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INFO-HAMS Digest Tue, 7 Nov 89 Volume 89 : Issue 851
Today's Topics:
airport security
Kenwood TS-440s -> KAM Hookup (Help)
Product Review: HMC-2 VOX HEADSET (2 msgs)
QSLs and SASEs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 7 Nov 89 14:20:02 GMT
From: rochester!ray@louie.udel.edu (Ray Frank)
Subject: airport security
In article <1674@agora.UUCP> firebug@.UUCP (Sam Guidice) writes:
>A few years ago I was on a flight from NY to Las Vegas.
>During the flight, I was trying to find a World Series score
>on the radio. I , at the time, knew nothing about interference.
>It could have been my imagination, I think it wasn't, but when the radio
>went on, I felt the engine decellerate.
>
>I turned the radio on & off two times. This happened each time.
>
>I then tucked the radio away for the rest of the flight.
>I was using the AM radio. I wonder if the FM would interfere as well.
>What does cause the interference, if you arent transmitting anything?
Once while a passenger aboard a 747, I was able to do, with the skillful
tuning of an FM radio, three flawless touch and go landings at an
abandoned mid-west airstrip. After that, I alowed the by now confused
pilots to continue the flight on to our destination. And except for
just one wing-over later in the flight, I didn't mess with the radio again,
THAT DAY! 8-)
ray
------------------------------
Date: 7 Nov 89 02:23:17 GMT
From: virgin!ubbs-nh!noel@decvax.dec.com (N. Del More)
Subject: Kenwood TS-440s -> KAM Hookup (Help)
I need some advise on the proper hookup of the Kantronics KAM HF port to
the Kenwood TS-440s tranciever.
I am running the cable from the HF port of the KAM to ACC2 (13 pin DIN)
of the Kenwood. So far I have it working with the exception that when
the KAM toggles the PTT it does not mute the microphone.
As it stands now I have the following wired:
KAM TS-440S
White (1) 11
Black (2) 8
Brown (3) 13
(Red) (6) 3 (Audio Signal, Color is arbitrary)
Green (4) CW jack tip
According to the TS-440S manual, pin 9 of ACC 2 mutes the microphone if
grounded, but how to do it alluding me at the moment.
Thanks in advance for any help.
73's
Noel
N2AXI
--
Noel B. Del More | decvax!ubbs-nh!noel
17 Meredith Drive | noel@ubbs-nh.mv.com
Nashua, New Hampshire 03063 | It's unix me son! `taint spozed tah make cents
------------------------------
Date: 6 Nov 89 21:21:27 GMT
From: rochester!rit!ultb!cep4478@louie.udel.edu (C.E. Piggott)
Subject: Product Review: HMC-2 VOX HEADSET
Oh yes, I forgot to mention two observations about vox headsets (in
general).
(1) if you're full-quieting into a repeater, sometimes people start
talking back to you before the vox drops PTT. This is probably
because most people don't hold PTT for a full second after they're
done talking. I noticed this by accidentally flipping to a repeater
I don't normally use, one without a courtesy tone. The courtesy
tone is a big help with the vox.
(2) I am going to have to learn better control on the highway. I
don't mean about handling the radio, nor about my driving, I mean
about screaming "GET OUT OF THE %*@$& WAY, YOU STUPID *!#@$& BABOON!!!"
when a friendly fellow New Yorker tries to give me some of his paint.
etc.
Chris
------------------------------
Date: 6 Nov 89 19:40:21 GMT
From: rochester!rit!ultb!cep4478@louie.udel.edu (C.E. Piggott)
Subject: Product Review: HMC-2 VOX HEADSET
Hi!
I usually like to write up what I think after I buy new
radio toys for the net to read. I wish _everybody_ did this!
I purchased one of the vox microphone/headsets from Kenwood,
for my TH-215A handheld. I have thus far been very happy with the
handheld, and also own a hand mic (SMC-30, the full-size model) which
I am very happy with.
The headset turned out to be a little different than I had
expected. The one made by ICOM is the 'usual' style - it is styled
just like a high-quality pair of walkman headphones, except with only
a single speaker and the microphone boom. The HMC-32 has a very light
headset, with no speaker on it: you listen with an attached in-the-ear
speaker - it is similar to the new style stereo headphones, sitting
in your outer ear (not ear canal).
The speaker quality is fairly good, though it has much less
high frequency response than the hand speaker-mic does. I'm not sure
what effect this will have when I'm driving in my noisy car, but at
any rate incoming audio is perfectly understandable. By far the
biggest ADVANTAGE of the in-the-ear style plug is that it lets in
sounds from your environment when the speaker is silent: if there is
nobody on the frequency, then you can still hear your world around you.
The disadvantage is that it's fatiguing to have the thing sit in your
ear, especially if you've got a smaller ear, and after an hour or two
you REALLY want to yank it out, or switch the headset to the other side.
I have gotten EXCELLENT reports on my audio so far. This is
partly due to a high-quality microphone, but is mostly because it
stays a fixed distance from your vocal apparatus. As usual, VOX
takes some time to get used to. The vox delay is not adjustable,
and is about one second. Adjusting vox sensitivity is not bad,
either - on the TH-215, you can put arrange it so that with TX LOCK
on, the radio will 'beep' to let you know that you tried to transmit,
so by noticing where the beeps occur you can quickly learn how to
speak so as to not let your first be syllable chopped off.
Finally, construction: it's all plastic (isn't everything
these days). You can turn vox off and use a PTT switch built into
the vox unit, and, as usual, this PTT switch seems to be made to
last through many excited QSO's. However, the switch that disables
VOX is not too impressive, and being a switch I'm likely to use a lot
I will certainly keep my eyes on it, because I don't trust it much.
Also, since this type of headset sits ABOVE the ear, it would be
nice if the boom were a little longer.
The only other note is that it would be really nice to have
an LED on the top of the microphone to let me know when I am
transmitting. I know for certain that this is possible: Kenwood's
miniature speaker microphone has such an LED, and I suspect that
a 0.7v drop wouldn't hurt performance too much. (the vox unit
is, of course, powered by the HT).
Well, that's my $0.02 on the matter. If anybody else owns
one of these things, please drop me a note re: what you think of
my comments on it. In general, I've been VERY happy with my TH-215,
and all the accessories that I have, so the vox headset was a little
less thrilling than I had expected, but if I decide to return it
after a week's usage, it'll be for financial reasons rather than
quality. Very few people own these things, I notice - probably
because I look like a SERIOUS geek when I'm wearing it. (It's mostly
for the car, and when I'm typing).
de Chris, N2JGW
Rochester Institute of Technology
Amateur Radio Club, K2GXT
These opinions are my own, and have nothing to do with Kenwood or
any other company, nor the Rochester Institute of Technology, which
has no opinions that don't relate to degradation of student life
and last dime.
------------------------------
Date: 7 Nov 89 15:50:50 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!trey@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Trey Garlough)
Subject: QSLs and SASEs
In article <7120092@hpcupt1.HP.COM>, holly@hpcupt1.HP.COM (Jim Hollenback) writes:
> I sent Frank a nice letter with a SASE asking the name of the operator,
> but of course he never bothered to reply.
Although Frank's station makes a lot of QSOs, I believe he should lighten
up and realize that QSLing is very important to many people, even if it's
not so important to him.
> Wish we could start a movement where the big contesters that do reply to
> QSL get there logs rejected and can not submit until the past due QSL's
> are mailed.
On the other hand, I'm not sure how QSLing is germane to contest operating
ethics. Did Frank ever promise you a card? Why do you think that you
deserve a reply? Can your use of US mail to pester Frank for a card be
considered harassment?
> Or maybe a column in QST where you can send in the list of stations
> that refuse to reply to SASE's so everyone can find out who does not
> reply so you wont bother working them. Sort'a like a DX manager's list,
> but for the stations that don't QSL.
I think these suggestions are more realistic. I would rather not see
valuable inches of QST wasted on this, but it might be interesting to
see someone like W6GO occasionally publish a "QSLing Hall of Shame."
One fact that has been overlooked in this discussion is that QSLing is
a *courtesy*. If Frank refuses to honor the tradition of courtesy that
QSLing had enjoyed through the years, then I (personally) am able to
consider Frank nothing less than discourteous. If you want to "get back
at Frank" and his success in contesting because he didn't send you a card,
then I suggest that you never call Frank ever again in another contest.
Furthermore, I suggest you contact his competitors, giving them a few extra
points. Eventually, those handful of QSOs he loses because his philosophy
about sending cards will cost him the difference between first and second
place (or 10th and 11th -- a slot in the Top Ten, hee hee). When this
happens, you will can have a good laugh. After all, there are plenty of
other hams in Maryland who are happy to send QSLs.
Trey Garlough
Computation Center, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712
trey@emx.CC.UTEXAS.EDU (internet) (512-471-3241)
------------------------------
End of INFO-HAMS Digest V89 Issue #851
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