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The Shack-LAN Advanced
Radio Interface/Antenna Selector/CW Keyer is a highly integrated interfacing
unit that combines the functions of several shack accessories into one
compact box. In addition to providing and Ethernet interface for controlling
your radio, it eliminates the need for level shifting interfaces such as the
IF-232, provides all the functionality of band decoder units (including
Kenwood!), and combines most of your antenna control switches into two
knobs, one for the main antenna (TX) and one for Rx antennas. This unit also
contains and internal CW keyer thus providing all your radio and keyer
control without using a single COM port.
How does one little
box do so much? Inside the unit is a powerful microcontroller running a
multi-tasking operating system which enables it to not only provide radio
control, but it also maintains a connections to the Shack-LAN Bandpass
Filter unit (if used) and up to 8 of our Antenna Switches and/or Relay
Drivers, all independently of your PC.
The Main antenna
selector knob on the unit can select up to 8 antennas per band and the Rx
antenna selector know can select up to 8 receive antennas per band. That's
right, 8 Tx and 8 Rx antennas per band. How does it do this? Since the Radio
Interface unit knows which band your radio is currently on, it is able to
tell our Antenna Switch and Relay Driver units which antenna to select for
that Band/Antenna combination. All this without having to install or change
any jumper wires or diode matrixes.
The Advanced Radio
Interface also gives you the ability to set up to 8 Tx/Rx antenna
combinations that are selectable regardless of which band the radio is
currently on. This give you great flexibility when SWLing.
There is also a PTT
lockout that prevents antennas from being switched while transmitting to
prevent damaging relay contacts.
The Advenced unit also
has a back-lighted LCD display that shows the currently selected Tx and Rx
antennas as well as showing error messages such as trying to select an
antenna already in use by another operating position.
Having all this
flexibility in one box makes wiring a multi-radio shack a snap, since all
interconnections are done with easy-to-find, inexpensive, standard modular
Ethernet cables and gives each operating position access to all antennas, if
so desired.
$399 US
Buy Hamation
ShackLan
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