Connecting Other Equipment (8d1)

 

In this section we look at some things to think about if you want to connect other equipment to your transmitter.

 

Microphone Socket

 

·          On most modern transmitters, the microphone socket is a multi-pin connector (either a round with a screw thread, or like a telephone plug).

 

·          Unfortunately most amateur radio manufacturers used the different pins for different purposes.  As one of the pins carries the Push to Talk (PTT) line, it can result in the transmitter transmitting when you didn’t intend it to.

 

·          It is also important to make sure that anything you connect to the microphone socket provides a signal of the correct level.  Too much signal and there is a risk of over modulating the signal resulting in interference or a distorted signal that cannot be properly received.

 

·          Examples of equipment which you might want to connect includes, desktop microphones, packet radio Terminal Node Controllers (TNCs), Computer Sound Cards etc.

 

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