OK, Scott redid his radio room, so I have to update mine. I obtained a Behringer 1602 mixer to replace the much larger X2222 (Thanks Jim!) and moved things around a bit to accommodate it in the rack.
I could have gone two ways with this: One was to keep the 3u cabinet I have been using since October (see The (almost) all new for 2022 N9JIG Shack) and make room for the new mixer or revert to my older 4u slant cabinet (the same cabinet as Scott's, please see his shack at Scott's Radio Room for 2023 and mine at November 2021 N9JIG Shack).
There are advantages either way. With the smaller 3u cabinet the monitors and radios atop it are lower to the desktop for easier viewing and access. This would mean however that I would have to find a place for the mixer. I could remove one of the almost brand new (2 weeks old) 3u panels and replace it with a 2u and put the mixer in with that or I would have to add a new place for the mixer.
The larger would allow me to use the almost brand new (2 weeks old...) 3u panels I just bought and just add the mixer. I would then fill the excess space in the other bays with either blank panels or a shelf I could use for the Windows and pi computers or a power strip. Hedging my bets I ordered the blank panel and a shelf so I could use the 4u cabinet. The monitor height would not be a huge issue as I could either move the monitors a bit to the right and off the cabinet or just deal with the added height for the pi and Windows monitors.
On the other hand I still had a 2u panel for the 25A power supply and a radio slot. I also have a nice power supply/desk cabinet for the Kenwood GMRS rig so I could put that on top. Either way I could remove the altered keyboard tray I have been using for the larger mixer. It worked well but I just did not like it.
As I awaited the delivery of the new mixer I stewed on the options and ultimately decided to stick with the 3u cabinet for now. I have the option down the road to change my mind (I NEVER do that...) and go to the 4u but so far I am happy with the way this turned out.
So here are the pics:
First off, just for reference I wanted to show the panel (above) that I removed and stored (for now) to make room for the mixer. I just got it a couple weeks ago and it is a thing of beauty. It is from NovexCom and they did a fantastic job with it for what is, all-in-all, a reasonable price. It is kind of a shame not to be using it but it was the logical thing to do.
That said, here are the current (as of today) pictures:
Here is the overall shot. The desk is an UPLIFT L-shaped raising table. I have had it for a few years now and I absolutely adore it. Plenty of space, solid mechanicals and it looks great. I can change the table top down the road if I choose but I like the 1-inch black laminate.
On the left side is the radio cabinet. This is a 3u/3-bay AudioRax cabinet in Ebony Black. The only problem I have with it is that the stain doesn;t seem to hold up as well as paint or laminate. I might refinish it down the road but that is a problem for future me.
On the right is the computer stuff. The far left monitor is for the Windows computer, this runs ProScan, Pro96Com, ARC-xx and whatever other radio programming stuff I need. The upper-center monitor is connected to a Raspberry pi3 running HamClock, a free alternative to a GeoChron for hams. The lower-center and far right monitors are for my M2Max MacBook Pro and is used for my day to day use.
The two 50-inch TV's are used with AppleTV or Roku boxes and are mostly used to watch live cameras for airports and railroads. I can also watch the news or a baseball game if I choose. There is a third 50-inch monitor on the far left wall used for the home security system.
Radio Desk
Here is the overall shot of the radio desk. The details are below.
On the far left is the mixer, below it is the power supply for the AT-5888 and IC-7300. The AT-5888 is used for local 2m and GMRS work. On top of the cabinet is the main GMRS rig (Kenwood TK-8180) and my IC-705.
This is the center bay. It has an SDS200, a BCD996P2 and a BCD996XT in it. Behind the radios, inside the cabinet is the Stridsberg 8-port multicoupler. On top of the cabinet is my R8600, IC-7300 and SDS100.
In the far right bay are 4 BCD536HP's. Inside the cabinet behind the radios live the USB hub (13-ports) and a network switch. On top of the cabinet is my Intel Hades Canyon NUC with 32GB of RAM and 2 TB SSD. This thing is a beast. I have run 24 instances of ProScan, several of ARC-xx and PRO96Com and it barely broke a sweat. It is a fantastic SFF PC, and even after 4 years it still runs anything I have thrown at it.
Here is the computer side of things. I use the Logitech MX series mouse and keyboard. Since they support up to three devices I have it paired to the Mac, Windows and pi so I can switch to them without needing Synergy or a KVM switch. For me it just works much nicer and reduces clutter. I do have a wired mouse for the PC as 95% of my interaction with that is by mouse, it just makes it easier sometimes to use a separate mouse.
I use headphones for almost everything these days as I share my office. For the Mac i usually use a pair of Logitech wireless (RF) headphones. I use a Pioneer DJ headphone for the radios and an Apple AirPods Max for the computer or phone. What I use for what depends on my mood and convenience.
The MacBook Pro is behind the monitors, the Raspberry pi is velcroed to the back of the upper monitor and the NUC is on the cabinet under its monitor.
Lastly here is the antenna patch panel. I am actually using the same panel I had before but flipped over and resurfaced. I found some Contact Paper that pretty closely matched the wall color. It covers the now unused F and BNC connector holes. I mounted my antenna switch to it so I could reduce the amount of coax patch cords to the desk for my collection of HF stuff. I actually now have 5 HF antennas in my HOA home. Outside are 2 end-fed wires, one for 20m and the other for 10 that extend along the crown of my clay tile roof with the ununs tucked into the vent from which the coax goes thru. I also have a 20m dipole along the edge of the roofline centered in the same vent. In the attic itself are a 20m and 10m dipole.
It is easier for me to swap antennas at the panel than on the radios themselves. I often use the D130NJ for 6M or other bands on the IC-705 but right now it is on the DX50N dual band. I can also connect it to the R8600 but for now it is connected to the SkyBand discone. I have 2 ST-2's in the attic with the replacement ChannelMaster CM-3203 baluns. These newer baluns work much better than the 30 year old cheapies that came with the ST-2.
The coax runs are mostly Belden 9913 except for the HF antennas, those are RG-8X. All are 50' long, the 9913's have N's at both ends and the RG-8X had PL259's. Most of the non-HF antennas have N-connectors, the one ot two that do not have N-PL259 adapters at the antenna.
I might replace the panel down the road but for now it seems to work well as it is.
I also shamelessly steal ideas from others and I like to share my shacks so others can borrow my ideas. I can put money on the fact that things will change here, they always do. I am sure that I will find something that needs tweaking soon. I would like to pull all the wiring and reroute it, after a couple changes it gets kind of messy.
I could have gone two ways with this: One was to keep the 3u cabinet I have been using since October (see The (almost) all new for 2022 N9JIG Shack) and make room for the new mixer or revert to my older 4u slant cabinet (the same cabinet as Scott's, please see his shack at Scott's Radio Room for 2023 and mine at November 2021 N9JIG Shack).
There are advantages either way. With the smaller 3u cabinet the monitors and radios atop it are lower to the desktop for easier viewing and access. This would mean however that I would have to find a place for the mixer. I could remove one of the almost brand new (2 weeks old) 3u panels and replace it with a 2u and put the mixer in with that or I would have to add a new place for the mixer.
The larger would allow me to use the almost brand new (2 weeks old...) 3u panels I just bought and just add the mixer. I would then fill the excess space in the other bays with either blank panels or a shelf I could use for the Windows and pi computers or a power strip. Hedging my bets I ordered the blank panel and a shelf so I could use the 4u cabinet. The monitor height would not be a huge issue as I could either move the monitors a bit to the right and off the cabinet or just deal with the added height for the pi and Windows monitors.
On the other hand I still had a 2u panel for the 25A power supply and a radio slot. I also have a nice power supply/desk cabinet for the Kenwood GMRS rig so I could put that on top. Either way I could remove the altered keyboard tray I have been using for the larger mixer. It worked well but I just did not like it.
As I awaited the delivery of the new mixer I stewed on the options and ultimately decided to stick with the 3u cabinet for now. I have the option down the road to change my mind (I NEVER do that...) and go to the 4u but so far I am happy with the way this turned out.
So here are the pics:
Original panel
First off, just for reference I wanted to show the panel (above) that I removed and stored (for now) to make room for the mixer. I just got it a couple weeks ago and it is a thing of beauty. It is from NovexCom and they did a fantastic job with it for what is, all-in-all, a reasonable price. It is kind of a shame not to be using it but it was the logical thing to do.
That said, here are the current (as of today) pictures:
Overall
Here is the overall shot. The desk is an UPLIFT L-shaped raising table. I have had it for a few years now and I absolutely adore it. Plenty of space, solid mechanicals and it looks great. I can change the table top down the road if I choose but I like the 1-inch black laminate.
On the left side is the radio cabinet. This is a 3u/3-bay AudioRax cabinet in Ebony Black. The only problem I have with it is that the stain doesn;t seem to hold up as well as paint or laminate. I might refinish it down the road but that is a problem for future me.
On the right is the computer stuff. The far left monitor is for the Windows computer, this runs ProScan, Pro96Com, ARC-xx and whatever other radio programming stuff I need. The upper-center monitor is connected to a Raspberry pi3 running HamClock, a free alternative to a GeoChron for hams. The lower-center and far right monitors are for my M2Max MacBook Pro and is used for my day to day use.
The two 50-inch TV's are used with AppleTV or Roku boxes and are mostly used to watch live cameras for airports and railroads. I can also watch the news or a baseball game if I choose. There is a third 50-inch monitor on the far left wall used for the home security system.
Radio Desk
Here is the overall shot of the radio desk. The details are below.
Left Bay
On the far left is the mixer, below it is the power supply for the AT-5888 and IC-7300. The AT-5888 is used for local 2m and GMRS work. On top of the cabinet is the main GMRS rig (Kenwood TK-8180) and my IC-705.
Center Bay
This is the center bay. It has an SDS200, a BCD996P2 and a BCD996XT in it. Behind the radios, inside the cabinet is the Stridsberg 8-port multicoupler. On top of the cabinet is my R8600, IC-7300 and SDS100.
Right Bay
In the far right bay are 4 BCD536HP's. Inside the cabinet behind the radios live the USB hub (13-ports) and a network switch. On top of the cabinet is my Intel Hades Canyon NUC with 32GB of RAM and 2 TB SSD. This thing is a beast. I have run 24 instances of ProScan, several of ARC-xx and PRO96Com and it barely broke a sweat. It is a fantastic SFF PC, and even after 4 years it still runs anything I have thrown at it.
Computer Desk
Here is the computer side of things. I use the Logitech MX series mouse and keyboard. Since they support up to three devices I have it paired to the Mac, Windows and pi so I can switch to them without needing Synergy or a KVM switch. For me it just works much nicer and reduces clutter. I do have a wired mouse for the PC as 95% of my interaction with that is by mouse, it just makes it easier sometimes to use a separate mouse.
I use headphones for almost everything these days as I share my office. For the Mac i usually use a pair of Logitech wireless (RF) headphones. I use a Pioneer DJ headphone for the radios and an Apple AirPods Max for the computer or phone. What I use for what depends on my mood and convenience.
The MacBook Pro is behind the monitors, the Raspberry pi is velcroed to the back of the upper monitor and the NUC is on the cabinet under its monitor.
Patch Panel
Lastly here is the antenna patch panel. I am actually using the same panel I had before but flipped over and resurfaced. I found some Contact Paper that pretty closely matched the wall color. It covers the now unused F and BNC connector holes. I mounted my antenna switch to it so I could reduce the amount of coax patch cords to the desk for my collection of HF stuff. I actually now have 5 HF antennas in my HOA home. Outside are 2 end-fed wires, one for 20m and the other for 10 that extend along the crown of my clay tile roof with the ununs tucked into the vent from which the coax goes thru. I also have a 20m dipole along the edge of the roofline centered in the same vent. In the attic itself are a 20m and 10m dipole.
It is easier for me to swap antennas at the panel than on the radios themselves. I often use the D130NJ for 6M or other bands on the IC-705 but right now it is on the DX50N dual band. I can also connect it to the R8600 but for now it is connected to the SkyBand discone. I have 2 ST-2's in the attic with the replacement ChannelMaster CM-3203 baluns. These newer baluns work much better than the 30 year old cheapies that came with the ST-2.
The coax runs are mostly Belden 9913 except for the HF antennas, those are RG-8X. All are 50' long, the 9913's have N's at both ends and the RG-8X had PL259's. Most of the non-HF antennas have N-connectors, the one ot two that do not have N-PL259 adapters at the antenna.
I might replace the panel down the road but for now it seems to work well as it is.
Conclusion
Scott (KC1UA) and I have shared shack ideas for years and we have traded radios as well. We seem to share a lot of preferences for radios and I am happy to admit I have plagiarized a lot of his ideas and incorporate them into my shacks. I am insanely jealous of his antenna tower, being in an HOA limits my antenna farm to what I can get in the attic and hidden from the HOA people. I also shamelessly steal ideas from others and I like to share my shacks so others can borrow my ideas. I can put money on the fact that things will change here, they always do. I am sure that I will find something that needs tweaking soon. I would like to pull all the wiring and reroute it, after a couple changes it gets kind of messy.
