RC-16 Configuration

Before you begin

You will need to download and run the ShackLAN Control Center software from the Downloads page before you can configure and operate the RC-16 Relay Controllers. You must also set the network address if are using more than one RC-16.

Antenna macro names

This step is optional but if you have more than one antenna on a band it is highly recommended. If this has not been done previously, such as configuring one of the Shacklan antenna switches, instructions for naming the macros is here.

Naming the relay outputs

 This step is also optional but is highly recommended as it will make the relay configuration much easier. Open the Relay Controller Configuration window by pressing the gear icon in the main Control Center window and then press then Relay Controller button in the Setup window. Start by setting the address of the relay driver you want to configure. You do not need to be connected to the RC-16 to name the relays. Press and hold for a few seconds on each relay button and enter a description name for that relay. These names are saved for each relay driver address. This will make the configuration process go a lot smoother.

Establish communications

 Configuration may be done via a USB connection directly to the Relay Controller or any ShackLAN unit as long as that unit is connected to the network. You first need to establish communication with the network.
The next step is to establish communications with the Relay Controller you wish to configure.  Select the address in the Unit ID box and wait for the RC-16 to connect.  You are now ready to start configuring the unit.

Assigning relay outputs to the macros

 Now on to configuring the macros (the actual mapping of relay outputs to the antenna selections). You must be connected to the relay driver before you can start this process. First, be sure you have set up the ShackLAN Network Communications and that the Control Center is communicating with the ShackLAN network.

Select the Radio and Band you wish to configure and wait for the "Data received" message to appear. This confirms the current configuration for this Radio and Band has been downloaded from the relay driver. Press the Load button if the current data does not load automatically. The macro buttons should also show the names you have given each macro (antenna selection). If these names do not appear, be sure you entered the Macro names for this band.
1 - Click on the button in the Macro panel for the macro (selection) you wish to configure.
2 - Select the desired relays in the Selected Relays panel. These buttons are push on/push off.
3 - Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each macro (selection) for this radio and band.
4 - Click on the Save button when finished with each radio/band combination to save to configuration to the RC-16 and wait for the message saying the update was successful.
Repeat steps 1 thru 5 for each radio/band combination.

Configuring the frequency segments

 The frequency segment function of the relay controllers can used to automatically control matching networks, primarily on low band antennas. These segments should NOT be used to select an antenna, only for control of matching networks. Use the band configurations for antenna selection. Start by selecting the segment in the Band/ Segment box and then press the Load button to load the current segment settings if it does not automatically load. There are eight frequency segments you can configure to your frequency preferences. Set the frequency range of a segment by entering the upper and lower frequencies in the indicated fields. Be sure to enter the frequency in KHz (no decimal points). Press the Save button to save your frequency settings. Wait for the message that the update was successful. Do this for each segment you intend to use in your system. Configuring the relay outputs for each Macro in a segment is identical to setting the relay outputs for each band, the only difference is you select a segment instead of a band. There are eight macros available for each segment but you would normally use the same macro that selects the antenna used with the matching network. Press the Save button after configuring the relays for each segment and wait for the message that the update was successful.