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4O3A Signature – Antenna Genius User Manual

 

Index

 

 

 

Page 

2

 of 

55

 

 

1. 

WELCOME 

Congratulations on your purchase of an Antenna GeniusTM 8x2 v2 Plus Network-Enabled 
(TCP/IP) High-Isolation Antenna Switch, a member of the 4O3A Genius System

TM

 advanced 

station automation line including Power Genius

TM

, Rotator Genius

TM

, Station Genius

TM

, and 

Interface Genius

TM

. More information on these products can be found at:

 

 

https://4o3a.com/products/genius-family

 

 

GENIUS TIP!  

Antenna Genius

TM 

is sometimes abbreviated as “AG” in this document.

 

 

AG is at home in all types of ham shacks: contest stations extravagant and modest, from single 
op to SO2R to full blown Multi-Multi, DXers, remote operators controlling their station from 
their living room via LAN or over the Internet from a hotel room thousands of miles away, to 
anyone wanting a better organized and more efficient station.

 

 

 

 

Summary of Contents for 4O3A Signature Antenna Genius 8x2 Plus v2

Page 1: ...ANTENNA GENIUS User Manual Version 3 1 4 rev 12 ...

Page 2: ...re to put it 12 8 5 DC power connection 14 8 6 Network cabling 14 8 7 DIP Switch configurations 15 8 8 LAN Control Mode 17 8 9 4O3A Genius Series Devices Control 18 8 10 BCD control 19 8 11 Pin to Port Control Mode 21 9 ANTENNA GENIUStm APP 22 9 1 Initial set up 22 9 2 Device Information 29 9 3 Is your firmware up to date 30 9 4 Initial Configuration 32 10 OPERATION 35 10 1 Local LAN operation 35 ...

Page 3: ...nd Interface GeniusTM More information on these products can be found at https 4o3a com products genius family GENIUS TIP Antenna GeniusTM is sometimes abbreviated as AG in this document AG is at home in all types of ham shacks contest stations extravagant and modest from single op to SO2R to full blown Multi Multi DXers remote operators controlling their station from their living room via LAN or ...

Page 4: ...Ethernet 100 Mbps DHCP or manually assigned network address TCP IP Power consumption 300 mA 13 8 VDC Frequency range DC through 55 MHz Port to port isolation 90dB between ports worst case 14 MHz 80dB between ports worst case 30 MHz 70dB between ports worst case 50 MHz CPU Microchip Technology 32 bit PIC processor Automation Windows App FlexRadio Systems SmartSDR API Genius System devices BCD Pin t...

Page 5: ...pment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help You may als...

Page 6: ...lation or repair whichever is longer 4O3A Signature will also correct any failure caused by defective parts and materials The complete unit must be sent to 4O3A Signature at your expense in the original shipping container or other packaging sufficient to prevent damage in transit 4O3A Signature is not responsible for damage or lost shipments from the customer 4O3A Signature will insure the package...

Page 7: ...eniusTM Rotator GeniusTM Station GeniusTM Interface GeniusTM and 4O3A Genius SystemTM are trademarks of Sky Sat d o o FlexRadio SystemsTM and SmartSDRTM are trademarks of Bronze Bear Communications Inc d b a FlexRadio Systems PIC32TM is a trademark of Microchip Technology Inc All other products company names brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners 3 6 Copyright This ...

Page 8: ...etwork AG will automatically follow two different Slice band selections and obtain band data from them 2 Manual band switching from the AG Windows app connected via your network 3 Interface Geniustm IG connected to your radio s via a USB or serial port and connected to AG via LAN IG will connect to pretty much any modern radio via its serial or USB CAT port 4 BCD Binary Coded Decimal signals via t...

Page 9: ... All 4O3A Genius Systemtm products use standard TCP IP protocols to communicate with each other and with other suitably equipped devices The 4O3A Signature team believes in open standards in ham radio and makes its APIs library of commands available freely to other manufacturers and software authors ...

Page 10: ...so for the hardware lockout that prevents two radios from being connected to the same antenna there is also a software lockout for redundant protection The design priority was maximum port to port isolation coupled with power handling headroom twice legal limit at high duty cycle to enable reliable long term operation 5 3 Software The AG App runs on all Microsoft supported versions of Windows and ...

Page 11: ...exRadio Systems Community a great resource for anything related to FLEX 6000 Signature SeriesTM SmartSDRTM and MaestroTM https community flexradio com flexradio EXPERT TIP Join the 4O3A Signature Web Site Forum 4O3A or 4O3A Genius Products Google Group or to stay up to date network with other users and get helpful tips Google Group or 4O3A Signature Web Site Forum 7 WHAT COMES IN THE BOX When you ...

Page 12: ...will be Two DE 15 VGA type for users opting for BCD or 12 VDC pin to port control in lieu of network control these are left unconnected if you are using network control most FlexRadio equipped stations won t use these ports 12 15VDC connect your shack 13 8 VDC power supply here paying attention to proper polarity anywhere from 12 to 15 VDC with at least 300 mA will be OK OM module enables connecti...

Page 13: ...ed 8 4 Where to put it Most users will install AG near their station bulkhead the location where their antenna feed lines AC mains DSL cable TV and or other cables enter the shack and where the single point ground system nexus is located you do have a single point ground system don t you Locating AG at your bulkhead or other remote location means only three cables need to be run to the station ope...

Page 14: ...uch mounting are provided on the top of the AG case AG is a 100BASE T network device using standard TCP IP protocols it is therefore subject to the usual 328 foot 100m LAN cable run limitations per TIA EIA 568 5 A If longer runs are required the use of intermediate active hardware such as a repeater or switch will be necessary Cat5e cable is recommended and higher rated cables such as Cat6 are als...

Page 15: ...r distribution units you can use the 1 Amp blade fuse that comes with RIGrunners If you don t have a RIGrunner we strongly suggest you place a 1 Amp DC fuse in series with the hot side of your DC power cable Make sure your power supply can supply at least 300 mA 13 8 VDC We strongly advise using a clean high quality DC power source for AG and all your other station equipment Many cheap switch mode...

Page 16: ...ur LAN via a wired connection to an Ethernet switch or hub switch recommended Ethernet hubs will slow down your LAN 8 7 DIP Switch configurations DIP 1 and DIP 2 set PORT A which will typically be connected to Flex ANT1 or Radio A in non Flex installations DIP 1 DIP 2 CONTROL MODE OFF OFF LAN control FlexRadio OFF ON BCD control ON OFF Pin to Port control ON ON Genius Series Device DIP 3 and DIP 4...

Page 17: ...FF normal operation DIP 8 is used to delete your AG antenna port configuration settings DIP 8 ON restore factory settings on next power cycle OFF normal operation To delete AG configuration to factory presets follow these steps in order 1 remove DC power from AG 2 move DIP 8 to ON position 3 turn DC power back on 4 move DIP8 back to OFF position To reset AG network configuration and enable DHCP fo...

Page 18: ...ode LAN Control Mode is used if you want to obtain band data from a FlexRadio In this mode AG gets band data from a FlexRadio using the TCP IP network Set DIP 1 and DIP 2 to OFF to set PORT A to LAN control DIP 1 DIP 2 CONTROL MODE OFF OFF LAN control FlexRadio Switch DIP 3 and DIP 4 to FF to set PORT B to LAN control DIP 3 DIP 4 CONTROL MODE OFF OFF LAN control FlexRadio You can now connect your ...

Page 19: ...s device GSD using the TCP IP network 4O3A designs and manufactures high quality accessories and TCP IP controlled devices for your shack Genius Series devices capable of forwarding Band Data can be used as a band data source for Antenna Genius Switch on DIP 1 and DIP 2 to set PORT A to GSD control DIP 1 DIP 2 CONTROL MODE ON ON GSD control Switch on DIP 3 and DIP 4 to set PORT B to GSD control DI...

Page 20: ...Enter the Genius device s IP address for Slice A and Slice B and Leave the port at default 9000 unless you explicitly changed it on your Genius device Click Save and Reboot 8 10 BCD control In this mode AG gets band data from radios using the standard BCD protocol ...

Page 21: ... 4 on to set PORT B to BCD control DIP 3 DIP 4 CONTROL MODE OFF ON BCD control This is the pinout when looking at the device connector This is the BCD data table Band 160M 1 8 80M 3 5 40M 7 30M 10 20M 14 17M 18 15M 21 12M 24 10M 10 6M 50 None Frequency Band A Band B Band C Band D H L L L L H L L H H L L L L H L H L H L L H H L H H H L L L L H H L L H L H L H L L L L HEX Code 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A 0 ...

Page 22: ... 14 8 11 Pin to Port Control Mode In this mode you can use an external switch for manual switching Switch DIP 1 on and DIP 2 off to set PORT A to PTP control DIP 1 DIP 2 CONTROL MODE ON OFF PTP control Switch DIP 3 on and DIP 4 off to set PORT B to PTP control DIP 3 DIP 4 CONTROL MODE ON OFF PTP control You will be able to switch up to 8 different antennas per port This is the pinout when looking ...

Page 23: ...to antennas which have not been programmed for the band in question unless band is set to none rendering the antenna as band independent 3 Providing a Windows interface for manual antenna selection an alternative to automated antenna selection 4 Allowing multiple users to use one switch 5 Allowing remote operation 6 Updating AG with the latest firmware EXPERT TIP AG will default to last antenna se...

Page 24: ... 7 8 1 and 10 both Pro and Home and both 32 and 64 bit editions and is available free from the Downloads page on 4O3A com Download the AG Windows App to your PC s Downloads folder You may see a warning message from your browser or security software for trying to download a Windows executable file exe file you may override this warning if you are confident you have downloaded the file from 4O3A com...

Page 25: ... Manual Index Page 24 of 55 Fill in your User Information Organization field is optional and hit Next Select Destination Location we recommend you keep the default location C Program Files x86 4O3A Signature Antenna Genius and hit Next ...

Page 26: ...ktop icon leave Create a desktop icon selected and hit Next otherwise deselect Create a desktop icon and hit Next Now you should see the Ready to Install window Double check the data if correct hit Install If not correct use the Back button to navigate to the applicable window and revise ...

Page 27: ...40 It is recommended to use your network s DHCP server Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol which is built into an Ethernet switch or DSL router on most home networks In case you are having problems getting an IP address you can try resetting the network configuration on your AG 1 make sure AG is connected to LAN with a DHCP server that will assign an IP address in home networks typically an Ethern...

Page 28: ...low LED to flash even if you are not actively sending band change data to AG EXPERT TIP The terms LAN home network and network are used interchangeably in this document both referring to the small TCP IP based Ethernet networks many hams will have in their homes and shacks TCP IP is the basic set of protocols that runs the Internet and also powers most modern home networks The router built into DS...

Page 29: ...vices it is possible your LAN subnet does not correspond with your AG device network settings Try resetting the device IP address via DHCP In Mode Selection choose Single port mode A or B or SO2R mode both A and B ports are engaged You should see the AG Control window Both SO2R mode pictured EXPERT TIP You can select Always on top the AG App in Windows to make it easy to find and ...

Page 30: ...u has comprehensive info on your Antenna Genius and its settings You cannot change any settings in this window it is for displaying device status only Identification Device identification number between 0 3 set by DIP switches if you only have one AG this can be any number if you have multiple AGs on a single LAN each number must be unique and you can have up to four AGs in one superswitch Device ...

Page 31: ...IPv4 addresses set by DHCP or manually Subnet Mask Set by DHCP or manually usually 255 255 255 0 Default Gateway The LAN address of the router set either by DHCP or manually Port A Mode Control method for Radio Port A as set by DIP switches either LAN GSD BCD or PTP Port A Band Current band detected for Port A Radio Port B Mode Control method for Radio Port A as set by DIP switches either LAN GSD ...

Page 32: ... AG using the new app A message will appear to let you know you need to upgrade the firmware It will also attempt to reconnect this is normal behavior Click on the configure icon and select load firmware The corresponding firmware file will be preloaded IMPORTANT Make sure you are using a wired network connection between your computer and AG while upgrading If you are using a wireless network you ...

Page 33: ... from left to right When the update is complete you will see an Updating completed notice Select OK Your AG is now up to date 9 4 Initial Configuration If you have selected Port A or Port B mode your AG Control Window prior to initial antenna programming will look like this in this example both Radio Port A and Radio Port B are using LAN mode ...

Page 34: ...nature Series radios on your LAN should appear under FlexRadio devices If you have a single FLEX 6000 Signature Series radio on your network as most users will it s simple select it and then select the button for both Port A and Port B and then tick the Active box for both ports The Serial Number reported here is from your radio If you have more than one FLEX 6000 Signature Series radio on your ne...

Page 35: ...ation can also be ignored in this step if you are running in the default DHCP mode See Section 9 1 4 for information on manually setting the AG network address EXPERT TIP network address and IP address refer to the same thing and are used interchangeably in this document Now it s time to program your antenna band assignments Select Configure Device from the Gear icon menu ...

Page 36: ... The None option in the Band selector allows selection of an antenna for use outside of the ham bands for example a long wire to be used to listen to WWV or shortwave broadcast stations After you re done programming your antenna and band connections select Save and Reset AG App will write your antenna band logic to your AG The Reset device button re sends the current antenna band data to AG 10 OPE...

Page 37: ...icated by grey A boxes You can move between the 20m antenna options by selecting the applicable A box You cannot select antennas which have not been activated for the band in question You also cannot select the antenna being used on the other port even if it is activated for the band you are using this protects your radio from possible front end damage However this protection can be overridden by ...

Page 38: ...ut Module Relay Control You can now control our OM modules originally designed for Station Genius OM Module is actually a relay switching board with 16 pairs of outputs 11 2 1 Output Module Hardware Outputs P1A and Outputs P1B are different contact of DPDT relays Each port can be used differently to supply internal 12V not recommended any external voltage or GND In other words Every logical output...

Page 39: ... it is strongly recommended to use proper external power supply and set jumpers to EXT Internal power supply in AG is 1A which is on the margin if all relays are in use 11 2 2 Output Module Connection Connect your OM module to the OM module connector at the bottom panel of AG Use a straight 9 pin RS232 cable 11 2 3 Software configuration Click on the OM configuration button next to one of the ante...

Page 40: ...er Manual Index Page 39 of 55 You will enter a new menu You can use the button top right corner to add buttons and x to remove buttons right most button in the antenna entry You can name your OM entries by typing them into the textbox ...

Page 41: ...4O3A Signature Antenna Genius User Manual Index Page 40 of 55 The not set field to the right is for the keyboard shortcut Click to set Set it for example to Ctrl Alt F1 Press Enter to confirm ...

Page 42: ...4O3A Signature Antenna Genius User Manual Index Page 41 of 55 ...

Page 43: ... by clicking on the output icon There are three possible states Not used by the button Turn off this output Turn on this output Light gray is notification that pin is already configured in another OM entry One pin can be configured in multiple entries Click Accept when done Repeat the process It should look something like this in the end ...

Page 44: ...4O3A Signature Antenna Genius User Manual Index Page 43 of 55 Press Save then Save and Reboot Next time this antenna is selected a window will appear as well ...

Page 45: ...ble to override this setting by enabling it in Special Features of Antenna Genius Configuration GENIUS WARNING Disabling Band protection can permanently damage the device in case of configuring of antennas Use at your own risk By disabling Band Protection the warranty is voided Tick checkbox Disable Band Protection and confirm that you understood that your device might be permanently damaged in ca...

Page 46: ...Page 45 of 55 11 4 Special features 2xAG with OM control You can use one OM module and one 8xAB switch to merge two AGs into a system and share 8 antennas between 4 different work stations radios Antennas are connected to AG 1 through the 8xAB switch ...

Page 47: ... antenna on AG 2 Note that antenna switching will occur without any condition or interlock AG 1 will lose that antenna momently GENIUS WARNING Coordinate your activity You can switch off antenna from AG 1 even if that antenna is in use 11 5 Stacking multiple AGs into a superswitch by AB switches You can now combine multiple 8x2 v2 Plus units for 16x2 24x2 and even 32x2 switching capability Impleme...

Page 48: ...we will be connecting to It hosts the main configuration file There is only one configuration file for a stack configuration The bottom device will be configured as a Slave device It will be standing by for commands Keep the bottom device powered off to make sure you re connected to the right one Connect to the top device click the Gear icon and select Configure Device ...

Page 49: ...d ID as 1 for this unit You can change the Group ID by editing it directly in the app You change the ID by setting DIP switches on the device To set ID as 1 set DIP 5 DIP 6 to OFF Click the Configure Stack button in the upper left corner Set Mode to Master and Length to 2 total number of AG s in the stack Click Accept then Save and Reboot ...

Page 50: ...na entries You will configure it in the exact same way as the 8x2 switch but first let s configure the Slave device Disconnect from the Master unit Power it off Power on the Slave unit Connect to it Configure the mode to Slave Set the Group as 1 by editing it directly from the app Change the ID by setting DIP 5 to ON DIP 6 OFF Press Accept then Save and Reboot ...

Page 51: ... Configure your antennas and enjoy your new super switch 11 6 Auto connect on startup You can configure your AG shortcut to skip the discovery screen and connect to your AG directly This is most useful if you want to put this shortcut in the startup folder or just to shave off those few seconds when opening the app ...

Page 52: ...Index Page 51 of 55 Step 1 Click on Remote devices tab Step 2 Add an entry for your AG Step 3 Name it enter the correct IP address TCP port is most likely going to be the default 9007 value Specify the mode you want to use Click Save when done ...

Page 53: ...n the target textbox add a1 a is the argument for connecting automatically 1 is the entry number If you have only one remote entry use this If you have multiple entries specify the one you want to connect to 2 for second entry 3 for third etc Click OK when done Next time you open the shortcut you will be automatically connected ...

Page 54: ...ur network is using the same subnet Follow these steps to take to reinstall firmware on a bricked device 1 remove DC power from AG 2 move DIP 8 to ON position 3 turn DC power back on 4 Open the app add a new device in the remote tab 5 set name to anything and the address to 192 168 1 250 Click Save 6 connect to this device 7 the app will keep saying unable to connect Don t worry this is expected 8...

Page 55: ... OM for AB switches is added 4x32 stack is possible 025 Direct connection from AG to Flex is enabled instead through application for getting band data 024 Support for Flex 3 0 is improved 023 Stack stability is improved 022 New version of the TCP IP stack used 021 Some unused features were removed Windows app 020 OM window Always on top functionality can now be turned off 019 OM profile configurat...

Page 56: ... Module Control Ability to switch 16 accessory OM Output Module relays available on the 8x1 Plus and 8x2 Plus models 0006 Three user programmable bands can be any of range of frequencies supported by your transceiver plus each of the ham band edges can now also be user programmed App v2 0 2 Release 04 Apr 2016 Firmware version v2 0 0 0002 Application now accepts a number command line argument for ...

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