[Harc] Looking for help modifying my HF radio

[Stephen Seer Snively]

Greetings local hams!

After spinning the dial the other day and making a few 10 meter SSB
contacts, I was struck by how much opening a local-ish WebSDR
<http://websdr1.kfsdr.com:8901/> window helped me find where people were
already talking, and it got me thinking: wasn't I going to do something
about that?

So I'd like to crack open my Kenwood TS-570D and add a panadapter cable,
but I'm not quite confident enough to pull it off by myself.

I've found a great Panadapter Interface Board, the IFACE 2
<https://www.tspelettronica.com/en/2019/05/29/interfaccia-sdr-per-ts-570dg/>
and
instructions on installing it in my radio. It doesn't seem too bad, with a
kit that comes with the cables, connectors, the over voltage and PTT
protection board. The photo of the connection locations
<https://www.tspelettronica.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Diapositiva131.png>makes
it look easy, except for that 'photo' having both sides of the board shown
at the same time. But that leaves with me tasks I'm not comfortable with.
< > Creating the coax connection, with an SMA end (no crimper, no
experience making coax)
< > Soldering the PTT and power connection on the pads of the radio board:
There are pads, but I have very little experience here.
< > Drilling a mounting hole for the SMA cable connector on the thick-ish
metal backplate of the radio, while most of the board is still installed.
Don't have a drill that would get through that metal in a safe and
controlled way.
-- I could side-step this by taking a corner out of the top cover and
routing the cable itself thru, and just having an SMA coax cable hanging
out the back of the radio, but... um, no? Not if I can help it with your
help?

Here is a YouTube Video of someone doing it
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn6pfI_2Mjc>, without the IFACE card, but
it would fry the dongle if they PTT while it was on, I believe, but it
shows the bottom of the radio and how easy the IF interface point is, even
having a molex connector for it.

Does the idea of tinkering with someone else's radio excite you? Are you
confident you wouldn't damage my radio and interested in spending a few
hours with me to get it done? Would you be into the idea of documenting the
process, with some photos and possibly video and making this a small
presentation and/or website post/blog about new technologies and older
radios? Or, if you think I'm going about this all wrong, I want to hear
from you as well! Let me know!

If the answer to any of the above is 'yes', please contact me! I haven't
ordered the IFACE v2 or the SDRPlay that I will attach to it yet, as I
wanted to be sure I'd pull this off before I spent the money.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Seer Snively - KM6MWO
p.s. Last months' meeting minutes will be coming by shortly.
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