I have been running a remote base since 2008. That is located in the new Ontario RAC Section called ONE, or Ontario East.
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TS480 with Remote Rig
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SGC500 Amp
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LP-Remote for controlling the toys
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80M Dipole
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HF6V (40-10M)
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3 el Steppir at 50ft (20-6M)
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160M Vertical with elevated radials
Home station is a Flex 5000 on a Windom, with a 4el 6M beam on the roof. It sure doesn't have the quiet noise floor of the remote base.
Upfront in November 2012 QST
On a lark, I sent some pictures to QST with my Quad copter lifting drop lines in place. They just loved it and ran it in upfront of the November 2012 issue of QST. In the picture above, you can see it lifting a piece of fishing line with a 2 ounce weight. This will be used to pull a 160M dipole into position at VE3RZ's.
About the hardware: I use NG Hobbies (the owner is a ham as well) for most of my parts. NG Hobbies ships all over the world. He is not the cheapest, but he carries the best equipment available and has amazing customer service!
My control board is from Mikrokopter, one of the best avaiable as it is well proven and very stable. Many use this solution for photography.
If you are looking for your own quad, be aware that EVERY quad maker says that their quad is as stable as Mikrokopter. Truth is, they aren't and you really won't know until you actually fly one day. Mikrokopter allows you to fine tune the PID loops (feedback loop for the gyros). Others do not allow you to do that. They pick a setting that works best for them on a calm day.
The PID tuning is the most critical. I have different settings for different weights and different types of wind. Like ham radio, it is not an exact science. If someone tells you that theirs works for all settings, don't believe them.
Your parts list looks like (alot of these are included in one of the kits from NG Hobbies):
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Frame
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Motors
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ESC (motor speed controllers)
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Propellers
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Flight controller - this is the brains of the bird
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RC Transmitter
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RC Receiver
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Lipo battery (minimum 3S)
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Lipo battery charger
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Nuts, bolts, wire, locktight, etc.
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Servo for releasing your weight
If you have never flown before, I highly recommend using RealFlight (about $200) that you can run on your PC. When you crash, all you have to do is hit the reset button. :)
Have fun if you start to do this on your own. It is a great tool for ham radio!
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DX Cluster
telnet://va3mw.dxcluster.org:41112 and log in with our callsign.
I also run the va3mw.dxcluster.org on port 41112. If you want a cluster that only announces spots that are from heard in Zone 2, 4 and 5, then you want to use my cluster.
Want to run a remote base?
Take away just about all the buttons you have on your desk and replace it with a computer screen. Everything you are used to adjusting now requires a mouse.
It is that reason I chose to us a TS480 connected to a RemoteRig that essentially allows me to keep the control head at my desk and the RF parts at the remote base.
This is the screen shot of my remote base during JARTs in 2012. All the information you need in one place.
Many 73 - Mike
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I have created this Yahoo Group for the discussion of the entire Ham Radio remote base integration.
Click to join Ham_radio_remote_base
