Ameritron RCS-10 Instructions

Ameritron RCS-10 Instruction Manual

Ameritron RCS-10

INTRODUCTION

The RCS-10 is a versatile antenna switch designed for 50-ohm systems. It handles high
power, and sealed relays offer excellent life and connection reliability. It requires only
three small isolated control wires, plus a ground return that can even be the coaxial cable
shield. The relay box can be mounted indoors or outdoors.

The RCS-10 Remote Antenna Switch selects one-of-eight “antenna” connectors or
“ports”, and connects those ports directly to a single common port for a feedline.

The RCS-10 will work well in nearly any system requiring switching of unbalanced or
coaxial lines, especially those requiring good quality 50-ohm RF switches. The RCS-10 is
a remote controlled switch using relay contacts. The control head can be conveniently
located and only requires use of small low-voltage low-current telephone-type four­conductor control cable. Any switch port can be used as either an input or output, so you
can select one-of-eight radios to one feedline or one-of-eight antennas to a radio.

The Main Advantages of the RCS-10 are wiring cost, appearance, and convenience.
The RCS-10 uses low voltage and low current, and can use inexpensive and easy-to-route
control cables. Bulky and expensive coaxial and control cables are not required, and
wiring is very simple. Since all cables route through one common point that can be
grounded, lightning protection is almost always significantly better than conventional
wiring methods using multiple coaxial lines into the operating position.

The RCS-10 Relay Unit reliably handles power levels of 5,000 watts below 30MHz,
and power levels of 2.5kW at 50MHz. Port-to-port isolation is typically in the 40dB

range, but varies with frequency and the ports being used. Loss is very low, and this
switch can be considered lossless below 30MHz. More performance details are in the
Remote Relay Unit section of this manual. The RCS-10 Relay Unit can be used with any
BCD (binary coded decimal) 12-16 volt dc 400mA control system. The relay box is
available with or with out lightning protection. The RCS-10L uses the same RCS-10
control box. The relay box is labeled RCS-10L for lightning protection. Each antenna
port is protected.

The RCS-10 Indoor Unit (shipped with this unit) has antenna indicator LED’s and a
manual rotary selector switch. We have included an area where you can label each

antenna. It normally operates from +12 to +16 volt dc power supplies, and consumes less
than 600mA. When used with other relay systems, the RCS-10 (and RCS-12C) control
units are capable of switching up to 25 volts with one ampere of relay current.

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Ameritron RCS-10 Instruction Manual

The RCS-10 Indoor Unit can be used as an interface to convert standard 1-of-8
control input to a BCD output suitable for driving the RCS-10 remote relay box.

The control head also outputs standard 1-of-8 control signals, like the RSC-8V system
uses. Control inputs must be 12 to 16 volts dc positive and capable of supplying at least
400mA. This feature allows other multi-wire control systems, like the RCS-8V system, to
interface with the RCS-10 controller. In all cases, zero input or output voltage selects
antenna 1. The same output occurs when voltage is applied to serial port one. Applying
voltage to terminal one illuminates the position one LED, but the BCD output remains

000. See the Control Logic Table on page 3 for switching details.

FEATURES

Outdoor Unit Features

Inexpensive and Simple Wiring: Selects up to eight antennas using one four-conductor
telephone-type control line.

High Power Capability: The RCS-10 Relay box will handle 5kW into matched loads
below 30 MHz.

Long Relay Life: UL/CSA/VDE approved sealed relays with 16-ampere switching
current rating. Tested to withstand 1200v.

Flexible Mounting: The RCS-10 hardware accepts mast sizes from 1 inch to 2-1/4
inches.

Compact: Approximately 5-1/4” W x 6-7/8” D x 3”H and weighs 3 lbs.

Reliable Connectors: Teflon UHF-style SO-239 females, internal barrier strip for

control lines.

Low voltage: Requires 10-15 volts at less than 300mA.

Wide Frequency Range: Covers DC to over 100 MHz with low SWR, negligible loss,

and good unused port isolation.

Highly Weather Resistant: Sealed relays, stainless hardware, and U-V resistant cover.

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Ameritron RCS-10 Instruction Manual

Control Box Features

Battery or Line Operated: Operates from any filtered 12-16 Vdc supply capable of
supplying 500mA continuous.

Easy-to-Read Antenna Indicators: Eight wide-spaced LED’s indicate the selected
antenna.

Wide Profile: 6-1/4” W x 4-5/8” D x 3-1/4 H helps prevent unwanted movement when
turning selector switch.

Flexible Interface: Accepts and outputs one-of-eight control signals, and outputs three­line BCD data.

REMOTE RELAY UNIT

Typical Electrical Characteristics

Maximum Loss:
30MHz (and lower) negligible, 60MHz under 0.1dB, 150MHz under .25dB

15 MHz 30MHz 60MHz 150MHz
Worse Ports Negligible Negligible Under 0.1dB Under 0.25 dB

Maximum 50-ohm VSWR:
Below 30MHz under 1.25:1, below 60MHz under 1.3:1, below 150Mhz under 1.8:1

15 MHz 30MHz 60MHz 150MHz
Worse Ports Negligible Under 1.25:1 Under 1.3:1 Under 1.8:1
60dB Port-toport Isolation at 150MHz (unused port terminated into 50 ohms) in –dB.
Isolation improves greatly at lower frequencies.

150 MHz Port-to-port crosstalk:
Worse case –19dB, typical –30dB, best case –60dB Port-to-port Isolation at 150 MHz
(unused port terminated into 50 ohms) in -dB. Isolation improves greatly at lower
frequencies.

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