[ARC5] German throat mics - mystery almost solved
Richard Knoppow
1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
Fri Dec 4 00:07:00 EST 2020
Maybe not such a waste as you suggest. You have not given us
any details of why the tests were made or what was being tested.
Articulation and intellibibility testing is common in audiology
but was of considerable value in testing microphones, headphones,
signal processing and other aspects of communication. Bell Labs
had a list of test words. I think it is published in the BSTJ and
in some texts. So, what was being tested there?
On 12/3/2020 8:32 PM, Mike Feher wrote:
>
> Interesting comment Mike. Back about 20 years ago I was
> witnessing a test, run by a contractor for the Military, where
> speech intelligibility was performed. They hired around 20
> random people from the street for a few hours. There were two
> rooms and the group was split in two, half in each room. One
> group was each given a list of words to speak into a mike and
> the people in the other room had to write down what they heard.
> After that, the groups switched rooms and the test was
> repeated. They were then released and the results scored. I
> actually thought the whole exercise was hilarious and a waste
> of government funds. 73 – Mike
>
> Mike B. Feher, N4FS
>
> 89 Arnold Blvd.
>
> Howell NJ 07731
>
> 848-245-9115
>
> *From:* arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> <arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net> *On Behalf Of *Michael Hanz
> *Sent:* Thursday, December 3, 2020 11:18 PM
> *To:* MARK DORNEY <mkdorney at aol.com>; Hubert Miller
> <Kargo_cult at msn.com>
> *Cc:* arc5 at mailman.qth.net; milsurplus <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
> *Subject:* Re: [ARC5] German throat mics - mystery almost solved
>
> Well, the science of larynx mics was pretty well investgated
> even before the war began, and more intensively in the early
> part of the war. I always remember with amusement the Bell
> Labs report that said, "[the throat microphone] would probably
> have been a very effective instrument but for the fact that the
> speech signal available at the larynx is intrinsically
> unintelligible." (Page 131 at
> https://aafradio.org/docs/NDRC_Division_17_excerpts.pdf
> <https://aafradio.org/docs/NDRC_Division_17_excerpts.pdf> )
>
> In sophisticated word articulation tests, the low percentage of
> success rates were significant. Fortunately, the move to
> higher altitudes encourage mask mics, so the throat mics began
> to die out through disuse and more modern hands free mics like
> the M5A/UR boom mic originated by the Navy.
>
> - Mike KC4TOS
>
> On 12/3/2020 9:01 PM, MARK DORNEY via ARC5 wrote:
>
> I wonder if the Germans had better luck with their throat
> mics than the US had with theirs. While never fully
> eliminated from USAAF use, they were replaced by better
> mask mics and even the T-17 lollipop mic because hardly
> anybody could understand what the hell was being said when
> the throat mic was used. But it’s use sure looked good in
> the movies.
>
> Mark D.
>
> WW2RDO
>
> “In matters of style, float with the current. In matters of
> Principle, stand like a rock. “. - Thomas Jefferson
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
>
> On Dec 3, 2020, at 6:20 PM, Hubert Miller
> <Kargo_cult at msn.com> <mailto:Kargo_cult at msn.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> I'm going thru my stuff and picking out downsizing
> candidates, and found a German
>
> 'throat microphone', but with a 5 pin connector, so not
> Panzer. The strap has only
>
> the number L38114, so on a lark, I decided to try to
> look this up. Lo and behold, an
>
> "Online Throat Microphone Museum",
>
> http://beatboxmics.com/#!/pages/museum
> <http://beatboxmics.com/#!/pages/museum>
>
> Who would have thought?
>
> <image001.png>
>
> I learned this:
>
> "Abfragegarnitur L38 - Luftwaffe headset with throat
> microphone and single receiver.
>
> All parts have special codes starting with "L38".
> Throat microphone L 38114 is exactly the same
>
> as Kmf.b tank throat microphone. Luftwaffe production
> control marks are all around
>
> (BAL = Bau Aufsicht Luftfahrt). The 5-pin connector is
> of the type widely used by German
>
> Wehrmacht for telephone equipment. Maybe such "L38"
> headsets were in use at
>
> Luftwaffe telephone switchboards."
>
> That seems likely. Anyway, the mystery of what this
> item was, is solved. Also I had looked
>
> at German tubes for many years and never knew what
> "BAL" referred to. How about that !
>
> I have a Swedish "Ericsson" throat mic this museum
> doesn't know about. I wonder if it was
>
> supplied to the German Luftwaffe during WW2 or just
> prior to the war. Sweden did trade
>
> with Germany until the point they saw Germany was on
> its last legs and no longer presented
>
> a threat of taking their country.
>
> -Hue Miller
>
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> --
> Michael Hanz - KC4TOS
>
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--
Richard Knoppow
1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
WB6KBL
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