[1000mp] MP->computer all in one cable?

[Jim Smith]

Bill,

I'm wrestling with the same problem.

The problem with lacing cables is you have to undo and redo it all if 
you change even one cable.  You also have to know what you're doing or 
it all falls apart.

Cable ties aren't as bad in this respect but it's hard to get a neat 
looking cable run unless you use a lot of them.

I haven't used the spiral wrap stuff but believe you still have to 
untwist it all to get another cable in there.  I also suspect that it 
snakes around somewhat i.e. won't stay in a straight line.

Electrical and industrial electronics wholesalers sell plastic wiring 
duct material that is ideal for this purpose (seeing as how that's what 
it is designed for).  Imagine a 6 ft long U-shaped channel with each 
side 1-1/2".  The sides are not solid but are composed of fingers with 
approx 3/8" gaps between them.  The channel is fastened to the wall with 
the bottom of the U vertical and the sides horizontal.  You just run the 
individual cables down the channel, entering and leaving through the 
appropriate slots closest to where the cable has to go.  What keeps the 
cables from looking ugly and falling out?  The 6 ft lid you snap on the 
whole thing when you're done.  You want to change something?  Pull the 
lid off, add and subtract cables as required, and put it back on again. 
 Dead easy, no fuss, no muss.

Panduit is perhaps the best known manufacturer of this stuff but they 
are pricey.  Others make it for about half the price.  I think my chunk 
cost $12 Canadian.

To see what it looks like check out 
http://www.panduiteeg.com/product_category/RO_wiring_duct.asp and 
selecte "Catalogs".

It looks and works great.  No cursing because you forgot to install one 
of the needed cables.

The other issue I'm working on is that I'm forever unplugging and 
plugging different things into the sound card, depending on whether I'm 
wanting to make voice keyer files or run RTTY.  If you read my recent 
ARRL DX SSB story on 3830 you will understand the problems that this can 
cause.  So, my next step is to figure out all my audio ins and outs 
(there is a surprisingly large number of them if you are going to make 
full use of all the connectors on the back of the MkV along with the 2nd 
Rx, the PK-232 and, in due course, the 2nd radio and 6 & 2m gear).  Once 
I've done that I'm going to run twisted pair shielded cables from 
everything to a patch panel.  I'll also have individual control of most 
of the levels and, no doubt, some kind of a mixer.  Once there, 
reconfiguration of any of the audio connections and adjusting levels 
will be very easy.

Guess what all these cables are going to run through?

Hope this helps.

73 de Jim Smith    VE7FO