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Analog Snake

Whirlwind Catdusa CT-F

The Whirlwind Catdusa CT-F is the collect side of the Catdusa system, taking four sources on female XLR tails onto a single Cat5e etherCON run. Pair it with a CT-M at the far end for a four-channel snake over cable you can source anywhere, and daisy-chain additional boxes through the second etherCON jack. Shielded Cat cable carries phantom, and the 110-ohm wiring keeps AES and DMX clean.

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Photos

Manufacturer product photography showing the hardware, controls, and physical form.

Photo: WhirlwindClick to zoom
Signal channels
4Balanced analog paths end to end
Cable runs
14 channels per Cat cable
Rack space
Outside rackPlan a shelf, tray, or stage position
Power draw
UnverifiedPower requirement is not verified in the catalog
Catalog estimate
~$163Current listings stay in the price tracker

01 · What it does—and what that changes in your rig.

Product overview

Start with the payoff, then work through how it functions, where it fits, and the details that change a real build.

The payoff

4 channels. 1 cable runs. Outside rack.

The Catdusa CT-F is the stage end of Whirlwind's Catdusa system — a passive, four-channel analog fan that takes four XLR sources and routes them down a single Cat5e run to the CT-M at the far end. There's no power supply, no DSP, no rack unit to account for; it's pure copper, passive, and dumb in exactly the right way. The job it does is simple: replace a four-channel analog snake loom with a single Cat5e cable you can pull from almost any venue's spare bin or buy at a hardware store in a pinch.

Signal channels
4Balanced analog paths end to end
Cable runs
14 channels per Cat cable
Rack space
Outside rackPlan a shelf, tray, or stage position
Whirlwindexternal · not rackmounted
Whirlwind product panelOutside rack · Unverified
Function

How it works in the path

Four female XLR tails collect your sources — vocals, instrument DIs, monitor reference lines, whatever the count calls for — and the etherCON Out carries all four down the run. The Thru jack is the part that earns its keep on larger stages: you can daisy-chain a second CT-F box onto the same cable path, doubling your channel count without running a second home run. Shielded Cat cable is required to pass phantom, and Whirlwind specifies 110-ohm wiring inside, so the same cable can carry AES-3 or DMX on other systems without crosstalk concerns. At 0.7 kg, it goes in a pouch, tapes to a mic stand base, or sits in a drum riser pocket without drama.

Best fit

Where it earns its place in the system

This belongs in any rig where you're tired of rolling heavy copper or where venue infrastructure only gives you Cat runs between stage and rack. It's a natural fit for IEM rigs that need a few monitor reference feeds sent back from stage, or for lean playback setups that need a couple of instrument inputs without a dedicated analog snake. What it isn't: a solution for eight or more channels without chaining multiple boxes, and it won't work with unshielded Cat if your sources need phantom. If your whole console workflow depends on a dense analog split, a proper analog snake still makes more sense, but for four channels and a long pull, the Catdusa system is hard to argue with at this price.

In the rack

Details worth deciding before load-in.

  • Use shielded Cat5e or Cat6 exclusively — unshielded cable will drop phantom power and can introduce noise on long runs. Keep a labeled spool of the right cable with the box so a borrowed venue cable doesn't cause a troubleshoot at show time.
  • When daisy-chaining a second CT-F through the Thru jack, label each box and its XLR tails clearly before load-in; at stage level in low light, four identical female tails from two boxes look the same.
  • The CT-F has no rack ears and zero rack units, so plan its physical placement before the show: it works well cable-tied to a mic stand base, velcroed to the underside of a keyboard riser, or tucked in a small utility pouch clipped to your rack case.
  • Pair it with the CT-M mounted directly to your rack's rear panel or cable bay so the etherCON home run terminates cleanly — this keeps the analog signal path short on the rack side and avoids an extra XLR patch between the CT-M tails and your inputs.

02 · Know the whole path before you buy.

Signal path

Learn the route as a block diagram: source, product function, transport, and destination. Select any block to see what enters, what changes, and what leaves.

Interactive block diagramAuto-looping · hover, focus, or tap to hold a stage
Port-type signalProduct functionSystem boundary
Follow one signal from source to destination

Each block answers the same three questions: what arrives, what changes here, and what leaves.

01 · Source handoff · selected
01 · Source handoff

Console, split, or playback outputs

4 balanced analog channels enter as separate lines before any cable grouping happens.

Arrives as
4 analog channels
Connector
XLR female
Direction
Into this product

03 · What this product asks of the rest of the system.

Compatibility

Treat connector names as the start of the check—not the answer. These are the boundaries that determine a complete working path.

Best fit · Analog Snake

Use it as analog snake tracked outside rack rails; follow the manufacturer’s mounting and form-factor guidance.

Plan the companion path

Complete both ends with a compatible sender, receiver, or breakout. Match connector, channel wiring, direction, and shielded-cable requirements.

Connector boundary

Documented connectors: XLR female, etherCON. Match connector, direction, and signal type—not shape alone.

04 · Every connector, grouped by job.

I/O ports

Switch the product view and the documented port inventory updates with it—hardware and data stay side by side.

Every connector, grouped by job.

Switch panels to keep the hardware view and the documented port list in sync.

Front panel
front connector map for Whirlwind Catdusa CT-FEXTERNAL UNIT · FRONTNo documented front ports
Rear panel
rear connector map for Whirlwind Catdusa CT-FEXTERNAL UNIT · REARXLR femaleinputXLR femaleinputXLR femaleinputXLR femaleinputetherCONoutputetherCONoutput
All documented ports for Whirlwind Catdusa CT-F
PortPanelConnectorDirectionSignalChannels
XLR 1rearXLR female inputanalog audio—
XLR 2rearXLR female inputanalog audio—
XLR 3rearXLR female inputanalog audio—
XLR 4rearXLR female inputanalog audio—
etherCON OutrearetherCON outputanalog audio—
etherCON ThrurearetherCON outputanalog audio—

Showing 6 of 6 documented physical ports.

05 · Compare the decision, not just the price.

Alternatives

The rows are organized around fit, power, I/O, and system role so a cheaper unit cannot hide a more expensive workflow.

Compare
Whirlwind Catdusa CT-F
Radial Catapult Mini RX — unit with 4-channel male XLR breakout fan
Radial Catapult Mini TX — unit with 4-channel XLR breakout fan
Radial Catapult RX4M
Fit📐 Outside rack📐 Outside rack📐 Outside rack📐 Outside rack
Power⚡ Unverified⚡ Unverified⚡ Unverified⚡ Unverified
Weight⚖️ 1.5 lb⚖️ 2.2 lb⚖️ 2.2 lb⚖️ 4.0 lb
I/O🔌 6🔌 5🔌 5🔌 5
Estimate💵 ~$163💵 ~$125💵 ~$125💵 ~$375
Deep diveCurrent selectionFull comparison →Full comparison →Full comparison →

06 · Resolve the questions that can change the purchase or build plan.

Planning questions

Short, source-backed answers surface rack fit, power, cabling, and connection details before they become surprises.

Where does the Whirlwind Catdusa CT-F live in a complete rig?

The catalog assigns it no rack units. Builder tracks it as non-rack gear; follow the manufacturer’s mounting, case, and form-factor guidance.

How much power does the Whirlwind Catdusa CT-F draw?

Its power requirement is not yet verified in the catalog.

What connections does the Whirlwind Catdusa CT-F have?

6 documented physical ports, including XLR 1, XLR 2, XLR 3, XLR 4, etherCON Out, etherCON Thru.

07 · See this gear inside a complete system plan.

Builder preview

Builder keeps non-rack gear in the same bill of materials, budget, dependency, and connection plan as the rack-mounted system around it.Open in Builder
Catdusa CT-F tracked in a complete system planA simplified plan shows the gear tracked outside rack rails, with its documented connection path continuing to a planned destination.Tracked outside rack railsWhirlwindCatdusa CT-FCONNECTED GEARnext signal destinationExternal system gear · no rack units assigned

08 · Related gear, in the order you may need it.

Radial Catapult Mini RX — unit with 4-channel male XLR breakout fan

Analog Snake

Radial Catapult Mini RX

Outside rack · 5 ports · ~$125
Radial Catapult Mini TX — unit with 4-channel XLR breakout fan

Analog Snake

Radial Catapult Mini TX

Outside rack · 5 ports · ~$125
Radial Catapult RX4M

Analog Snake

Radial Catapult RX4M

Outside rack · 5 ports · ~$375
Radial Catapult TX4M

Analog Snake

Radial Catapult TX4M

Outside rack · 5 ports · ~$375
Radial Catapult TX4 and RX4 — 4-channel Cat 5 audio snake pair

Analog Snake

Radial Catapult RX4

Outside rack · 9 ports · ~$235
Radial Catapult TX4 and RX4 — 4-channel Cat 5 audio snake pair

Analog Snake

Radial Catapult TX4

Outside rack · 9 ports · ~$235

Planning guides for analog snake systems.

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