Hi Tom,

I had a Heil foot switch here.  It was the single model rather than the new
FS2.  It was quite small and I have a fairly thick carpet on the ham shack
floor so it seemed to crawl around a lot.  A friend of mine bought a big old
switch, probably from an old dictation machine or the like, and that is what
I am using.  for a foot switch, I'd go for big and bulky.

Good luck and very 73.


Kevin :)
Amateur Radio:  K7RX



-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of T Behler
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2006 18:48
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: microphone foot switches

Hi, all.

In the most recent issue of the Handiham e-letter, reference was made to a
rather inexpensive, and seemingly handy microphone foot switch sold by MFJ.
I think it's MFJ catalog item number 1709.  I believe it retails for
approximately $25.

I got a description of the switch, and it seems rather small to me--i.e.
dimensions 2 in by 3 in.

What kind of experience have you folks had with foot switches?

My main HF rig is an Icom 746, and I use a Heil ICM mic, made specially for
Icom rigs.

A foot switch sure seems like it would be nice for contesting, etc., so you
could have your hands free to do logging, work the controls of the rig,
etc..

Are there better foot switches out there?

Does anyone know if Heil sells anything that would be helpful, or would I be
paying an inflated price for something with their product name on it?

Just for information, the Heil ICM mic that I use has an extra jack on it
that comes off of the main mic connector, and it looks like it will
accommodate a standard quarter-inch phono plug.

73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ