference being experienced at my home QTH, I decided to create a remote shack in a more rural location that would, hopefully, experience better conditions. I have documented the process of building the remote shack on my blog. This is the current configuration.

Radio Side

  • ITX Mini PC running Microsoft Windows 11 for local station control and digital modes (see later)
  • Flex Radio 6400 100W HF Transceiver (Now superseded by the 8400) connected to
  • 12V power injector to feed the Antenna Disconnect and the ATU
  • 50m length of RG213 to reach the
  • 12V power extractor providing power to
  • Paradan Antenna Disconnect and
  • SGC SG-230 ATU
  • 12m Spiderbeam Pole with a 21m wire
  • 5 off 5-7m above-ground wires to act as a counterpoise

Control System

  • Raspberry Pi 4 with SSD in a fan-cooled Argon 40 metal case and running
  • ESPHome mains plugs to control the 240V for:
    • The Radio PSU
    • The Windows PC
    • The 60W Heater for winter use
  • ESPHome flashed SONOFF 4ch switch for:
    • Switching the Flex on and off
    • Toggling the PTT on the Flex (needed occasionally)
    • Controlling the 12V power to the Antenna Disconnect and ATU
  • ESPHome flashed ESP32 with:
    • Dallas 1-wire temperature sensors for
      • outside air temperature
      • outer cabinet air temperature
      • inner cabinet upper shelf air temperature
      • inner cabinet lower shelf air temperature
    • DHT32 Temp/Humidity sensor for the inner cabinet middle shelf
    • 2 PID controllers for the inner and outer cabinet fan speed controls.

Home Assistant

The brain controlling the remote shack is Home Assistant. I also use Home Assistant to augment my home and I know it very well.

Operating autonomously, Home Assistant will

  • Monitor and control the environment in the inner cabinet using the heater and cooling fans
  • Monitor the state of the local 240V supply and Internet access – and send me a Pushover alert if the UPS kicks in or primary Internet connection goes down – using the 4G modem on the Teltonika RUT-951 router if necessary
  • Keep an eye on local windspeed and lightning and take action to shut the radio side down if necessary – as well as sending me an alert via Pushover.
  • Poll external services to main a local record of appropriate propagation data, and present them via the UI.

Using the Lovelace dashboard I designed, I can:

  • Sequence the power up and power down of the Flex, Antenna Disconnect and ATU
  • Ditto for the Windows PC
  • Manually toggle the PTT on the Flex – needed occasionally for SmartLink.
  • Manually override the state of the system where necessary
  • Monitor propagation and environmental data