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#1
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Ext antenna connection for handheld radio
This is one for Jim Weir I guess...
I had one of the Icom antenna switchboxes in my airplane until this week when I needed the panel space to let my handheld use the external antenna. I never really cared for that set-up, it appears it just uses a 1/8 inch phone jack with the switch in it to disconnect the aircraft radio when you plug in the handheld. The thought of the handheld's RF passing within a few mm of the unshielded antenna lead for the panel mount always bugged me. Anyway, I'd still like to have the ability to use an external antenna with the handheld. So far, it looks like the options a 1) The Icom or similar switch box 2) An extra antenna that is dedicated to the handheld 3) A set up where the antenna cable comes out the panel or near it so that you can disconnect the antenna and connect it to the handheld. The switch box takes up more panel than I'd like, and I have the reservations already stated. The dedicated antenna might be a problem because it is only used when your other radios are already down, and since it is not used regularly you may not know it is broken until you need it and have no other backups (other than the rubber ducky antenna on the handheld). The antenna cable coming out of the panel and going back in seems a bit hokey and prone to failure because of the tight radius bend needed. It also looks like hell. SO what other options are there? Ideally, I'd like to have some sort of set up where there is a dedicated connector on the panel and a select switch that lets me select either the handheld or the panel mount. It would also be nice to have the plane's ptt come out to an adjacent jack so that once the switch is thrown you can communicate normally (after also plugging into the headphone adapter on the radio). As I recall, the PTT is a switch closure to ground, but I'm not sure if I can just connect to the ship's PTT without first disconnecting it from the ship's radio (Jim?). What is an appropriate antenna switch that provides enough isolation to protect both radios from damaging overload due to the other one transmitting? How about impedance matches, seems that Icom box does little to make sure the impedances are properly matched. -- --Ray Andraka, P.E. President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc. 401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950 http://www.andraka.com "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin, 1759 |
#2
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See Jim's page http://www.rst-engr.com/kitplanes/KP0203/KP0203.htm (Kitplane
3/02) Reading through the docs on that page, it disconnects the antenna from the panel radio when the handheld is plugged in. I started to do this project but could only find 'cheap' 1/8" phone jacks at RS that the tabs would break off too easily when soldering on the coax cable. I may attempt this project again when I can find a decent jack. "Ray Andraka" wrote in message ... This is one for Jim Weir I guess... I had one of the Icom antenna switchboxes in my airplane until this week when I needed the panel space to let my handheld use the external antenna. I never really cared for that set-up, it appears it just uses a 1/8 inch phone jack with the switch in it to disconnect the aircraft radio when you plug in the handheld. The thought of the handheld's RF passing within a few mm of the unshielded antenna lead for the panel mount always bugged me. Anyway, I'd still like to have the ability to use an external antenna with the handheld. So far, it looks like the options a 1) The Icom or similar switch box 2) An extra antenna that is dedicated to the handheld 3) A set up where the antenna cable comes out the panel or near it so that you can disconnect the antenna and connect it to the handheld. |
#3
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BTW, you can get better quality jacks from either digikey or mouser
electronics. Mouser is better for small orders since there is no fee for minimum orders. I see Jim also uses Mouser, there is a Mouser label on the back of the panel he shows in the picture. Greg Burkhart wrote: See Jim's page http://www.rst-engr.com/kitplanes/KP0203/KP0203.htm (Kitplane 3/02) Reading through the docs on that page, it disconnects the antenna from the panel radio when the handheld is plugged in. I started to do this project but could only find 'cheap' 1/8" phone jacks at RS that the tabs would break off too easily when soldering on the coax cable. I may attempt this project again when I can find a decent jack. "Ray Andraka" wrote in message ... This is one for Jim Weir I guess... I had one of the Icom antenna switchboxes in my airplane until this week when I needed the panel space to let my handheld use the external antenna. I never really cared for that set-up, it appears it just uses a 1/8 inch phone jack with the switch in it to disconnect the aircraft radio when you plug in the handheld. The thought of the handheld's RF passing within a few mm of the unshielded antenna lead for the panel mount always bugged me. Anyway, I'd still like to have the ability to use an external antenna with the handheld. So far, it looks like the options a 1) The Icom or similar switch box 2) An extra antenna that is dedicated to the handheld 3) A set up where the antenna cable comes out the panel or near it so that you can disconnect the antenna and connect it to the handheld. -- --Ray Andraka, P.E. President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc. 401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950 http://www.andraka.com "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin, 1759 |
#4
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Ray,
When I had my avionics installed I had them install a third comm antenna dedicated to the handheld on the belly of the aircraft. The cable comes out from behind the panel near my left knee and drapes to the floor. I have used it once when I had electrical failure in IFR and it made the difference between being able to talk to ATC and them not being able to hear me at all. Michelle Ray Andraka wrote: This is one for Jim Weir I guess... I had one of the Icom antenna switchboxes in my airplane until this week when I needed the panel space to let my handheld use the external antenna. I never really cared for that set-up, it appears it just uses a 1/8 inch phone jack with the switch in it to disconnect the aircraft radio when you plug in the handheld. The thought of the handheld's RF passing within a few mm of the unshielded antenna lead for the panel mount always bugged me. Anyway, I'd still like to have the ability to use an external antenna with the handheld. So far, it looks like the options a 1) The Icom or similar switch box 2) An extra antenna that is dedicated to the handheld 3) A set up where the antenna cable comes out the panel or near it so that you can disconnect the antenna and connect it to the handheld. The switch box takes up more panel than I'd like, and I have the reservations already stated. The dedicated antenna might be a problem because it is only used when your other radios are already down, and since it is not used regularly you may not know it is broken until you need it and have no other backups (other than the rubber ducky antenna on the handheld). The antenna cable coming out of the panel and going back in seems a bit hokey and prone to failure because of the tight radius bend needed. It also looks like hell. SO what other options are there? Ideally, I'd like to have some sort of set up where there is a dedicated connector on the panel and a select switch that lets me select either the handheld or the panel mount. It would also be nice to have the plane's ptt come out to an adjacent jack so that once the switch is thrown you can communicate normally (after also plugging into the headphone adapter on the radio). As I recall, the PTT is a switch closure to ground, but I'm not sure if I can just connect to the ship's PTT without first disconnecting it from the ship's radio (Jim?). What is an appropriate antenna switch that provides enough isolation to protect both radios from damaging overload due to the other one transmitting? How about impedance matches, seems that Icom box does little to make sure the impedances are properly matched. -- --Ray Andraka, P.E. President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc. 401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950 http://www.andraka.com "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin, 1759 -- Michelle P CP-ASMEL-IA, and AMT-A&P "Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike) Volunteer Pilot, AirLifeLine Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity |
#5
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Good god, this one got stuck in a time warp. Sorry it took me so long to answer
it. www.rstengineering.com/kitplanes and then to the July 2002 article. Jim Ray Andraka shared these priceless pearls of wisdom: -This is one for Jim Weir I guess... - -3) A set up where the antenna cable comes out the panel or -near it so that you can disconnect the antenna and connect -it to the handheld. Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup) VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor http://www.rst-engr.com |
#6
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Jim Weir wrote:
Good god, this one got stuck in a time warp. Sorry it took me so long to answer it. www.rstengineering.com/kitplanes and then to the July 2002 article. Jim, what happened to the volunteer project to bring the newer articles into pdf form for you to post? |
#7
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It, too, is underway beginning yesterday.
Jim john smith shared these priceless pearls of wisdom: -Jim Weir wrote: - Good god, this one got stuck in a time warp. Sorry it took me so long to answer - it. - www.rstengineering.com/kitplanes and then to the July 2002 article. - - -Jim, what happened to the volunteer project to bring the newer articles -into pdf form for you to post? Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup) VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor http://www.rst-engr.com |
#8
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Jim, you mentioned in this article tht you were considering a device to control
electrical outlets with a beeper signal. Didya ever do it? Jim Weir wrote: Good god, this one got stuck in a time warp. Sorry it took me so long to answer it. www.rstengineering.com/kitplanes and then to the July 2002 article. Jim Ray Andraka shared these priceless pearls of wisdom: -This is one for Jim Weir I guess... - -3) A set up where the antenna cable comes out the panel or -near it so that you can disconnect the antenna and connect -it to the handheld. Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup) VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor http://www.rst-engr.com -- --Ray Andraka, P.E. President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc. 401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950 http://www.andraka.com "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin, 1759 |
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