how to Remote from a distance from like South Korea to MY station in TN.

James Kennedy-WU5E

I can connect to my station while on my internal network. but if I go away like downtown Clarksville TN my radio is ON but on my phone I only see the Demo Radio.. I'm on orders to go to new duty station in Korea in Aug. 
My current station is.
FLEX 6600 3.1.12
FLEX PG-XL 3.4.10
Current Network is AT&T Uverse 

My plans are to get get a laptop put SmartSDR on it and get back to my radio I need step by step procedures to see what I'm doing wrong.My though process is it's on my network.

Jim
WU5E

Bill -VA3WTB

Did you set up your smart link account?

James Kennedy-WU5E

YES it setup with Smartlink account.

Doug

Jim I am a little confused because you talk both about running on your phone and also a laptop. These of course are two different programs. Have you purchased the software for your phone. And of course like Bill ask have you setup a smart link account with Flex ? which is free but you must set this up at your station while you are present because you have to either key your mic or close a c.w. key.
Doug K9CRT

OK I see you posted while I was typing my reply here so then I ask have you bought the IOS software from Apple

James Kennedy-WU5E

again I will break this down
I have my Radio Registered with smartlink
on my phone i have SMARTSDR for IOS
the laptop I will take to Korea will have SmartSDR for windows
I asked for step by step procedures someone sent step one and stopped.

Jim
WU5E

James Kennedy-WU5E

Yes I have the smartsdr for IOS My radio is registered with smart link On the phone which I will test again later today I hope I don’t have UPD issues Jim WU5E

KY6LA_Howard

I have remoted from 30+ countries and until the lockdown did so regularly.

The fist thing to consider is that each and every device in your station will fail at some random time.  The best way to correct this is to be able to reboot everything including modems, routers and computers by cycling the power.  I do this by using 2 Eight Port Digital Logger Web Switches which have the added benefit of automatically pinging the Internet and will reboot themselves if the connection is lost.   if you are in TN, then you likely will have lightning (not an issue for me in SoCal) so you must be able to shut down everything when not in use.  You might also want to consider a remote antenna disconect when not in use.

I suggest you search remote on this community as there are dozens of threads - some with pictures and diagrams- about this topic

John KB4DU

What kind of phone are you using? If it is an Iphone the IOS app is only demo version euntil the paid version is installed.

The same paid version will also work on an Ipad.

On a windows PC, the free SmartSDR will work without further expense.

KY6LA_Howard

Jim

I big question is whether you will still have someone in the USA who can reboot everything if you have a systems crash and all your remote reboot devices fail to fix it.

As I said, I have been remoting for years and the only consistency of my various configurations has been the random failures of different parts. necessitating reboots.

The easy part is the Flex and PGXL which are designed for remote.   But you need to consider antenna switches, disconnects, routers, modems, LAN Switches, etc all of which will fail at some time when you are 8000 miles away.

Mike-VA3MW

I want to check on 2 things.

• You did do the PTT registration on your radio?
• Do or did you get a Green light when you did a port foward check as part of the initial setup?

Sorry if I missed it if you have already answered those questions.

As Howard mentioned, make sure you have a way to remotely reboot things in case you need to, including the radio and your modem/router.

Let us know, Mike 

James Kennedy-WU5E

Yes PTT Registration is done
and NO I did not get a green lite , it failed on TCP/UDP

KI4P

Hey Jim! since it failed, your router probably has UPNP off, your going to have to turn it back on or manually configure port forwarding. 
Rick, KI4P 

Tom OBoyle

Yep..he nailed it Jim. Port forwarding or uPNP not on. Let me know if you want to do a remote web screen share session and I can see if I can help. 73 de Tom, N9GUN

johna8119

KY6LA has given some valuable advice regarding being able to reboot your Flex in the event that it locks up.  The Digital Logger switches are sold out, but you can go a cheap way and get a couple of the little WEMO switches.  Hook one to the Flex power supply, the other to your computer, and you can reboot using an iPhone app.  (Caution: some computers and operating systems give you the Blue Screen of Death if you shut off the power when they're updating.)

I handled this problem using an 8 relay USB card attached to the computer in the shack.  With it, I can disconnect the 120 v Flex power supply or the 240 v supply to my amplifier (the latter uses one relay for each leg of the 240v).  I can also use a relay to actuate the RCA PTT on the Flex, should I want to reregister with Smartlink.  Another relay controls the Remote On RCA connector. I use TeamViewer (free version) to connect to the shack computer.

I tried using another USB card as an antenna switch/disconnect device, but the relays in the card didn't like the RF, and I'm still working on this solution.  I decided to chance it with my station, leaving the antenna connected, and so far this winter/spring I've been lucky.

Regarding rebooting the computer, I wrote a task for task manager that reboots the computer every evening at 3 a.m.  You should change the BIOS to restart the computer automatically after a power failure.  My router and modem are connected to a timer which reboots them every evening 30 minutes later.

Good luck
John
W4KV

KY6LA_Howard

I initially started with the Wemo but they were sensitive to RFI and l ended up needing so many switches that the 2 only 8 port Digital Loggers were cheaper.   You need to be able to reboot everything.  Every modem, router, radio switch, etc etc

Tom OBoyle

I use some web based smart plugs here to turn on tuners, Remote On for Flex radios, power up the PGXL through a 30a relay and power some fans. Some of those plugs get a little iffy when the ISP goes up/down and they lose WiFi connection. I agree with Howard on using something a little more reliable in Jim's circumstances to reboot and control. I would also suggest an old windows or Linux PC at the station to be used as a local access PC on the local LAN. Use TeamViewer or AnyDesk to access it. You never know when you will need to update firmware or ping something or just undo any changes AT&T decide to send down to the modem/router.

David Decoons, wo2x

Hi Jim,

I have heard of people having issues with Uverse in parts of the country. If the ISP (AT&T) is doing double NAT'ing then unless you get the right person at AT&T SmartLink probably will not work.

If you need help with port forwarding get hold of me via email and I'll help out.

Dave wo2x

KY6LA_Howard

I might note that I also have a backup Internet connect (cell phone) to access my systems for those times that the main ISP (Spectrum) fails or the modem or router fails and I need back door access to reboot things..

BTW.. you never answered if you will have someone back in TN who can reboot things for you when all else fails..  definitely worth having... leave them a very detailed rebooting sequence manual with lots of pictures and practice it with them before you leave.

Bottom Line;  If its going to fail it definitely will fail when you are 8000 miles away and cant push the button...so look in detail for every single point of failure and where possible duplicate the device with an easy failover system..

it took me almost 20 years of trial and error to build a station with 99.99% reliability and/or ease of correction so test remotely long before you leave the USA

David Decoons, wo2x

I was able to help James get his UVerse router set up for proper port forwarding.

Dave wo2x

Tom OBoyle

Great!

James Kennedy-WU5E

THANKS DAVE

David Decoons, wo2x

You’re welcome! Pleasure chatting on the phone. Dave wo2x

KI4P

Good news Jim