That was me who built the box with 4 switches on it to perform the functions
when using a microphone that doesn't have the buttons on it.
Yes, you use the up/down pins on the mike jack and ground them through
either a 47K resister, or a 100K resister.
I think it goes like this, but it was quite a while ago when I built the box
and I may be wrong:
grounding the down pin through 47K ohms will give you function key 1,
through 100K ohms gives you function key 2...grounding the up pin through
47k ohms is function key 3, and 100K ohms is function key 4.
You can add up/down buttons as well by grounding those pins directly.
The size of the resister isn't terribly important, I think the ones I used
were quarter watt or something like that...nice and small.
I used a rectangular hamond box, an 8 connection telephone terminal bar and
four small spring loaded momentary toggles.
I got a box that was just big enough to put the 8 connection terminal bar
inside and just high enough to allow the bodies of the switches and pins and
wires and so on to fit inside without too much sqwashing.
I drilled the four holes in the top of the box to mount the switches...then
used my multi meter to determine the state of the switch in off or on
positions...in other words, which pin on the switch i had to solder the
resister to in order to ground the up or down pin.
I used the plug off the end of the stock mike for my radio...cutting it off
about four inches from the end...then I spliced on some cat5 and ran that
into the break out box.
You can get the microphone pin out for your radio online...
Use the continuity tester on the multi-meter to figure out which wire goes
to which pin on the mike plug, and wire up your switches acordingly.
I have one switch on the box wired as a PTT switch, and the other 3 as
function switches because my radio has a function button on the front which
can be used as the fourth function key.
I also have a couple feet of microphone audio cable running from the box
with a female XLR jack on it to plug directly into a xlr type microphone.
Additionally, I have a two wire pig tail coming out of the box to connect to
a PTT switch...like a foot switch, trigger or whatever else one might have.
I could have mounted an XLR jack on the box, along with an eighth inch phone
jack for the external PTT.
However, the box is just a bit too small to do that easily...if I got
something just slightly bigger I could have fit those extra two jacks into
the box.
I got everything I needed for the project at one electronic connections
supply shop.
Cost me about 30 bucks for everything...even though I had to buy the
resisters in rolls of 100. The most expensive parts were the switches at
about 5 bucks a piece.
If you know of a local connecter or electronic components supply shop, go in
and pick out your parts...that is what I did, and I couldn't tell you what
parts I got or where to get them online.
I just picked the ones that I figured would be the best for what I wanted to
build in my mind.
Doing it again, I would get an angle topped hamond box, that was just a bit
bigger, but perhaps a bit wider if you will.
The one I got is perhaps 3 inches by 2 inches by 2 inches.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message -----
From: "Butch Bussen" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, June 18, 2012 11:08 AM
Subject: radio cables
>I went to the link someone posted yesterday, think it was myhamdables.com,
> anyhow I wrote the guy and ordered a cross band repeat cable so I can tie
> my 590 to my tmv-71a. He charged $25 which I was pleased with. I asked
> him about building me a box so I could use 4 function mike buttons on my
> desk mike. I think someone here did that once. Does anyone have info on
> doing that, what pins, and what value of resistor for each function?
>
> Thanks.
> 73
> Butch
> WA0VJR
> Node 3148
> Wallace, ks.
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