As I think I've stated before, I'd like to get a Wires-X Node up and running soon. So, I've decided to map out my current ham shack and my desired future ham shack using pictures to demonstrate how I'm going about making the change.
My Current Ham Shack
To orient you to this picture, the Base Station (green box) shows the setup that's physically located on my desk (EDIT: minus the antennas, of course). I use the station mostly for PSK-31 and JT-65, some SSB voice communications, and some local repeater work on VHF only.
The portable stations are pretty obvious, as is the mobile station.
This is a solid, minimalist setup, but I really want to explore the world of Digital Communications. As you can tell, a lot of my radios are Yaesu, so it was natural to lean towards the Wires-X system.
The portable stations are pretty obvious, as is the mobile station.
This is a solid, minimalist setup, but I really want to explore the world of Digital Communications. As you can tell, a lot of my radios are Yaesu, so it was natural to lean towards the Wires-X system.
My Desired Ham Shack
Once again, the Base Station box (green background) is what I will have on my desk (EDIT: sans antennas). The red dots on the Yaesu FTM-100DR, HRI-200, and Power Supply show that I have not yet purchased those items.
For those of you who are wondering, the Kangaroo Mobile Computer is a tiny computer which is about the size of a cell phone. It runs Windows 10 natively, and has a 4 hour battery built into it. For only $99 (from Microsoft's Store, click here to see the Kangaroo Mobile Computer) it includes the dock which lets you hook up the keyboard and monitor (I'm using a wireless touchpad/keyboard combo). ** NOTE: If you're going to buy it, don't buy it off Amazon! The seller is charging nearly $40 more for the same computer! *** It should be perfect for the Wires-X node.
In the portable station, you'll see the Buddipole and the second Yaesu FT-897D have little green dots with $ signs. These are items which I haven't used in a while, and are worth money. If I let them go, then I can probably get the rest of the stuff that I need right away! However, I initially got into the hobby for emergency communications, and I'm not sure that I want to give up my HF redundancy and portable antenna for field work. That's going to be a tough decision. My other option (which is the option I'm pursuing now anyway) is to wait until I can afford everything, so it'll probably be sometime in the winter before I'm up and running.
The lines running from the Yaesu FT2DR and my mobile station to the VHF/UHF base antenna are because the Wires-X node radio cannot be used to talk on Wires-X. The radio connected to the HRI-200 is effectively nothing more than a transceiver-modem, which means that the user must use a second radio (either the HT or the mobile) to talk on Wires-X. It doesn't matter if the transceiver-modem is a Wires-X capable radio or an analog radio, you still need another radio. I already have them, so that's not an issue, but it's something to be aware of.
I've also considered dropping the FT-897D for the FT-991 radio (or even the FT-891 radio), but again, it goes back to my emergency communications considerations. Both radios, while very nice, give me some concerns. The FT-991 radio concern is the LCD radio face, and my own experiences with the FTM-400XD, while good when working, have been poor when the LCD screen stops responding. The radio becomes totally useless, and I cannot fix it myself. For the FT-891, it is brand-new. I will probably wait a year or two to see how it works out.
For those of you who are wondering, the Kangaroo Mobile Computer is a tiny computer which is about the size of a cell phone. It runs Windows 10 natively, and has a 4 hour battery built into it. For only $99 (from Microsoft's Store, click here to see the Kangaroo Mobile Computer) it includes the dock which lets you hook up the keyboard and monitor (I'm using a wireless touchpad/keyboard combo). ** NOTE: If you're going to buy it, don't buy it off Amazon! The seller is charging nearly $40 more for the same computer! *** It should be perfect for the Wires-X node.
In the portable station, you'll see the Buddipole and the second Yaesu FT-897D have little green dots with $ signs. These are items which I haven't used in a while, and are worth money. If I let them go, then I can probably get the rest of the stuff that I need right away! However, I initially got into the hobby for emergency communications, and I'm not sure that I want to give up my HF redundancy and portable antenna for field work. That's going to be a tough decision. My other option (which is the option I'm pursuing now anyway) is to wait until I can afford everything, so it'll probably be sometime in the winter before I'm up and running.
The lines running from the Yaesu FT2DR and my mobile station to the VHF/UHF base antenna are because the Wires-X node radio cannot be used to talk on Wires-X. The radio connected to the HRI-200 is effectively nothing more than a transceiver-modem, which means that the user must use a second radio (either the HT or the mobile) to talk on Wires-X. It doesn't matter if the transceiver-modem is a Wires-X capable radio or an analog radio, you still need another radio. I already have them, so that's not an issue, but it's something to be aware of.
I've also considered dropping the FT-897D for the FT-991 radio (or even the FT-891 radio), but again, it goes back to my emergency communications considerations. Both radios, while very nice, give me some concerns. The FT-991 radio concern is the LCD radio face, and my own experiences with the FTM-400XD, while good when working, have been poor when the LCD screen stops responding. The radio becomes totally useless, and I cannot fix it myself. For the FT-891, it is brand-new. I will probably wait a year or two to see how it works out.
There are other modes, you know!
Yes, I know! In fact, I've recently learned about DMR (via a recent HamRadio360 podcast). I'm really interested in this technology. The only problem is, I'm already half-way to my Wires-X node!
Sigh. Sadly, I am not a lottery winner! But, for the DMR, I could probably do it with just a DV4 mini USB dongle and a Tytera MD-380 radio...
Choices, choices, choices!