Engineering Smarter RF & Embedded Systems
Blending 40+ years of RF expertise with modern hardware and software design.
Also specializing in advanced marine electronics including NMEA2000, vessel telemetry, and custom navigation systems.
RF StateSide is the engineering lab of Ray Faucher (KB1SO). After more than 10,000 in-building wireless deployments across the U.S., the focus today is on advanced controllers, tools, and applications for RF, amplifiers, and power systems.
Featured Projects
Current software and projects from the RF StateSide lab.
MercuryLuxPc
Desktop control software for the Mercury LUX HF amplifier, with real-time telemetry, remote operation, and custom themes.
RaySspaController
Teensy-based SSPA controller for 1–4 LDMOS modules, providing per-module control, temperature-aware fan management, SWR and over-drive protection, and band/LPF switching through a Nextion touch UI. Supports remote monitoring via serial or TCP/IP, with all limits and profiles adjustable from a hidden manufacturer screen.
RayCoupler
Wideband RF coupler covering 1–60 MHz, available in low- and high-power versions. Provides a hardware interrupt for SWR 3:1 or over-drive (jumper-selectable), plus an RF sampler output tailored for ANAN PureSignal and other linearization or monitoring tools. Includes an onboard square-wave frequency generator for automatic band detection by a connected controller.
RayPowerMeter
Next-generation 4-channel RF power and SWR measurement system using high-precision ADS1115 16-bit converters. Supports real-time peak envelope power, SWR, multi-point calibration, and high-speed graphing. Connects to RayCoupler sensors (1–4 units), and scales to multiple RayPowerMeters across the station for contest-grade monitoring.
RayRailSwSense
A compact rail-mounted switch and sense module for amplifier control, current monitoring, and system automation. Ideal companion hardware for RaySspaController and other RF StateSide projects.
RayRigAntSw
A 3-antenna, 2-radio switching system with integrated amplifier routing. Designed for contesting and multi-radio stations, offering flexible RF path selection and solid-state reliability.
RayEltekController
ESP32-S3 controller for Eltek HM34 and Flatpack2 power systems, with networked monitoring, JSON API, and remote configuration.
Marine Electronics & Vessel Systems
Tools for vessel telemetry, navigation systems, NMEA2000/NMEA0183 development, and full marine instrumentation.
RayVessel
A marine vessel dashboard system running on Raspberry Pi 4/5, featuring a custom analog-sensor HAT, Qt UI, navigation layers, gauges, fuel systems, alarms, and full NMEA2000/NMEA0183 integration.
RayNmeaSimulator
Advanced NMEA2000/0183 simulation suite with customizable PGN panels, autopilot simulation, environmental sensors, engine telemetry, and a joystick-powered Game Mode for virtual vessel navigation.
Marine Firmware & Tools
Supporting embedded firmware, desktop tooling, and integration utilities for chartplotter testing, autopilot development, vessel telemetry, and navigation electronics workflows.
From the Lab
Recent notes, experiments, and design posts from the RF StateSide blog.
About RF StateSide
RF StateSide is the engineering lab of Ray Faucher (KB1SO), merging decades of RF system design with modern embedded and desktop development.
With over 40 years as a licensed amateur operator and more than 10,000 wireless and public-safety systems deployed across the U.S., Ray now focuses on building reliable tools for RF, embedded control, power systems, and **marine electronics**.
Recent work includes NMEA2000/NMEA0183 systems, vessel telemetry hardware, navigation-sensor integration, and advanced marine simulation platforms used for testing chartplotters, autopilots, and onboard electronics.
The goal: to share practical designs and software that make complex RF and marine systems easier to build, test, and understand.
More about Ray See the KB1SO station →Downloads & Resources
Latest software builds, firmware, and documentation from the lab.
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Firmware & docs →
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