February 26, 2019

TS-520 Audio Modification • Cleaning Northeast Vertical

Many people have asked about how I get the audio quality out of the TS-520. The answer is that I have modified the TS-520 to accept a speech processor used for electric guitars using the same audio processing chip used in the W2IHY products. It costs about $25 to do. I don't have time to describe it in this update, other than to provide the diagram appearing below. 

 

W1ZY Audio Chain

Diagram of TS-520 audio chain using Analogue Devices SSM2166 speech processor chip.

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Here's the W1ZY microphone with windsock. 1960s UHER M512 dynamic microphone from an old UHER reel-to-reel tape recorder.

W1ZY Speech Processor Controls & Microphone

Gain, Threshold, Compression & Downward-expansion controls. 

UHER M-517 dynamic microphone with windsock.

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Today we are taking advantage of the lull in high winds to dismantle the Northeast vertical in order to bring it up onto the sun-drenched deck and clean its junctions, as was done a week earlier to the Southwest vertical. Believe it or not, it appears that cleaning the many junctions in the monopole radiators does increase performance. It certainly changes the tuning, according to the MFJ antenna analyzer readings.