Assuming "homebrew" includes "modifying a commercial product", I just
did something that I'd like to pass on to others who might want to do
the same thing.

I've had a Model MFJ-1701 "ANTENNA SELECTOR" switch for years. Basically,
a rotary 6-position switch connects a "common" SO-239 connector to one of
the six SO-239 antennas connectors while grounding the remaining five.
Note that the "common" connector is always connected to one of the
antennas, and the switch can NOT ground all SIX antennas, as might be
nice when not using any of them.

I don't know if their current design is the same, but I got the bright
idea that, if I removed the "stop" on the rotary switch, at least one
of the new positions (there are now 12!) would ground ALL SIX antennas.

It was easy enough (remove four screws) to get into the box. I wasn't
in the mood to un-solder the wiring, but by removing the knob and the nut
which held the rotary switch to the box, I could bend the wires enough
that the wafer came part-way out of the box. I would like to have just
bent the "stop" tab out of the way, but my wire-bending didn't get the
switch far enough out of the box to reach the tab with a pair of straight-
tip needle-nose pliers (although bent-tip needle-nose pliers -- which I
don't own -- might have reached), but a big pair of diagonal side-cutting
pliers easily removed the stop.

RESULT: I now have a switch which can select one of six antennas and,
in a seventh position, ground all six while leaving the "common"
connector floating. (I use ANOTHER switch between this one and several
rigs, and this second switch has an ALL-GROUNDED position, so when I'm
not operating, all antennas and all rigs are grounded.)

This modification didn't cost a dime, and it took considerably less
time to do it than to write this note!

--
--Myron A. Calhoun.
Five boxes preserve our freedoms: soap, ballot, witness, jury, and cartridge
NRA Life Member & Certified Instructor for Rifle, Pistol, & Home Firearm Safety
Also Certified Instructor for the Kansas Concealed-Carry Handgun (CCH) license

Too cool! Sounds like a much better setup. Congratulations!

Dave

wrote in message ...
Assuming "homebrew" includes "modifying a commercial product", I just
did something that I'd like to pass on to others who might want to do
the same thing.

I've had a Model MFJ-1701 "ANTENNA SELECTOR" switch for years. Basically,
a rotary 6-position switch connects a "common" SO-239 connector to one of
the six SO-239 antennas connectors while grounding the remaining five.
Note that the "common" connector is always connected to one of the
antennas, and the switch can NOT ground all SIX antennas, as might be
nice when not using any of them.

I don't know if their current design is the same, but I got the bright
idea that, if I removed the "stop" on the rotary switch, at least one
of the new positions (there are now 12!) would ground ALL SIX antennas.

It was easy enough (remove four screws) to get into the box. I wasn't
in the mood to un-solder the wiring, but by removing the knob and the nut
which held the rotary switch to the box, I could bend the wires enough
that the wafer came part-way out of the box. I would like to have just
bent the "stop" tab out of the way, but my wire-bending didn't get the
switch far enough out of the box to reach the tab with a pair of straight-
tip needle-nose pliers (although bent-tip needle-nose pliers -- which I
don't own -- might have reached), but a big pair of diagonal side-cutting
pliers easily removed the stop.

RESULT: I now have a switch which can select one of six antennas and,
in a seventh position, ground all six while leaving the "common"
connector floating. (I use ANOTHER switch between this one and several
rigs, and this second switch has an ALL-GROUNDED position, so when I'm
not operating, all antennas and all rigs are grounded.)

This modification didn't cost a dime, and it took considerably less
time to do it than to write this note!

--
--Myron A. Calhoun.
Five boxes preserve our freedoms: soap, ballot, witness, jury, and
cartridge
NRA Life Member & Certified Instructor for Rifle, Pistol, & Home Firearm
Safety
Also Certified Instructor for the Kansas Concealed-Carry Handgun (CCH)
license