SixPak Online

Finished wiring up the control cables for the Array Solutions SixPak. There’s a mistake on one of the control cable assemblies that were too hastily assembled, a W4KAZ problem, not anything wrong with the SixPak. The work around was easier than re-wiring the cable, so I just re-connected the wires inside the control box to fix the problem.

Using Cat5 cable, the color coding inside the KazShack “Should Be” as follows:

1. 10m – orange
2. 15m – white/orange stripe
3. 20m – green
4. 40m – white/green stripe
5. 80m – blue
6. 160m-white/blue stripe
7. 12v or gnd – brown and white with brown stripe
8. (tied to #7)

Note: The SixPak wiring block in the controlboxallows 12v+ to be sent down one cable and 12v gnd on the other cable. I could just have easily sent 12v+ down wire #7 and used wire # 8 for ground. That would allow the SixPak to function using either switch position alone with a single control cable. That’s also probably how most folks would wire the cables, since at leastone radiowill work when wired that way.

For quick connects, I used a set of 8-wire computer power cable extensions(ATX power extensions). Each extension is 8 inches long, and cutting one in half gives a mating connector pair. Easy enough to splice on, but I obviously screwed one up somewhere. When testing, Radio B was found to have 10m/40m and 15m/20m pairs reversed. Again, rather than re work the cable, I just rewired the four appropriate wires inside the control box, and taped a sticky note inside the cover to remind me I dorked up that radio B cable assembly.

Now a bit more cable assembly will have most of the bits in place for some new operating fun.

Outstanding KazShack Issues:

1. hoisting 15m loop
2. 10m antenna(???what to try???)(???and why bother???)
3. 160m antenna on ground
4. 40m antenna switch
5. 20m antenna switch
6. Tuning K2 for 80m/160m
7. Shack layout redesign
8. Operate!