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Reviews For: BX-184 kit

Category: Voice Keyers

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Review Summary For : BX-184 kit
Reviews: 16MSRP: $59
Description:
A Voice Keyer kit that fits inside a Yaesu MH-31 mic case.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.dh8bqa.de/ssp-mh31/ssp-mh31.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00165
DG1BHA Rating: 2012-05-03
Great kit! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought two of these. Easy to assemble, only few through-hole parts to solder. Worked right away and fits perfectly in MH-31 enclosure. Very easy kit and very good modulation on my Yaesu FT-847 and Kenwood TS-2000. My father (DL3BUA) also bought two. One for Yaesu FT-817, one for FT-1000MP. They also work very well. Highly recommended! 73 de Heiko
EA7EE Rating: 2012-03-07
Easy, really works Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I am very happy with the voice keyer. Easy to assemble and perfect performance. SMD components are pre-installed.

In testing I was afraid to hear some background noise during playback. However, the recording will not see any kind of background noise, the record is quite clean. The compressor is permanently ON. Thus, it allows for a little more oomph in the modulation of this Yaesu transceivers wich do not include a suitable compressor. It is not necessary to modify the AGC capacitor, as recommended by the manufacturer produces quite pronounced compression without causing distortion.

The only problem, the FunkAmateur site is in German, the purchasing process in German, promptly response of the FunkAmateur staff in German, sent by FAX credit card data in German, etc.. They Should have a English page to purchase securely via credit card or Paypal. Good thing the google translator works wonderful.

Good update for my FT-817.
Manuel
EA7EE
N2YTF Rating: 2011-09-05
Outstanding, its about time someone designed this! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
How did Yaesu design the 817 without including a voice keyer?? How did Icom design the IC7000 with a memory keyer that can't repeat on its own??

Thank goodness someone took the time to design something like the BX-184. The BX-184 really is the only easy field voice keyer for rigs that don't have a true built in keyer.

The kit arrived promptly after I ordered it, even though it had to be sent to the US from Germany. I had no trouble understanding the assembly directions, and the kit fit easily into the case of the Yaesu stock mic.

I was impressed with the audio reports I received using the BX-184, and having the luxury of a voice keyer is truly wonderful when using a 5w rig. I have to say, I was a bit nervous when I saw the size difference between the Yaesu stock mic element and the BX-184's tiny element, but all audio reports and my own testing at home have proven to me that the BX-184's element is great.

I plan on experimenting with using the BX-184 as a CW memory keyer by recording CW tones and playing them over SSB using the mic, and I imagine there wont be any problems with this as long as the offsets are set correctly.

One thing that I believe could add to the kit would be a tiny, printable quick reference that could be printed and stuck to the 817 so that in the field the user will never forget how to use the mic, even though using the mic is quite easy.

I hike mountains with my FT817 in the SOTA program www.sota.org.uk, and after a hard hike to a summit, there is nothing better then setting down the rig and letting the voice keyer do the work, especially on some quiet and rarely used band.

I am planning on ordering a second kit in the near future for my Icom 706 MKIIG.
DL3BQA Rating: 2011-06-17
Works like a charm Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Have been lucky to be one of the chosen beta testers before official introduction of the solution in FUNKAMATEUR magazine 2/11. Can only say it works flawlessly with my FT-817. Will work with every other transceiver with 5 V or 7-16 V on mic jacket, too. Easy adaption to used TRX with small jumpers. Nice not to need a separate voicekeyer as I need the mic anyway, hi. Thumbs up for such a well thought and made design. 73s Uwe DL3BQA/DF0TEC/DM0Y
PE1KL Rating: 2011-05-24
Good product at low costs Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After a DXpedition into Ghana I decided to buy the BX-184 kit for my FT857D TRX. The construction was easy to do, I did not glue the element into the housing. The element is now secured by a layer of foam. Sound reports are good. Only I need a Dremel for removing some spots on the back of the MH-31 housing. Next DXpedition the BX-184 will accompany me.
N3JON Rating: 2011-05-13
Very Cool! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been looking for an easy to use voice keyed for some time to use in pileups and contests.
I found it in the BX-184 kit from Funkamateur Magazine. This inexpensive kit cost 39 Euro ($56 US).
What is unique about it is that it fits inside a Yaesu MH-31 Microphone. It is in a fact a complete replacement mic element and circuit board. If you do not have a MH-31 they can sell you one. The microphone’s center fast scan button turns on the record function for up to a minute. The same button controls playback for one time or a 3, 6 or 10 second repeat. The mic when used as a microphone sounds to my ear like a DX quality mic more like a Heil HC-4 sound then a HC-5 sound.
The input power offers a choice of 5 volts provided on the mic cable on newer Yaesu rigs as well as an 8 to 16 Volt input. The mic plugs straight into my FT-817 but I had to wire up an 8 volt source for my FT-990.
The kit provides for its use with most all rigs and it has a circuit option for use with Icom’s up and down buttons.
At the moment the assembly instructions are in German (English instructions I am told are coming.) There is an instruction supplement available from the kits designer which is all you really need.
Half the board is pre built with surface mount components and you do the rest.
The construction was not too hard. You have to solder a surface mound capacitor on the back of the mic element (easier than I thought). There is a surface mount choke that is easy to damage (as I found out) and I felt it necessary to grind out with my dremel tool some spots on the back of the MH-31 case so it fit tight and did not press on the circuit board. Others have found this not necessary.
The circuit’s designer Oliver Drose patiently answered my questions and provided support. Ordering the kit was not too hard and it came in about a week.
All in all this was a neat kit, fun to build and is just what I was looking for.