Multi-Station Contest Operation

The ON7MV remote station is being prepared for multi-station contest operation, with up to three operating positions working through the same central Raspberry Pi control system.

The purpose of this design is to make it possible for several operators to use the station at the same time while keeping antenna selection, transmit permission and station status under central control. Instead of allowing every operator to switch antennas independently, the Raspberry Pi will act as the station controller and decide which transmitter may transmit, which antenna route is assigned and whether the selected combination is safe.

A future dedicated Contest Screen will bring this information together in one clear overview. It will show the active band of every station, the assigned antenna or coax route, the transmit status and any blocked or conflicting selection. This will help visiting operators understand immediately what is available and will reduce the risk of incorrect switching during a busy contest.

The station already uses separate coaxial paths that can support different operating positions. A typical contest configuration could be:

• Station 1 operating on 160 metres;

• Station 2 operating on 40 metres;

• Station 3 operating on 20 metres.

In such a configuration, every station would use its own antenna path while the Raspberry Pi supervises the complete system. It would prevent two transmitters from selecting the same antenna, block unsafe relay combinations and only allow transmission when the complete signal route is confirmed.

This concept is especially important at ON7MV because the station contains several antennas, switches and high-power signal paths. Central control makes the system easier to operate and reduces mistakes by both the station owner and guest contest operators.

For full simultaneous multi-band operation, suitable band-pass filtering is still required. These filters will be necessary to reduce interference between the different transmitters and to protect the receivers when several stations are active on different bands.

The planned contest system will therefore combine:

• central transmit permission;

• automatic antenna assignment;

• multi-station interlocking;

• separate coax routes;

• band-pass filtering;

• clear visual status for every operator;

• automatic blocking of unsafe combinations.

This multi-station contest capability is the next major development step within the ON7MV remote station project.