Review on 🔌 Enhanced Yaesu CT-39A Packet Interface Cable for Improved Connectivity - CT-39 by Walter Day

Updated February 17, 2016: Ham City has verified that this cable is not counterfeit. They discussed the problem with Yaesu. As it turned out, the photo shows an older version of this cable. The latest version has a molded strain relief and shorter open cable ends; this is NOT a fake. I have upgraded my rating from 1 star to 3 stars. This is not a 5 star product due to the high cost and because the wires used for audio are not individually shielded. In other words, this is the same cable used in PC keyboards. You can get the same thing (but without the strain relief) by buying a 6 foot PS/2 keyboard extension cable ($2-5 online) and cutting off the end of the jack! It appears to be a fake version of the cable. Original Yaesu CT-39/39A cable. It has a molded strain relief on the free end of the cable, and the free end of the cable is only about 1.5 inches long compared to the 4 to 5 inch length shown in the promotional photo. The label on the box looks like an official Yaesu label, but upon closer inspection it turns out to be a cheap photocopy of the real label. It seems that Ham City or their supplier buys surplus PC keyboard cables and repackages/sells them as Yaesu cables. The cable may work for you, but it may not be optimal. All data wires are in a common foil shield. For use with a PC keyboard, all signals are digital and this shielding method works well. For use by radio amateurs when connecting a TNC or transceiver to their PC, the cable contains both audio and data. For optimal use, audio lines should be individually shielded. (Written by an electronics engineer with 50 years of experience and a top-class amateur license.)