CM500 headset on K3S and KX3?

Interesting that Heil is not represented commercially. I believe that  
Bob Heil invented the talk box that Peter Frampton made famous. I use  
a Sony MDR-7506 for RTTY and CW but I do use a Heil ProSet IC for SSB.

John KK9A

Jim Brown K9YC wrote:

Heil products are an example of better sound through marketing. They're
more expensive because they spend a lot of money on advertising to
convince hams they're worth it. They also claim to make pro mics. I've
been a member of the AES Standards Committee WG on microphones for more
than 25 years, in which virtually all major microphone companies are
represented. No one from the company is listed as a member, and I've
never met Bob Heil or anyone from his company. Hams seem to think that
because he did sound for a major rock band that his mics were good.

73, Jim K9YC

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[Jim Rhodes-2]

Over the years I have worn out 2 of the SB-40s and always had good audio
reports. You can sound terrible on any mike if they aren't used correctly.

On Wed, May 6, 2020, 13:51 <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Interesting that Heil is not represented commercially. I believe that
> Bob Heil invented the talk box that Peter Frampton made famous. I use
> a Sony MDR-7506 for RTTY and CW but I do use a Heil ProSet IC for SSB.
>
> John KK9A
>
> Jim Brown K9YC wrote:
>
> Heil products are an example of better sound through marketing. They're
> more expensive because they spend a lot of money on advertising to
> convince hams they're worth it. They also claim to make pro mics. I've
> been a member of the AES Standards Committee WG on microphones for more
> than 25 years, in which virtually all major microphone companies are
> represented. No one from the company is listed as a member, and I've
> never met Bob Heil or anyone from his company. Hams seem to think that
> because he did sound for a major rock band that his mics were good.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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[Josh Fiden]

The talk box predates the Heil version that Frampton used.

Sent from my mobile device

> On May 6, 2020, at 11:51 AM, [hidden email] wrote:
>
> Interesting that Heil is not represented commercially. I believe that Bob Heil invented the talk box that Peter Frampton made famous. I use a Sony MDR-7506 for RTTY and CW but I do use a Heil ProSet IC for SSB.
>

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[k6dgw]

History is more than a little ambiguous. Wikipedia ascribes the "first
high-powered" Talk Box to Bob Heil [K9EID] for Joe Walsh, [WB6ACU] which
was a 250 watt amp + hi-pass filter.  However, Walsh credits an EE and
steel guitarist [Bill West] with inventing it.

Peter Townshend claims to have invented a version of the Talk Box during
a Who tour in 1976.  However, Bob Heil sold the manufacturing rights to
Dunlop Mfr. building them to Heil's 1973 design standards.  Peter
Frampton says he first heard a Talk Box in 1970, and that Bob Heil gave
him a custom built one as a Christmas present in 1974.  He became
proficient at it and is now often associated with it.  It appears that
every musical performer since then has used a Talk Box and at least a
few assert invention.

I use a Heil ProSet IC however I'm rarely on SSB.  When I have been on,
I often get unsolicited "great audio" comments, no doubt because of my
sonorous broadcast voice as much as the proset. [:=)  I use a CM-500
when operating W7RN remotely but I've never done phone remote.  I find
the ProSet to be a little easier on the ears with prolonged use than the
CM-500, but both work well for me.  As has been mentioned, a lot depends
on how you place the mic and how you tailor the TX response and
compression.  I guess all microphones tend to accentuate the bass as you
get closer and closer, exactly the opposite of what you want for
communications. Electrets seem to be fairly immune to this, the old
classic RCA 44-BX was notorious for the effect.

73,
Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

> On Wed, May 6, 2020, 13:51 <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> Interesting that Heil is not represented commercially. I believe that
>> Bob Heil invented the talk box that Peter Frampton made famous. I use
>> a Sony MDR-7506 for RTTY and CW but I do use a Heil ProSet IC for SSB.
>>
>> John KK9A
>>

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[Joe Subich, W4TV-4]

On 2020-05-06 1:16 PM, Grant Youngman wrote:

 > Replaced them eventually with an RS60CF, and never looked back.

A heavy, bulky, "head squeezer" for more than five times as much
as the CM500 ...

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV


On 2020-05-06 1:16 PM, Grant Youngman wrote:
> I bought a pair of CM500’s when they became all the rage a few years ago.  Never liked them.  The mic sounds ok, but they’re just too loosely-goosey a fit and I find them fiddly and not very stable on the head.  I used them for a while and tossed them into the pile of too much stuff I bought and don’t use.
>
> Replaced them eventually with an RS60CF, and never looked back.  Cable sets for both the KX3 and K3(K4). And yes — I know there are a lot of people who don’t like those, either.  But I do.  All a matter of personal choice, I guess  :-)  David Clark makes a small and inexpensive soft-case that fits them perfectly, too.
>
> Grant NQ5T
>


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[K8TE]

I have used the CM500 for many years.  I have replaced the ear muffs with
Koss's version.  However, like Grant, I bought a RS60CF and have not looked
back.  Unlike Joe, I find them very comfortable, even after many hours in a
contest.  They cut out extraneous noise very well.  The K3 TX equalizer
provides excellent audio response.

I use a pair of CM500's for portable work.  So far, I've not had to use the
spare set in spite of a lot of use and abuse.  When we do Field Day for real
again, I will likely use the RS60CF set to cut down on the inevitable
background chatter the CM500 doesn't.

73, Bill, K8TE



--
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[Jim Brown-10]

On 5/6/2020 3:08 PM, Fred Jensen wrote:
> I guess all microphones tend to accentuate the bass as you get closer
> and closer, exactly the opposite of what you want for communications.
> Electrets seem to be fairly immune to this, the old classic RCA 44-BX
> was notorious for the effect.

That's a characteristic of nearly all DIRECTIONAL mics -- those that  On
provide a single rear opening the capsule to cancel sound from the rear.
Variable-D mics, virtually all of which today are made by Electro-Voice,
have multiple openings along the "handle" of the mic body to provide the
cancellation, and they have very little of that bass build-up. The
earliest made by EV was the model 666, called "the Buchanan Hammer"
because EV was in Buchanan, MI, and Lou Burroughs, who along with Al
Kahn founded EV in the '30s, demonstrated the ruggedness of the new 666
to broadcast conventions by driving nails with it.

When Lou wanted to retire, they sold the company to Gulton Industries.
Al took his share and started Ten Tec, across the street from their mic
and speaker factory in Sevierville, TN.  Al was K4FW. I worked him once,
on CW, using one of his radios. I was mobile from a campground in AR.

Shure and AKG both made variable-D mics for several decades, but I don't
think they still do. Modern variable-D mics are the EV RE10, RE11, RE15,
RE16, RE18, and RE20. Last I looked, only the RE16 and RE20 were still
in production, but there may be new models since I was active in the
biz. The RE20 is quite popular as an announce mic.
https://www.electrovoice.com/product.php?id=91

I know of no variable-D electret mics.

5/6/2020 11:39 AM, Walter Underwood wrote:
 > If I was going to upgrade my headset, I’d start with headsets used by
sports broadcasters and ENG teams.

Those headsets are EXPENSIVE, the mics are low impedance PRO mics, and
are designed to provide maximum noise rejection. IF they are electrets,
they won't work with ham gear without a preamp that provides Phantom
Power (NOT the same as bias).

73, Jim K9YC
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[Jim Brown-10]

On 5/6/2020 4:52 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
> A heavy, bulky, "head squeezer" for more than five times as much
> as the CM500 ...

Yes. I tried them on when they first came out and found them to be an
instrument of torture. Years later, after hearing guys rave about how
comfy the were, I tried them on again, with the same result.

73, Jim K9YC
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[rich hurd WC3T]

Dekoni is the supplier.  eBay has them.   I bought two sets as I have an
MDR-V7 and an MDR-7506.   Looking to see if they have them for the Yamaha
now.

On Wed, May 6, 2020 at 1:33 PM Charlie T <[hidden email]> wrote:

> If you can find them, "velour" pads are GREAT.
> Very comfortable, Softer and NO flaking.
> I replaced the pads on my Sony MDR-7506's with them.
> I especially like these Sony's since they have excellent high frequency
> response (better than the CM500's) which is perfect for my high freq
> hearing loss.
> Not sure if they'll fit, but somebody out there must make velour pads for
> the CM500's.
>
> 73, Charlie k3ICH
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]>
> On Behalf Of Walter Underwood
> Sent: Wednesday, May 06, 2020 12:53 PM
> To: Elecraft Mailing List <[hidden email]>
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] CM500 headset on K3S and KX3?
>
> My CM500’s earpads are flaking pretty badly, leaving little back bits
> around the home office/shack. They still work fine. I purchased them in
> December 2012. I see that the same order has Eneloop XX batteries and a
> LowePro Edit 140 case, so that was all ordered to go with my brand-new KX3.
>
> Comments on my blog post suggested the Koss SB45 as another alternative.
> This also has an electret mic, but somewhat different fit over the ears,
> and it is cheaper.
>
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Koss-sb45-SB-45-Communication-Stereophones/dp/B00081A2CW
>
> Do not get the Koss SB40. That is the same headset as the Yamaha CM500,
> but with an inferior dynamic mic.
>
> The mic connector on my Yamaha CM500 is labeled “KOSS”, for what that’s
> worth. I noticed that when choosing photos for my blog post.
>
> It is normal for earpads to wear out. I replaced the pads on my Grado
> SR225e phones after five years.
>
> wunder
> K6WRU
> Walter Underwood
> CM87wj
> http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog)
>
> > On May 6, 2020, at 8:25 AM, N2TK via Elecraft <[hidden email]>
> wrote:
> >
> > I bought replacement ear pad cushions and earpad covers for Koss UR20,
> headphones on eBay a while back for $14.24. They fit the CM500 fine. A pain
> to change but worth it.
> > I have had very good results with CM500. They fit my head better than
> the Heil's which were too tight. I would rather have a material cover which
> I find more comfortable for wearing for many hours in a contest. I use a
> quarter of a paper towel between the headset cushions and my ears. That
> works fine.
> > And the CM500's are so cheap I bought a spare, just in case.
> > N2TK, Tony
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [hidden email]
> > <[hidden email]> On Behalf Of Wes
> > Sent: Tuesday, May 5, 2020 9:45 PM
> > To: [hidden email]
> > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] CM500 headset on K3S and KX3?
> >
> > The failures I have are the ear pads disintegrate.  Someone said Koss
> pads could work but that hasn't been my experience. I've found some '500s
> at estate sales where I snap them up.  Currently the law firm where my
> fiance is employed is working from home and she's using a set on her
> computer to "attend" on-line meetings.  I guess I can add "IT Manager" to
> my resume, since I'm helping her with her connections.  I second the use of
> VOX.
> >
> > Wes  N7WS
> >
> > On 5/5/2020 5:32 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> >> On 5/5/2020 4:44 PM, Paul Gacek via Elecraft wrote:
> >>> For what its worth and everyones milage will vary, I had a brand new
> >>> CM500 that I used for a week of hard operating while on a pretty
> >>> island and the boom came loose after a couple of days.
> >>
> >> Your experience is unusual. In about 11 years, the only thing that
> >> has ever gone wrong with my CM500s have been a broken cable, which,
> >> unfortunately, is not replaceable. I'm kind of a klutz, so I'm hard
> >> on cables, dropping them, kicking them, etc. Perhaps it got broken in
> shipping?
> >>
> >> I've never used anything but VOX for SSB and digital modes. That's
> >> always worked just fine as long as there's not loud noise (like when
> >> the XYL walks through the shack and lets the screen door slam). :)
> >>
> >> 73, Jim K9YC
> >> ______________________________________________________________
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> >> [hidden email]
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
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>
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--
72,
Rich Hurd / WC3T / DMR: 3142737
Northampton County RACES, EPA-ARRL Public Information Officer for Scouting
Latitude: 40.761621 Longitude: -75.288988  (40°45.68' N 75°17.33' W) Grid:
*FN20is*
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[Edward R Cole]

A couple years ago I bought the CM500 based on al the nice comments
by others on this list.  They failed me terribly; set up howling like
a banshee minute I put them on (over my hearing aids) and not even
connected to the radio.  My hearing so poor that the amount of gain
in my hearing aids fed back inside the acoustics of the
ear-piece.  No amount of fiddling with the headset stopped the
feedback, so went back to wearing my Sony MDR-V600 stereo headset
(which work well with my hearing aids).  One if you bought the new
CM500 from me for a nice discount, so I didn't loose out completely.

I got a lot of advice back then which did not help/fix the problem
(not wearing the hearing aids and turning up radio volume was one).

In stead, I found a boom mic that attached to my Sony headset via an
earth magnet "thingy" and that got FB audio reports.  The mic has a
foam wind-blast reducer and selectable omni or cardiod pattern pick
up.  Haven't really used the combo as I normally use my  Heil desk
mic in the shack.  The boom mic was obtained for operating portable outdoors.

73, Ed - KL7UW
   http://www.kl7uw.com
Dubus-NA Business mail:
   [hidden email]

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[Bill Frantz]

I normally use a CM500.

OK, the RS60CF is a Radio Sport head set. :-)

I used one of their headsets during our club's CQP county
expedition. I liked the isolation from ambient room noise. Yes,
it squeezes your head, but I could wear it for several hours at
a time without feeling I was getting close to the end of my tolerence.

I didn't use VOX at home in CA because my radio was set up in
the family room with 20+ feet of space between the backs of the
equipment and the front door. (Nice for moving wires.) My wife
frequently would walk up to the radio and ask a question and I
didn't want the answer going out on the air. :-)

I did use VOX when I did a multi-op WPX contest at K9YC's QTH.
In that isolated environment it was more convenient than my
footswitch at home. Doing the contest was also a whole lot of
fun, and watching the other ops was a excellent learning experience.

What I'll end up doing here in NH is still up in the air.

73 Bill AE6JV

On 5/6/20 at 11:39 PM, [hidden email] (Jim Brown) wrote:

>On 2020-05-06 1:16 PM, Grant Youngman wrote:
>
>>Replaced them eventually with an RS60CF, and never looked back.
>
>On 5/6/2020 4:52 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
>>A heavy, bulky, "head squeezer" for more than five times as much
>>as the CM500 ...
>
>Yes. I tried them on when they first came out and found them to
>be an instrument of torture. Years later, after hearing guys
>rave about how comfy the were, I tried them on again, with the
>same result.
>
>73, Jim K9YC

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz        | Truth and love must prevail  | Periwinkle
[phone]      | over lies and hate.          | 150
Rivermead Rd #235
www.pwpconsult.com |               - Vaclav Havel |
Peterborough, NH 03458

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[Stephen Shearer]

I purchased a Heil Prpset about the same time 2010+/- and they were
leaving "black bits" around too.  Yes, the Heil is more expensive.  I
was able to purchase new foam from the DC Store.  I searched HRO and
they had stock, if you knew the part number.  I now have a new
Headset...  I DO like the HC4 element and the cotton ear pads...
73, steve WB3LGC

On 5/6/20 12:53 PM, Walter Underwood wrote:
> My CM500’s earpads are flaking pretty badly, leaving little back bits around the home office/shack. They still work fine.
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[Dick Dievendorff-4]

This isn’t an endorsement from my company, but I’ve been real happy with my Inrad W1. It has a real 1/4 inch phone plug, robust and coiled cord longer than normal, it’s quite comfortable.  I have not used the microphone much, but it’s been fine.  Foam covered mike, easy to move out of the way.
Replacement ear pads, should I ever need them, are $10.

I find in longer contests that I like to change headsets to move the pressure points. So I have acquired several over the years. My old Sony MD-V is also a favorite for CW contests.

Dick, K6KR

> On May 9, 2020, at 14:27, stephen shearer <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> I purchased a Heil Prpset about the same time 2010+/- and they were leaving "black bits" around too.  Yes, the Heil is more expensive.  I was able to purchase new foam from the DC Store.  I searched HRO and they had stock, if you knew the part number.  I now have a new Headset...  I DO like the HC4 element and the cotton ear pads...
> 73, steve WB3LGC
>
>> On 5/6/20 12:53 PM, Walter Underwood wrote:
>> My CM500’s earpads are flaking pretty badly, leaving little back bits around the home office/shack. They still work fine.
> ______________________________________________________________
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[VE3NR]

I like 1/4 inch plugs too, but most rigs nowadays have 3.5mm jacks!
You can use an adapter, but that forfeits the purpose.

Bert VE3NR

On 5/9/2020 5:40 PM, Dick Dievendorff wrote:

> This isn’t an endorsement from my company, but I’ve been real happy with my Inrad W1. It has a real 1/4 inch phone plug, robust and coiled cord longer than normal, it’s quite comfortable.  I have not used the microphone much, but it’s been fine.  Foam covered mike, easy to move out of the way.
> Replacement ear pads, should I ever need them, are $10.
>
> I find in longer contests that I like to change headsets to move the pressure points. So I have acquired several over the years. My old Sony MD-V is also a favorite for CW contests.
>
> Dick, K6KR
>
>
>> On May 9, 2020, at 14:27, stephen shearer <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> I purchased a Heil Prpset about the same time 2010+/- and they were leaving "black bits" around too.  Yes, the Heil is more expensive.  I was able to purchase new foam from the DC Store.  I searched HRO and they had stock, if you knew the part number.  I now have a new Headset...  I DO like the HC4 element and the cotton ear pads...
>> 73, steve WB3LGC
>>
>>> On 5/6/20 12:53 PM, Walter Underwood wrote:
>>> My CM500’s earpads are flaking pretty badly, leaving little back bits around the home office/shack. They still work fine.
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
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[Frank O'Donnell]

For my CM500 headset with the KX3, I referred to Walter Underwood
K6WRU's blog posts to order the adapter allowing the CM500 mic plug and
a PTT switch to share the radio's mic jack. I also followed his
checklist from a second blog post to set TX EQ and mic bias.

While adjusting the mic gain with the TX power set to 0.0, I noticed hum
on my audio from the CM500 mic. This was audible regardless of whether I
had the PTT cable attached, or if I left it detached and tapped the XMIT
button. The hum also appeared regardless of whether I used the CM500
phones vs other headphones. If I unplug the adapter and use the handheld
mic that came with the KX3, the hum does *not* appear.

Any suggestions on what I should look at to run this down?

Thanks and 73,

Frank K6FOD



On 5/5/20 9:15 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:

> On the KX3, look in the manual for the MIC jack connections. It should
> tell you why you need to be aware of the situation that the CM500 plug
> can present.
>
> Walt Underwood K6WRU has presented a link to an adapter that will
> allow you to plug the CM500 mic plug into a jack leaving the other
> jack available for us as PTT. Use of that adapter does not require you
> to set MIC BTN to off.
>
> Be careful, not just any adapter will do - some are simple splitters
> that put both the tip and ring on both jacks.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>

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[Jim Brown-10]

On 5/10/2020 12:05 PM, Frank O'Donnell wrote:

> For my CM500 headset with the KX3, I referred to Walter Underwood
> K6WRU's blog posts to order the adapter allowing the CM500 mic plug and
> a PTT switch to share the radio's mic jack. I also followed his
> checklist from a second blog post to set TX EQ and mic bias.
>
> While adjusting the mic gain with the TX power set to 0.0, I noticed hum
> on my audio from the CM500 mic. This was audible regardless of whether I
> had the PTT cable attached, or if I left it detached and tapped the XMIT
> button. The hum also appeared regardless of whether I used the CM500
> phones vs other headphones. If I unplug the adapter and use the handheld
> mic that came with the KX3, the hum does *not* appear.
>
> Any suggestions on what I should look at to run this down?

1) Is what you hear HUM (pure 60 Hz) or BUZZ (harmonics of 60 Hz)? In
general, most hum is magnetically coupled, while buzz is power line
leakage currents, aggravated by by Pin One Problems and failure to do
proper bonding.

2) Make sure that the adapters you got are actually doing what you think
they are doing (or that you want them to do), checkin them out with an
Ohmmeter.

3) Make sure that bias is turned on -- the mic in CM500s is an electret,
which requires bias.

4) Make sure that Mic Gain and Comp are not turned up too high. To set
them, turn Comp all the way down, set TXEQ (see next step), then set Mic
Gain to get indicated 100% modulation on the meter.

5) For TXEQ, set three lowest bands (50, 100, 200 Hz) for max cut, set
next band (400 Hz) for 6dB cut), set the top two bands for about 6dB boost.

6) Make sure that everything in your station that connects to AC power,
including any computer CONNECTED to your radio and anything connected to
the computer, has their chassis bonded together AND powered from the
same outlet, or from outlets whose green wires are bonded together, and
one of those chassis connections bonded to your station ground , AND all
grounds in your home all bonded together. These slides have drawings
that illustrate conceptually how to do it right.

http://k9yc.com/GroundingAndAudio.pdf

73, Jim K9YC
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[Frank O'Donnell]

Thanks very much for the suggestions, Jim -- all sounds like good advice.

On 5/10/20 2:24 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
 > 1) Is what you hear HUM (pure 60 Hz) or BUZZ (harmonics of 60 Hz)?

Without routing the KX3's audio out to a soundcard and looking at the
waveform(s) on a PC, I'm going to say it sounds to my ear like a pretty
pure hum, not a buzz.

 > 2) Make sure that the adapters you got are actually doing what you
think they are ...
 >
 > 3) Make sure that bias is turned on ...
 >
 > 4) Make sure that Mic Gain and Comp are not turned up too high. ...
 >
 > 5) For TXEQ, set three lowest bands (50, 100, 200 Hz) for max cut,
set next
 >    band (400 Hz) for 6dB cut), set the top two bands for about 6dB
boost.

All those points were good.

 > 6) Make sure that everything in your station that connects to AC
power, ... has their
 >   chassis bonded together AND powered from the same outlet, ...

In the initial test, which produced the hum, the power source for the
KX3 was a Pro Audio Engineering PAE-Kx33 low-RFI supply. This PSU was
plugged into the same outlet as a variety of other shack gear, some
powered on. The only other things connected to the KX3 were (a) an
antenna intended for field use, and (b) the CM500.

I noticed that when I touched the shield on the antenna coax's BNC
connector with my finger, the hum diminished substantially.

I then unplugged the PSU and replaced it with a car battery charged to
12.01v. Now the hum appeared to be completely gone.

So, if I were to keep using the KX3 within the shack, it sounds as
though a thorough grounding/bonding workup would probably fix the
problem. I'm in the process of working through
http://k9yc.com/GroundingAndAudio.pdf.

I was mostly curious why the CM500's mic produced the hum, but the
handheld mic that came with the KX3 didn't. The CM500 has a quite long
cable, and I wondered if that could be part of the problem.

Thanks again and 73,

Frank K6FOD


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[Jim Brown-10]

On 5/10/2020 5:45 PM, Frank O'Donnell wrote:
> I was mostly curious why the CM500's mic produced the hum, but the
> handheld mic that came with the KX3 didn't. The CM500 has a quite long
> cable, and I wondered if that could be part of the problem.

Any one or a combination of the various issues I noted. Your observation
about your finger on the coax connector suggests bonding and/or adapters
that aren't doing what you think they are.

73, Jim K9YC
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[Jim Brown-10]

On 5/10/2020 8:49 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On 5/10/2020 5:45 PM, Frank O'Donnell wrote:
>> I was mostly curious why the CM500's mic produced the hum, but the
>> handheld mic that came with the KX3 didn't. The CM500 has a quite long
>> cable, and I wondered if that could be part of the problem.
>
> Any one or a combination of the various issues I noted. Your observation
> about your finger on the coax connector suggests bonding and/or adapters
> that aren't doing what you think they are.

More obvious questions I should have asked -- Exactly what is your
antenna, including any counterpoise? How long is the coax? How far from
the shack? Is there a serious choke (per my cookbook) at the feedpoint?
Is it possible you have a bad piece of coax or a poorly installed
connector? Is your shack bonded? It should be, regardless of this problem.

73, Jim K9YC


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[JP Douglas]

Hello, inmates!
not all mics on the Yamaha CM-500 headsets are electret, I tested mine before making the connectors; I am not using it w/my KX3, using w/Kenwood TS-480 and Yaesu FT-897.
Cheers,
Jose Douglas KB1TCD

Stay Free everyone!


Sent from my iPad

> On May 10, 2020, at 5:24 PM, Jim Brown <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> On 5/10/2020 12:05 PM, Frank O'Donnell wrote:
>> For my CM500 headset with the KX3, I referred to Walter Underwood K6WRU's blog posts to order the adapter allowing the CM500 mic plug and a PTT switch to share the radio's mic jack. I also followed his checklist from a second blog post to set TX EQ and mic bias.
>> While adjusting the mic gain with the TX power set to 0.0, I noticed hum on my audio from the CM500 mic. This was audible regardless of whether I had the PTT cable attached, or if I left it detached and tapped the XMIT button. The hum also appeared regardless of whether I used the CM500 phones vs other headphones. If I unplug the adapter and use the handheld mic that came with the KX3, the hum does *not* appear.
>> Any suggestions on what I should look at to run this down?
>
> 1) Is what you hear HUM (pure 60 Hz) or BUZZ (harmonics of 60 Hz)? In general, most hum is magnetically coupled, while buzz is power line leakage currents, aggravated by by Pin One Problems and failure to do proper bonding.
>
> 2) Make sure that the adapters you got are actually doing what you think they are doing (or that you want them to do), checkin them out with an Ohmmeter.
>
> 3) Make sure that bias is turned on -- the mic in CM500s is an electret, which requires bias.
>
> 4) Make sure that Mic Gain and Comp are not turned up too high. To set them, turn Comp all the way down, set TXEQ (see next step), then set Mic Gain to get indicated 100% modulation on the meter.
>
> 5) For TXEQ, set three lowest bands (50, 100, 200 Hz) for max cut, set next band (400 Hz) for 6dB cut), set the top two bands for about 6dB boost.
>
> 6) Make sure that everything in your station that connects to AC power, including any computer CONNECTED to your radio and anything connected to the computer, has their chassis bonded together AND powered from the same outlet, or from outlets whose green wires are bonded together, and one of those chassis connections bonded to your station ground , AND all grounds in your home all bonded together. These slides have drawings that illustrate conceptually how to do it right.
>
> http://k9yc.com/GroundingAndAudio.pdf
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

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