[Elecraft] CM500 headset on K3S and KX3?

[Frank O'Donnell]

Thanks for the clear instructions from Don, and the helpful suggestions 
from everyone else. Piecing it all together, will this basically work?:

-- On the K3S, plug the CM500's mike and phone plugs into the respective 
jacks on the rig's rear panel. Wire a momentary-contact switch to an RCA 
plug inserted into the rig's PTT IN jack to serve as a manual PTT switch.

-- On the KX3, plug the headset's mike and phone plugs into the 
respective jacks, and use a momentary-contact switch on a mono-style 
1/8" plug in the ACC2 jack as a manual PTT switch.

The only thing I'm concerned about is the issue of mono vs stereo plugs. 
For example, the CM500's mike plug has stereo-style contacts, whereas 
the mic in jack on the K3S is marked "mono." There aren't any issues there?

On other points, if I were going all-in on becoming a regular phone 
operator I might look at other headsets such as the Heils. But what I'm 
looking at is being a bit player on a couple of nets very occasionally 
at most, so the CM500 seemed like a decent option.

Re VOX vs PTT, I can understand the convenience of the former, but being 
an occasional throat-clearer I wouldn't want to become a distractions on 
those nets.

Thanks again,

Frank


On 5/5/20 4:49 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
> Frank,
>
> For the K3S, just plug the microphone and headphone plugs into the 
> rear panel jacks.  Set the MIC SEL to RP and turn bias on.
>
> For the KX3. the easy way is to just turn MIC BTN off and plug it in. 
> That microphone needs bias, and it will be supplied by the digital DC 
> that normally is used for the MIC Button functions.
>
> The harder way for the KX3 is to make an adapter (but it is not that 
> hard)
> Be aware that, like most computer microphones, the tip and the ring of 
> the plug are wired together - so if you make an adapter, you must use 
> a stereo jack so the audio is not shorted to ground.
>
> If you make an adapter, you can include a connection for a PTT switch, 
> but without that, you can put the KX3 into transmit with the XMIT button.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 5/5/2020 7:31 PM, Frank O'Donnell wrote:
>> Phone newbie here. Any recommendations on off-the-shelf cables or 
>> adapters, and a handheld switch, to enable use of a Yamaha CM500 
>> headset along with PTT functionality on both a K3S and KX3?
>>
>> Thanks much,
>>
>> Frank K6FOD