[Elecraft] K3: CM500 vs. SB40

[Edward R Cole]

Thanks to for the many replies.

Walter offers an interesting option of the ModMic.
Model-4 is cheaper with single cord and no mute switch (not needed in 
PTT ham radio).
Model-5 has switchable mic elements (not sure if that would be useful)

which is likely to work best with wind-blast noise?  My application 
is outside standing on either a beach or mountain top doing microwave 
ham radio (SSB primarily).

I have a ten-year old Bose QC30 headset that might work well with the 
boom.  It fits over my hearing aids OK.  Usually I remove hearing 
aids in an airplane and wear the Bose (combined >60 dBa isolation).

I wonder how well the boom attaches (and comes off)?  I would prefer 
not to deal with boom mic when traveling on airplanes.

Also this is for use with KX3 (does it provide mic bias?)

Not wearing my hearing aids is fine for digital modes (I see the 
signal vs hear it), or when sleeping (nice and quiet).  But raising 
volume does not work for me.  I have to use closed-captioning when 
watching TV.  My hearing loss is in speech recognition.  Sort of like 
attacking your speaker with a knife and then wrapping it in several 
layers of towels.  All you hear is "mmmf wooot swaan jstouble rattle 
rattle.  All consonant sound is lost: the *ain in **ain *alls *ainly 
on the *lain.  Clue: **ain = Spain.

My hearing aids have the telecoil but I never use it (way too noisy 
and distorted).  For regular telephones I use the speaker-phone and 
for my iphone5 I have blue-tooth connection to my hearing aids.  I 
have a blue tooth audio appliance that permits plugging into an audio 
source to send to my hearing aids via blue tooth, but it "eats" 
batteries in a couple hours use so I have not used it for ham 
radio.  Of course its simplex (no mic).  My hearing aids have a 
remote with mic but does not work well in wind (makes very hollow 
sound for telephone user).

Guess more to think about.

73, Ed

From: Walter Underwood <wunder at wunderwood.org>
To: Elecraft Reflector <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3: CM500 vs. SB40
Message-ID: <E110F521-35F6-434B-9C91-F7F23F52D2A3 at wunderwood.org>
Content-Type: text/plain;       charset=utf-8

The SB45 does appear to go around your ear.

Another option is to add a boom mic to the headphones you like. The 
ModMic attaches to headphones.

https://antlionaudio.com/

Interesting, one of their sales regions is ?Amateur Radio?. Here is a 
ModMic vendor that includes some mic adaptors.

http://pileupdx.com/product-category/brands/antlion-modmic/

They are also available at B&H and Amazon.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Shop-by-Brand-Antlion-Audio/ci/4/phd/3704379912/N/4294255798
https://www.amazon.com/l/11391726011

wunder
K6WRU
Walter Underwood
CM87wj
http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog)


73, Ed - KL7UW
   http://www.kl7uw.com
Dubus-NA Business mail:
   dubususa at gmail.com