Topics

1

General discussion forum / TM-D710 AUX/MIC jumper settings - error in manual?

« on: 2011-06-28, 08:10:49 »

Note to the developers:
I'm trying to thoroughly document various cables and such that have evolved in my stations (both fixed and portable) over time and in the course of puzzling it all out I think I've discovered an error in the jumper settings you recommend for the Kenwood TM-D710 mobile.

Your TM-D710 jumper settings are identical to the TS-480 "Configuration 2" jumper settings with Mic ground going to RJ-45 jack pin 6 (which Kenwood designates as pin 3) and the common ground (chassis and PTT) going to RJ-45 jack pin 4 (which Kenwood designates as pin 5.)

However, refering to page 15 of the TM-D710A instruction manual (the printed manual, not the expanded manual on CD) the microphone jack clearly shows the common ground going to the pin they designate as pin 3 (your pin 6) and the mic ground going to the pin they designate as pin 5 (your pin 4.) This is consistent with TS-480 "Configuration 1" and in the thread where the TS-480 mic ground inconsistenties were hashed out, a Kenwood representative said that this is indeed their standard, specifically mentioning the TM-D710. Further corroboration is provided by referring to Kenwood's cabling recommendations for Sky Command operation which can be found in the manuals for various applicable models of radios.

It is likely that nobody has experienced much difficulty with RFI due to the swapping of the grounds on the TM-D710A when used in relatively simple situations, but could become a problem as a station becomes more complex, with more pieces of hardware interacting under strong HF signals.

73
Brad KB9BPF

2

General discussion forum / Two control panels simultaneously with TS-480

« on: 2011-05-18, 02:18:19 »

Yesterday evening I connected two control panels to my TS-480 at the same time using a B&B Electronics 232PTC serial port combiner and a simple TTL-RS232 level translator made with MAX232 chips. It works! (The schematic for the level translator including connections and cabling can be downloaded from the Yahoo! RemoteRig group's files.)

This means that it will work if one of the control heads is connected through the RemoteRig system. Now I can leave both the local control panel and RemoteRig connected without having to connect and disconnect them from the single 'Panel' jack on the radio.

It also means that the radio can be operated locally while someone else is operating it remotely.

One of the things that I find attractive about using the TS-2000 with RemoteRig is way the RC-2000 control panel integrates so nicely into the system. Now the TS-480 can have the same flexibility if one has the RC480-KIT which became available in early December 2010 through HRO in the USA and Difona in Germany (if I recall correctly). The RC-480KIT consists of a spare control panel, mounting hardware, and cabling.

I haven't tried it, but I am willing to bet that this concept can be adapted for use with a TM-D710/71A and RC-710 combo.

73,
Brad KB9BPF

3

General discussion forum / Connecting multiple sources to rig's mic input

« on: 2011-03-19, 10:28:43 »

Hello group,

I run a RemoteRig setup to operate my TS-2000 station remotely but I also use
the station locally. Also, I've found that there are some computer control
applications that require use of the mic input - using the CAT PTT command
activates the mic audio input, not the back panel accessory jack audio input.

This means a lot of plugging and unplugging stuff, and it's easy to forget to
reconnect the RemoteRig when finishing a session in the shack.

I found myself with some spare time and knocked out a little design project I've
had rolling around in my head for a while which I'm calling a Microphone
Multi-source interface. It's a little interface that allows up to three
microphone sources to be connected at once to a transceiver.

Here's a brief description:
Three inputs:
- Local Mic. PTT on this takes priority and mutes audio from other inputs. Local
Mic audio unmuted if neither other PTT active, enabling local VOX operation.
- RemoteRig. Activating this PTT will mute idle local mic audio, preventing
pickup of shack noise.
- Aux (for use with computer or maybe a TM-D710 as Sky Command Transporter?)
Activating this PTT will also mute idle local mic audio.

Other design features:
- Individual trim-pot level controls on each input and the output for level
balancing, as well as test points for taking measurements.
- Four paralleled 3-conductor mini jacks for sharing Speaker Audio.
- Audio ground on pin 7 maintained separate from PTT ground on pin 8, with
optional jumper block to connect them through a small RF choke.
- Speaker audio common maintained separate, with optional jumper block to
connect it to audio common through a small RF choke.
- Power is drawn from the 8V present on the TS-2000 mic jack.

This project could easily be built on a breadboard, but I used ExpressPCB's free
software to design double-sided PCBs. I've uploaded image files of the three
schematic sheets and of the PC silkscreen to the files area of the RemoteRig
Yahoo! group. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/remoterig/

Although the mic connector pinouts are laid out with the Kenwood round 8-pin mic
connector used on the TS-2000 in mind, there's no reason why one could not adapt
it to other mic pinouts or makes of radio.

73
Brad KB9BPF

4

General discussion forum / Omission in A12 manual - COM1 Mode 6

« on: 2011-03-13, 04:06:49 »

Hello,

I noticed that there is an omission in the A12 manual, in the section regarding serial settings beginning on p. 42

In the explanation of COM1 Mode, discussion of mode 6 (CAT to COM2) is omitted.

It is included in the online RRC configuration web page.

Also, perhaps it would be helpful to include an example setup of COM1 mode 6 use somewhere.

Thanks for a wonderful product and support to match,
Brad KB9BPF