I also think we all do it different as well. It is in the feel, smell,
timing, there is a lot of little things to learn but some of us do manage
it. My number one tip as with any tool, always always always, know where you
are working, know where your tip is. That's why I often go somewhere and to
my soldering, using a power saw, anything like that, and against most of my
family's advice, do that stuff alone, so I'm not likely to get distracted
and hurt myself.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Forst" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2014 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: Has anyone here ever built a project from QST?
> Doug,
>
> No, it's a serious question that comes up here from time to time.
> One thing is practice. It helps to have a small hobby vise or
> something to hold the item while you solder. Depending on what you
> are trying to do, you may wind up with a few clips and clamps holding
> whatever in place.
>
> With your work in the proper place, try using a cold soldering iron or
> gun and solder to get a feel of how you need to move them to the work.
> Again, practice on some scrap wires till you get the hang of it.
>
> You will burn your fingers every so often, but that's life. Eye
> protection is important. Even if you can't see, you don't want a speck
> of hot solder landing in your eye.
>
> I'm sure others will have some tips on this.
>
> 73, Steve KW3A
> On 10/25/2014 11:28 AM, Doug Payne wrote:
>> Steve (and others),
>>
>> How did you manage the soldering?
>>
>> Please don't think my question is mocking--I really don't know how to do
>> this without being able to see.
>>
>> I hope everyone has fun in the DX contest this weekend.
>>
>> Doug
>> AC7T
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: For blind ham radio operators
>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>> On Behalf Of Steve Forst
>> Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2014 6:44 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: Has anyone here ever built a project from QST?
>>
>> Good description Colin. I started with an old MFJ TNC to radio
>> interface box for a long gone TNC. A small metal box with 8 pin male
>> jack on front and cables with 13 pin din and 8 pin female microphone
>> plug, out the rear of the box.
>>
>> I removed the 13 pin din cable for some future project, and pulled out
>> the
>> internal pc board and other unneeded junk.
>>
>> Since my Heil Gold line as well as my headphones all use 1/8 plugs, I
>> didn't
>> use the front panel mic jack, but instead wired a 1/8 jack on the rear
>> of
>> the box for the microphone. Added a RCA jack to the rear of the box,
>> wired
>> to the ptt line, to plug in my foot and hand PTT switches.
>>
>> Lot's of point to point wiring and a real rat's nest in there, but it
>> works. A total of 6 switches: 4 extra pf keys and also the up/down
>> buttons which are usually reassigned as pf keys.
>>
>> I may redo this sometime in the future, in a larger box, with a few more
>> things going in and out.
>>
>> 73, Steve KW3A
>>
>>
>> On 10/23/2014 9:22 PM, Colin McDonald wrote:
>>> Here is what I did:
>>> I chopped the plug end off the stock hand mike that came with my
>>> radio...there was about 3 or 4 inches of straight cable before it
>>> started to coil, and I chopped it off right where it started to coil.
>>> I found the kenwood standard 8 pin microphone jack pin out description
>>> on line so I knew which pins were for what.
>>> I then went to an electronics store and got a project box, an 8
>>> terminal phone connection strip where there are 8 sets of 2 connected
>>> terminals...the terminal strip is almost exactly as long as the bottom
>>> plate of the project box...so I used some glue to secure it in place.
>>> I got 4 momentary mini switches, and a roll of 47K and 100K
>>> resisters...the wattage doesn't mattter with these, just find the
>>> smallest ones you can. In fact, a commercial version of this box
>>> could use surface mount resisters and flat push buttons and put it all
>>> into a very small compact package using one small PCB.
>>> In my case, I wanted to use a standard studio style microphone, so I
>>> used a piece of mike cable with an XLR female on one end as the
>>> microphone pig tail.
>>> I stripped the wires on the original piece of stock mike cable and
>>> connected them in an order I'd remember to one side of the 8 terminal
>>> bus
>> bar.
>>> I have a continuity meter, so armed with the pin out description, I
>>> could determine which pins were for what function and their associated
>> wires.
>>> I drilled the appropriate holes in the project box to mount the
>>> switches, and to let the microphone hookup cable out and the cable to
>>> the radio out the other side...I also added a 6 foot piece of 18 gage
>>> regular speaker wire to hook up to a remote PTT foot switch.
>>> I have always meant to mount a proper xlr male jack on the box along
>>> with a 1/8th inch jack for the PTT switch, but never got around to
>>> it...I also had thoughts of mounting a male 8 pin kenwood style mike
>>> connecter and having a custom 8 pin female to 8pin female cable made
>>> up to go from the box to the radio...
>>> Anyway, in the simplest terms, you switch the up pin to ground through
>>> a 47/22K or 100K resister, and the same with the down pin to get your
>>> four functions...with a bigger box and more switches, I could add both
>>> the regular up/down functions along with a PTT switch...but again,
>>> this was an experiment and a project and i haven't gotten around to
>>> building the deluxe version of the box like Steve did.
>>> The only soldering I had to do was one end of the resister to each
>>> switch I don't recall now what order the PF functions are in acording
>>> to which resister you are grounding the up or down pin to...but it's
>>> pretty self explanitory once you build it.
>>> You can even add power to the box for powered microphones etc from one
>>> of the mike jack pins.
>>> I'm surprised LDG, or MFJ hasn't come out with a commercial version of
>>> this box...there are allot of different break out boxes for use with
>>> studio microphones and equalizers and all that kind of stuff, but I
>>> haven't heard of any made with the four function switches added on.
>>> To add proper jacks to the box, you would have to solder wires onto
>>> them and connect to the terminal bar...sometimes those little bulk
>>> head style jacks are tedious and difficult to solder, especially the 8
>>> pin variety as I've tried several times.
>>> Anyway, fire away with any questions and I'll try to answer them or
>>> Steve can answer them since he's built it as well from my description.
>>>
>>> 73
>>> Colin, V A6BKX
>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>> From: "Howard, W A 9 Y B W" <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2014 1:04 PM
>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Subject: Re: Has anyone here ever built a project from QST?
>>>
>>>> In regard to this box built for use with the Kenwood 590, I realize
>>>> that one needs to access three connections on the microphone socket.
>>>>
>>>> How does one do that with a microphone connected to the radio?
>>>>
>>>> Howard #3
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Steve Forst" <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2014 1:02 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: Has anyone here ever built a project from QST?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> John,
>>>>>
>>>>> Sorry, but no. To get more pf keys for the 2000 you need to build a
>>>>> box, or find a microphone with the 4 extra pf buttons that can be
>>>>> assigned in menus. The ability to reassign the up/down buttons as
>>>>> pf keys didn't come along until the 590.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> 73, Steve KW3A
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 10/23/2014 1:54 PM, John J Jacques wrote:
>>>>>> Hi all, is there a way to re-assign the up / down buttons on the
>>>>>> mic of the TS2000 for other functions? I know the PF key on the
>>>>>> radio can be re-assigned, but not sure about the mic buttons!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks in advanced, and 73:
>>>>>> John
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> John Jacques
>>>>>> Amateur Radio Station: KD8PC
>>>>>> "Whare Cat Is, Is civilization!"
>>>>>> Robert A Heinlein
>>>>>> http://www.johnjacques.weebly.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ---
>>>> This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus
>>>> protection is active.
>>>> http://www.avast.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
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