National Aeronca Association Bulletin Board

Anyone have any tips/pics on permanently installing a PTT switch on top of your stick and the routing/protecting the wire?

Hi AK,

I went to a local bicycle shop and bought a pair of old fashion rubberized plastic handle grips with the finger impressions. They have holes in the top. Remember them, you put streamers in the holes (at least the girls did in my day).

I went to Radio Shack and bought two Single Pole, Momentary push button switches. At the hardware store I got four metal washers that fit on the shaft of the switches, but that covered a larger area of the bicycle grip ends.

I put one washer inside the grip, fished the switch in (with a pair of wires in the same cable, also from radio shack, which I soldered to the switch and then protected with electrical tape) and put the other washer on the outside along with the lock nut that came with the switch.

Fished the wires down through the stick, out the bottom, under the carpet and up the side panel to my Softcomm Portable Intercom which is installed on the side panel with Heavy Duty Velcro type material (actually the heavier stuff from Radio Shack that is used to install Easy Pass Transponders on your car windshield.

When I bought the Softcomm, the factory changed the two small jacks for record in and record out (which I did not need) to two external PTT jacks, so my lines are plugged into them.

In order to get the grips fully installed on the sticks, I heat them up with a hair dryer and when they were a little soft, pushed them on.

The grips were available in White, Black, Red or Blue.

So there is one option.

Ciao - Robert

Get whatever flavor of grip you like, mount the switch in it, and run the wires down inside the stick. The bottom of it is open, and there is enough room to run them through the "yoke" that the stick fits into. Then just snake the wires under the floorboards wherever you like, and get them to your radio. Worked like a charm on mine!

Thanks Robert and BobK. I like the covenience of a switch in the stick and fewer wires to contend with in the cockpit.

I made one mistake with my 7 EC. The rear switch was put in the center of the stick and when the stick is in full forward (not usually in flight) it rubs on the rear of the front seat and powers the PPT. Check this out before you completely install and adjust as necessary.

Thanks JBaker. Good tip.

Pay a lot of attention to routing and securing the wires so that they do not get pinched or chaffed. The most critical area is around the stick gimble assembly. If they do get shorted then it causes a stuck-mic condition. DAHIKT!

Jerry Jackson
7ECA
8T8