[Elecraft] Microphone for the K3 questions

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

Gary,

It's possible that the HC-4 has gotten rough over the years -
I had an HC5 element in the Heil ProSet give up after about
30 years <G>.

If you want a headset, I'd strongly recommend the Yamaha CM-500
(< $50 on-line at places like B&H Photovideo, Sam Ash, etc.) it
is not noise cancelling but it beats the Heil hands down for
less than half the price.

Otherwise, one is left with a hand mic like the MH2 ($59.99) or
Kenwood MC-43S ($59.95) unless one can find a clean used Kenwood
MC50 or MC60 at a reasonable price.  Even the Heil HM-12 plus
stand and adapter cable ($59.95 + $64.95 + $33.95 = $158.85 at
www.randl.com) is more expensive than a *new* MC60 ($149.95).

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV


On 6/7/2013 4:25 PM, Gary Smith wrote:
> I use a K3 and rarely work SSB and I'm 99+% CW. I normally use a set
> of Bose QC15 headsets and have a very old Heil HC-4 Mic element in an
> older HM-5 Ball tip desk mic.
>
> I've been consistently getting poor reports with SSB but listening to
> the K3 monitor I'm not hearing anything unexpected. The HC-4 element
> was geared to contesting and DXing, not for a pretty voice quality.
> Perhaps there's a problem with the mic or the settings but I bought
> the element back around 85 or so and the mic has been dropped over
> the years so maybe I should try another mic & see if that makes a
> difference. Problem is I have no other mic to try except a few old
> Neumann studio mics and the ones for voice take awhile for the tube
> to warm up. A bit of overkill that's not worth exploring.
>
> I just looked on the Elecraft product list & see the MH2 and the Heil
> Proset. The MH2 is surely wired properly for the K3 but I wonder
> about the quality of sound its element generates. It looks like the
> Heil proset would be the ideal if I worked SSB frequently but I
> don't. The MH2 would surely be fine for the occasional use but I've
> never cared for having the thicker coiled wire hand for hand mics
> extending out on the desk from the radio.
>
> If I got something like the heil proset I couldn't use my QC15 and I
> seriously wonder if the Heil comes close to the audio quality in this
> Bose headset, I don't know, I'd have to compare to know. The QC15 is
> the finest headset I've ever used for radio, thanks to the electronic
> noise cancelling feature I can't hear the amp at all and I keep the
> fan at full speed. As a musician the QC15 give a really pleasant
> reproduction and are very comfortable.
>
> Any suggestions on something else I might look into that is less
> pricey than this Heil set & maybe better sounding than the MH2? I
> don't have to have it now and am not in a rush.
>
> 73,
>
> Gary
> KA1J
>
>
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