you cannot beat a Pelican case! I have one that has been around the world and has yet to fail, another is dedicated to my portable HF station. I consider a solid, watertight, case to be a great investment to protect a rig that I do not use everyday.

RG-6 is just fine, the only problem is that RG-6 has a steel braid and a foil cover (Belfoil), so soldering is a little difficult at best. The answer is to use the crimp on connectors, either a F to BNC to UHF or just a crimp on BNC to UHF. Since the feedline is 75 Ohm, you will have a minimum SWR of about 1.7:1 -- NOT A BIG DEAL! Most rigs won't start to "fold back" until a SWR of 3:1, and even still the difference in signal is less than ONE "S UNIT".

I've used RG-6 for years, I also use CATV 750 (3/4inch) and my long VHF and UHF runs.

As someone has already stated, you would be better off using a "plumber's delight" J-pole.

Besides, a bad antenna is better than no antenna.

yes, the XYL is a ham, she is Tech Plus and has no interest to upgrade. When she wants to play HF, she uses my station and my call (attn lawyer wannabees, I am the control op).

We met via ham radio 15 years ago, it just took us 10 years to finally get married.

I use a stepped bit. Buy it from Harbor Freight, Home Depot charges WAY TOO MUCH!

look for the SSI202

I will buck the trend here;
pots, I like Blue Shower, give the pot a squirt, work it back and forth to clean the contact, then a drop of silicon spray.
wafer switches, acetone and a cotton swab.

NEVER USE WD-40! WD-40 is an abrasive and will wear the pot out.
Becareful with acetone, it will discolor plastic or desolve the plastic.
Also goes without saying, as always, the work bench must have good ventilation, not just for the cleaning chemicals, but solder smoke.
Another favorite cleaner, the base of Blue Shower, good ole 1.1.1 trichlorotriflorothane (it is late and I cant spell it), but I buy it by the quart at a good paint store. It is great for cleaning boards, but keep it away from plastic.
I also keep a pint of moonshine for cleaning, and after a particular difficult repair or customer, a "glub glub" in the can of diet coke goes a long way. You can buy moonshine at the local ABC store, it is called Crystal Springs... grain alcohol.

perhaps more detail is needed.

I will ASS-U-ME that you mean that the PTT closes when you are trying to receive.

Does the PTT close when the serial cable is connected to the computer?
Does the PTT close when the serial cable is DISconnected from the computer?

What OS are you using on the computer?

Are you using a dedicated RS-232 port or USB to RS-232 adapter?

One problem with Windows is that it scans the serial ports and sometimes does not always release them. That is why when you boot the computer, you hear external devices go active.

If you are using Windows, go into the control panel, system, device manager, ports, and DISABLE the serial port. DO NOT UNINSTALL it, just disable it.

Connect the Signal link box, test to see if it is still stuck in TX.

If it is not stuck in TX, then the problem can be fixed in the device manager.

Re-enable the serial port, it SHOULD function normally.

Go get the latest BIOS upgrades for the mainboard, and the latest patches/service pack for your version of Windows.

C U on 070

quick answer is NO.
The long answer is, buy a modern transciver and use the CIV/CAT port to control the radio.

The next generation of transceiver will be Software Defined Radio, and then we might see transceivers built on PCI form cards.

I can see it now, $1000 card in a $200 computer.

according to the techs at Kenwood, there is no repair, but that is not the last word on the subject. They have not repair, but I repaired mine. I removed the covers and then the faceplate. I then disassembled the keypad and removed the rubber skin. I scraped the conductive paint off the rubber and then replaced it with a solution of conductive paint that I bought from www.sandman.com

This site is for telephone techs, and Mike Sandman sells a lot of stuff that would interest hams.

very strange! I had just ordered a 1510, requested a tracking number, got it without delay, the case arrived on time.

One thing is true, the case was shipped in the box that Pelican provided, that is to say, no over box, but hey, it is an indistructable case anyway. As such, there was not "paper work" included, and the shipping label was just the simple bar code - I am SHOCKED that my UPS driver actually delivered it.

touch the radio, if you can still hold your hand there, then this will not help;

MY IC706m2g, out of the box new, would shut the audio off for no reason, the lights stayed on, and the radio was too hot to touch.

The repair ticket said that they found a cold solder joint.

I understand that there is a now a service bulletin about audio problems and ground springs.

It sounds to me as if you always had the noise, but did not notice it. I would be looking at grounds. The IC-706 has a Service Bulletin about board grounds, maybe that is a place to start.

sorry to hear you bought xtals from Bomar.

Take them OUT. order xtals from International.

a callsign is just a jumble of characters, they do nt mean a thing unless the person tries to operate on the air with a fake call.

MY call is popular with the online IM herd, it means nothing to them and the service providers do not care if I cannot use my call as an IM ID.

while many know the old grommet (the donut like thing), I have used rubber brake parts too. I found master cylinder repair parts, some with a flange, and I drilled a hole for the rubber thing to fit. I then used black RTV to cement it into place. I could then use a ROUND chisel to poke a hole in the seal. DO NOT SLICE with a knife, you want to keep the hole round.

You can also use an ice pick if you do not have a chisel.

The whole idea is to prevent tearing.