November 2021 N9JIG Shack

[N9JIG]

YouTube video at:

https://youtu.be/ljptAd2ONVA

Here is the latest iteration of my shack. I retired the tall cabinet as my needs changed and I no longer needed as many scanners as I had in the past. I have reduced the radio portion of the shack to a more manageable collection of Uniden scanners and a few other radios.

There are 2 radio cabinets, the small and the larger. Starting with the larger, it is a 3-bay 12u horizontal cabinet from AudioRax (www.audiorax.com). Each of the 3 bays is 4u high, enough for two 2u panels. In the center bay sits my Icom IC746Pro with the custom made rack from NovexComm. On the outer bays are 3 BCD996XT scanners each and each side has a 2-way, The left is a TYT DMR dual bander for ham and GMRS and the right has a Kenwood TK-880 for GMRS.



The scanners and two-ways are in Scanner Master DIN panels, the 2-ways have JottoDesk sleeve that I bolted to these panels. The Icom power supply for the 746 is behind the monitors atop the cabinet, the scanners and 2-ways are powered by an Astron 25A supply also atop the cabinet.

Inside the cabinet is an 8-port Stridsberg multicoupler and my AirNav Radarbox ADSB receiver as well as a PowerPole strip for the radios and a USB hub used to connect the radios to the Hades Canyon NUC (also set on top of the cabinet behind the monitors). There is also a M1 Mac Mini. The two monitors can be used on either computer. The Mac is used as a backup to my main work computer to the right, the NUC is used to program and control the radios.



The desk itself is a 60-inch motorized standing desk that allows me to raise it up and down. I mostly do this for maintenance, usually the desk is kept at the same level as the adjacent fixed height desk. The power and antenna leads are set up to allow me to slide the desk away from the wall as a unit to get at the back for work.

To the right of that desk is an Elfa free-standing modular desk with drawers. On the left side of this desk is a 4u turret cabinet with a flat top, also from AudioRax. In the cabinet are 2 BCD536HP’s and a pair of BCT15X’s. On top of the cabinet is an SDS200 and an Icom R8500 as well as a PL decoder from CSI. At the base of the cabinet is an HP1 and an HP2. Inside the cabinet is a 6A power supply and another 8-port Stridsberg. Behind the HomePatrols are 4 external speakers for the scanners rack-mounted in the cabinet. These also use Scanner Master DIN panels. My SDS100 lives here as well in a desk stand provided by a fan of my Youtube show.



To the right of the small cabinet on that desk is my work phone and the UPS for the Computer Desk. Above the cabinet is the parking place for my MacBook Pro.

The Computer Desk is made by Uplift, is is their largest L-shaped desk. The monitors include a Samsung Odyssey 49-inch curved monitor and a 32-inch Asus above. These are connected to my Intel Mac Mini, which is my main computer for work, internet and radio programming.



The right side of this desk is kept open so I can see the wall monitors or work on projects. My wife also uses it when we work together on projects.

On the far wall are 2 50-inch 4K TV’s used mostly for watching live-streamed rail or airport cameras, CNN or occasional entertainment. Since I rarely watch broadcast TV (I don’t even have a TV package) I use AppleTV’s on each. I also have a Roku for the top one and a small NUC for the bottom. I can cast one of the other computers, my phone or iPad to these via the AppleTV units.



To the left of the large cabinet is a bookshelf that houses my collection of portables, these include a 436, 325, 125, a couple HT’s and other receivers and transceivers. The big blue clock on the top can be seen from the next county and also serves as an effective nightlight. On the bottom shelf is the networking equipment for my home network along with a UPS.



On the back wall is the monitor for my home security system, placed for easy viewing from this office and the living room. My wife’s desk is there too along with her M1 iMac.

The scanners in the large cabinet is used mostly for searching and data collection via Pro96Com, ProScan, ARC-XT and other applications. The small cabinet is used for my day to day monitoring activities.

All the antennas are in the attic as I live in an HOA but they seem to work pretty well. The scanners are connected to ST-2’s and the 746 to a couple wire dipoles for HF and a Diamond dual band antenna for 2M. The TYT is connected to a Comet dual band, the Kenwood to a commercial UHF antenna. I have a commercial ADSB antenna for the AirNav box. The antenna patch panel is behind the desk with the large cabinet.

 

[captainmax1]

Now That's a Radio Shack!

 

[jwt873]

Very nice.. Love all the monitors.

I could never enclose all my gear like that. Looks great, but I'm always doing lots of connecting and disconnecting. For example, I bought a NanoVNA.. It arrived last Monday and I had to see how it performed on all my antennas..

 

[KC1UA]

More and more outstanding...outstandinger than ever! No matter how good we get it, we always find a way to make it better!

 

[commscanaus]

Another benchmark setup Rich!

We share the same taste in IC-R8500 backlights.

The IC-746PRO front and centre is very nice!

Commscanaus.

 

[buddrousa]

Nice change and setup again.

 

[osborne605]

That monitor would fit perfectly on my desk.

 

[w2lie]

That shack just keeps getting better and better. I'm always impressed by how neat and organized the radios are.

 

[iMONITOR]

Rich, looking at this reminded me of a magazine my mother used to subscribe to called Better Homes and Gardens that showed the best of the best. Only you should publish one called Better Shacks and Monitoring Stations! Or maybe Awesome Wife Awesome Life!

 

[markspoo]

Rich:
Can you please elaborate on the SDS-100 stand. Unless I missed it in a previous post.
Also the entire layout looks fantastic. Very well thought out and organized.

 

[PACNWDude]

Very nice. I need to do something like this with some of my old Zetron console equipment, radios, and ALI display that I use for Caller ID.

 

[N9JIG]

Rich:
Can you please elaborate on the SDS-100 stand. Unless I missed it in a previous post.
Also the entire layout looks fantastic. Very well thought out and organized.

It was 3d printed by a fan of The Scanner Guys show. It has slots behind the radio for antennas, batteries and adapters to be stored.

 

[tunnelmot]

Hey Rich,
Can you share your thoughts on why you slimmed down the collection?
Did you consolidate more freq's into fewer radios? I prefer dedicated non scanning radios especially for FD/RR monitoring, but I am just curious.
I know you had several analog units previously for Mil-Air and FD disp/toneouts.

 

[N9JIG]

Hey Rich,
Can you share your thoughts on why you slimmed down the collection?
Did you consolidate more freq's into fewer radios? I prefer dedicated non scanning radios especially for FD/RR monitoring, but I am just curious.
I know you had several analog units previously for Mil-Air and FD disp/toneouts.

I had had the collection of BCT15/15X's for tone-out use in Illinois but that is not use nearly as much here so I used them for the Mil Air band until I was satisfied I had most of the situation here figured out.

 

[N9WI]

Rich, Nice set up and video. I just keep dreaming. Thanks, Tom P. N9WI

 

[Mophead]

That's an awesome setup! I see you're also a train and plane aficionado, like so many of us.
My favorite engine hands down is the GG1 and favorite plane is the Super Guppy. I work at a major airport and seen this plane take off and land a few times.

 

[N9JIG]

That's an awesome setup! I see you're also a train and plane aficionado, like so many of us.
My favorite engine hands down is the GG1 and favorite plane is the Super Guppy. I work at a major airport and seen this plane take off and land a few times.

I saw various Guppies flying a few times at a couple Air Force facilities in Arizona years ago and once in Florida presumably heading into Cape Kennedy. I have seen a couple others in various museums as well.

I wanted to go to Europe to catch the Airbus fleet but never got the chance before they were replaced. I should look up to see whatever became of that fleet.

 

[AK9R]

Interesting that the headlamps on the C&NW F unit are arranged horizontally. I thought EMD usually mounted those in a vertical arrangement.

 

[N9JIG]

Interesting that the headlamps on the C&NW F unit are arranged horizontally. I thought EMD usually mounted those in a vertical arrangement.

It was pretty typical for F and E Units to have horizontally mounted fixtures like this inside the door housing. Sometimes they would be altered during rebuilds and repairs.

In the upper housing some railroads had rotating MARS lights or stationary lights, often with one red and one standard bulb. The red bulb would be illuminated if the train was stopped outside of the timetable schedule. In the days before radio was common they relied on lights, fusees, torpedoes and flags for communications.

 

[wa8pyr]

Interesting that the headlamps on the C&NW F unit are arranged horizontally. I thought EMD usually mounted those in a vertical arrangement.

It was pretty typical for F and E Units to have horizontally mounted fixtures like this inside the door housing. Sometimes they would be altered during rebuilds and repairs.

In the upper housing some railroads had rotating MARS lights or stationary lights, often with one red and one standard bulb. The red bulb would be illuminated if the train was stopped outside of the timetable schedule. In the days before radio was common they relied on lights, fusees, torpedoes and flags for communications.

May be an aftermarket housing installed by railroad shop forces; many cab units had the same style headlight (large "golden glow" reflector and screw-in bulb) found on steam locomotive headlights. When the sealed beam bulbs got popular at least one company came up with a mounting that could be retrofitted into the existing headlight housing by any railroad shop; I've seen them mounted both vertically and horizontally.

I've also seen MARS (etc) lights mounted in the lower (nose door) housing as well. Guess the installs were just up to the whim of the installer.