SteppIR SDA 100 Tuning Relay TX inhibit Flex 6500

N6WT Kent

Hi all

I have my SPE 1.3k FA and SteppIR SDA100 hooked up to my 6500 via the USB Ports on the radio with USB to RS232 adapter cables. The SDA100 and amp follow the frequency and band changes of the radio just fine.

I have the Tuning relay board installed in the SDA100 and thought I could connect it to the TX REQ RCA plug on the back of the radio to inhibit transmit while the SDA100 is tuning the antenna but it does not. How to make this work??

Thanks
73
Kent
N6WT

JohnSweeney

N6WT Kent

JohnSweeney

Mark_WS7M

JohnSweeney

Mark W Scott

The drawing in the SDA100 manual seems pretty useless.  Would you please send me the schematic you mentioned to:  mwscott74 at gmail dot com

Thanks,
Mark

Alan

John or anyone else - Could you also send me the SteppIR SDA100 schematic?   

e-mail is a.alan.blind@gmail.com

Thanks.

Alan
WA9WUD

JohnSweeney

Alan

JimStuder

I have a 6600, a SteppIR 3E4M with a SDA2000 controller, and a PowerGenius XL. I want to make sure I understand how to connect the Tuning Relay Cable between the SDA2000 and the Flex. First, am I correct to assume that I only need to connect to the 6600, not the PGXL to the SDA2000, and what port do I plug the cable into the back of the 6600, TX Req? Also, do I use a standard 1/8 stereo cable?

Jim AK4I

Alan

Jim

The SDA2000 Tuning Relay, opens when the SteppIR is moving. SteppIR intended tuning relay to be in-line with the PTT between your transceiver and Amp. This way, with the open contacts (SteppIR moving), you could not exceed 100 Watts, which the antenna is rated for while moving.

With the Flex/PG-XL you cannot do this if you use TCP for your PTT connection. You could of course configure the PG-XL to use wired PTT, so the usual SDA2000/amp configuration will work.

In my case, I use TCP (ethernet) for all of the Flex/PG-XL communications, including PTT. So, I wired the tuning relay output to the Flex "TX-Req" RCA jack and enabled "TX-REQ" on the Flex TX settings tab. Make it "Active Low" because this will inhibit Flex TX when the tuning relay opens (ant moving).

The connection on the SDA2000 tuning relay board is a 2.5mm male power plug...it is a RCA jack on the Flex side. I made my cable using "breakout" boards from Amazon.

Another option is to use software to inhibit Flex TX when the SteppIR moves. FRStack will do his for you and provide all of the controls to operate your antenna. PST Rotor is another example.

Alan

WA9WUD

JimStuder

Alan, Thanks for you reply. I set the TX-REQ to active low, and ran a RCA cable from the 6600 to the SDA2000 where I tried using both a mono and a stereo adapter to plug into the controller. For the stereo adapter I tried both RCA jacks. I used a 3.5 mm because that's what the SDA2000 manual says to use. I disabled AutoTrk and changed the band on the SmartSDR from 20 to 40 meters to give me time to test. While the motors were traveling I sent a 50 watt test signal using a manual PTT button and regardless of the stereo or mono adapter used, the 6600 went into transmit mode (red light). Do you see anything obvious that I'm did wrong?

Jim AK4I

JimStuder

Alan, I just reread the SDA2000 manual and now I understand what you meant about the breakout board. I'll work on it further and get back to you with either positive or negative news.

73, Jim AK4I

Alan

Below is from the Tuning Board Instructions (from the SteppIR Forum files)

Perhaps this will help in your troubleshooting. Note, the normal closed contacts from the tuning board are on the inner and outer tip of the stereo connector.

Alan

N6WT Kent

This is how I setup my SDA100 with an SPE 1.3k FA. Also looking at the manual for the SDA2000 I think it should be the same.

I purchased this adapter https://www.amazon.com/Steren-Genuine-Stereo-Female-Adapter/dp/B00GF4FNQ6. It plugs into the PTT on the SDA100 then I use 2 RCA cables. One plugs into the TX1 on the 6600 and the adapter. The other cable plugs into the RY1 (PTT) on the AMP and the adapter.

I then enabled RCA TX1 in the TX Band Settings in SSDR for the bands I want to use.

73

Kent

N6WT

N6WT Kent

Here is a link that is available.

https://www.amazon.com/Steren-Electronics-255-038-audio-adapter/dp/B00291XP46/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=255-038&qid=1606842290&sr=8-1

JimStuder

Alan,
I cut the end off a RCA cable and used a Stereo plug connector with lugs for tip, ring, and ground. I soldered the center conductor of the RCA connector to the tip and the shield to the ring. I tested it out with my Ohm meter and it tested good. I then plugged the stereo jack into the controller and the RCA into the TX-REQ on the 6600, disabled AutoTrk in the SDA2000, switched the 6600 from 20 to 40 meters and then pressed the 40 meter button on the controller. While the motors were running I keyed the radio using a manual PTT switch and the 6600 went into transmit mode. Do I have to use more power to test this circuit? If not, any ideas what else I can try?

73, Jim AK4I

N6WT Kent

Alan

First let me say I do not own a PGXL so I may not know what I am talking about. I looked through the manual of the PGXL and I do not see a way to inhibit TX doing what you are doing. The SDA XXXX TX Relay board does not send a signal in any way. It only opens and closes the circuit between the radio and the amp while the SDA XXXX is tuning.

In the past I have used DDUTil to inhibit TX while the SDA100 is tuning. With this it does not require a connection to the TX relay board on the SDA XXXX controller. But it let me down a few times so I don't use anymore. I eventually went with the setup I described above. It is almost foolproof.

73

Kent

N6WT

JimStuder

Thanks all. The component you're referencing is for controlling an amplifier. The switch in the SDA2000 interrupts the PTT signal when the motors are turning, preventing the amplifier from amplifying. What I'm trying to do is control the 6600 since the PTT is through the ethernet. My assumption was that if I pulled the center of the TXREQ to the ground it would inhibit transmitting. That's why I built the cable with the RCA center post connected to the tip of the stereo jack and the shield (ground) of the RCA cable connected to the ring of the stereo jack. (And I burned a finger in the process . :) However, that didn't work either. I tried both setting of the TXREQ Active Low and Active High but neither worked. I've reached out to technical support of SteppIR and the the director of Business for any assistance they can give me. Surely someone with a Flex has tried to do this before and has discussed this with them. Do you believe that Flex technical support would be of any assistance?

73, Jim AK4I

N6WT Kent

Jim

Sorry I meant the last post for you. As I said there is no signal coming from the SDA2000. The SDA 2000 only opens and closes the circuit. My feeling is you will be told the same thing by a tech from Flex. You can try FRStack or DDUtil.

Kent

N6WT

JimStuder

I am pretty sure I can design a very simple circuit including an Arduino circuit board to check if the switch is open and generate a voltage or ground depending on how I set the TXREQ setting. If I generate a voltage, is it 5 volts?

N6WT Kent

Jim

I don't understand, why you are trying to reinvent the wheel.

Why cant you use the signal from the TX1 output on the radio?

Kent

JimStuder

I need to contact Flex and understand TXREQ better. I thought shorting the center post to the shield would inhibit transmitting, assuming that the port is set to active low, but it didn't seem to work. The new "wheel" is only if that assumption is wrong.

73, Jim AK4i

Alan

Here are exerts from the Flex Hardware Manual.

Come to think of it, since the SDA2000 tuning relay is "closed" when the antenna is stationary, you would need to use "Active High" on the Flex TX Request to allow the Flex TX.

Alan

Alan

I use a DPDT relay. One set of contacts provide an input to my Node-Red to tell my various programs the SteppIR is moving.

The other set of contacts shorts the center pin of the RCA TX REQ connector to DC ground.

Works for me.

Alan

N6WT Kent

Alan and Jim

You are both speaking in language above my pay grade. Node-Red? I have used an Arduino but nothing like what you are suggesting. My philosophy was to keep it simple, 2 RCA cables and the audio adapter. It works and has never malfunctioned.

73

Kent

N6WT

Mike-VA3MW

Node-RED is software that runs, in my case a Raspberry PI. It is used to enhance station station safety and integration.

My NodeRed software reads the frequency from the radio and then sends it to the Steppir Controller, but it won't if the radio is in TX.

NR is a GUI based programming language for machine to machine communications - sort of what we do. This is what my Steppir 'flow' looks like and how it is gated to make sure tuning commands are not sent to the SDA device while the radio is in TX.

Yes, this is overwhelming at first, but very simple to learn and to learn from others code. We share this code on a groups.io list

Have a look at the group and we are there to help you get going. You won't see "read the manual" in an email from that group. :) We want you to learn though.

It is a bit addictive too.

https://groups.io/g/nodered-hamradio

Mike va3mw

Marcelo PY1KN

Any news on this? May e a future versinho of the software could provide for a grounded center= tx ok logic, the reverse of todays Active Low.

Marcelo