Looks like I am going to have make my own cables again. I dug up my old instructions on this, and thought I would post here. It is several years old,
-- Andy K3UK www.obriensweb.com (QSL via N2RJ) -------------------- Kenwood TM-D700A to Digitraveler Hook-Up :(Version 2) Here is an explanation of how to easily connect your Kenwood TM- D700A radio to the Radio Shack Digitraveler GPS Unit (PDA version). These GPS devices have been discontinued by Radio Shack but if in stock they are selling for $29.97, a very cheap way to get into APRS with GPS. They may be even cheaper on Ebay There are several links on the Internet that explain how to connect the Digitrveler and the TM-D700A, , the ones I read were frequently overly complicated, or left out important information. This is the easy, "dummies guide" Kenwood TM-D700A Radio Set-Up First, you will need to set up your Kenwood TM-D700A to allow APRS capability. The essential items are: Make sure "TNC-APRS" is indicated on your Kenwood TM-D700A display. (If not , use your manual to learn how to enable this feature). Make sure that "Bcon" is indicated on your Kenwood TM-D700A display. (If not , use your manual to learn how to enable this feature). Make sure that "GPS" is indicated on your Kenwood TM-D700A display. (If not , use your manual to learn how to enable this feature ). Also, make sure your GPS settings in the Kenwood TM-D700A's sub-menu are set at "NMEA" . The Kenwood manual explains how to do this. Make Sure that "1200" (packet baud rate) is indicated on your Kenwood TM-D700A display. (If not , use your manual to learn how to enable this feature ). 1200 is the default baud rate for the radio, so this should already be set. Connecting the Kenwood TM-D700A to the Digitraveler GPS Device. Cut the PDA connector off one of the cables supplied with the Digitraveler (the PDA version of the Digitraveler comes with THREE connector cables, so you can make three cables if you want!) This will leave you with a cable that has a RJ-45 connector at one end, and three bare wires at the other end. You will have a Red wire, a Black wire, and a Brown wire. Next, locate the cable that is supplied with the Kenwood TM-D700A. This is a long thin cable with a sub-miniature plug on one end , and three bare wires on the other end. The Kenwood supplied cable has wires that are white, red (may look orange to some eyes), and bare wire . I tried temporary connections of the above three wires to the GPS wires and twisted them together. This was a major mistake since the wires of the Kenwood radio are so thin and contain non-conducting fibers within the copper strands. The result was that I was not making a good electrical connection between the Kenwood and Digitraveler cables. So, to avoid the above ... first "tin" thoroughly, the Red, White, and ground wires on the Kenwood cable. Double check for good continuity by taking a multi-meter and connecting the probes to the bare ends of the Kenwood wires. Check a few places along the length of the bare wires that you stripped back. Now, connect the supplied Kenwood TM-D700A cable to the Digitraveler cable. as follows: Red wire on the Kenwood to the Brown wire of the Digitraveler White wire on the Kenwood to the Red wire of the Digitraveler Bare ground wire on Kenwood cable to the Black wire of the Digitraveler. That's it! At least as far as the connection goes. Getting power to the Digitraveler: The next step is getting power to the Digitraveler. You can simply insert 3 AAA batteries in the Digitraveler or an alternative 6 volt DC supply. Since I use mine in the car, I purchased a cigarette lighter device that drops the car's 12 volts down to 6 volts. I got mine from Radio Shack , it included a free coaxial power connector. I selected the "Type B" connector which fits the Digitraveler. You should take the cable you made up, plug in the RJ-45 connector in to the Digitraveler and the sub-miniature plug in to the back of you Kenwood TM-D700A in the jack marked GPS. With your radio on and power connected to the Digitraveler, you should see the Green LED on your Digitraveler light up. If it does not, re-check the connections you made on the cable and double check you have power supplied to the Digitraveler. If the green light is on, you're all set. The Digitraveler will need a few minutes to "lock-on" to the GPS satellites. My experience has been that it can take 2-3 minutes on the first occasion, sometimes longer if it is a very cloudy day. Make sure your Digitraveler is in a position that allows it to easily see the GPS satellites. It generally does not work inside your home or office. If outside make sure that there are no trees above your vehicle. Within a couple of minutes, you should notice the "GPS" display on your Kenwood TM-D700A begin to flash. If it flashes, Eureka ! That's it. You can press the Function button on your Kenwood, hold it down long enough (two beeps) to see the APRS menu. Select "position" and your Kenwood will display you Longitude/Latitude, altitude, and a few other things. The GPS unit will update you Kenwood's clock from the satellite with UTC time. See you Kenwood TM-D700A manual for instructions on how to set you own particular UTC/GMT off-set. There, that was easy, right? Enjoy. 73 de Andy K3UK
