[ARC5] T-17 Microphone

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

On 11 Jun 2014 at 8:49, Mark K3MSB wrote:

> I successfully used my BC-456 ( with the dynamotor) for the first time this
> weekend in my SCR-274N system!

Good on ya. That is just the sort of stuff we like to hear. Keep it up, 
Mark.

>  I´ll get a post out on that saga hopefully
> later on today.  Alas, I was not able to test AM as I found (and had
> suspected) that my NIB T-17 mic wasn´t ready for use.

Ha! Why am I NOT surprised?

> First, can the carbon mic element be salvaged?

My understanding is, "No". "Never", might be a better and more accurate 
word.

>  I´ve read that an telephone
> mouthpiece mic element will work,

Well...yes....

> but I no longer have a "vintage" phone
> handset.....

Most of us don't.
 
> The matching transformer looks to be in good shape;

Hmmmm....that sounds odd to me. I didn't know the T-17 HAD a matching 
transformer. Are you certain your T-17 has not been modified?

> The capacitor - I assume that´s what´s on the piece of phenolic?  What is
> the value supposed to be?

Dunno. Purpose is to cut out the "highs". Audio quality from a T-17 was 
always "crappy" to my way of thinking: supposed "communications quality 
in an extremely noisy environment" stuff.

Although I have always liked the looks of the T-17 and the way it worked 
(that big round button on the side), I have never liked what it sounded 
like, even back in the day when they were commonly used with mobile rigs.

There are ways, which have been published over the years, to replace that 
carbon-element with a more modern and far better sounding unit withOUT 
having to do any modification to whatever you wish to plug it into.

One thing that I do remember is that the T-17 has only three small holes 
in the cover. Many folks back then used to, carefully, increase the 
number of holes by quite a few to both increase the amount of audio 
reaching the element and to improve the audio quality by quite a bit.

Ken W7EKB