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Build your own comm test kit any advice, ideas.
Ideally, it would be great to borrow an AMRON commbox from the shop re-do your comms and then test it and make sure it works. However, that's not always the case as you are not in the shop all the time, and don't have the luxury. I want to be able to fix my comms and then test it and not mess with it while out in the field or a moving small boat. The last thing I want to do is to not test my comms and not have it work on the jobsite.
The comms systems for the Kirby Morgan seems simple enough. I figured something similar soldered together from Radio Shack parts should be reasonable. It's only for the test bench so doesn't have to be waterproof. If it's small then even better, can take it on the road too.
Maybe I'm over-thinking the problem. But I only want to replace parts that needs replacing in the hat, that's all. What do you guys do? I see most people just rip them out and put new ones in. Then test at the jobsite, although things usually don't go as smooth and spend a half hour just troubleshooting, which is time wasted.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Diver_57 on
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Keep an eye on ebay. You can find used cheap coms boxes from time to time. I picked up a OMS box for under 200 no long ago. I also got mine for the same reason you are talking about. Just an idea that will serve more then one purpose if you need it in the future.
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Permalink Reply by A.. Parnell on
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Radio Shack had a small intercom type model that could be used for that purpose . I just looked for my old one but its stored away some place. Fred Johnson may have more current information on that model. It was real handy and then it only cost $20 or $30, bucks. It took a 9 volt battery as i rember. It is worth looking into.
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Permalink Reply by Fred C. Johnson on
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Pick up a Radio Shack house intercom. for less then $50.00.
two wire it to you binding posts and you have a low cost coms. tester.
I have used a little transister radio since the 1960's to test my coms.
Turn the radio on and stick it in the hat and if you hear music on the intercom the hat speakers work.
Reverse the process using a earphone jack in the radio and wire it to binding posts.
Kinda hard to find transister radios these days but you get the idea.
Another trick is install binding posts on a house radio wired to the speaker, then run two conductor wire to your hat binding posts and if you hear the music on the mic. and earphones your good to go.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
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Permalink Reply by Martin Morris on
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where most guys go wrong is in not cleaning commposts good before connecting new speaker / mic wires. soak the commposts in 50% white vinegar and water solution to eat corrosion or use good wire brush. 90% of the time the problem with bad comms is loose or corroded connections.
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Permalink Reply by Bluenose on
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Thanks for all the advice. Yeah I took it apart, there's some corrosion here and there and soaked the terminals in vinegar. I ended up getting a Radio Shack - Mini Audio Amplifier Model 277-1008 for $14.99 to test the comms. I got some speaker wire, and wired it to the commpost and into the microphone jack and was able to test being to able to talk. I am going to find a small transistor radio to reverse the process to see how it hear. At least I was able to test each earphone and the microphone separately and they were able to pick up sound and send it to the mini-amp. During the testing process, I found that my old microphone was on it's way out and so replaced it with a new one. I put everything back together and re-tested and the comms picks up sound and sends it to the mini-amp.
I originally looked for an intercom system, but it was unable to find one. Radio Shack these days seems to be just a phone and toy seller. The employees weren't really into the tech-tinkering side of things, so had no real idea about wiring, amps, or speakers. I was able to find the min-amp and so bought and tried it.
Again, thanks for all the advice!
And happy Holidays.
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