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[TenTec] Re: What is it? 215 microphone

To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: [TenTec] Re: What is it? 215 microphone
From: Ken Simpson" <W8EK@fdt.net (Ken Simpson)
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 07:28:57 -0400
Hi Ron and group,

Having sold more of those than I care to count, it is time for a
history lesson!

When Al Kahn left Electrovoice and formed TenTec, he took with him the
rights (and I think even the dies, etc.) for this mic.  I don't
remember the EV number, but the same mic was used by Drake with a
number of their rigs.  I do not recall Heath using it, but my memory
may not be complete.

TenTec sold the mic a variety of ways.  The 215 is the number for the
plain mic and die cast base.  The 215 P, had a 1/4 inch stereo plug on
it (P for Plug), that was used with the Trition, Argonaut, Omni, etc.
at the time.  These all had a standard cord on them.  Some time after
the Triton series of rigs, TenTec came out with the 215 PC, which had
a plug and a coiled cord on it.  The coiled cord worked better with
the Omni, but the Triton and Argonaut need a "non coiled" cord to
reach the connector in the back.

In addition, there were 2 different color schemes.  One was a gray
color.  Later models were more of a chocolate brown.

The mic could also be a 214 mic.  The outside looks exactly the same
as the 215, but inside is an electrolet condenser mic element.  This
mic element required a small (about 8 to 12 volts at less than 1 ma)
polarizing voltage.  In order to get this voltage, TenTec went to the
4 pin connector that was very common at the time.  This worked fine,
with a ground pin, mic audio, PTT, and the polarizing voltage.  In
some cases it was necessary to "find" a polarizing voltage.  This was
usually done with a 1 K resistor to the 12 V DC supply, with the
resistor acting more as an isolation resistor than anything else.  It
was also for protection, in case someone connected the 12 V DC pin to
something nasty (like the ground pin by mistake!).

To the best of my memory, all 214 mics had a coiled cord, and 4 pin
plug, and were the chocolate brown color.  The 214s would occasionally
pick up RF, so a small RF choke was added inside the mic case.  I do
not remember any 215s having the RFI problem.

The freq response of both of these mics were great.  TenTec furnished
a sample of the curve with the instruction sheet of the mic.

73,

Ken, W8EK

Ken Simpson
E-Mail to W8EK@fdt.net or W8EK@juno.com
http://www.gnv.fdt.net/~kenmar
Voice Phone  (352)  732-8400


-----Original Message-----
From: Ronald Hands <rhands@hwcn.org>
To: tentec@contesting.com <tentec@contesting.com>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Wednesday, September 29, 1999 12:08 AM
Subject: [TenTec] Re: What is it?


>
>   Thanks for all the responses to my query about my mystery
microphone.
>   It appears that it's a Model 215.  W2UX was kind enough to send a
>picture and others provided descriptions.  From an unofficial TT web
>site I discovered that it's a ceramic mike and originally sold for
$17
>to $29.50.
>   Apparently they normally have a label above the switch giving the
>Model 215 designation.  Mine doesn't have that, but it does have the
>little red TT emblem.
>   I don't get on phone much, but when I do I've been getting reports
of
>garbled audio, at certain times and on certain bands.   Might be the
>microphone; might also be RF pickup.
>   So the subliminal message I'm getting is either "fix up your
ground
>system" or "upgrade to a Model 705  . . . "
>
>-- Ron  VE3SP
>Hamilton, ON
>


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