Remote Rig
Webswitch 1216H Support in English => General discussion forum => Topic started by: OH1MLZ on 2016-01-05, 19:02:03
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Sometimes when I switch my 1K-FA on remotely via RC-1216H web page, it does not start up correctly. Or maybe it does, but at least all items in control screen don't appear correctly. I have attached two images to visualize the situation. Capture1.jpg shows the control screen when amp has been just remotely contacted and is switched off. Capture2.jpg shows how the control screen sometimes ends up like after ON button has been pushed to turn amp on. Green light in upper right corner in both images is flashing, captured image just cannot show this. Only way to make all control items appear correctly after pushing ON button is to remove power momentarily from both the amp and RC-1216H (=reset).
Any ideas?
Juha, OH1MLZ
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Very hard to say what is going on. Which firmware version is the RC-1216H using?
When the green light in the upper right corner is flashing the RC-1216H has lost contact with the 1K-FA. Why is the "1000€ question". But it sounds strange that you have to power cycle the WS too, are you sure about that?
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FW version is 4.18. Sometimes also OPERATE, STANDBY, FULL AND HALF leds are missing while all other items are working.
I try to test for some time with different browser like IE if it's browser dependent, so far I have been using Firefox. I can also try if I can connect with Expert Console2 via serial server in case web interface has problems.
Juha
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Update.
Not browser dependent, same thing happened with IE. When web interface was not functioning correctly I contacted also with Expert Console2 and whew, all items appear correctly also on web control screen. Go figure.
Juha
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Does "missing" and "not appearing" literally mean that they are non-existing?
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What I mean is that mentioned "leds" stay white.
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Update.
Not browser dependent, same thing happened with IE. When web interface was not functioning correctly I contacted also with Expert Console2 and whew, all items appear correctly also on web control screen. Go figure.
Juha
I am not an "Expert" expert, hehe, but is the Expert Console2 a program which communicates with the 1K-FA by RS232 like the RC-1216H does? If so then it seems something is wrong with the RS232 communication between the RC-1216H and the 1K-FA, making the RC-1216H show incomplete status on its web page.
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Yes it is. I guess its pretty much the reason why you provide the serial server functionality in RC-1216H, to be able to connect with Expert Console2 as well. This is explained starting from page 57 in the RC-1216H manual.
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Yes it is. I guess its pretty much the reason why you provide the serial server functionality in RC-1216H, to be able to connect with Expert Console2 as well. This is explained starting from page 57 in the RC-1216H manual.
So, do you mean that you actually were running Expert Console2 via RC-1216H's serial server? And that it worked, while the web interface did not?
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Hi!
Maybe some RF is getting in on your RC-1216H.
Try with a good ground + Goog CAT7 Cable RJ45 + Several ferrites on all the cables.
Good Luck
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This happens totally without RF. All radio equipment is off and if I try to turn on just amplifier without RF this happens sometimes.
New observation from today:
When I get the screen like in capture2.jpg, pushing DISPLAY CMD buttons makes all leds appear in correct color FOR 3-4 seconds instead of just white, then they turn white again. So led in upper right corner turns from flashing to constant green, FULL/HALF led becomes RED (in FULL) and OPERATE/STANDBY led becomes RED (OPERATE selected). And after 3-4 seconds FULL/HALF and OPERATE/STANDBY leds turn all white but MAIN and ON leds stay RED. If I push DISPLAY CMD again this repeats..
And also frequency readout and temperature appear correct when led colors are correct, when mentioned leds turn white, frequency and temp reading turn to "--".
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Is the cable from RC to Expert COM well made? Did you checked inside?
Can you try to get it work the Expert throught the RRC COM 1??? Did you did before? Works?
:o
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Cable is not checked for possible intermittent connection with DVM or visually by opening connectors. I will do it next time when I will be at my station.
Juha
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Maybe is there the problem! ;)
Good Luck
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Cable is not checked for possible intermittent connection with DVM or visually by opening connectors. I will do it next time when I will be at my station.
Juha
How is it going?
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Next visit to station will take place in the end of March, so no news yet. I will then replace serial cable. But this doesn't sound like cable problem because equipment resets always fix the problem for some days...
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I have some doubts now that problems were caused by router (cheap 40 EUR Jensen). Simultaneously with the problems I reported I also had other communication issues like intermittent SIP audio and slow frame rates and freezing video streams from my IP cameras. I have now changed the router. So far so good. I follow the situation for at least a month now.
Juha
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Keeping the fingers crossed that it will work ok now! :)
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Update.
It seems that changing the remote side router has not solved the problem. There is now much less need to reboot my remote system due to router hanging but issue related to 1k-FA and rotor control remains.
I have three sites where I can control my station from. They are:
Site 1. Windows 7 Professional, Firefox, Avast virus protection, Televell TW-EAV510 router. ADSL line 8M download, 1M upload, 40ms ping with speedtest.net.
Site 2. Windows 7 Enterprise, Firefox, no avast virus protection, very fast fixed line 50M download, 50M upload, 4ms ping with speedstest.net.
Site 3. Windows 7 Professional, Firefox, Avast virus protection, fiber optic line 50M download, 30M upload, 4ms ping with speedtest.net.
All sites use network connection from the same service provider.
Problems I have described never appear when using rotor or 1k-FA web control from Site 2. TCP error counters on RC-1216H's stay on low levels, 0 to just a few.
Site 1 is my primary control site where I experience problems. However, I can easily reproduce same problems in site 3. When checking system info pages of RC-1216H's from time to time, TCP error counters go to 5-20 in just few minutes. When rotor and 1k-FA controls hang very badly they sometimes return to operation without rebooting and in this situation when I read TCP error counter there is sometimes 9-digit reading (hundreds of millions). Reset (removing operating voltage from RC-1216's and connected rotators and 1k-FA) always immediately returns operation. 2 x RC-1216H for rotators and 1 x RC-1216H for 1K-FA uses same power supply. But because I have never problems from Site 2 PSU problem is not very likely. Problems happen totally without RF so shouldn't be an EMI issue.
I have tried removing Avast virus protection but no change in situation.
In worst cases all 3 RC-1216H's can go into a state where they don't respond anymore (this is the situation what I mean above by hanging badly). Just like they would not be even on. In the same time all other IP devices in remote station respond normally, K3 remote works fine etc.
Maybe this is network congestion problem on service provider due to heavy traffic? But why only RC-1216H's suffer so badly from it?
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Update.
After searching for yet another replacement router solution I took an old 3GHz Core2 Duo PC, put another Intel network card in and installed ClearOS 7 operating system. It is a network server oriented Linux operating system. Setting up was very easy. This system is now router on my remote site and based on few days of use experience I feel very positive. TCP error counters stay on very low levels on RC-1216H's (max 2, mostly 0) and erratic behaviour I have described has never appeared.
My previous router was D-Link DSR-250N and I recommend eveyone to stay away from it. Instead, take an old PC, install ClearOS, PfSense or some other Linux operating system and enjoy stable router solution.
Juha
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The issue has not occured anymore. New router is very stable and many other small issues that have been plaguing my remote system are gone.
PROBLEM=SOLVED!