Assembling the collectors with the various cables in the correct slot can take a person with 3.5 hands working together...tedious at best...
The collectors can be removed ...but it may cause intermitant connections...(the HB connector design of all their cable ends are designed poorly for trouble free connection points)...
I only have the one 1197. ...but I do not use the collector because of the amount of testing different scenarios of xducer's with various cables...
I have adjusted the pins in nearly all of my cable connector ends to create more friction where the pins insert into their opposing female pin slots...
Bending the pins "ever so slightly" helps....but be warned...THE PINS BREAK OFF EASILY...
Rickie