Receive Only Antenna TX/RX Switch

For Loop on the Ground and Beverage Antenna etc

On HF we often have a lot of noise when RXing on our best TX antenna. In order to improve their HF RX many stations choose to use one antenna to TX and another to RX. These are often a Loop on the Ground or a Beverage antenna system. The problem being that many radios only have a single SO239 connector. Obviously you do not want to have to keep unplugging  and changing antenna between TX and RX periods. This is where a Receive Only Antenna switch is needed.

This low insertion loss 100W switch changes between TX and RX antennas for you ensuring that you do not damage your Radio by transmitting in to the wrong antenna. 

The switching is controlled by the PTT or SEND from your radio to the PTT RCA on the back of your Receiver Only Antenna Switch. Once setup, you do not have to even think about it.

Often you will only want to use your Loop on the Ground or Beverage etc. on the Low Bands whilst still using your normal TX/RX antenna on the Higher Bands. No Problem. Just remove the PTT RCA that comes from your Radio from the back of your SDRSwitch and replace it with a shorted out RCA Male convector.  This will put your Receive Only Antenna switch in to the TX RF path.  Your TX antenna will become both your TX and RX antenna. As the evening rolls around and you want to go back to the Low Bands then unplug your shorted out RCA Male connector and plug your PTT from your radio back in.  It is that simple. 

Have an SDR you want to protect?

Another very good use for a Receive Only Antenna Switch is to protect a stand alone SDR or secondary Receiver. Often we may have 2 radios listening on HF at the same time. When you TX on your main radio you do not want to cause damage to your secondary receiver.

By connecting a PTT cable from your radio to the back of your stand alone Receive Only Antenna switch your antenna to your secondary receiver will be disconnected when you TX on your main transceiver.

Obviously some consideration will still have to be given to the location of the two different antennas. 

What if I want everything?

You need the SDRSwitch 0-70 MHZ RXin RXout 

By using an RXin RXout SDRSwitch as a Receive Only Antenna Switch you can listen to your Receive Only antenna (Loop on the Ground, Beverage, etc.) on your Transceiver whilst at the same time listening to your TX/RX antenna on your SDR or a secondary receiver.

When you transmit the PTT from your transceiver switches your SDRSwitch so that your RF goes from your Transceiver (TX BNC) straight to your TX/RX antenna (ANT BNC). This protects your entire RX chain.

But I said I wanted Everything!

By adding a 2 way splitter (power divider) you can add a secondary SDR to your RX only antenna.

This will allow you to run 2 instance of your SDR software, such as SDR Console, allowing you to have one SDR receiving, along with your transceiver, on your Receive Only Antenna whilst a second SDR, or a secondary receiver, is receiving on your TX/RX antenna at exactly the same time. 

Obviously your TX path will remain the same protecting all of your receive chain. 

As with the standard SDRSwitch installation any accessories you install in the RX side of your system, such as LNA's, Band Pass Filters etc., will be protected.