[CQ-Contest] Noisy shack? Here's the cure

[Richard Zalewski]

Dave,

I think you have found your calling.  Please accept my order for one
K6LL Noise-Away Headset.  I think your idea sounds great and I am
going to give it a shot.  I just finished NAQP and only 10 hours
straight and my left ear was hurting for two days from the Heil
headset that I have.

Dick W7ZR


On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 17:44:14 -0700, David Hachadorian <K6LL at adelphia.net> wrote:
> A while back, I acquired an Ameritron AL-1500 amp.
> Naturally, for contesting use, I set the blower on MAX,
> and it sounds like a Hoover vacuum cleaner! I tried an
> electronic noise-cancelling headset, and it reduced the
> noise quite a bit, but introduced some high frequency
> hiss of its own, and the noise reduction was only 10 dB
> (per headphone spec).  The blower could still be heard
> droning away.
> 
> I recently tried a new approach, building a headset
> from scratch, based on a 30dB industrial hearing
> protector. It's a little ugly, but it sure does work!
> Here's the deal:
> 
> 1. Buy a Peltor H10A hearing protector (about $25)
> 
> 2. Buy two little speakers from Mouser (253-5405) $4
> each.
> 
> 3. Use sticky-back Velcro to mount the speakers in the
> hearing protector. Unless you have ears like Dumbo,
> there's plenty of room in there. Dumbo may have to
> pluck out some foam to get more clearance. Just run the
> wires over the ear cups. I used speaker wire from the
> 99 cent store, but RG-174 might be nicer.
> 
> 4. Buy a Heil HC-4 or HC-5 element (about $33)
> 
> 5. Take a one foot piece of #14 copper wire and solder
> a copper penny to one end. Glue or Velcro the HC-4 to
> the penny. Twist the other end of the wire around the
> headband wires of the hearing protector.
> 
> 6. Glue some of the acoustic foam that comes with the
> HC-4 over the mike aperture to protect it.
> 
> Results:
> 
> I can just barely hear the AL-1500 blower.
> 
> The speakers sound great, plugged into the headphone
> jack. I'm picky about headset audio, and these little
> speakers are winners!
> 
> The headset is comfortable, but my ears do get rather
> hot. It helps to lift the earcups now and then to let
> some air in there.
> 
> My buddy W7WW also built a set of these, and reports
> that they are the best-sounding headphones that he has
> ever heard with the 1000MP. Apparently the MP has some
> sort of headphone drive issue? Anyway, he reports
> plenty of audio at low settings of the AF gain control.
> He has TWO AL-1500's, and a window A/C. His shack
> sounds like a boiler room.
> 
> That's about it. It's ugly, but for about $66 it knocks
> ambient noise down by 30 dB. I think it definitely
> helps in copying those super-weak signals.
> 
> Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
> Yuma, AZ
> 
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-- 
Tnx es 73
Dick W7ZR