Leaving 6400M 'always on?'

Jim Moore

I notice this questions has been asked a couple of times but never directly answered. I have a 6400M and Maestro 'C'. I use the Maestro 'C' to operate from my YL's QTH. The 6400M is in my shack in my home.

I can certainly go the WiFi switch route and boot the rig, but a hard shutdown on a consistent basis seems harder on the radio than always leaving it on.

Is there any issue with leaving the 6400M 'up and running' while logged out?

Pierre_VE3KTB

Jim,

In the three years or so that I have been using my 6400, I have only turned it off as a part of firmware upgrade or approaching thunderstorm. Otherwise, it has remained on 24/7.

73,

Pierre VE3KTB

Neil D Friedman N3DF

I have shut down my 6600M nearly every day for 6+ years without issue.

Jim Moore

Neil, it seems to me that a hard shutdown would be the equivalent of just unplugging my Mac Studio while I'm still logged in ... something I always try to avoid doing.

However, I have absolutely no experience with Windows-based equipment, so perhaps this kind of hard shutdown is common usage among the MS crowd. I would have thought you'd be risking corrupting the SD card. If that's not the case, I'll buy a WiFi switch and just boot up the 6400M from my iPhone.

Thanks and 73!

KD0RC

Hi Jim, there is no direct evidence that leaving it powered up continuously or shutting it down daily makes any real difference. Like Neil, I shut mine down every day unless I am out of town and using it remotely. Others leave their radios on continuously.

I would say do what you are most comfortable with.

As far as a hard shut down goes, you would always want to power the rig off with either the front panel button or the REM ON jack before removing power.

Jim Moore

Len, thanks for the straightforward answer! I'll just enjoy the radio and stop worrying.

73

Jim

Peter K1PGV

However, I have absolutely no experience with Windows-based equipment, so perhaps this kind of hard shutdown is common usage among the MS crowd. 

Hard shutdown of a Windows system is not a good idea. The OS itself doesn't care, obviously… but the file systems don't have a chance to properly "clean up." Modern file systems are designed not to become corrupt during this type of event (it's effectively a power failure, right? The data is all kept coherent at a given point in time), but they also don't guarantee to capture any changes that might be in progress.

Several things also depend on which options are chosen on the system when it's installed… and we'd have to guess on this.

So, while the file system and the system itself SHOULD be fine, it's always best to do a "regular" shutdown.

Jim Moore

Hi Peter;

Unless I've missed it, there doesn't seem to be any avenue via a Maestro or SmartSDR to trigger a regular shutdown. If I install a WiFi switch to boot the rig, I'm led to believe that the WiFi switch is the only way to power down as well … hence the hard shutdown.

My point was that I'd rather leave the 6400M 'always on.' Len's response was somewhat reassuring, particularly because he specifically said there's no 'direct difference' to be observed in doing so.

If there's a better option, I'm all ears!

73

Jim

Peter K1PGV

Hi Jim,

I have no experience with the "remote on" jack on the back of the unit. I do know that when you do an ordinary press (that is, not press, hold, and count to ten) the power switch on the 6400M, that initiates a "regular" shutdown. From what I've read, the remote power-on/power-off jack on the back also does a "regular" shutdown (or start up).

Tim has written quite a nice article about this in the help desk: https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/articles/202847169-Remote-Power-On-Options-for-the-FLEX-6000

Hope that helps!

Jim Moore

Hi Peter;

I'd read Tim's article; I just read it again and it makes more sense! Context is a handy thing.

When I can log some real-world experience with the 'remote on' jack, I'll share my assessment … for whatever that may be worth.

Thanks and 73!

Jim

KD0RC

Hi Jim, I have a cheap WiFi switch that I use for REM ON and to switch antennas. I originally got it for remote operation, but have it sitting close to my operating position, so now I just use it to power my rig on and off on a daily basis.

I paid around $18 for it on Amazon. I can either press the buttons on it or, when remote, I can use the phone app (eweLink).

I do not have a way to shut off my power supply remotely, so when I operate away from home, I just leave it on.

The only thing that you can't do with the REM ON jack is a factory reset. That takes a press and hold of the actual power button on the rig.