Tree is right, the cables are the hardest part! As a suggestion to
potential designers, how about agreeing first on a standard for connectors
and pin-out, so any cable set would work with any design. Yeah, I know
you need a different microphone pin-out for the three popular radio brands,
but standardization has to start somewhere small.
Second, it would be neat to set up a table of functions that might or
might not be included in any given design. As an example, I have a
switch box that has the amp PTT inputs, so it can automatically switch
during transmit of one rig. Also, I have "stereo" bleedover from one
ear to the other, so if I want I can hear the transmitting radio in the
background (I find I want to know when it's coming to the end of its
transmission, so I can decide whether to keep listening on the other radio
or switch back to the transmitting radio. A table of such functions would
enable a designer to offer options, and it would make different designs
more interchangeable.
As another interesting function, I took a two radio A-B box to EA9UK, and
I was able to set it up so I could operate both the 10 and 15m positions
while we were waiting for the bands to really open up (it was M/M, and
N6TJ convinced me to operate during the dark of the night while N6KT was
catching a few Z's before 15m opened up).
Last, the physical design should be such that the box fits with, say,
typical rotator control box footprints so stuff can be stacked near at
hand. And maybe there should be a provision for external switching...
The list goes on and on!
Cheers de Dave, W6NL (ex-QHS)
dbleeson@mcimail.com
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