I found a case on Amazon that should work.?
I stopped ordering anything directly from China as it takes so long to get it.
You may pay a bit more on Amazon but can return it if it is not right.
The case I ordered should fit just the radio with maybe a tad room to spare.
I have separate cases for all the other stuff I take on SOTA ops.
Larry
n0sa

I found two cases on ebay specifically sold for the 5105, one big enough for just the radio itself and one big enough for both the radio and mic. I don't remember but I think they both ship from china.

I have used a canvas backpack so far.? And being a "collector of stuff that should be handy to have",? I have a small leather purse that the radio will just barely fit into.? But that fills it up - no room for the mic!? Depending on what you actually want and need, the 'principle' might work, though.? Purses made of actual? leather are a lot less common in thrift shops these days, though.? But there are a LOT of used purses in stores like our local Goodwill.

Others have earlier mentioned cases like the Pelicans and the Harbor Freight versions of them, but they're not soft cases.? A good-sized 'fanny pack' seems like it would work well, and be available somewhere.

You can use the radio without the external mike, but what do you plan to use for an antenna?? And how will you carry that, and the lead-in wire or cable?? Of course, maybe you already do portable ops with other equipment and are already set up for the accessories, and just this radio is new, replacing another one.
--
Doug, K8RFT

Has anyone found a nice soft case that fits the X5105. Mine should arrive tomorrow and I plan to use it for SOTA ops.
Any suggestions?
Larry
n0sa

On Sun, Jan 10, 2021 at 12:42 PM, Joe K9SZ wrote:

WSJT-X has a feature to save the AF-Out level per band, so this must not be an uncommon issue. I have been playing with option a bit and find that I just have to tweak the settings a bit when switching bands from day to day. It is a bit touchy but not unreasonable.

Thanks - I hadn't noticed that.? I haven't used my X5105 for FT8 yet, but have had the many different level adjustments when changing bands on my IC-706MkII.? Saving settings by band might help with 'any' radio.? I was leaving ALC level as the selected meter mode (instead of swr or output power) all the time.? I did, however, find and use the WSJT-X by-band level setting for "Tune" mode.
?
--
Doug, K8RFT

Thanks much for the feedback, Brian.

I am wondering if the X5105 doesn’t have much (if any) ALC for the ACC input? I see an AGC setting in the menu options but nothing for ALC.

WSJT-X has a feature to save the AF-Out level per band, so this must not be an uncommon issue. I have been playing with option a bit and find that I just have to tweak the settings a bit when switching bands from day to day. It is a bit touchy but not unreasonable.

For now, I’ll just keep taking some notes per band.

Thanks again :-)

Joe

Joe, I don't have any experience with the DuKabel unit.? I have used the Sabrent USB soundcard with very good results and the XGCComms unit with excellent results.

?

--
Brian
K0FBS

Cerrxian 3.5mm 4 Pole Stereo TRRS Audio Video Male to 4 Screw Terminal

Very Nice.

From experience, that would certainly be helpful for the toolbox when prototyping to ensure the connections before soldering. :-)


This is the cable I purchased and cut in half:

You may need to carve away some plastic to get it to seat all the way in the 5105.

This is exactly right. I did have to remove some of the plastic for it to seat firmly in the X5105 ACC connection. It would be better to but one that has an extended barrel if one could be found, but it wasn’t too difficult.


This is the TRRS connector I purchased:




Here is the pinout for the connections.

TRRS ACC
----- -----

T (Left) <-> AF IN
R (Right) N/C
R (GND) <-> GND
S (Mic) <-> AF OUT


Joe K9SZ

On Jan 8, 2021, at 10:48 AM, Mike Colyar <mike@...> wrote:

Nice unit. Good price.

You may need to carve away some plastic to get it to seat all the way in the 5105.

Mike K7ITL

On Jan 8, 2021, at 8:45 AM, DougVL <K8RFTradio@...> wrote:

On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 07:04 AM, Joe K9SZ wrote:
8 pin mini din cable and only solder one end
For future reference, and for others who also like your idea, there is also the

Cerrxian 3.5mm 4 Pole Stereo TRRS Audio Video Male to 4 Screw Terminal Female Headphone Replacement Solderless Balum Converter Adapter (2-Pack)

Price: $6.87 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00

There is another adapter like this, but with Female TRRS connector instead. And others, with just TRS.

This way I/we can eliminate the soldering (but it will add some bulk). In one of the comments about this connector, the buyer mentioned having trouble soldering the very fine headphone wires to the TRRS plug. Of course, the mini-DIN wires may be larger and easier to handle, but I haven't cut my cable yet, so I don't know.
--
Doug, K8RFT

开云体育

Nice unit. Good price.

On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 07:04 AM, Joe K9SZ wrote:

8 pin mini din cable and only solder one end

For future reference, and for others who also like your idea, there is also the
?

Cerrxian 3.5mm 4 Pole Stereo TRRS Audio Video Male to 4 Screw Terminal Female Headphone Replacement Solderless Balum Converter Adapter (2-Pack)

Price: $6.87 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00

There is another adapter like this, but with Female TRRS connector instead.? And others, with just TRS.

This way I/we can eliminate the soldering (but it will add some bulk).? In one of the comments about this connector, the buyer mentioned having trouble soldering the very fine headphone wires to the TRRS plug.? Of course, the mini-DIN wires may be larger and easier to handle, but I haven't cut my cable yet, so I don't know.
--
Doug, K8RFT

On Thu, Jan 7, 2021 at 03:52 PM, Radio User wrote:

Windows 10 neutered the FTDI driver in a recent live update.?

Yes, mine worked one day, and not the next.? (And I had the same problem with a different Win10 PC a couple of months ago.)
I downloaded and installed an earlier driver, and now it works again.? I also saw a 'tip' on preventing a driver upgrade, but couldn't get it to work, so I imagine I'll have the same problem again.? Then I'll spend more time on 'hiding' the driver from the updater.
I've tried a few of the control and logging programs now, using the usb cable.? Some can read and control frequency, but I have not yet found one that can read or write the 99 memories.? I'm keeping notes and plan to post my results.? For a start, CHIRP could not read the memory locations.? DXLab Commander can read and control frequency, when set for use with the IC-7000.
?WSJT can control transmit/receive switching. (But I have no audio interface for the X5105 yet.)
--
Doug, K8RFT

On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 07:04 AM, Joe K9SZ wrote:

only solder one end to have a slim cable

Great idea and suggestion!
I'm just now looking into setting up my own interface for FT8.
?
--
Doug, K8RFT

Hi Brian,

Thanks and appreciate the feedback.

I am using an external USB dongle with a TRRS connector:



macOS system report lists it as:

Product ID: 0x2008
Vendor ID: 0x1b3f
Version: 1.00
Speed: Up to 12 Mb/s
Manufacturer: GeneralPlus
Location ID: 0x14143000 / 12
Current Available (mA): 500
Current Required (mA): 100
Extra Operating Current (mA): 0


Using the TRRS type allowed me to cut a 8 pin mini din cable and only solder one end to have a slim cable.


Joe K9SZ

Hi Joe welcome to the group.?

I do experience a difference when switching between bands but I don’t recall it being as wide as you listed.?

What audio soundcard are you using?
--
Brian
K0FBS

Hi Doug,

Windows 10 neutered the FTDI driver in a recent live update.? ?Some Windows installations weathered the storm, others did not.? ?If your cable worked before and now doesn't, it still could be an electrical problem, but it could be the driver.? ?Device Manager should be able to tell you if the driver loaded correctly.

You can download the driver from their site

This is a copy & paste from the:

X5105 Operation Manual

Hi Group,

This is my first post. :-)

When operating FT8, the AF input level seems to vary significantly on different bands (-2.5db to -10.9 dB) and by several dB when returning to the same band from day to day. I am using an G-LIN setting of 5, which I do not change.

For now, I am just keeping notes to get close when operating and adjusting from there. This is fine, but am wondering...

Are others experiencing the same issue? If so, do you do anything differently?

Joe K9SZ

On Tue, Jan 5, 2021 at 07:47 PM, Brian wrote:

What about Chirp Doug?

While my Xiegu USB cable was working, I found that Chirp would NOT work with the Xiegu.
Now, a couple of days later, I'm not totally positive that it wasn't the cable problem.? But I am fairly sure that it was not the cable, and that Chirp actually didn't work.
2 or 3 other communication programs did work for rig control, but not for memory reading.? I'm still working on that project, but must get a cable working before I can continue.
?
--
Doug, K8RFT

Brian -
Thanks for the tips!
I have found that WSJT-X can switch the X5105 to Transmit (and back to Receive) with the USB connection
But the next day of tests failed totally.? It appears that the FTDI chip in the Xiegu cable may be a "clone" and that Windows 10 discovered the 'fakeness' and disabled something.? I can no longer open the port assigned to the USB adapter.
I had essentially the same experience with another usb/serial device last summer.? I made an FT8 interface with a cheap clone USB-to-serial board which stopped working after I tried it with a different PC.? I'd been using Windows 7, but did also have a Win10 laptop I tried.
That time, I found software somewhere to 'repair' the serial adapter.? Now I need to find it again.
--
Doug, K8RFT

My X5105 worked with WSJT-X - with these settings:
--
As well as controlling frequency, it would also switch the radio to TRANSMIT via the USB CAT signal.
I did not yet have the audio signals connected.? I still need to make an adapter cable for that, with a USB sound card.? (The PC will need 2 USB ports just for WSJT-X, and the mouse uses the third USB port.? I may have to add a USB hub, too.
Doug, K8RFT