Kicking the Audiophile anthill

[KB2WIG]

I'm in the process of upgrading the shack. I'm actually working on my VK2. Just purchased a new (to me) 8 channel mic/line mixer - I've got lots 'o coax, new connectors,  and loading up on firewood to keep the cellar warm(er).  I'm even thinking of remoting a mic so I can use my 'office area'  and still key a rig. So, kicking the ant hill..... Whatt du I get?

Radio Shaft 2 conductor audio cable
station cable ( got 50' of it)
SJT cordage. This stuff can get steped on.
O₂ free, Ag plated Cu with Fluoropolymer insulation with a side of hollandaze sauce prepard and served by vestigal virgins.
Other recomended cable  _____ .

thank you

klc

[N8ETQ]

  This stuff works OK.

http://store.haveinc.com/p-49688-canare-l4e5at-microphone-star-quad-cable-22g-foil.aspx

/Dan

"with a side of hollandaze sauce prepard and served by vestigal virgins."

  Your on your own with that!

[W4EWH]

Just purchased a new (to me) 8 channel mic/line mixer ...

Other recomended cable  _____ .

Here are my "tried and true" suggestions, FWIW:

• Keep the leads as short as possible
• Don't allow any ground loops!
• Use shielded cables and ground one end of the shields at a common point
• Make sure the most expensive wire is the one connecting your ground bus to the earth. A few mhos makes a big difference on a ground connection!
• Consider moving your antenna so as to minimize the RF field that touches the audio devices.

HTH

Bill, W1AC

[WBear2GCR]

Balanced.

Run balanced line with 600 ohm (or similar Z) termination.

There are IC drivers and receivers, or you can build ur own, or better still, use
a pair of *transformers*. For our ham usage, transformers are better because they
tend to not pass RF, and they provide galvanic isolation. And, you don't need any power
supplies.

Otoh, you need to get from Mic to Line level/current at the microphone side so you have some
signal left on the other side of the run... that could be a simple jfet follower or gain stage or more complicated and coolicious ways...

There are RF mics that will work - sold mostly for musicians.

If I was going remote, that's what I'd go for.
You could key with a "sub audible tone" and a steep LF HP filter at the rig side.

                         _-_-bear

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I think it would far less aggravating to just get a space heater for the shack area if lack of cellar warmth is an issue. How would you monitor meter readings while operating to prevent sending the rig into another world? What about antenna switching? What about the receiver; going to move that too?

[KB2WIG]

I shuda said balanced in da first place.... I have an EV 635A Dynamic mic, 150 ohms that I'll be using.

The 4 conductor station cable would be nice as the PTT problem is some whatt simplified by not having to run another cable.

I'll probably grab a Neumann M 150 Tube or maybee a cheep Rat $haft as a backup. I still have the D10-4, Turner, Icom etc. hand mics available. As an aside, I don't think I'll spend $20 at Radio $haft for a " A3F XLR Jack-to-1/4" Plug Adapter/Transformer ".

Man was borne to suffer. I have a cylinder stove that will toast me. It's not tight enough to burn coal. Yet. There is enough draw to keep out the CO. The CO detector is 9' from the stove. The cube type space heater will not keep me toasty as it didn't last winter; other supplementary heat is provided by  the Ranger 2 backed up by the Hammarlund.

I'm just going to remote a mic 30 feet to where my orifice area is. I hope my Ranger 2 doesn't burn up on reentery.
klc

[kb3rdt]

I know last winter was mild!
Never got below -10 here in NWPA...

KB3RDT,Carl

[KB2WIG]

Well, no snow on the ground lets the cold go deeper. And there wasn't any drifting against the foundation.
And the shack is in the cellar. And there is no direct forced air heat in the cellar. And it gets cold.

And we had very little antenna weather. And the attached pic is that of the 10m dipole from the winter of 2010, a gud year for antenna work.

klc

[W2VW]

Point a camera at the rig and put it up on the big screen.

[KB2WIG]

" Point a camera at the rig and put it up on the big screen."

Funny you should mention that. I tried to "cam" the laptop that I use for RTTY. The Logitech cam doesn't want to work with the 1998 windoze 98 laptop. There are a few wireless cams that I could use, but I don't want to get sidetracked as I have enough stuff thats not geting done.. I do have some unused CATV coax running over my head.

I do have the remote for my an/art13s': thats another future thing.  I'd like to sit on the back patio under the umbrella and empty some 807s while on  the art13.... ..


klc

[W1DAN]

KLC:

Here is what I use for the mic to preamp path (see attached PDF). Canare star-quad cable with grounding pigtails.

[KB2WIG]

D,

Nicely done. It shudda end up in the "Audio" section.

klc

[K3YA]

Long microphone cables invite RF into the setup.  Long runs are best done at "line level".  If the budget allows, have a mike preamp at the remote location and use balanced line to the mixer in the shack.  As stated above line transformers are great to isolate the audio from RF and ground loops.

[W1DAN]

KLC:

Good idea. I also posted the PDF in the Audio section here:

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=32791.0

Let us know what you end up doing and how it works.

73,
Dan
W1DAN

[KB2WIG]

Thanks everyone fer yer in pute.

The long term plan is to feed most of the transmitters with line level audio and to 'centralize', i.e. master controll the audio.  The mixer is a Advantage ONE 8-Channel Mic/Line Mixer. Remoting the mic to the 'other side' is in the future. Maybee I'll figure a way to stick a fet amp into a XLR connector; there's a bit 'o room in the tail part of the shell. I'll probably use station cable fer the remote; maybe Marti will help me do this.

The Dans both recomended the Canare cable, so I'll be buying some of it.


klc