Think you should put Diode across the relay coil? To discharge the current store as magnet field into the coil because you the coil opposite to change in current flow and will act as current source in reverse way when disconnected from the source.

Your systematic and crystal clear steps are so beautifully presented. It's a treat to watch OM Ed! 73 De VU2RJV, handle Raj from India.

Neat setup. Clean nothing neighbors have to complain about. One idea is that you might have been able to omit the 12v supply and run DC over the coax to energize the relay.

Hello Ed. Your videos are very educational. All video explanations are great! I look forward to seeing your videos uploaded every day in Japan 🎌 JG3GMB 73

This video is a great inspiration for me as I was trying to figure out how to make a remote switch work! Thanks and 73 de Stacey, AA7YA

No need to use tape to hold the connector while drilling other holes - just nut and bolt the first hole using a lock washer, line it up and tighten it well, then drill the rest!

Just subscribed. Love your presentation style, and LOVE that you show part numbers in the video. Thanks!

Love the video. I like the way you get things done. The important thing is results and you can make things happen.

Such a great video, Ed. So, so well done. Probably the best instructional ham video that I've ever watched on KZfaq. I am in process of building a different type of remote antenna switch...one that uses a NOS Amphenol coaxial relay from EBay (26.5 VDC) , a 26.5 VDC power supply from Amazon, and a G-Home Smart Mini Plug (120VAC from Amazon) connectable to wifi and the internet so that I can switch two of my antennas remotely in my 2nd QTH a few miles from my physical station. Gathering the parts now. I can switch 3 antennas using the rig interface and a VPN and operate great (I even have Two WinKeys for remote CW) but because I have a 4th antenna I need to build something to accommodate it. I want to put the PS and relay in an aluminum or metal enclosure with 3 SO 239s like you did. Then an AC cord coming out to plug into the Smart Mini Plug. You did such a great job on this! I kind of wondered why you were using such a heavy-duty enclosure but then saw why..it's in a garage or shed! hihi.In my case, it will be in my shack so I can use aluminum. Thanks again for doing this. I wish more hams would venture into homebrew stuff. 73 de Scott, W1AL

Done this via a UHF link remote. Antenna relays all burnt out in time in my case running about 50 watts . Contacts went HR. Similar relay. I soldered a flyback diode across the coil circuit. This suppresses the high voltage Back EMF which could damage your PSU or other electronics if connected. This was standard practice in the profession I was in. Worked well for a few months, but the relays were obviously inadequate. I need proper coaxial relays. At £40 each it's not viable when I need 4 of them. Now converted to a patch panel.

Looks good. I would check the coil current to make sure the wire back to the shack is allowing full rated current. It not you can boost the voltage until the coil current is sufficient. 73 de N8RL

Great project very well explained thank you

Brilliant project thanks for sharing. 73 de 7X2TT

Thanks for this informative video Ed, you have just solved my problem best 73 from U.K.

I did something similar but used a latching relay so no need to keep relay energized. Nice video. One question I had was whether is matters if a metal or plastic box is used. 73's n2eye

Hi Ed. Firstly, let me say I appreciate your intention and spirit... a true HAM. I have a few suggestions, and a few critiques. So, right to it: On your praise of these Baomain relays, I bought 2 from Amazon.... they are CRAP! One look tells all... the contacts are VERY POORLY aligned and the contact patch is miniscule. the brackets that hold the upper (NC) pads and the lower (NO)contact pads are leaning every-which-way, so those contacts are not on the same plane as the armature pads. The plastic part of the Armature is so poorly designed that the arms that hold the common pads are not held in alignment, so are as much as 1/8" off center. This results in terrible contact fidelity and therefore sketchy (at best) opportunity for proper low resistance connection.. I am returning them and searching for a quality relay that I can afford. :-) But on to the design suggestions. With a good DPDT relay that offers good connection, I see no reason to use both contacts in parallel for the connection of signal. I suggest, in keeping with design practice common to physical antenna switches, why not use one contact for signal and the other to ground the unused antenna to provide some isolation. So, in a non-powered state, the first set of NC contacts connects signal to your default antenna while the second set of NC contacts connects the unused antenna to GND. When the relay is powered, the first set of NO contacts (now closed) connects the default antenna to GND and the second set of NO contacts connects the signal to your second antenna. 73

Brilliant Video and very neat work.

Ed, thanks fot this nice video, 2 questions how to connect the + and - on the 12 volt with connectors other question can you make a video how it work with 2 antennes ? thanks again

Nice project but won’t there be a big impedance mismatch at the switch? That’s the reason manual antenna switches are built in a specific way and don’t have long wires.

Great video. I actually have two of those relays just sitting around. I don’t have the fancy box that goes around them though. Be curious as to how well that would work with 2 and 6m. That’s my current antennas switching problem to solve. FB OM. 73, NV5E.

The contact gap on that relay looks pretty small, I'd be worried about arcing. Also is the relay rated for RF/AC or just for DC, you might have a problem with not enough "contact wetting" despite the large contact area. At HF the impedance match probably doesn't matter but at VHF and above a coaxial relay would be better.

Thank you for this great video. This would really help me out. My antennas are a good 75’ from the shack, doing this will save on buying long lengths of coax. I was curious about how much power you are running through it. Also, how do you think it would work on UHF? Again, great idea!

Very nice Ed!

A latching relay would have made the switching voltage momentary. Well made though, thank you.

Awesome video ED !! Thanks for sharing. May try this project this fall. 73 de KD4FZY

Very clear, nicely done video Ed. 73, Rod/w7zrc

OK idea though not exactly impedance matched. Also used the wrong box, should have used a NEMA 3R box or even better a stainless steel NEMA 4X box. The contactor used is for power rather than RF but if the wires are kept extremely short I would guess it should work OK.

Well presented coax switch project. Might be a good winter project. What are your thoughts on building one that when the power is disconnected it grounds to earth to discharge static buildup during lightning?

73, thanks Ed. 🙏

Hi Ed. Presuming you have the other antenna built by now, are you experiencing any tuning problems with the additional shield added from the other antenna? Thanks.

How much power can this take? 100 watts obviously but beyond that???

Why not use a solid state relay?

you feed 4 tp 600 thru it ?? held so far it seems

would you mind listing the Amazon items? Thanks

"Just applying the SOLDER to the tip of the iron" is exactly the WRONG way to do it! Amazing how many 'experts' on utoob don't have any idea how to solder, yet they claim to teach others how to do technical things - also, "just 2 screws needed" to attach the terminals to the box is ALSO the wrong way to do it! Sorry, but being LAZY does not equal being good at what you do; perfection is only achieved through elbow grease and TIME and effort spent on your craft ... apparently, everyone else that gave you such glowing comments is just as ignorant as you - NOT claiming to be an expert at everything, but I wouldn't make a video unless I REALLY knew what I was doing was presented in the most PROFESSIONAL way possible - other than than that, 73! - NOT 73s, sorry again, but THAT is incorrect too!

Liked the video however, you could added one more relay and a couple of capacitors and RF chokes and made a phantom power supply to send 12 Volts to the relay instead of a dedicated cable and you would have been able to have three antennas off of 1 cable. But I am sure that you know that. 7 3 DE: KF0XO/EA4

Why not send the 12 volts over the coax and use a dc block near the radio?