NOTE: Many of the links on this page will open in a new window. Simply close the window to return here.
Ten-Tec Pegasus/Jupiter info and download
Kachina 505DSP Software download
Welcome to the N2JEU Internet Remote Base Software site.
NOTE: The W7DXX site no longer uses this software and has
converted to a different software package.
Please DO NOT look for support here for the software now on his site.
Internet Remote Base Update
8 November 2004 - While my own software development project may be dead, I hope to have my own Internet Remote Base system operational by the end of November. I discovered that Stan W4MQ's software has supported the Kenwood TS-570 for a while. I've downloaded a copy and it should do the trick for running my own system with the 570SG I own. I do have to build a new PC to run the remote since the old one was used to repair my main web server when the motherboard in it failed. - If all goes well I'll have a system up that should handle all bands from 160 to 10 meters except for 60 meters. Maximum power level will be the 100 watts provided by the transceiver since I do not have an auto-tune amplifier available. - More to be posted here as soon as I can work out the remaining details.
6 October 2004 - The Internet remote base project is effectively dead. I've tried to partner with one of the commercial ham transceiver makers to get the project started again but nobody seems to want to participate. The reasoning is that they'll sell more transceivers to individuals than they will to groups wanting to put up a shared station. This seems to be the same reasoning at all of the major players since I haven't had any success interesting any of them. While I'm still interested in the remote operation of a ham station over a network or the Internet I can't go the development costs alone any more. I retired from my last job in October 2003 due to medical concerns and the budget is getting increasingly tighter these days. To all the folks still interested in running a remote station this way I will remain available for questions either by email or over the phone. I may continue on with software for my own use but I can no longer produce a package for other users unless I can get some support doing it.
10 March 2004 - After a couple of setbacks with the antennas I think I finally have a working antenna in place. Its a Spi-Ro Mfg VS-64 sloper for 160 to 15 meters minus the WARC bands. Some preliminary testing indicates my ICOM IC-756Pro seems to like it. At least the tuner in that transceiver will take care of the minor mismatch on 160 meters. The next step will be to replace the 756Pro with the Kenwood TS-570SG and see how well that reacts to the antenna. The 570SG is my radio of choice for the development work since the rig has a very wide range of commands available through the serial port. You can even turn the power to the rig on and off! The 756Pro does have control capabilities but not at the level of the 570SG. - I finally located a useable DLL to add the audio channel to my software. I've also figured out a way to modularize the software used to control the radio, rotor and possibly other station equipment as well. - Once I have a stable and useable ham station working again I can start to write the new control software. I'm not certain exactly when I'll have something running for demo purposes though.
11 February 2004 - I've started programming a new application to control a Kenwood TS-570S/D(G) transceiver over the Internet or internal network. The package will have the audio channels built-in and will provide for control of serial port rotors and the selection of multiple antennas. While the software will be intended for shared use by many users (but only ONE at a time!) it can be used by a single station owner to make his or her station available from other locations. It will have PTT control of the audio along with making most of the features of the radio available over the Internet. At this point I've just started on it and do not have any idea as to when something will be up and running. I have never done software of this type before and I'm still learning as I go along. - Another problem I have is that of the three antennas I currently have only one is marginally useable. I'll have to get some help with the renovations since I can no longer walk well enough to do it myself. That's likely to slow down the project into the spring to be able to do the outside work. - I'll try to post screen captures and pictures as the project progresses.
26 December 2003 - I've started a series of smaller projects for some control applications. The first is a simple PTT button control for use with external interfaces line the RigBlaster and others using the DTR line on a PC serial port. This will provide a PTT button useable under mouse control so someone using a remote PC control application like PC Anywhere can have access to their station remotely. I have a simple app actually running now and need to add a few things to it to make it useable by others. When the local control app is complete I'll expand it into something that has a server component and a client component for use over networks and the Internet. - Another application is a 1 of 36 PC control application for the Alpha DAS relay box. I have something working and need to add refinements to make it useable in other circumstances than the development environment.
22 November 2003 - Yet another very long time between updates and a few things have happened. The largest thing that happened is that I'm now retired from my regular job for medical reasons (arthritic knees and a bad surgical risk for replacing them) and as a result I have more time to enjoy ham radio and develop the Internet remote base concept a bit more. To that end I'm going to write some new software to control an antenna switch and rotors then go back to development work on controlling the rigs themselves. It will take some time but then these days I seem to have a surplus of that. - I'll post additional updates as I can.
12 January 2003 - I know it's been a VERY long time since the last update. Truthfully not much has happened. One small advancement is that I'm going to be working on a commercial application of the software. I can't go into a lot of detail on the project yet either. There will be advancements over the next few months on getting my own remote system set up and software created for it. It will probably use a Kenwood TS-570SG or possibly my ICOM IC-756PRO. I one one of each of these transceivers. The TS-570 is currently the rig of choice since it is completely controlled by the serial interface even to the point of turning on and off the transceiver power. Minimal work continues on the Ten-Tec version of the software. I hope to have a slightly updated version in another month or so. Other than those items there isn't much going on.
24 September 2002 - I'm considering posting the source code for the existing web based applications on the site. I'm not certain how much use it will be to anyone. The program was written in Microsoft Visual Basic 6 and used a CGI support program that will also be posted. If this is of any interest to you please let me know at the email address at the end of this page.
25 July 2002 - A long overdue update on activities. First, things have slowed down considerably on the project. I needed some time away from it to decide if I was even going to continue with development work. With renewed interest in the field brought about by several articles in QST, I've decided to continue on but at a somewhat reduced pace. Please remember that manufacturer support for me is almost non-existent at this time. Ten-Tec is still supporting the project with the loan of a Pegasus but that's about it. Anything I want to write software for I'll pretty much have to obtain myself.
Where am I headed next? - I've decided to place a remote station on the sir at my own location so I've been slowly renovating a space in my house for a new ham shack and upgrading the antennas I have available. One of the larger projects now in progress is a 50 foot vertical antenna and radial system. The project involves clearing some land (a hundred foot by hundred foot area) behind my house of around 40 years growth of trees, weeds and vines. Once that is completed in another few weeks I'll put up the mast and install the radials. The antenna will have an insulated base and a top loading hat. The matching network at the base will be switchable for both 160 and 80 meters with a reasonable radial system laying on top of the ground. Since I won't have to mow the area I can get away with a surface radial system with a few ground rods added every few radials. Fortunately the area tends to be a bit wet all the time anyway since it's next to a small stream. A hundred feet of coax will connect it to the ham shack in the house in an unused bedroom. The coax will be burried in the part of the yard near the house that has to be mowed.
The plan is to use my Kenwood TS-570SG s the initial transceiver. Why use the TS-570? The command set is extremely well documented and the transceiver is a joy to program for. EVERYTHING you can do from the front panel is available from the command set right down to turning the power on and off. I do plan on adapting the resulting software for other transceivers after the TS-570 version is stable. If it is still available the Pegasus will likely be the second transceiver operational using the next generation of software.
The next generation will be a client/server type program. You'll download and install a piece for your PC that connects to and receives it's marching orders from the server piece. The server software runs on a PC connected to the transceiver and other station equipment and provides fast control over the Internet via short commands sent between the two pieces of software. The goal is to let up to 10 people have a look at the "front panel" of the transceiver at a time. Of course, only ONE will actually be able to control the transceiver and access the audio streams. The others will be able to peek over the shoulder of the operator. The software will hopefully maintain a list of who is waiting to use the station and when a user's time has expired make the next user in line the control operator. The software will maintain communications with each of the waiting users and, should one drop off the system, the others will know about it and be moved up in the line.
Another project is an upgrade to my beam antenna. At present I have a very small three element beam for 20, 15 and 10 meters. I plan on replacing it with a Tennadyne Log Periodic good for 13 to 30 Mhz. Of course, I'll have to buy that antenna too. The rotor is an old but serviceable Hy-gain HAM-II with a Kachina rotor controller installed. The Kachina controller will be replaced with an Idiom Press control board with a serial interface. A parallel port relay interface will control an Array Solutions RATPak 6 port relay antenna switch for remote antenna selection and grounding. Antennas wil be available to cover 160 meters through 10 meters and possibly 6 meters as well. Other relays will control the availability of an Ameritron AL-8llH (Set to ONE band) and switching other station accessories in and out as needed. A few input lines will allow the system to sense emergency conditions and signal the operator of problems.
The control software will use Microsoft's NetMeeting as the audio streaming package unless something better becomes available. The control software will interface with NetMeeting at each end to secure the streams and enforce user time-outs. I've been dabbling with speach generation using Microsoft's Voice SDK and it looks promising Users with a dual sound card machine may be able to have the client software announce the frequency and other parameters for them. This should help vision impared users considerably. This feature will NOT be in the initial version though. Much work remains to be done before speech in integrated into any control software.
The timetable is to have something online before the end of 2002. The antenna work has to be completed before the cold weather arrives and my help disappears for the winter season. After that I can get back into the software aspects of the system.
As usual, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to write me at the email address at the end of this page.
8 March 2002 -Work has stopped on the TS-2000 version of my control software. Work continues slowly on the Kenwood TS-570 version along with updates to the Ten-Tec Pegasus version. KA3ODJ has a Pegasus online using my software. Use the "Links to Remote Base Systems" item above to check it out. I recently purchased an Icom IC756PRO transceiver for my own ham station and I will be doing software for that transceiver as well.
Development work on the next generation of software is also making slow progress. The model is to move away fro ma web based system toward a client/server type operation. This will allow near real time rig control and data feedback of such things as S meter readings and SWR/power readings with just a few milliseconds of delay caused by the Internet connection.
The Internet Remote Base - What is it???
The Internet Remote Base is an amateur radio transceiver connected to a PC that has access to the Internet.
By using some software I wrote to provide radio control functions and Microsoft's free NetMeeting software to provide a two-way audio link, users are able to control and use the transceiver over the Internet without needing special software on their computers. Only an ordinary web browser and the free NetMeeting software is needed on a remote system.
What can you do with it? -
In testing on the W7DXX remote base system, many users
having antenna restrictions have had a taste of operating on HF frequencies that they
might not have had otherwise.
Have you ever wished that you could use your own home station
while you were traveling? Now with a laptop system you can have access to your own home
station over an ordinary dial-up Internet connection.
Do you have a club that wants to make the club station available
to your members even when they can't come to the station location?
Have you ever wondered what is was like to be at the OTHER end of
the pileup?
How about an Internet to satellite gateway using full two way
voice operation when Phase 3D reaches orbit?
These are just a few of the many things that are possible when
you connect your ham station to the Internet. What can YOU think of??????
All these and more are possible using readily available software and hardware.
The Internet Remote base project started as part of the Web Controlled Receiver project that I've operated for the past two and a half years as part of this site. The original concept was to place a computer controlled receiver (or the receiver section of a transceiver) online so that others could tune the radio and listen to a near real time audio stream.
I first used my old Kenwood TS-440 transceiver as the receiver and even experimented in December 1997 with transmitting using the control software that I had written. Tests into a dummy load were fair to poor as the early Internet phone type software was in a relatively primitive state. Most Internet users including my own web site used a 33.6 K dial-up modem to connect to the Internet. There just wasn't enough bandwidth available to support the audio streams required for full transciever operation so I continued on with the recieve only mode.
Much has changed in the last two plus years. Faster Internet connections are common, more powerful computers are much less expensive and computer controlled transceivers have exploded on the scene. At the beginning of 1999 I obtained a Kachina 505DSP computer controlled transceiver on loan from the company and wrote software to place it online as a web controlled receiver. As 2000 began, Aubrey Stewart W6ODG of Kachina called to ask if I would provide a copy of the existing control software to Keith Lamonica W7DXX to see if he could place another 505DSP into operation as an Internet accessible remote base system. Since there was nothing in the software to prevent transceiver operation I sent a copy after telling Keith what he was getting into in trying to get it working.
Despite some initial setup problems we both worked around, Keith persisted and what may be the world's first Internet remote base was placed into operation a short time later. Since that time a few months ago the control software has been through several major revisions until at this point a version is nearly ready for release.
What does it take to set up the Internet Remote Base?
The Internet connection - I suggest at least a 112K ISDN connection, a cable modem or a DSL line for best operation and response times. The lower the available bandwidth the better chance there is of poor audio performance both into and from the remote base. The connection should be up FULL TIME if you want others to use it while you are not. Other considerations for the Internet connection are a static IP address or using one of the Dynamic DNS services to make a stable place where your system can be found on the Internet. A good fast STABLE Internet connection will go a long way towards making the system a pleasure to use.
Users of the remote base need only have a 56K dial-up connection (even a 28.8K connection should work) to use the remote base. More bandwidth is needed at the remote base site because there may be several people accessing the site's web pages at the same time. Only ONE user at a time can use the NetMeeting software for full transceive operation. Others can listen if you use a copy of the Basic Server software from RealNetworks to make additional audio slots available.
The Computer - The software has been tested on a Celeron 400 CPU and an Intel P2-333 system. It should operate just fine on any Windows 98 or NT4 system with a 333Mhz or faster processor and 64 MB of RAM. I suggest at least a 2 GB hard drive and a good medium performance video card. You'll need at least one serial port to control the radio, two (total) if you want to add rotor control as well using the Kachina rotor interface. Other rotor interfaces will be added. A good quality (Sound Blaster or compatible) sound card is required.
The Software - You'll need Microsoft Windows 98, NT4 with the latest service pack or Windows 2000 (the software has not been tested yet with Windows 2000). Windows 95 WILL NOT WORK properly since it has too many memory leak problems. You'll need web server software that supports standard CGI applications. A web server software package from Xitami has been used for testing. It's free and works very well. Microsoft's Personal Web Server software WILL NOT WORK. Internet Information Server (IIS) will work fine under NT4. For the audio link a copy of Microsoft's free NetMeeting conference software is used. You can download it free from Microsoft's web site. A copy of my control software is also required (more about that later!).
The Radio - Software is almost complete for the Kachina 505DSP transceiver. Other versions may be available in the future. Read on for more information! Note that there are also major considerations involved for antennas, tuners, external power amplifiers and other support equipment when used in this type of application. If you need additional information please feel free to contact me via the address below.
Your Experience - You'll need to know about Internet connections and full time operation, running a web server and DNS issues, creating HTML code and much more. If you are an Internet novice then this project is decidedly NOT for you. While I will help with your questions concerning my software I am not able to help with any problems you may encounter in setting up the Internet connection or running web server software outside of the interaction with my own software.
I haven't scared you yet? Good!..........
Here's where you can help. The software is nearly ready to go. At this point I'm trying to determine the level of interest in the "Internet Remote Base" concept by the amateur radio population.
I need your comments! If you are interested in running some type of Internet Remote Base or Web Controlled Receiver then please send me email at the address below with your comments. Even if you are NOT interested in running a system yourself, please let me know if you would consider using this type of Internet resource if it became more widely available. Please keep in mind that NO COMMENTS received are just as important as LOTS of comments. There IS a page counter on this page that increments with each access. If I see the page access count go up and nobody makes any comments I'll have a pretty good indicator of just how much or little interest there is in others doing this type of project on the Internet.
Please send email to n2jeu@ralabs.com. Your email ONLY serves to let me know how
many people may consider doing this type of project. I'll also gladly answer any questions
you have. There's a CONTACT N2JEU box above with additional contact
information. If you do call the best times are listed in the contact information.
Manufacturers and vendors:
Your support and encouragement in important too! If you have a product that you think may be of use or a receiver or transceiver that you would like to have software written for please use the CONTACT N2JEU link above to reach me. The web controlled radio project on this site is here to stay. I'm always looking for new equipment to place online.
NOTE: The links below will open in a new
window. Simply close the window to return here.
This software project would not be possible without support and equipment from the
following companies:
Equipment on loan:
Array
Solutions - 6 Port remote antenna switch
RF Applications - WinWatt PC based Power/SWR
meter
Ten-Tec - Ten-Tec Pegasus transceiver
I purchased equipment used in this project from these companies:
Amateur Electronic Supply (AES)
- Coax cable and various supplies/ICOM IC-756PRO
Astron
Corporation - Astron RS-35 Power Supply(w/ meters)
Barker and Williamson - 160 to 10
meter folded dipole antenna
BSOFT Software - DIG100/48 digital I/O
board and accessories
EZ Hang - Slingshot/reel system used
to get lines over trees
Idiom Press - Rotor-EZ HAM-x to
computer interface
Kenwood - TS-570SG transceiver via Universal Radio
KitsRUs - Parallel port relay card (Kit
number 74)
LDG Electronics - AT-11
automatic antenna tuner
Radio Works - Dacron rope for the antennas
Spi-Ro Manufacturing Inc - 160 to
10 meter sloper antenna
West
Mountain Radio - RIGblaster computer to radio interface
Also, thanks to Kachina Communications for the loan of one of their now discontinued
505DSP transceivers. Their initial support helped get this project started.
Thanks also the Aubrey Stewart W6ODG (formerly of Kachina and now retired) for his support
as well.
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