I've done something similar with my 208H as well.
I've used flat telephone style cable about 1.5 metres long, no ferrites, and
a RJ45 back to back adaptor to connect the standard mike. Works fine,
though I'm told I have some buzz on TX if I have my vehicle headlights on -
not sure if it's alternator whine, or being induced through my unshielded
section of cable, have yet to investigate that.



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"Nick B." wrote in message
...
On Fri, 03 Nov 2006 18:00:06 +1100, Jeßus
wrote:

On Fri, 03 Nov 2006 12:33:04 +1100, jonz proclaimed:

"Jeßus" wrote in message
newsan.2006.11.02.01.00.49.365331@anunnakis@area 51.org
Picked up a 208H yesterday. Nice rig all round, especially if space
is an issue. I'm quite impressed with the receiver, also a healthy
50W on UHF doesn't hurt. You get a reasonable length separation cable
for the controller, BUT the mic cable is only about a metre long and
connects
to the main body of the radio, so basically you cannot remote mount
the main unit any real distance. Why bother supplying a decent length
cable for head but not for the mic makes no sense to me.

The other thing is no bracket supplied for the controller/remote
head... Of course, you can buy these things as 'optional extras', and
presumably pay right through the nose for them too.

I tried velcro for mounting the head, however its just a tad too heavy
to be reliable. Looking at the OEM bracket, it ain't much at all, and
in fact uses velcro to secure to the head. If I had the appropriate
tools (which I don't) it would be pretty easy to fabricate one. I'll
keep my eyes open, something should come along that'll suit.

Anyway, I was thinking why not use ordinary CAT5 or similar for the
mic cable and/or the separation cable? Has anyone done this, and if
so a wiring diagram?

Failing any of the above, if you know of any aftermarket equivalents
for any of the above, also for the data cable, please spill the
beans... most appreciated

the fact the mike is not mounted on the control head seems to me be a
major design fault. after all, phillips, tait, etc. got it right all
that
time ago...a retrograde step indeed.. just my two bobs
worth............j
(sorry no solutions :^) )

In hindsight it could be a real benefit if installed in a vehicle, as you
could mount the head damn near anywhere due to it's small size and the
cable is very thin... * except* as mentioned, they do not supply a lengthy
cable for the mic, which is disappointing IMO. They probably couldn't
have the mic socket on the head due to lack of space... The Icom 2720's
mic connects to the head though. Now, if they could combine the best
points of these two radios into one, they'd really be onto something.

I use a 2m cat-5 cable and a back-to-back coupler. Fitted a clip-on
ferrite to the cable where it plugs into the body. To mount the front
panel I use a piece of plastic electrial trunking which is U-shaped
channel and mounted this on a convenient universal joint I just
happened to have laying around. The front panel then slides into the
channel sideways and is gripped securely.

Tried the velcro method, lasted almost a day before I devised the
above. Icom's MB-58 looks pathetic as it requires velcro to grip
rather than sliding in securely. You would think they might have
duplicated the front panel slide/lock facility.
--
Nick B.