[Elecraft] K3 with Heil PR781 Speech Processor or Pre-Amp?

[Jim Brown]

On Tue, 08 Dec 2009 07:24:59 -0800, Matt Zilmer wrote:

>I don't want to ask you to repeat yourself, but do you have a short
>list of recommended mics for the K3 (or in general)?

>Using the Goldline HC-4 and -5 on #24, I've always like the audio and
>got good reports.  Just the same, I think we're all in line to put out
>better audio if possible.

If you're happy with what you have, save your money for something you 
really need (like a better antenna). If you need to buy a mic for the 
K3, I strongly recommend the Yamaha CM500 headset mic, which can be 
found online for under $50. It plugs straight into the K3 (rear panel), 
is comfortable to wear (I've recently used it in two 24 hour weekend 
contests), and sounds great. 

Almost any ham mic will work just fine with the K3 if you wire the 
connector for it. ICOM, Kenwood, and Yaesu each went their own way with 
connector wiring, so a mic wired for one needs to be rewired to work 
with another. If I'm not mistaken, Elecraft used the Kenwood wiring. 
Whatever mic you have, simply look at the wiring, and pull out your 
soldering iron if you need to. 

Virtually any dynamic mic will work very well with a K3 if you wire it 
properly. Elecraft has given us plenty of easy adjustment of levels and 
equalization to accomplish that. Most NON-professional electret mics 
will work well with the K3 too, but in some cases it may be trickier to 
hook them up. Pro electret mics will NOT work with ham gear -- they use 
a balanced powering method called phantom power. 

There are two tutorials on my website that discuss audio for ham radio. 
http://audiosystemsgroup.com/publish.htm   Select the RFI tutorial and 
the power point about Ham Interfacing.  

73,