It's here! The 950 Power mod.

[friendly1uk]

It seems the binatone action 950 comes under an italian branding with hi/lo power switch. It's under the batterys behind a sticker, much like other handsets. If you look under the batterys you can see a small cutout panel thats still intact. Opening the box shows us a switch is pictured on the board but not fitted. Please excuse some excess drawing as it's a picture from development


You need to fit a smt switch, or short the connections as such


This apparently give's 1.7w of output power on the italian radio. I'm seeing double the field strength round the antenna and having put a modded and non modded unit side by side on vox, the modded one can transmit for some time, and offers more range. Perhaps just 15% around town, but it's something, and should provide better returns from an aerial mod.


Please report any findings.

[curny]

Here's some more info on the Italian version from Simon007- the Brondi FX Dynamic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p32G7hYe ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E96iy6mz8zQ&



Curny

[curny]

...and here's an interesting link to an Italian forum showing how to fit the Intek MT5050 SMA adaptor to the Brondi/Binatone 950:

http://www.rogerk.net/forum/index.php?topic=20612.0

(you might want to use Google translate, but the pics pretty much speak for themselves)

Curny

[alannah]

Many thanks to friendly1uk and curny for this excellent information. I already power mine off an external power supply on vox and this mod will free up another radio.

I've done a bnc socket mod to mine and with the addition of the 1.7 watts I should be able to achieve my aim of world domination

[thazlett]

What other names are these radios under? Stabo 650s, Brondi FX Dynamic, any others?

[friendly1uk]

...and here's an interesting link to an Italian forum showing how to fit the Intek MT5050 SMA adaptor to the Brondi/Binatone 950:

http://www.rogerk.net/forum/index.php?topic=20612.0

(you might want to use Google translate, but the pics pretty much speak for themselves)

Curny

I can't get that site to work?
I just ordered an sma-f panel plate. The idea is to trim the plate till its a washer of the right size. Then it may fit as the currant aerial sleave does. But I will need to add that tongue that stops it rockin back&forth. Although tbh I won't be converting it back again, so could just chop up the original like most folks do

Be interesting to see the 5050 kit used.



I ordered a pack of 10 switchs. 15p each delivered from china. I only need 4 of them, So 3 pairs will be up for grabs.

[Bogget]

I cant recomend AGAINST that kit strongly enough, you need this instead http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SMA-thru-hole ... 25682c2e51

The problem with the kit is its back to front you end up with the socket on the Handset (wrong!) you need to plug on the Handset and the plug on the Aerial so it will take the most Aerial types, almost all Aerial's have the plug and as most business radios have the socket on them and anyway its cheaper to do it this way £1.34 bargain.

All my radios now have this conversion after buying one of the poor MT5050 kits, now its converted using the "correct" plug and socket and i can use the amazing Nagoya NA-771 Aerial on it.

Plug on Radio socket on Aerial easy, i can provide photos if you want, you just use the base plastic of the Aerial you remove (cut to the height of the plug) and this plug fts neatly inside it and then a small amount of epoxy and solder and done around 25 mins start to finish.

Bogget

[alannah]

SMA in any configuration is crap on portable radios because it wears out.

BNC is always better because its designed for repeated use.

The reason we get sma on handies is because the likes of Yaesu, iCOM etc, have managed to brainwash the gullible into thinking its a good idea.

Dont be a sucker and fall for the sma bull - use bnc, you know it makes sense.

[Bogget]

Ah but if you use SMA you can have both without any extra height as the BNC adaptor that i also use fits perfectly flush with the top, so perfect for both worlds.

and in 18 months of use i have not worn an SMA out on my G7 yet and i switch it to home base most days.

But i suppose if you but a poor quality one it may, the ones listed above are brass and very good quality.


Bogget

[friendly1uk]

Bogget, are you saying you have used an edge connector? I looked and thought the board was not possitioned correctly.

Be good to see any photo's you have. If you have not shown them yet, pop a thread up


My uv3r has a female sma, so to enable an antenna share I'm doing my 950's the same. If i get the connector low enough and dead center the bottom of a 771 will fit the hole in the radio like a glove.

[Bogget]

Yes OK i will sort soem photos, no not an edge connector a PCB conector as in the picture from the link, you can trim the legs to match your board and solder it on, the 4 legs are just solder tags, if you fit a female to your radio the NA-771 is female also???? how will you fit it?

link to pictures on this board http://www.transmission1.co.uk/forum/vi ... =4&t=24084

Bogget

[handyguy2002]

now that we can give these 950's more power and ariel mod,, how about someone working out, how to change channel9 settings like the dcs and ctcss ,,,, thers hope to expand these little handies

[friendly1uk]

I often give the 950's to numptys, so find it handy that ch9 is impossible to mess up.
Besides, If your using a frequency illegally it's nice to know your not trampling all over a legitimate user.


Bogget, The UV-3R has a female. It's not a convention that radios are boys and aerials are girls. My 771 Is a Male. The very middle pin-like connection on my twig goes inside the very middle pin on the radio. It also differs in a useful way. Where your connector on the twig sticks out from it, My twig is rubber to the very end and the connection is recessed in. This means it sits lower on the radio. Perhaps even in the hole..
I didn't see a 950 in your link, but It's going to be a similar job I'm sure

[friendly1uk]

Should of named this the 950 upgrade thread.

Few pics.
This poor effort shows how an sma could sit in a washer somehow, allowing the male 771 to enter the 950s casing. A nice oem look if I can do it.


In this one, barely worth the bandwidth of even a thumbnail, you can see much the same.

I was trying to offer a glimpse of how the stock twig sleave is gromit like, but with a location pin. Two infact, one in each half of the case. Unhappy with this they have also incorporated a tonge to one side. My guess is washer like plans will lead to rocking unless glue is used.

Giving up interest, I dropped the phone, taking this beauty in the process.


Feeling redeemed, I spured on to complete the geometric picture


It would be nice if that little spare solder pad was earth. And it is!

I can see how the sma that mounts on the edge of a circuit board could be attached. But I fear it would be broken off, taking a chunk of veroboard with it. I will flip the board over though and see if there is more ground to solder the legs of the connector too.

[FakeJake]

were you taking these pictures in a sauna?

but seriously, i cant see anything on those pictures