N9JIG Shack for 2020

[N9JIG]

Rich, is the Astron 25-amp power supply you are using to power the cabinet a linear or switching power supply? I have a similar setup but smaller of course and several of my devices have recommendations for a linear power supply source of power. I am hoping to also get rid of all of the wall warts and move to using a powerpole junction box.

It is a switching supply. I had used a few of the linear supplies in the past but they are big and generate more heat. So far I have not had any issues or noise from them.

I have also used a Samlex 1235M, it works well but the fan comes on and is loud, the Astron's are silent.

I would like one that has a voltage/current display on the front panel with a 1 or 2u rack-mount. If I see one I might go to it. I like the display power strips that iMonitor posted but I want the display to be seen outside the cabinet.

 

[AK9R]

Astron has their switchers available in a rack mount. Switching Rackmount Power Supplies | Astron Corporation

 

[tweiss3]

I can only hope to have a shack as nice as this one day.

How do you cool this room? Is it on its own zone? Right now my home office has the NVR, my workstation and 5 screens and it gets way too hot too quickly.

 

[N9JIG]

I can only hope to have a shack as nice as this one day.

How do you cool this room? Is it on its own zone? Right now my home office has the NVR, my workstation and 5 screens and it gets way too hot too quickly.

There is an HVAC intake and out-vent on opposite sides of the ceiling. The ceilings are 12 feet so there is plenty of cooling space and we have a very efficient AC system. Even when it is over 110 outside (pretty much the rule in summer here) the room stays nice and cool.

I do notice when I close the door to the living room during our live shows it does get a little warmer in here but the ceiling fan takes care of that.

 

[wa8pyr]

My side view from the desk. During work hours these displays have webcams on most of the time, my favorites are Horseshoe Curve PA, Flagstaff AZ, Chesterton IN and Kearney NE. Sometimes I will watch the news on CNN or something on Hulu or NetFlix.

The Communist News Network?? Ewwwwww......

It is a standard USB-1 cable modified to replace the small Uniden serial plug with a DB-9 so the standard USB-1 driver is used.

The Green wire from the USB-1 goes to Pin 2 on the DB-9F, the Red to Pin 3 and the black to Pin 5.

Have you had luck using standard or home-made USB-Serial adapters vs the Uniden one?

I moved the camera server to it to provide better WiFi coverage to some of my more distant cameras but I think I am going to have to wire them eventually anyway due to the distance. The cameras support PPOE so this winter I might get a big box of Cat6 and get that done.

Take a look at the SlimRun CAT6 from Monoprice; comes in lengths up to 50feet and is less than half the diameter of standard CAT6, saves tons of space and allows better air flow. I rewired my entire shack except for the server cabinet with the stuff and it's been fantastic, especially in the desk area.

 

[K7MFC]

The Communist News Network?? Ewwwwww......

ugh...just enjoy the pictures of his shack. Political commentary is completely unnecessary.

 

[wa8pyr]

ugh...just enjoy the pictures of his shack. Political commentary is completely unnecessary.

Just a joke with a friend. . .

 

[K7MFC]

haha well I guess I missed that joke!

 

[wa8pyr]

haha well I guess I missed that joke!

I probably should have used a different emoji. . . dopey me. Back to radios!

 

[N9JIG]

Have you had luck using standard or home-made USB-Serial adapters vs the Uniden one?

I have used USB-Serial adapters but when I discovered the modified USB-1 cables at work I snapped them up, they were a lot cleaner to use. I then made a few myself as I snagged the last of the stock.

Take a look at the SlimRun CAT6 from Monoprice; comes in lengths up to 50feet and is less than half the diameter of standard CAT6, saves tons of space and allows better air flow. I rewired my entire shack except for the server cabinet with the stuff and it's been fantastic, especially in the desk area.

I am torn between rewiring my house this winter to add network jacks for things like cameras and other devices and putting in a separate server cabinet in the laundry room or waiting to see if we end up moving. In that case I would get in and wire the house for network stuff at the start.

In the meantime I will look into the jumpers you suggest and see how that might work out.

 

[wa8pyr]

I have used USB-Serial adapters but when I discovered the modified USB-1 cables at work I snapped them up, they were a lot cleaner to use. I then made a few myself as I snagged the last of the stock.

I bought some of the FTDI USB adapters (bare end) and added the DB9 connectors myself; results were far better than with anything using a Prolific chipset.

I am torn between rewiring my house this winter to add network jacks for things like cameras and other devices and putting in a separate server cabinet in the laundry room or waiting to see if we end up moving. In that case I would get in and wire the house for network stuff at the start.
In the meantime I will look into the jumpers you suggest and see how that might work out.

Here's the link: Monoprice SlimRun Cat6 Ethernet Patch Cable, Snagless RJ45, Stranded, 550MHz, UTP, Pure Bare Copper Wire, 28AWG, 0.5ft, Blue - Monoprice.com

They also have a flat version but it takes up more space and is more costly.

 

[N9JIG]

Just a joke with a friend. . .

Tom and I go WAY back to when we were both young, skinny, good looking and non-smelly. Those days are long past.

 

[wa8pyr]

Tom and I go WAY back to when we were both young, skinny, good looking and non-smelly. Those days are long past.

Young and skinny I'll go along with; good looking is subjective when you get to our age (my brother says the gray hair at the temples is distinguished and the graying beard is "piratical"). I take exception to the smelly part. . .

 

[waynedc]

Rich, I am not sure if this helps or is even what you were referencing, but I use these cables to connect all my 536's and 996P2's to Proscan via the serial port on the rear of the radios. I have zero connection problems and they auto-reconnect upon power-up of the software or the radio.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008634VJY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[N9JIG]

Same concept exactly. The USB-1 cables I have have been modified by snipping off the small connector on the radio end that fits the 996XT and BCT15/15X's and a DB-9 wired in it's place to work with the GPS connector.

The cables you reference do exactly the same thing, perhaps a bit more elegantly. It looks like the USB-serial adapter is embedded in the DB-9 connector.

Very cool idea, and if I hadn't already obtained the modified cables I probably would have used these.

 

[sallen07]

The cables you reference do exactly the same thing, perhaps a bit more elegantly. It looks like the USB-serial adapter is embedded in the DB-9 connector.

Yes, I have a couple of them too, and they work well. Built in null-modem and the proper gender to connect to the scanner make them very clean.

Rich I have another question for you though. Can you explain the power setup in more detail? How do you go from a pair of connections on the power supply to all those scanners?

Thanks ... and awesome setup BTW. I showed the pictures to my wife and said, "and you think *I* have a lot of scanners??"

 

[N9JIG]

Rich I have another question for you though. Can you explain the power setup in more detail? How do you go from a pair of connections on the power supply to all those scanners?

Thanks ... and awesome setup BTW. I showed the pictures to my wife and said, "and you think *I* have a lot of scanners??"

I use a PowerPoles stripin the cabinet connected to the Astron, all the scanners, the R8500 and Multicouplers are connected to it. I then made custom wiring harness's with 5 or 6 coax plugs each.

 

[tweiss3]

Your rack has me thinking, it's not only a good way to store/power any radio equipment, its a great way to clean up the other auxiliary crap in my office.

Where did you find the network cabinet? I'm only finding 42u server racks.

 

[N9JIG]

I got it at Amazon, this is the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KH5PO5Y

The 24" depth are "Network Racks", the 36" depth are "Server Racks" but I don't know if they identify them as such.