IC-910H Ready for the Road — Mic and PTT Connector Box

Since the IC-9100 arrived and took center stage in my ham shack, I’ve been slowing working on setting up the IC-910H for the road. My primary activity will be to activate a few nearby grids for satellite operation. But I’m also giving some thought to entering VHF-UHF contests under the portable category. That requires battery power and 10 watts from a single location. Need to give that further thought.

Boom Mic and Headphones

The first thing I wanted to do was connect a boom mic and headphones to the IC-910H for hands-free operation. You can see some photos of the junction box that I built nearby. This uses the rig’s microphone and headphone connectors to connect to the boom mic and headphones. It also adds a foot switch. And, since I had some space available, I added a simple push button that can also be used for PTT.

I’m lucky that we have a nearby electronics parts store, Tanner Electronics, where I can pick up the connectors and the plastic box. This time around I started building it and found that I had some more ideas. So I tossed the first plastic box and picked up another one. Fortunately, they are pretty cheap. I guess that’s called prototyping in real-time. Schematic nearby.

Battery Power

I also picked up a sealed lead acid battery and charger from the local Interstate Battery store. It’s a DCM0035, rated at 35 aH. It’s not as big as a car battery. So I’m hopeful it will do a good job of powering things for several satellite passes. We’ll have to see about doing a day long contest.

Sound Card and CAT Control

I already have a very small sound card and the CAT interface. So I’ll use those to connect a Mac Book Air for controlling the doppler and guiding my efforts at pointing the antenna. This will also allow me to record the satellite passes directly on the laptop. Plus, during contests I can try the WSJT modes.

Arrow Antenna

I’ve also picked up an Arrow Antenna, the smaller version. That should serve me pretty well from all I read.

This is yet another aspect of my ham radio adventures. Hope to work you on the air soon using this set up. Maybe I’ll even be able to provide you with a new grid.