[Elecraft] Heil Goldline Mics

[John Lawrence]

I've been using the Heil Goldline GM-5 for about a year.  It contains two elements that can be toggled with a switch mounted in the lower half of the mic body.  The switch makes the HC-5 and a "broadcast" type dynamic element in the base easily selectable.  The GM-4 is the same except it contains the HC-4 instead of the HC-5.  The cable option for the Kenwood is plug and play for the K2 and K3 radios. 

The K3 is simple to configure for the microphone.  I started with two TX audio equalizer settings, one for the dynamic and the other for the HC-5.  I also have an older Kenwood mic with the HC-4 that was used during initial testing on the K-3.  After a few months of trying various combinations of equalizer, mic gain and compression settings, I came to a final arrangement which I only use.  

Over and over, it is reported that my audio sounds super.   The settings are:
Mic gain=20, Comp=24, TX Equalizer= flat with 6 dB boast.  K3 Config= Mic Low Z, Bias off

The broadcast mic requires different settings but it wasn't ever close to the HC-5 for best fidelity and “undistorted” punch.  The HC-4 is almost the same but lacks fidelity. Each user should experiment a little to match your own voice characteristics.  

After 18 months of use my K3 still measures up to all my expectations.  

73,

John, W1QS

s/n 2274