Turning on Power Supply and Radio Remotely

Mike-N1VE

Is is important to turn on power supply before FlexRadio 6400?  I am turning on both remotely using WiFi sockets.  First I turn on the power supply and then the radio.  When shutting down I turn off the radio and wait a minute or so and then turn off the power supply.  

Watts - K4QJZ

The radio has to be on and fully booted up for the remote option to work. When you tell the radio to turn off remotely it is not fully powered down as it has to watch for a turn on command and if you have a GPS it keeps it alive as well. Thus turn on the Power Supply first, wait a few minutes then use the remote port to wake up the radio. I actually leave my PS on all the time to keep my GPS happy and other devices at my remote site. Have a good Memorial Day weekend, Watts K4QJZ

W2ECK

This brings up a subject I have wondered about. How do folks turn their Power Supply on and off remotely?? Be interested the different approaches this task?

73 Paul w2eck

Mike-N1VE

I use a WiFi socket.  It connects to the WiFi in the house and I have an app. that allows me to turn it on and off through my iPad.  
https://www.ebay.com/i/264247536072?chn=ps

I use the same type socket to turn my Flex 6400 on and off, through a simple 12-volt relay.

Craig Williams

Mine stays on 24/7. Powers all the 12V radios in the shack with a 100AH AGM battery switched through a MFJ battery booster. Turn the Flex on and off with an IOT ac switched outlet like the one Flex is selling on it's website. Switch is set so on is radio off and off is radio on. That way when power fails and my battery takes over the switch puts the radio always in on.

Bill -VA3WTB

I like that Mike, what kind of relay is this?

Ray - K6LJ

Hi Paul,

I have a webswitch that controls the on-off on back of radio with a contact number 2. The black box takes a contact closure and produces 120 out. This powers on the radio with contact 1. The second one is going to have the output (contact number 3) 120vac controlling a relay for the power to the PGXL. The small switch on the right is a manual bypass to turn on the power if I don't want to control from the webswitch. The webswitch and the card I put in the rotator also allows me to rotate the hex remotely.

 

Mike-N1VE

My last one is 30 amp, 4-pole relay for automotive applications.  I bought it at an auto parts store for about $9.

WA5GP

I just made a jumper for the RCA on the back and turn the Power supply on and off, which in turn turns on the radio.  Working so far for me.  The app on the ipad has lost its mind and will no longer login through smart link, 

Mike-N1VE

Are you saying that you turn the radio on and off by turning the power supply on and off?

John - AI4FR

Mike, just a quick note to publicly thank you. I have been wanting to tackle this project but a new year resolution I made to myself kept getting in the way. Your post was perfect timing. I bought the light switches from Amazon in a 4 pack deal. I found a relay in the parts bin that I removed from a circuit board from something, and an old wall wart that had the end clipped. My four switches work in this fashion:
1 = Computer
2 = Power supply which also turns on the Palstar HF-Auto tuner
3 = Flex 6700
4 = Palstar LA-1K amp

I did check the relay and I have no DC voltage on the contacts and the wall wart is only 6 volts. Even at 6 volts I think that is still above what Flex has stated as the max on the remote socket.

I do have some concern about the 10 amp max rating of the switches running the amp but I rarely run it at full rated output. I also do not like the power supply turning on the tuner but the tuner requires very little power. I thought about using the power supply to also turn on the flex but that really bothered me so I went the relay route. Your drawing above made things really simple.

Below is a link to the Amazon item. I just did a quick search and found these although others are available. I choose these due to the manufacturers name being on them and for the fact that I can use my Android phone to control all of them. Set up was a breeze.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079MFTYMV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks Mike!!!

George Fenwick

I also control my 6700 by leaving the remote RCA shorted and simply turn on/off the PS using one outlet of a Kasa WiFi power ****. The PS also powers my antenna disconnects and unless I’m in the shack will automatically turn off the PS and ground the antennas every night as scheduled. Been doing this for more than a year with no harm. I use another outlet to turn off my Intel NUC. It boots on power. No need for complex shorting relay, etc.

W2ECK

All the posts in this thread have been great in helping to understand how to set up this remote switching setup via WiFi. Can anyone post a link, part # and details on the Relay(s) you are using to switch the RCA plug to ground for the Remote Turn on for the 6xxx ?

73 Paul w2eck

George Fenwick

Why use a relay. Short the remote terminal and simply turn the PS on/off with a single WiFi outlet! Works fine with my 6700.

WA5GP

Yes that is exactly how I turn every thing on.  Same as I do the Icom 7610.  No issues thus far.

Mike-N1VE

That's interesting, because before I set up the relay/WiFi socket circuit, my reading on this site only was about using a relay.  Your set up is much simpler.

John - AI4FR

I notice when i shut down my 6700 it goes thru a "shutting down" cycle. If the relay is not used, this cycle is skipped and the radio is instantly off. I am not sure what all the radio is doing in this cycle but I do feel that Flex added it for a reason. Although one member above stated he has been doing the instant off for over a year with no issues.

Mike-N1VE

It would be good if one of the Flex techs. would jump in and give us information on the shut down situation.

W2ECK

Mike- Until and "if" we hear anything form Flex - I think I am going with your method of using the relay. Question on the smart/wifi plugs you gave the link to in your original post and diagram. Not clear in the ad; do they come one to a package? if you have more then one, can they be individually  controlled via a wifi link. If so, one could be used to turn radio on/off and a different one for the power supply on/off ?

73 Paul w2eck

W7CHW

I use a Power Switch Pro Model

by DIGITAL LOGGERS

I can access it remotely if the internet is up at home.

K9SO

I try not to switch my station power supply on/off too many times. I use ASTRON 30 amp supplies and after multiple on/off cycles the inrush current wears on the main rectifier diode and the main filter capacitor. The inrush currents can physically wear out the AC fuse too from Ldi/dt effects too. Granted, the Astron will take hundreds of power cycles but it does stress the power supply. Just listen to the "****" when you turn it on if you think otherwise. 

Incidentally if you must switch the power supply on/off, DIGITAL LOGGERS has a very nice AC switch that is a great alternative to the Lowell Mfg.switch mentioned above. It has multiple outlets, is activated by switched ground, switched DC of either polarity, or low voltage AC. It's only $26.95

The switch N3CHW mentions is really nice too and incorporates the Internet control if you don't already have it. 

Mark Sullivan

This just didn't seem like the proper way to do it. But guess what? It seems to work just fine. 

W7CHW

The Power Switch Pro Digital Logger also has a feature that pings any internet address you wish and will recycle the power receptacle of choice  if connectivity is lost. Set it to ping a .gov site and at the interval you want. This is handy if you loose power and need to recycle your cable modem. 
All receptacles can be  made to come up in any sequence and interval  you desire. 

Neil D Friedman N3DF

I have turned my Astron 35M on and off at least 2,500 times (owned it long before I got my Flex 6600M and it doesn't seem to have any issues.  Maybe I'm just lucky. 

Warren Wegerer

I have to agree that pulling the plug on my radio (e.g. killing AC to the power supply) doesn't seem like a good idea. If that was the only way to remotely power it on/off then I'd probably do it. But there are other, and in my opinion safer, ways to do it. I use a Sonoff WiFi controlled relay I bought from Amazon. I have one on the primary rig at home and a second one at my remote site.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0793NYYPZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This device houses four single pole double throw relays that are isolated from any supply voltage. I just dug a 9 volt wall wart out of the junk box and power the Sonoff with that (on all the time). Once the Sonoff is registered to you an app on my phone can turn each relay on/off independently from anywhere if I have internet access. All you have to do is take an old RCA cable from the stereo, cut off one end and wire the two wires to the terminals for one of the relays. The other end (RCA) just plugs into the Flex remote On/Off jack. Leave the 12V supply to the Flex on all the time. Astrons are pretty dependable. I don't want to take a chance of putting a spike into the rig (which is unlikely with an analog Astron, but might be more likely with other supplies). And Flex is clear that there is an orderly shutdown procedure the radio goes through - I intend to let the S/W do what they designed it to do.

As an aside, I also do use the Wi-Fi power switches too. I use one to control power to the 12V supply connected to my remote antenna tuner, another one to control the 115 supply to my FL-7000 solid state amp, and my spare one is currently in line to a lamp on the radio desk.  I have several different brands for the 115V switches too. All are registered to me, then I linked the various skills in Amazon "Alexa". Now I can turn any of them on/off from the Alexa app in my phone, or I can talk to my Echo Dot in the radio room and tell it to turn any of them on/off. The advantage to me here is that I don't have to remember which app controls which switch. I just open the Alexa app on the phone and control anything I want at either site. Easy-piezy. Even easier, I have created some routines so one command turns all on, and another command turns it all off.
73,
Warren - K6WKW

Mike-N1VE

Warren, are you using the FL-7000 amp with your Flex remotely?  Do you use a separate tuner for the FL-7000?
Mike, N1VE

Warren Wegerer

Mike - Yes, I can work either station remotely, though I only do it occasionally, so I am using the FL-7000 remotely. I'm not using the 7000's internal tuner. I have a SGC-235 SmartTuner at the base of my sailboat mast/flagpole. When the 7000 is powered off it is bypassed, when on it is in operate and does it's usual 500 watts. Does that answer your question?  Warren.

K9SO

Be especially aware of inrush currents when switching your Yaesu amplifiers on/off using a method other than what they specify. Yaesu notoriously built their older amplifiers for 220v. While that's the nominal line voltage in Japan, that's not the case in the US where the nominal line voltage is 240v with +10% above that not uncommon. The Quadra has lots of issues related to inrush current and this voltage issue .Yaesu has just ignores it. 

See https://www.n4ats.com/care.html for his comments regarding running  the FL-7000 on 240v and my Quadra review on eham.net 

73,
Fred

Mike-N1VE

You are correct about the voltage problem with the Quadra.  I have a friend who installed a buck/boost transformer to keep the voltage down to no more than 240-V.  Eventually power supply problems resulted, the unit was sent to CA for repair, they found nothing wrong and blamed his voltage.  He is now using a Palstar.