Another year, another remodel of my shack.
With the purchase of a widescreen monitor for the computer I decided to go back to my horizontal rack, it fits the desk better on the horizontal rack. I also added an Icom ID-5100 dual-bander so decided to use the IC-7300 for HF rather than the IC-7100 for both V/U and HF. I might put the 7100 in the car one of these days but that will be for a different day and a different post.
First thing though I needed to rehab the rack cabinet. After several different installs and time in a dusty garage it was looking pretty tired. It was scratched up and the stain was starting to fade.
As I cannot paint, I enlisted the wife who painted it for me. She chose to use Rustoleum oil-based gloss black. It really covered things very well but is a bear to clean up. I had always used latex based paint and found out that you cannot clean brushes etc. with water and really should wear gloves. I didn’t have any paint thinner or turpentine. I suspect the paint will eventually wear off my hands and arms in a few days. At least I used a bucket instead of the sink in my futile attempt to clean the brush and tray. I will however need a new bucket as it is well-stained on the inside.
After a couple days to dry, the cabinet was ready to work in.
First, I mounted the rack panels with the radios. This allows me to then start working on the wiring, by far the most time-consuming aspect.
Then I start looking at the backside of the cabinet and see what and how long of the various power, antenna, Ethernet and USB cables I will need. Being pretty much a pack-rat I had all the cables and stuff I needed for the most part, I did pick up some cables at a recent hamfest.
Next comes the wiring itself. I started with the AC power first, the power strip will live in the rear tray on the desk, so I just drape those wires off the rear for now. AC cords include the Astron power supply, the separate power supply for the multicoupler (more on that later), the 2 USB hubs and a wall-wart for the little Ethernet switch. In addition, I have a 20w USB-C power adapter for one of the front panel ports.
Next, I mounted the multicoupler, USB hubs and other accessories. As you look at the picture above, from left to right the first bay has one USB hub and the far-right bay has another. The multicoupler is at the rear of the center bay and the power pole strip in the right one.
I mouthed the multicoupler a bit above the floor of the cabinet, this allowed me to put the power supplies for the USB hubs and the multicoupler itself underneath as well as the radio unit for the ID-5100. I have a couple little server fans that can go there if needed, we will see if heat becomes an issue or not.
Once completed in the shop I wheeled the cart into the office, the wife and I then slid the cabinet onto the desk. I pulled the external wires back out of the way and started to route them as needed. The R8600 lives on top of the cabinet and the SDS100 and SDS150 on the desk so the cables were draped for these.
So, here are the office pics:
Here is the overall shot of the office. At the far left is a Husky (Home Depot) tool chest that I keep parts, tools and other stuffage in. At the left corner I have a small wall cabinet with my networking as well as a streaming server I host for a friend. On top is my DMR hotspot. In the center is the radio desk, then the corner desk and finally to the far left the computer desk.
To the right is the computer desk, with a Mac studio and a pair of 27” monitors. The desk is a SecretLab Magnus Pro-XL. I have an iPad for EchoLink, Zello and my home automation. Above the desk is a 50” HDTV used mostly for watching rail and airport live feeds.
In the right corner I have a small printer desk for portables, desk chargers and accessories. Some of this stuff lives on a neat little wall shelf we found at Hobby Lobby.
Here is the centerpiece of the shack. The cabinet is an AudioRax 3-bay 4u wooden unit I have had for a few years and used off and on.
Both the radio and computer desks SecretLab Magnus Pro XL Standing models. I have had one for my main computer desk for a couple years and since I loved it so much, I bought another for the radios. It is sturdy, properly sized for my needs and has great features that I like. Things like the under-desk support for the computer, integrated power and the rear wire tray really work great for me.
The radios themselves haven’t really changed much: 4 BCD536HP’s, 2 SDS200’s, a BCD996P2, a BCD260DN, Icom R8600, IC-7300 and an IC-5100. In addition, there is an SDS100 and an SDS150. The power supply is an Astron 50A with metered output.
In the back is the homemade multicoupler. I now have it on a separate power supply so I can turn off the radio’s power and leave the amplifier on to keep it working for some streaming SDR’s I host for a friend. I added a set of rack rails at the back of the cabinet for the multicoupler (see Scanner Tales: Rolling my own (Multicoupler, that is) for details).
The computer is a home-built AMD Ryzen 7-7800x3D CPU with 64GB of RAM and a Radeon RX6600 GPU. I built this 2 years ago and it really is perfect for my needs. Of course, I use a Mac Studio on the other desk for my main writing and day to day stuff. I run ProScan, ARC-xx products, Pro96Com and occasionally Radar Box and SDR stuff as well as occasionally FT-8. I can run all of this at the same time with no hiccups since I over-spec’d the computer.
The monitor for the radio computer is a Samsung 49” Ultra-wide. I had purchased it originally to use on the Mac Studio but found it was better suited for the PC in my use case scenario. Above that is a second 50” TV, usually used for my GeoChron or live-streamed videos. I also have it connected to the outside antenna via the multicoupler for OTA TV viewing.
Here is the biggest addition to the shack, a patch panel of sorts. I found myself using USB extension cables for connecting things to the computer from time to time, such as a SD Card reader, programming cable or a wired mouse when the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse need to be re-paired. It was a lot easier than crawling around on the floor trying to plug something into the computer itself. Thus, I added 2 USB-A ports and a USB-C. I also added a power-only USB-C port to charge my phone or other device.
I also wanted to connect a handheld scanner or an HT to an antenna quickly, so I added a pair of BNC ports, one connected to the multicoupler and one to a dual-band antenna in the attic. I also added a couple Ethernet ports so I can easily connect a computer as needed without having to get a long networking cable connected to the switch. I found the “D-Series” rack panel on Amazon as well as the inserts for the various connectors.
I suspect I will live with this setup for a while. While I liked the more vertical 10u cabinet I was not happy with the way it worked with the new wide screen. Between the slight slant of this cabinet and the down-tilt of the monitor it is much easier to see the radios and display. I also like the symmetry of the desk and wall-mounted TV above it.
Any bets on how long this will last?
With the purchase of a widescreen monitor for the computer I decided to go back to my horizontal rack, it fits the desk better on the horizontal rack. I also added an Icom ID-5100 dual-bander so decided to use the IC-7300 for HF rather than the IC-7100 for both V/U and HF. I might put the 7100 in the car one of these days but that will be for a different day and a different post.
First thing though I needed to rehab the rack cabinet. After several different installs and time in a dusty garage it was looking pretty tired. It was scratched up and the stain was starting to fade.
As I cannot paint, I enlisted the wife who painted it for me. She chose to use Rustoleum oil-based gloss black. It really covered things very well but is a bear to clean up. I had always used latex based paint and found out that you cannot clean brushes etc. with water and really should wear gloves. I didn’t have any paint thinner or turpentine. I suspect the paint will eventually wear off my hands and arms in a few days. At least I used a bucket instead of the sink in my futile attempt to clean the brush and tray. I will however need a new bucket as it is well-stained on the inside.
After a couple days to dry, the cabinet was ready to work in.
First, I mounted the rack panels with the radios. This allows me to then start working on the wiring, by far the most time-consuming aspect.
Then I start looking at the backside of the cabinet and see what and how long of the various power, antenna, Ethernet and USB cables I will need. Being pretty much a pack-rat I had all the cables and stuff I needed for the most part, I did pick up some cables at a recent hamfest.
Next comes the wiring itself. I started with the AC power first, the power strip will live in the rear tray on the desk, so I just drape those wires off the rear for now. AC cords include the Astron power supply, the separate power supply for the multicoupler (more on that later), the 2 USB hubs and a wall-wart for the little Ethernet switch. In addition, I have a 20w USB-C power adapter for one of the front panel ports.
Next, I mounted the multicoupler, USB hubs and other accessories. As you look at the picture above, from left to right the first bay has one USB hub and the far-right bay has another. The multicoupler is at the rear of the center bay and the power pole strip in the right one.
I mouthed the multicoupler a bit above the floor of the cabinet, this allowed me to put the power supplies for the USB hubs and the multicoupler itself underneath as well as the radio unit for the ID-5100. I have a couple little server fans that can go there if needed, we will see if heat becomes an issue or not.
Once completed in the shop I wheeled the cart into the office, the wife and I then slid the cabinet onto the desk. I pulled the external wires back out of the way and started to route them as needed. The R8600 lives on top of the cabinet and the SDS100 and SDS150 on the desk so the cables were draped for these.
So, here are the office pics:
Here is the overall shot of the office. At the far left is a Husky (Home Depot) tool chest that I keep parts, tools and other stuffage in. At the left corner I have a small wall cabinet with my networking as well as a streaming server I host for a friend. On top is my DMR hotspot. In the center is the radio desk, then the corner desk and finally to the far left the computer desk.
To the right is the computer desk, with a Mac studio and a pair of 27” monitors. The desk is a SecretLab Magnus Pro-XL. I have an iPad for EchoLink, Zello and my home automation. Above the desk is a 50” HDTV used mostly for watching rail and airport live feeds.
In the right corner I have a small printer desk for portables, desk chargers and accessories. Some of this stuff lives on a neat little wall shelf we found at Hobby Lobby.
Here is the centerpiece of the shack. The cabinet is an AudioRax 3-bay 4u wooden unit I have had for a few years and used off and on.
Both the radio and computer desks SecretLab Magnus Pro XL Standing models. I have had one for my main computer desk for a couple years and since I loved it so much, I bought another for the radios. It is sturdy, properly sized for my needs and has great features that I like. Things like the under-desk support for the computer, integrated power and the rear wire tray really work great for me.
The radios themselves haven’t really changed much: 4 BCD536HP’s, 2 SDS200’s, a BCD996P2, a BCD260DN, Icom R8600, IC-7300 and an IC-5100. In addition, there is an SDS100 and an SDS150. The power supply is an Astron 50A with metered output.
In the back is the homemade multicoupler. I now have it on a separate power supply so I can turn off the radio’s power and leave the amplifier on to keep it working for some streaming SDR’s I host for a friend. I added a set of rack rails at the back of the cabinet for the multicoupler (see Scanner Tales: Rolling my own (Multicoupler, that is) for details).
The computer is a home-built AMD Ryzen 7-7800x3D CPU with 64GB of RAM and a Radeon RX6600 GPU. I built this 2 years ago and it really is perfect for my needs. Of course, I use a Mac Studio on the other desk for my main writing and day to day stuff. I run ProScan, ARC-xx products, Pro96Com and occasionally Radar Box and SDR stuff as well as occasionally FT-8. I can run all of this at the same time with no hiccups since I over-spec’d the computer.
The monitor for the radio computer is a Samsung 49” Ultra-wide. I had purchased it originally to use on the Mac Studio but found it was better suited for the PC in my use case scenario. Above that is a second 50” TV, usually used for my GeoChron or live-streamed videos. I also have it connected to the outside antenna via the multicoupler for OTA TV viewing.
Here is the biggest addition to the shack, a patch panel of sorts. I found myself using USB extension cables for connecting things to the computer from time to time, such as a SD Card reader, programming cable or a wired mouse when the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse need to be re-paired. It was a lot easier than crawling around on the floor trying to plug something into the computer itself. Thus, I added 2 USB-A ports and a USB-C. I also added a power-only USB-C port to charge my phone or other device.
I also wanted to connect a handheld scanner or an HT to an antenna quickly, so I added a pair of BNC ports, one connected to the multicoupler and one to a dual-band antenna in the attic. I also added a couple Ethernet ports so I can easily connect a computer as needed without having to get a long networking cable connected to the switch. I found the “D-Series” rack panel on Amazon as well as the inserts for the various connectors.
I suspect I will live with this setup for a while. While I liked the more vertical 10u cabinet I was not happy with the way it worked with the new wide screen. Between the slight slant of this cabinet and the down-tilt of the monitor it is much easier to see the radios and display. I also like the symmetry of the desk and wall-mounted TV above it.
Any bets on how long this will last?
