[Elecraft] USB to Serial at 1500 watts Part II

[Jim Brown]

On Tue, 4 Aug 2009 16:32:26 -0700 (PDT), Lee Buller wrote:

>Could the electronics of the USB device be blown as the cable 
acts 
>like an antenna?  I don't want to make a stink over this...just 
>want to know peoples experience.

Just because you're using the USB device in a ham station, don't 
assume that every possible failure is the result of RFI. A lot of 
this stuff is made cheaply, and it can fail. Over the years, I've 
had to replace several name brand WiFi adapters and Ethernet 
switches because they stopped working. One of my colleages in the 
pro audio community has had the same problems. 

My favorite solutions for rig control all involve a REAL serial 
port. 1) An older computer with a port.  2) A port replicator that 
gives me the port. 3) A PCMCIA card that gives me the port. About 
five years ago, I bought a 2-port Quatech card that has been in 
several laptops and on a lot of Field Days. Not a cough in a 
carload!  

To add to the advice by others on "grounding" the computer. What 
we really mean is BONDING the chassis of the computer to the 
chassis of the rig. For a laptop, the best place to find the 
chassis may be the shell of the printer port (if there is one) or 
shell of the video output. 

The laptops I use for logging have a wire tied to a lug to that 
port with a small screw, going to one Anderson Power Pole 
connector. That mates to another one that goes to the rig. Makes 
it easy to disconnect the laptop and use it somewhere else. Also 
confuses the luggage inspectors at airports. :)

73,

Jim K9YC