Yaesu FT-60 Packet Modem Connection#

If you have an FT-60 handheld (aka FT60, FT-60R, FT60R), you'll be familiar with the hard-to-find 4-pin speaker/microphone plug. Yaesu sells an adapter (CT-44) to bring the 4-pin plug out to a pair of jacks, but it makes for an ugly installation. Plus, "ten bucks is ten bucks, eh?", as they say.

An iPod audio/video cable has the correct 4-pin plug on it. You'll find that the FT-60's microphone connections come out to the "right" channel (red plug) and the speaker connection comes out to the "left" channel (white plug). The programming pin comes out to the "video" channel (yellow plug).

Note: You might have to do a little surgery on the plug to fit the recess that it fits into on the FT60. When I hooked up my packet modem, at first the modem wouldn't key the handheld. After trying out a whole bunch of different resistors on the PTT line, I realized the plug wasn't fully seated. Thirty seconds with an Exacto knife and we're in business.

Funny Behaviour of Audio Service with PSK31#

A few months ago I picked up a Compaq Mini netbook and have recently been trying to set it up for PSK31. I had a funny thing happening with my Signalink box; every time I transmitted using either Digipan or HamRadioDeluxe/DM780, the computer would switch inputs to the internal microphone after the transmit was finished. Which of course is wrong; it should stay connected to the external input (the Signalink box's audio).

Turns out there is a service called "Audio Service" installed by default. This audio service monitors the audio input jacks to see whether there is anything connected to them, and switches the input to either internal or external as appropriate. What seems to happen is that the Signalink disconnects the input while transmitting, and the audio service interprets this disconnection as though someone removed the input plug, so it switches to the internal microphone. I verified this by actually pulling out the audio plug; it shows the same behaviour - when the audio plug is pulled, the service switches over to the internal microphone.

The fix is simple. Just disable the "Audio Service" in the Services section under the Control Panel (Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Services --> Disable