New Ham Shack Part 4, Audio Mixer Installation 

Hey Randy, Last week I finished a similar project in my shack with an 802. This video will help a lot of people that are trying this for the first time. Having all my radios route through the mixer gives me lots of flexibility. Keep up the good work.

After being off the air for 30+ years I started up again. I just installed a 50 ft free standing tower and hope to install an NA4RR beam in a few weeks. Your shack is looking good

Thanks for the good ideas. I like the way you use the pan to provide aural separation between the signals. 73, KEØOG

Aloha Randy Finished my mixer and JBL Speaker installation. I love this set up. I included my computer into the mixer. Both you and Bob were right the JBL speakers sound way better than the ones that come with the radios. Mahalo for your videos.

Cool setup Randy, great explanation too.

I just got a mixer for my shack. I picked up an Alesis multimix 8 USB off ebay. The USB works great on linux. It's a great setup for recording audio for youtube videos. I am going to see about plugging in RX audio into the mixer. I also need to see about getting audio into the rig. I am thinking of rigging up a mic patch bay like Bob Heil did. I might just have both TX and RX audio on the patch bay. As well as jacks for the PTT. For speakers my plan is to use cheap bookshelf speakers from a thrift shop along with a speaker amp. I am also planning on getting an AM/FM tuner like you would use on a stereo system. That should work nicely with the mixer and speakers. Although I think I need to raise my discone up a bit. I doesn't pick up my favorite FM station as well as I would like. Tonight I hooked up my cell phone to the mixer and had a conversation with a friend. Besides recording conversations for youtube. That also opens up the possibility to do phone patches. The secret was a TRRS adapter that splits the phone's audio jack into separate mic and headphone jacks.

Nice job Randy. Really enjoyed the video.

Great explanation and illustration Randy! Hadn't thot of a mixer before - another good option for the shack. Thanks, Rod/w7zrc

I always enjoy your videos. 1) I like the idea of using a mixer for only the output; I don't know why I didn't think of that before 2) How much longer are you going to be renting (i.e. how much longer is this shack going to be up)? 3) How'd field day go from the SUV (loved that video, too) 4) Next time you in Hartford, you need to come back to the museum; our shack is now named the Gordon Horn Studio (after the founder of our club). Maybe I'll submit a prgress update to Ham Nation. Keep up the good work. 73

Very interesting. When I went to electronics school they told us to consider cable shield as an external signal wall, not as a return path. That advice maybe was more intended for RF work.

Thanks for the update, Randy. Nice shack. 73 N7ARO

new subscriber I love your videos Randy, I have much the sam situation here as I live with and take care of my grandfather, my antennas come in through the window

Randy Why didn't you use the 1/4 inch plug inputs instead of doing all that soldering? Was there an advantage to doing it your way? I also use a mixer, but since all my radios output to a 1/8 inch audio plugs all I had to do was get 1/4 inch adapters and then just plug in the 1/8 into the 1/4 inch adapters and then plug the 1/4 inch plugs into the mixer. My mixer outputs to my Stereo receiver which then outputs audio to 5 speakers. I don't set the radios to come out of any one or one set of speakers. They come out on all of them. I rarely have more than two radios on at the same time. Radio equipment is an Icom IC-7300 and Icom IC-9100, Yaesu FT-950, and two scanners, not to mention the computer. 73 from N2LRB

You should match impedance with matching transformers going from balanced to unbalanced in audio.

What is the impedance of the xlr connection? Can I feed the high impedance output from the icom accessory port directly? Also do you have speaker output of a radio feeding the mixer do you use a pad? Thanks N1DCH

I have RFI on this setup. But I don't not run twisted pair cables.. do you think that might make a difference?

Have you done any projects for mic audio routing back to the rig and the ptt setup?

Pin 1 is shield, pin 3 is common. You had it backwards. You should have used the 1/4" TRS input for line, but in reality each input should have had an impedance matching transformer for very low impedance speaker output to the moderately low impedance input of the line inputs. It's same principle as balun on your feedline.

What about the impedance matching between the output of the radios, usually 4-8 ohms, and the input of the balanced xlr connectors, 3,000 ohms? How did you overcome this huge mismatch in impedances?

Nice. One of these days I may have to get a mixer for my shack. The problem is that I run my station off batteries and solar. I would want to run the mixer off 12V DC too. But I haven't had much luck finding 12V DC mixers. I guess some sort of voltage converter is in order. When you pulled out the power supply for the speakers my immediate concern was RF interference. Have you had any RF issues from the power supply? 73 KK6FVP

Thanks for the always great videos, Randy...quick question on the Behringer 1204....I just got the USB version of the same mixer but Behringer is telling me there is no way to zero the main mix sliders and still have headphones output of the input signals....can you do that with your version of the 1204? 73 de Robert K3RRR

Thanks, Very Informative. Which mixer did you use?. Could I get the same result with a "Bob's Mixer"?

Why not used balanced cable and connect the shield to pin 3 at the source?

Hi Randy, is the mixer and speakers not getting RF when on TX like 100W? Does the speaker have enough filters?

Hi Randy, why did you use the mic inputs instead of the line inputs?

Randy, I wanted to do the same but I would add marine channel 16 and 22 from two trashed radios. What if someone wanted to use their cable and phone modem for a feed how would they do that. I have a comcast xfinity xb3 cable/modem it has 2 usb ports on the back. If I had 2 usb sound cards and plug them into the unit how would I have them connect to a feed example Oshkosh, WI "FISK", OR WIN SYSTEM? The cable modem part for connecting, not connecting to the mixer.

Thanks for this!! 73 K6TJO

I used same powered speakers and mixer. The problem is during transmit I can hear my transmissions in powered speakers. Everything in my shack is properly grounded . The powered speakers and mixer have no place to ground them so they are not grounded. I love the receive audio but have never been able to remedy hearing my transmissions in powered speakers. This sucks to say the least

Randy, what brand and model of the mixer?

Have you made a video on your digital recorder?

They would want to be good speakers, here in Australia there way over $1,000 dollars a pair. Way oveerrrrr.