Since information on my old Yaesu FT-470 handheld is starting to become hard to come by, I thought I’d start a post where I put stuff I need to remember or often look up about it.
There won’t be much here to start with, but it might well grow over time.
Headset pinout:
| Pin | Function |
|---|---|
| 3.5mm ring | ground |
| 3.5mm tip | rx audio |
| 2.5mm ring | ground |
| 2.5mm tip | mic audio |
This is shared in common with these radios:
FT-411, FT-470 , FT-530, FT-51R, FT-11R, FT-41R, FT-23R, FT-203R, FT-416, FT-703R, FT-109R, FT-109RH, FT-209R, FT-209RH, FT-709R, FT-709RH, FT-727R
They sell such a cable here.
Item 322904869921 on eBay appears to be a headset with the right plug, as does this item on Amazon.
The pin centres are NOT the smaller 8mm apart from each other – more like 9.5 to 10mm.
I find the connectors to be too loose to use separate 3.5mm and 2.5mm jacks – it is not a reliable connection.
The manual is here.
Fed with 12V, the radio will manage 5.0W VHF and 5.0W UHF, according to the manual. The rig can be fed with anywhere from 5.5V to 15.0V.
The microphone is a 2-kilohm condenser.
Mirroring a post from 1991:
From thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!micro-heart-of-gold.mit.edu!wupost!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!cs.uoregon.edu!ogicse!emory!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary Sun Sep 29 20:54:05 EDT 1991
In article <1991Sep27.033057.22510@agate.berkeley.edu> ajk@garnet.berkeley.edu (Adam Jacobs N2LAW) writes:
>
>1. Does anyone have the exact wiring specifications for the Yaesu
>side of the cable to the TNC? Is "where do I plug it in" a stupid
>question? Presumably the MIC and EAR jacks, but how is the MIC jack
>configured -- if it's (as the manual specifies) a 2-conductor
>micro-mini phone jack, then what do I do with the PTT signal? Or is
>there something else I should know? I can wire the cable all right,
>but I have no appetite for blindly trying configurations on an
>expensive piece of equipment. Do I have to open the unit up?
The FT470 is wired like an Icom. You connect the audio from the TNC
to the tip of the mike plug through a capacitor and connect the PTT
to the tip with a resistor. The Icoms and Yaesus use a "leaky ground"
to generate PTT. The problem with this approach is there is a tradeoff
between rapid PTT and audio level and response. Typical values are
.1 ufd and 2.2 k ohms. The RC time constant limits TR turnaround.
A better scheme is to use a tiny audio transformer sideways like so,
TNC PTT----------))))))))))))------------> radio tip (audio)
============
TNC AF OUT-------))))))))))))----X--------> radio sleeve (gnd)
|
TNC GND--------------------------|
You can rip a suitable transformer out of an old transistor radio or
buy one from Radio Shack.
>2. Suppose I want to run the HT off a 12V external power supply.
>Where do I feed the power? Not the battery terminals, I hope. I
>would have expected a DC power jack somewhere on the unit, but again I
>don't see anything except a mysterious looking rubber plug-which-might-
>hide-a-jack-but-I'm-afraid-to-pull-it-and-look. The manual, again,
>says nothing about this.
The 2 meter only model does have a power jack under the rubber plug, but
the 470 doesn't. There's a place on the board for one, but Yaesu recomends
that you use a PA-6 module instead. This is a module that mounts in place
of the battery and contains regulators for running the radio and charging
a battery connected to the bottom of the PA-6. This is a really nice
accessory and well worth the price.
>3. Anything else (useful modifications, hints, caveats) I should know
>about the FT-470 (or PK-88?)
Just the standard remarks that you should carefully set the audio level
so you wind up with a 3 khz deviation for your tones. Don't exceed that
level or many units will have trouble decoding your packets. Make sure
you have the power saver on the 470 turned off when you run packet or
you'll miss the first part of every packet. This can drive you nuts
because everything seems to be working but nothing prints.
One last note. Use a separate antenna and use shielded cables on your
TNC. Otherwise the RFI and RF feedback will ruin your packet operation.
Gary KE4ZV
TNC wiring:
TNC TX audio -> 0.1uF cap -> 2.5mm tip
TNC PTT -> 2.2k resistor -> 2.5mm tip
TNC RX audio -> 3.5mm tip
TNC gnd -> 2.5mm / 3.5mm ring
or the transformer method, which I’ve never tried.
Headset / speaker mic wiring – unverified – need to tear apart a headset I have somewhere to check.
Mic + -> 2.5mm tip (presumably the cap isn’t required as in the TNC)
Mic – -> 2.5mm gnd
PTT will be 2.5mm tip -> 2.2k resistor -> switch -> 3.5mm tip
Headphones is just 3.5mm tip and 3.5mm gnd
Again, that is unverified.
Any speaker mic must be a design where the PTT switch is double poled, where the second pole interrupts the speaker connection, else audio feedback happens on TX.