Well, I didn’t know there was a need for a tutorial!
So let’s make one right here.
The easydigi route is cheaper than the signal link however the same idea works. ?This is basic point to point wiring for the most part, but it’s great practice for new hams to understand how signals coming in and out of their transceivers work.
You’re going to need to have the speaker output from the bitx, so find a way to get a wire coming out from a speaker output (we will call it SPEAKER)?and GROUND.
you’re going to also need a wire to the microphone input of the BITX, call that MIC?
finally you’re going to need a wire to the push to talk of the bitx and we will call that PTT
Now go buy a short Ethernet (modular plugs, 8 contacts on each) Cable, maybe 5 feet long, if you get the chance, use cat five, because it will have a shield/ground wire. ?
Cut off one of the modular plugs, & bring out the fancy colored wires.
Make the following connections:
GROUND from bitx connects ?to the solid orange wire AND to the shield wire if there is one
PTT from bitx Connects to the green white wire
MIC from bitx connects to the orange-white wire
SPEAKER connects to the blue-white wire.?
All the other brightly colored wires from the ethernet goes nowhere.
You have now successfully wired up a interconnection wire, that would cost you about $20 to buy commercial. If you have any ferrite chaperones, but a couple on this anywhere you like, and then put three loops 3” in diameter also, and secure those loops
with some zip tie or some tape. ?The loops work the same as the ferrites, they are both creating common mode inductance to stop unwanted RF current flowing on these wires.
The remaining task is to properly install the jumpers on the internal connection block inside the signal link. ?This is actually very easy. Using a hexagonal “Allen “ wrench, disassemble the signalink so you can get it in the circuitboard.
Find a little dual in line (DIP)socket towards the rear where the jumpers go.
Make the jumper configuration look like this:
MIC goes to pin one
GND goes to pin 2
PTT goes to pin 3
SPEAKER goes to pin 5.?
Notice that we skipped pin 4. ? Don’t wire ?any of the PWR wires to go anywhere. We don’t need them.
That’s it! You’re done! Signal link is now configured, and interconnection cable is now built. ?Maybe 10 to 30 minutes worth of work depending on your familiarity.
So that you will know, the connection set up that you just did for the signalink will now work with a whole host of commercial cables that are intended for the very popular six pin DIN interface used on almost all recent vintage ICOM YAESU, Kenwood transceivers.
?it will also work with the commercially available cable to go to the baofeng s. ? ?Not a bad choice huh ? ??
With a bit of a grin, we call it the Alachua County ARES standard. ?and we wire all of our signal links or signalink replacements, exact same way, so everyone can use each other‘s equipment as long as they have a cable built for their radio.
Bernhard,
I don't know if there is a tutorial explaining how to connect a signal link-USB to a uBitX. Sorry OM.
