Re: [TowerTalk] Help with Ameritron RCS-12C

[Herb Schoenbohm <herbs@vitelcom.net>]

I looks like a design problem since the voltage on any unused port 
should be zero and not enough to trigger another relay on the 
DX-engineering switch.  I have, however, come up with a fix and that is 
to drive a bank of eight 5VDC relays to be controlled with the  4.9 VDC 
that appears voltage that appears on the remote RS-232 out put on the 
unit. This is a clean 5VDC with zero volts on any unused pin. This relay 
bank will then send out 12VDC to the DX-Engineering switch.  In looking 
at the schematic for the RCS-12C it appears to be insufficient bias on 
the the MJF-3055 switching transistors to cut them of when not 
triggered.  Or it could be a bad production run of this component.  I 
tried bleeding off the phantom voltage with a 2.2 Kohm resistor but this 
had no effect.  So I sent one of the problem boxes back to MFJ for 
evaluation.I will post the results when i get them.

Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ


On 3/19/2014 5:11 PM, Mark Robinson wrote:
> MFJ/Ameritron is sort of like Heathkit...but you don't get to build it 
> from new however you do get to fix it from new...hi hi
> The customer is the MFJ QA inspector
>
>
> Mark N1UK
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Reublin NF4L" <nf4l@comcast.net>
> To: <herbs@vitelcom.net>
> Cc: "Joe Subich, W4TV" <lists@subich.com>; "towertalk reflector" 
> <towertalk@contesting.com>
> Sent: Monday, 17 March, 2014 6:45 AM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Help with Ameritron RCS-12C
>
>
> > Herb,
> >
> > I had a bad RCS-12 out of the box. Maybe yours is too. The 
> > replacement worked as expected. I love it!
> > Good luck.
> >
> > Mike NF4L
> >
> > On Mar 16, 2014, at 6:23 PM, Herb Schoenbohm <herbs@vitelcom.net> wrote:
> >
> > > Joe,  You are always so very helpful in solving problems....but in 
> > > this case I must have read and re-read the skimpy Ameritron manual 
> > > 10 or more times.  The jumpers are in the right setting per the 
> > > manual JMP1 is 1 of 8 and JMP4 is "direct" as the manual suggests.  
> > > Even on the bench on the "Relay Connection Jack" multiple votages 
> > > appear on different wire in one setting of the switch in the manual 
> > > mode.  this is with both my RCS-12C one just purchased to see if I 
> > > have a bad controller. As I mentioned the previously the RS-232 9 
> > > pin has individual voltage output 1-8 and no ambiguity.  However 
> > > this output is only 5 volts DC on either controller as it appears to 
> > > be for the purpose of switching other external devices. Absent a 
> > > detailed schematic my ability to troubleshoot the 8 higher current 
> > > switching transistors is limited.  Any suggestions?
> > >
> > > Herb, KV4FZ
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 3/16/2014 6:03 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
> > > > Herb,
> > > >
> > > > Read the RCS-12 manual.  The answer you need will be found on pages 4
> > > > and 5.  See the 1 of 8 configuration for the "Relay Connection Jack"
> > > > and the appropriate setting for JMP 1.
> > > >
> > > > RTFM OM!
> > > >
> > > > 73,
> > > >
> > > >   ... Joe, W4TV
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On 3/16/2014 5:16 PM, Herb Schoenbohm wrote:
> > > > > I am trying to get my RCS-12C Ameritron antenna switch interface 
> > > > > working
> > > > > with a DX-Engineering  8-Port Antenna Switch in a 1-8 configuration.
> > > > > However the Ameritron box outputs switching voltage on more than one
> > > > > wire simultaneously even in the manual setting  via the 8 pin 
> > > > > connection
> > > > > jack thus causing more than one relay to reference an antenna. The
> > > > > switching closures from the common main feed port to the various
> > > > > antennas are all over the place thus causing high VSWR on the 
> > > > > selected
> > > > > antenna. One would think that Ameritron would have 12 VDC or what 
> > > > > ever
> > > > > the switching voltage might be to only output one wire at a time but
> > > > > that is not the case.  There is however on the RCS-12C an Auxiliary
> > > > > Output DB9 connector which provides a single voltage of 5 volts DC 
> > > > > with
> > > > > respect to ground and these are all correct and non are duplicatd on
> > > > > other ports like the Din Relay box port Unfortunately the 
> > > > > DX-Engineering
> > > > > box type RR8B-HP Remote Antenna Switch requires a control voltage of
> > > > > 10-14VDC, not 5 volts. The cable used is CAT 5 of very good 
> > > > > quality and
> > > > > I have even made a new run with a new Din connection to the antenna
> > > > > control port on the RCS-12. All my setting inside the Ameritron are
> > > > > simple 1 through 8 switching.  I have searched for solution and maybe
> > > > > the only way the RCS-12C will control the DX=Engineering Antenna 
> > > > > Switch
> > > > > is by building a board of 8 five volt relays which then send 10-14 
> > > > > volts
> > > > > out to an external supply.  Yes the Ameritron 12-RCSC has 
> > > > > provision for
> > > > > inputing up to 30 volts and an internal jumper for a direct feed 
> > > > > to the
> > > > > Din relay box connector.  However there is enough voltage on non
> > > > > switched wires to cause the remote antenna switch to do all sorts of
> > > > > unfortunate things.  Sometime the 20 meter antenna shows up on 
> > > > > position
> > > > > 8 even though the coax is into port 5.  Sometimes the 10 meter 
> > > > > port and
> > > > > the 160 meter port are cross connected.  This is all very strange 
> > > > > and I
> > > > > would like to know if any other user of this configuration has had
> > > > > similar problems and discovered solutions.  I have even purchased 
> > > > > a new
> > > > > RCS-12C controller and this performs the same way.  Again I have a 
> > > > > BCD
> > > > > connection to my Icom but this is not the problem  since the bad
> > > > > switching occurs in manual mode  as well as auto mode.
> > > > >
> > > > > Please let me know if you have a solution to this.  I would like 
> > > > > to get
> > > > > it running before the CQ WPX contest or else try to switch this 
> > > > > box with
> > > > > some clip leads and a 12VDC supply.  This must be something simple to
> > > > > correct.
> > > > >
> > > > > Regards,
> > > > >
> > > > > herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
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