From:
Fred Hopengarten K1VR 781/259-0088
Six Willarch Road
Lincoln, MA 01773-5105
permanent e-mail address: fhopengarten@mba1972.hbs.edu
Here's my collected wisdom:
From: John Brosnahan <broz@csn.net>
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Headset (w/ mic) Tips
One of my favorite interests in radio is looking for some
competitve advantage for contesting in the area of
equipment and accessories.
[One recent interest] is a headset incorporating a microphone
from Radio Shack. It is called the Optimus PRO-50MX. It looks a
lot like the Heil Pro as far as the type of boom for the mic and
the size of the ear pads, etc. It differs from the Heil in two
areas (well three if you count price). The headphones are more
hi-fi in their frequency response, whereas the Heils are more
communications. This allows more hiss to get through from the
radio, probably adding some fatigue--but I have incorporated a
hiss filter in my system so it is a moot point for me. On the
bottom end it covers more bass frequencies. I like a very low
note on CW so this is an advantage. And I guess I like my
headphones' freq response to be capable of being tailored by me
with external filters rather than having a pre-tailored, limited-
response style.
Same goes for the microphone. I like the Heil HC-4 element for
its sound but it's probably preferable to have a flatter mic
element and then tailor the exact response with an external EQ.
The mic in the Radio Shack is much flatter in freq response--
allowing me to EQ it whatever way I want. Good news is that the
headset is normally $50 and is on sale at Radio Shack for only
$40 (which is 1/3 that of the Heil Pro). A real clue about who
makes the unit is the "KOSS" molded into the 1/8' phone
connectors. They sound good on the radio as well as on the
stereo. Radio Shack part # 33-1135
Sometimes that competitive edge I gain is just how to save a few
bucks so I can spend it on antennas . . . John W0UN
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From: k6ll@JUNO.COM (David O Hachadorian)
Subject: [CQ-Contest] the $29.96 headset recipe
Ingredients:
Your favorite headphones. (Cost = 0)
A 1-foot piece of number 14 solid copper wire. (Cost = 0)
One U.S. penny. (Cost = .01)
One Heil HC-4 mic element. (Cost = 29.95)
Tightly wrap a few inches of the wire around the headband of
your favorite headphones. Solder the penny to the free end of
the wire. Glue the HC-4 to the penny. Placing the headphones
over your ears, bend the wire so the HC-4 is positioned in the
vicinity of your lips. If you tend to spit while talking, put
some cheesecloth over the little hole in the HC-4. An alternative
to the cheesecloth is to regard the little hole in the HC-4 as a
drain hole and point it down toward the floor. This has the added
advantage that any heavy breathing or excessive snorting through
your nose will not trip the vox.
Dave Hachadorian, K6LL k6ll@juno.com
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From: xtila@netcom.com (XonTech)
I've read occasionally about some trying to find a better
headset. Let me please tell you what I've been using for the
past 10 years. (Also it may be of interest to know that my
friends W6YA, CT1BOH, and OH2BH, when they saw what I was using
had to have some too).
The headphones are FOSTEX Model T20, available at many
stereo/music stores. I've also seen them used in recording
studios. I like them because they're quite comfortable, and I
have no trouble wearing them for 48-hours straight, as required.
Price is about $80. A machinist friend made me a small threaded
stud that I simply epoxy to the side of the earpiece. I then
attach the Heil boom mike (HC-4 cartridge, of course), and away
you go. At ZD8 I operate in a room so noisy it's impossible to
carry-on a conversation without shouting, yet the T20's do a
pretty good job in shutting out the noise. If any of you try
these phones, I'd be interested in knowing your reaction.
Jim Neiger N6TJ/ZD8Z jneiger@xti.com
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From: aa4nu@IX.NETCOM.COM (Billy W. Cox)
Subject: Heil Proset Tip
I noticed that the Heil Prosets used here seemed rather
"breathy" when trying to set the audio/VOX properly ...
Solution : Stop by your local Radio Shack and pickup a
Part Number 33-378 ($ 3.99 US) and slide it over the
Heil's flexiable boom. Made quite abit of difference
here at AA4NU and probably helps the mike element to
NOT get full of spit/food/??? It's plenty long and
does not need tape/tie wrap/etc to hold it in place ...
Bill AA4NU aa4nu@ix.netcom.com
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