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remote control
- Thread starter mgpt6
- Start date
Hah, not nearly. They can cost as little as a few hundred dollars...up to several thousand.
If you have web access at the transmitter site, check out the Circuitwerkes products...great value.
http://www.broadcastboxes.com/products/SiteSentry4_lit.html
If you have phone line only, most people tend to prefer the Sine Systems boxes.
http://www.sinesystems.com/products/rfc1.shtml
Both of these can be had for considerably less than 7K.
If you have web access at the transmitter site, check out the Circuitwerkes products...great value.
http://www.broadcastboxes.com/products/SiteSentry4_lit.html
If you have phone line only, most people tend to prefer the Sine Systems boxes.
http://www.sinesystems.com/products/rfc1.shtml
Both of these can be had for considerably less than 7K.
Does your Nautel have the integrated remote control? If so, and if you have Web access, then you can perform the basic tasks with the built-in interface. If you need phone line access, then there are several choices:
Burk, Sine, Broadcast Tools, Davicom, Audimat and CircuitWerkes. There may be others, but I think that covers the main players in the North American market. As you surmise, prices range from fairly low up to very high. I would advise you to carefully assess your needs, then compare your options against those needs. Then decide which is within your budget and choose the best fit for the money.
What are your exact needs?
Burk, Sine, Broadcast Tools, Davicom, Audimat and CircuitWerkes. There may be others, but I think that covers the main players in the North American market. As you surmise, prices range from fairly low up to very high. I would advise you to carefully assess your needs, then compare your options against those needs. Then decide which is within your budget and choose the best fit for the money.
What are your exact needs?
Over 30 years ago, transmitter remote control systems could cost a lot. But that hasn't been the case for some time, and most everyone now uses a "dial-up" or web-based system. Sine works fine but is two decades old design. The newer unit from Broadcast Tools is cool, and not very pricey.
I presume you have contacted Burk about getting your box repaired. I know the (Gentner) VRC1000 and VRC2000 are not supported. The VRC-2500/GSC3000 I believe still are, as is the ARC16.
If you have the VRC/GSC product, you may want to consider the ARC Plus Touch. With the Plus-X GRC adapter it becomes plug & play. I changed out a GSC3000 IO8 AND a VRC-2500 (at two different sites) in about 5 minutes each. They are now connected via the public Internet so I have only one webpage to control three transmitters at two sites. Really makes monitoring and control easy.
If you have the VRC/GSC product, you may want to consider the ARC Plus Touch. With the Plus-X GRC adapter it becomes plug & play. I changed out a GSC3000 IO8 AND a VRC-2500 (at two different sites) in about 5 minutes each. They are now connected via the public Internet so I have only one webpage to control three transmitters at two sites. Really makes monitoring and control easy.
mgpt6 said:Is it true, that most remotes cost around 7k. A Class A non-comm that i have worked at needs to replace a Burk remote. Any on market that has LED read outs and on/off and that does need a computer . The Burk is about 20years old. Transmitter is a Nautel. Any ideas. Thanks
I have two Burk ARC-16 remote control systems, both work perfectly, and include the relay panels, cables, ESI interface. Email me offline for pricing and more info. [email protected]
If you're using the ARC 16, just get an ARC Plus to hang off the relay panel and be done with it. No rewiring.
Stay away from the B-Tools stuff. You get what you pay for, I have a couple out there and the Java interface is a pain as well as the dial up.
The Sine is still the best dial up remote, although programming can be a pain.
Stay away from the B-Tools stuff. You get what you pay for, I have a couple out there and the Java interface is a pain as well as the dial up.
The Sine is still the best dial up remote, although programming can be a pain.
WNTIRadio said:If you're using the ARC 16, just get an ARC Plus to hang off the relay panel and be done with it. No rewiring.
Stay away from the B-Tools stuff. You get what you pay for, I have a couple out there and the Java interface is a pain as well as the dial up.
The Sine is still the best dial up remote, although programming can be a pain.
I used to really dislike the Sine Systems RC because it was such a PITA to program. However, I put one in to handle
power changes on my AM in 2005 and it hasn't missed a beat since. The metering is also very stable and requires little
in the way of periodic recalibration. The telephone callout is reliable- even though it is a pulse dialer. And I like the way it says 'goodbye'- very friendly! Not bad for an $1,100 investment. I do wish it could send an email though.
Also not impressed with the BT boxes. Very clunky web interface and the voice part is a joke. And web and voice are not interconnected for programming purposes.
There is an inexpensive programming tool for the Sine Systems: "My Sine", created and supported by my friends at IBS / FixMyStation.
Web site's a little dated -- they've recently moved to a bigger and better office up there in Starkville, MS -- but I just spoke to them & it's still available http://www.hawkremote.com/site/.
Web site's a little dated -- they've recently moved to a bigger and better office up there in Starkville, MS -- but I just spoke to them & it's still available http://www.hawkremote.com/site/.
markbohach said:I used to really dislike the Sine Systems RC because it was such a PITA to program.
..... I do wish it could send an email though.
There's a very simple and affordable solution for Sine users that don't wanto to dump a perfectly good R/C. There are some inexpensive 2 and 4 channel Web-enabled remote controls on the market. We make a couple of them as do some others. Just parallel one with an existing Sine for your critical monitoring and you have instant e-mailing and onboard logging. You can even get them with audio streaming options. An added benefit is redundancy in case of a problem. The downside is slightly more complex wiring and having to program a second box, but that's pretty easy compared to programming a Sine RFC-1/b.
Using the BT WVRC-8 is a matter of matching the product to your application.
If you need to manage a directional, with access to monitors, then the BT is probably not your box. Sine's system, while old, will hold function relays for Potomac monitors. I don't know if Burk's system can do that (none of mine are in a directional).
For simple on-off, power change, metering, etc., the Broadcast Tools box works just fine. It's clock updates off the internet, so you can pretty much set it and forget it.
Granted, the web / phone functions are nearly separate systems. I don't use the dial-up, so that doesn't matter to me.
At around $800 or so, its faults can be reasonably overlooked.
If you need to manage a directional, with access to monitors, then the BT is probably not your box. Sine's system, while old, will hold function relays for Potomac monitors. I don't know if Burk's system can do that (none of mine are in a directional).
For simple on-off, power change, metering, etc., the Broadcast Tools box works just fine. It's clock updates off the internet, so you can pretty much set it and forget it.
Granted, the web / phone functions are nearly separate systems. I don't use the dial-up, so that doesn't matter to me.
At around $800 or so, its faults can be reasonably overlooked.
On paper, many remote controls look similar and have functions that are, theoretically, the same. In practice, they may not be quite as equal as they look on paper. For example:
some Web interfaces require Java (not Javascript) to run. That means you can't see them on your Apple devices and most other PDAs.
Some require multiple ports to be open before they will run.
I've seen some Web applets that freeze if the network goes down. The app looks like it's still running, but the meters don't update and pushing buttons doesn't do anything. You can only tell if you think to refresh the browser, otherwise you might not find out until you visit the transmitter to see why you cannot control it. I've seen this behavior on both low and high end products.
In one case, a remote control's clock stops if an NTP server is not available. No schedules will run without active NTP. Another's clock looses time if the power goes off, so a UPS is essential.
There are some products that will call without end while an alarm condition exists.
The bottom line is that most products have some limitations, including ours. Do your research carefully and choose something reliable and whose features and cost make sense for your situation.
some Web interfaces require Java (not Javascript) to run. That means you can't see them on your Apple devices and most other PDAs.
Some require multiple ports to be open before they will run.
I've seen some Web applets that freeze if the network goes down. The app looks like it's still running, but the meters don't update and pushing buttons doesn't do anything. You can only tell if you think to refresh the browser, otherwise you might not find out until you visit the transmitter to see why you cannot control it. I've seen this behavior on both low and high end products.
In one case, a remote control's clock stops if an NTP server is not available. No schedules will run without active NTP. Another's clock looses time if the power goes off, so a UPS is essential.
There are some products that will call without end while an alarm condition exists.
The bottom line is that most products have some limitations, including ours. Do your research carefully and choose something reliable and whose features and cost make sense for your situation.
Here's a vote for the Circuitwerks Sicon-8. It can be a bit quirky, but it is much better than having to use Java. Once working, they tend to work fine from then on.
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