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write your own review of the Ameritron RCS-4.
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VA3IED
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 11, 2009 18:32
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great item to have
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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love it--works well, no issues. Don't know how i got by without one before! Just remember to turn off power before removing/adding cables--it could short and blow a fuse...otherwise, easy to use and very convenient.
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W2BLC
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 14, 2009 12:38
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Long lasting
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had my relay box since back in the late 80s or early 90s. It does what it is supposed to and I have never had to fix anything.
I run 100 watts to 1000 watts - all HF bands.
One warning: seal it up really good or mount it where it is protected from the weather. In my case it lives under a cover and is sealed also. I recommend Liquid Tape.
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K9PU
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Rating: 3/5
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Oct 13, 2009 17:52
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Works OK, don't get it wet
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have two of these units, over three years use. They seem to work OK for general ham HF bands. Isolation seems OK for the most part.
Only had one serious problem, it got wet, sprinklers in the yard, daily watering. The unit filled with water, it's not sealed. You have to make sure it is tilted down for water drainage. Any moisture in the unit will rust the screws, the relay pins, the capacitor wires, the diode wires, you get the idea. Likewise, water causes the copper to dissolve.
Mine had two relays fail (drive pin rusted away), one diode failure (wire rusted away), one capacitor failure (wire rusted away), and copper missing on the top of the board. Replaced all the failed parts and I am back on the air.
It's back in the yard, this time face down. Sort of wished it had a conformal coating (on the board) and a seal for the plastic box.
Scott
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IK0WRB
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Rating: 3/5
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Oct 10, 2009 17:14
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Good for low power
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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When I first bought this unit I had no PA and all worked well. Then, I fried the RF choke in the control unit, used to separate the control voltages (+15 V, -15 V or 15 V alternate) from the RF.
Although the switch is rated for 2 kW, 500 W was enough to have problems, ironically generated by an Ameritron AL-811H, that is by the same brand.
Even the mains transformer has a bad smell, but it still works...
Now I could replace the chokes (also the one in the remote unit) with better ones, perhaps on ferrite, but I think that a better solution is to separate the control from the RF, laying a 2-wire small cable to the roof.
So, I'm not selling this switch, but I'm going to modify it.
Interestingly enough, it still works and switches antennas, but I cannot tune my antennas anymore, because a lot of RF is lost inside the unit.
Another possibile criticism is about the design: to switch 4 antennas it uses 3 relays and RF always passes through 2 of them, not a single one (more loss).
To summarize my review, it's a cheap reasonable choice for low power, but NOT for the 2 kW it is rated for.
Much better to lay a separated control cable or build a switch yourself.
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W0JX
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Rating: 3/5
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Sep 10, 2009 21:27
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OK, if you know how to troubleshoot gear!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is an updated review. A year after my May, 2008 review, I had to take the outdoor box apart to find out why one of the relays was not closing. Fortunately, it is at the base of the tower and not at the top. A vibrating relay was causing a 30 over S9 buzz in my receiver. I finally cured it by lubricating the relay and loosing the tension on the spring a little. Be very careful if you buy one of these used. The older ones are trouble-prone. They work very well when everything is OK
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KK8ZZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 10, 2009 17:38
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Needs 12V AC, not DC !
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Mine works fine, AFTER I discovered from posts here that the supplied wall-wart (which I didn't get when I bought mine used) outputs 12V AC -- not DC, like the one I had plugged into it. Two relays were on at the same time, and they should have been, when an DC supply is attached! MFJ clearly markets their little AC/AC charger (less than $7) for the RCS-4 antenna switch. I'll bet that many of the 0/5 reviews here are from guys who bought one used and plugged in 12V DC and then wondered why it didn't work right. I'm one of them. Once again, the eHam reviews saved the day.
Bottom line -- works fine, good isolation, hassle-free no-cable control ---- when it is powered by the Ameritron 120V AC to 12V AC charger! Order one from their web site.
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N0LEF
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Rating: 1/5
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Feb 2, 2009 08:52
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Not very good
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Purchased new in 2006 and kept in the closet until last weekend. Installed it on top of my tower and hooked everything up. Couldn't find a null between my two dipoles which are 90 degrees to each other. Started tuning and meter needles waiving all over the place. Absolutely no difference when switched between antennas. I believe it has gone common across the board. Even the empty connectors show an antenna that tunes. I had one years ago and it worked fine. This one must come down.
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W1LDD
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 30, 2008 08:07
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Great Product!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have used this switch at 2 locations for 10 years.Never had a problem with it.I may step up to the bigger unit because my antenna farm is growing!
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KD0CPH
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 29, 2008 08:17
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works as advertised
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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For the money you can't go wrong with this switch . works great and no change in signals or swr. I was leary at first because of reputation but have been pleasantly pleased
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NV2A
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 20, 2008 04:30
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looks very handy
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just bought one at a hamfest used for $50.00. It looked like it had very little, if any use. As luck would have it, mine appeared to be DOA. Turns out the small power pin in the coaxial power plug on the desk unit was not making contact with the power plug. It is the split type so inserted a pocket knife blade in and stretched it out. Seems to be working fine. A later review will follow but I had to wonder, how many sour reviews had to do with this problem.
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