Every few months a handful of genuinely new products arrive that shift what is possible in the shack, whether that is smarter station automation, better RF management, or simply a portable antenna that works exactly as advertised. These four are the ones we think are worth your attention right now.
1SO9I HamCore: Networked Antenna Switching With Automatic Band Selection
If you run more than one antenna, the question is not whether you need an antenna switch but which one is worth buying. The SO9I HamCore answers that question with a level of automation that most antenna switches simply cannot match. Unlike a conventional controller-based switch, the HamCore has its control system built in and connects directly to your shack network over Ethernet, Wi-Fi or its own access point. From there, any browser on any device, including your phone, gives you full control with no application to install.
What sets it apart from simpler networked switches is automatic antenna selection. Assign each of the six antenna ports to one or more amateur radio bands and the HamCore reads the operating frequency from your transceiver and switches automatically as you change bands. It integrates with FlexRadio over the network, including PTT sensing, as well as N1MM+ and DXLog contest logging software. A separate TX and RX antenna can be configured independently, and hot-switch protection prevents the relay from operating while RF is present.
Two versions are available: the HamCore 6x1 for a single transceiver and the HamCore 6x2 for dual-radio or SO2R setups. Both share the same 4kW power handling, automatic grounding of unused ports and reinforced PCB construction that runs across the full SO9I range.
2Sierra Radio Systems Station Controller: Modular Monitoring and Control for Any Station
The Sierra Radio Systems Station Controller is a modular, Raspberry Pi-based platform for monitoring and controlling your station equipment. It is designed for remote HF stations, repeater and APRS sites, solar and battery monitoring, antenna switching and general shack automation, and it is built around the principle that you start with what you need today and add modules as requirements grow.
The system communicates over the DCN (Device Control Network), an RS-485 multi-drop bus that carries both power and data over a single CAT5 cable. Every module connects to this bus, and modules can be placed hundreds of metres from the host computer without any extra infrastructure. For sites where running a cable is not practical, the SIR-462 LoRa radio module extends the DCN wirelessly over the 868MHz ISM band.
Control runs through a Node-Red dashboard served by the Raspberry Pi host, accessible from any browser on the local network or over a VPN. The protocol is published and uses simple ASCII text, so integrations with logging software, SDR platforms and custom scripts are all possible. ML&S stocks all twelve modules in the range, including the SIR-321 GPIO module for voltage monitoring, relay outputs and temperature probes; the SIR-331 four-port HF coax relay module; the SIR-335 two-port RF watt meter module; and the SIR-310 Raspberry Pi host adapter that anchors the whole system.
3RF Meca 200W Band Pass Filters: Clean Up Your Station RF Path
A bandpass filter belongs in every station where more than one transmitter is operating, or where a strong nearby signal is causing problems on receive. The RF Meca 200W Band Pass Filters are high-quality single-band inline filters covering every amateur HF band from 160m to 10m, designed to attenuate out-of-band signals while passing the selected band with minimal insertion loss.
In a multi-operator contest station, a club shack or an SO2R installation, a transmission on 20m can easily swamp a receiver on 40m operating just a few metres away. Installing the appropriate RF Meca filter in each station's RF path addresses this directly, and because the filters are designed for low insertion loss, they can stay in the RF path permanently during operation on their designated band without degrading transmitted or received signal levels.
Each filter is rated to 200W, covering standard 100W HF transceivers and stations running modest amplifiers. Ten models are available, one for each band, and they are designed for simple in-line installation between the transceiver and the feedline using standard SO-239 connections.
| Model | Band | Frequency range |
|---|---|---|
| RFM-BPF-160M-200 | 160m | 1.81 to 2.0 MHz |
| RFM-BPF-80M-200 | 80m | 3.5 to 4.0 MHz |
| RFM-BPF-40M-200 | 40m | 7.0 to 7.3 MHz |
| RFM-BPF-30M-200 | 30m | 10.10 to 10.15 MHz |
| RFM-BPF-20M-200 | 20m | 14.0 to 14.35 MHz |
| RFM-BPF-17M-200 | 17m | 18.068 to 18.168 MHz |
| RFM-BPF-15M-200 | 15m | 21.0 to 21.45 MHz |
| RFM-BPF-12M-200 | 12m | 24.89 to 24.99 MHz |
| RFM-BPF-11M-200 | 11m | 26.4 to 28.0 MHz |
| RFM-BPF-10M-200 | 10m | 28.0 to 29.7 MHz |
4Wonder Wand End Fed Half Wave: Four Bands, One Wire, On the Air in Minutes
The Wonder Wand End Fed Half Wave is a portable HF antenna that connects directly to the BNC socket on the back of your radio, with a single wire element covering 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m via harmonic resonance. There is no separate matching box, no coaxial feedline to run, and no ATU needed on any of the four supported bands. One wire goes up, and you are on the air.
The supplied 20m wire element is resonant on 40m at its fundamental frequency. It is also a full wave on 20m, three half-waves on 15m and two full waves on 10m, so all four bands are genuine harmonic resonances of the same element rather than a broadband compromise. The matching unit is built on a quality PCB with proper ferrites and no hot glue or resin, which matters in outdoor use over time.
The wire can be deployed radio-mounted and sloped, raised up a fishing pole for a vertical or inverted-L, or thrown into a tree. A 5m counterpoise wire is supplied. Power handling is 25W SSB, covering everything from a 5W QRP rig to a standard portable transceiver running at full output.
All four products are in stock or available to order now at ML&S. Browse the full range and add to basket directly from the product pages.
See Everything New at ML&SDisclaimer: Product information is based on published manufacturer specifications, current at the time of writing. Specifications and availability are subject to change. Please check the individual product pages at ML&S for current stock status and pricing before ordering.
