K2 microphone advice
Locked
 
|
I need some help/advice. I have completed K2 #5266 and want to use it on SSB, as well as cw. The MH2 hand mike offered by Elecraft/Heil is no longer available and I don't want to use a head mounted mike with earphones which is the only other alternative through Elecraft/Heil.
I admit I'm probably spoiled by the "plug 'n play" hand mikes I've used with previous Kenwood/Icom rigs and I'd really like something like that to use with my K2. If the Elecraft/Heil MH2 were still available I wouldn't be asking for help but it's not. What do others of you use? Also, does it need to be a mike with any special features? The guys in Elecraft support have been great to work with but I thought I'd start here since its after 5pm on the west coast. 73, Cary, K4TM K2 #5266 _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
Hi Cary,
I strapped my mike header straight across like for an Elecraft or Kenwood mike using computer jumpers. No voltage hooked up though (through a resistor or otherwise. First I tried an old Lafayette hand mike from an old CB. It is a 600 ohm dynamic mike. Worked great. I still had my boom and studio mike that I had used with my FT-990. I wired it for Elecraft/Kenwood, and hooked up my footswitch to the key jack (I put a 1/8" stereo siamese adapter on it so I can have my paddle hooked up and the footswitch at the same time). It works even better, fuller audio. This mike was one I bought at radio shack on close out 10 years ago for $5. A friend just built his K2 so I gave him a bunch of jumpers and the Lafayette mike. It sounds fine, but left me without a hand mike. So I wired up a Midland mike I had laying around and it works fine too. I also have one of the $25 Radio Shack dynamic hand mikes but have not tried it yet. Other guys have used them and they work fine also. All these mikes worked fine and had plenty of output to drive the K2 to full power on SSB. I have been a ham for 29 years and got a lot of stuff, so I had these mikes here. But the Radio Shack 21-1172 is only $25 and works fine. Why pay all that money for a name? 73 de Bob K3YT _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
In reply to this post by K4TM
On Wed, 1 Mar 2006 20:25:49 -0500, H. Cary III wrote:
>I admit I'm probably spoiled by the "plug 'n play" hand mikes I've >used with previous Kenwood/Icom rigs and I'd really like something >like that to use with my K2. If the Elecraft/Heil MH2 were still >available I wouldn't be asking for help but it's not. > What do others of you use? Also, does it need to be a mike with any >special features? Has anyone adapted a mike with an 8-pin modular plug for use with the K2? My station desk mike is an Adonis (Japanese) that is supposed to have an adapter cable for a Kenwood 8-pin round connector, but the word that I get from the importer is that Adonis is no longer servicing the US market - maybe he can get it, maybe not. If not, my adapter cable for the ICOM 9-pin modular socket is what I got. -- 73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
Hi Phil. There is a new item from MFJ you might want to look at. I think its
an MFJ-655 microphone equilizer/conditioner that will adapt almost any mic with either a round plug or modular to any radio. It has jumpers that can be arranged to accomodate any mic and radio configuration. Go to the MFJ web site and read about it. It does a lot more with a mic than what I've just described too. Harvey KN6VP ----- Original Message ----- From: "Phil Kane" <[hidden email]> To: <[hidden email]> Cc: <[hidden email]> Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 7:35 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K2 microphone advice > On Wed, 1 Mar 2006 20:25:49 -0500, H. Cary III wrote: > >>I admit I'm probably spoiled by the "plug 'n play" hand mikes I've >>used with previous Kenwood/Icom rigs and I'd really like something >>like that to use with my K2. If the Elecraft/Heil MH2 were still >>available I wouldn't be asking for help but it's not. > >> What do others of you use? Also, does it need to be a mike with any >>special features? > > Has anyone adapted a mike with an 8-pin modular plug for use with > the K2? My station desk mike is an Adonis (Japanese) that is > supposed to have an adapter cable for a Kenwood 8-pin round > connector, but the word that I get from the importer is that Adonis > is no longer servicing the US market - maybe he can get it, maybe > not. If not, my adapter cable for the ICOM 9-pin modular socket is > what I got. > > -- > 73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane > > From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest > Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 268.1.1/272 - Release Date: 3/1/2006 > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 268.1.1/272 - Release Date: 3/1/2006 _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
In reply to this post by K4TM
Hi Cary,
Congrats on #5266. You are asking one of the perennial questions that pop up on the reflector. Doug, VE3MCF, has carefully compiled advice from the reflector by topic. There is good advice on microphones in his archive as well as advice on many, many other questions. (Thanks Doug!) There are a couple ways to get to his archive from the Elecraft web site. One way is to click on "eMail Discussion List" in the left pane, and then on "Elecraft email list emails, organized by topic". Find the K2 area, and then the two pages with microphone stuff. Also if you go to the "Elecraft Forum Daily List archives" page on the Elecraft site, you can search through all the reflector posts. After doing the research myself I got a Kenwood MC-43S, based on favorable reports on the reflector. I don't have the KSB2 finished yet so I can't tell you how well it works though. 73, - Rob W7GH K2 #5004 On Wed, 01 Mar 2006 17:25:49 -0800, H. Cary III <[hidden email]> wrote: > I need some help/advice. I have completed K2 #5266 and want to use it > on SSB, as well as cw. The MH2 hand mike offered by Elecraft/Heil is no > longer available and I don't want to use a head mounted mike with > earphones which is the only other alternative through Elecraft/Heil. > I admit I'm probably spoiled by the "plug 'n play" hand mikes I've used > with previous Kenwood/Icom rigs and I'd really like something like that > to use with my K2. If the Elecraft/Heil MH2 were still available I > wouldn't be asking for help but it's not. > What do others of you use? Also, does it need to be a mike with any > special features? > The guys in Elecraft support have been great to work with but I thought > I'd start here since its after 5pm on the west coast. > 73, > Cary, K4TM > K2 #5266 _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
In reply to this post by K4TM
Hi
I use a TenTec 701 hand mike. It is a little smaller than the MH2 and comes with a 4 pin connector so you will need to go to Radio Shack and get an 8 pin connector and install it in place of the 4 pin. The interface is the same as the MH2 with the 5.6k resistor for bias required. Works good and is inexpensive ($28) Don Brown KD5NDB ----- Original Message ----- From: "H. Cary III" <[hidden email]> To: <[hidden email]> Cc: <[hidden email]> Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 7:25 PM Subject: [Elecraft] K2 microphone advice I need some help/advice. I have completed K2 #5266 and want to use it on SSB, as well as cw. The MH2 hand mike offered by Elecraft/Heil is no longer available and I don't want to use a head mounted mike with earphones which is the only other alternative through Elecraft/Heil. I admit I'm probably spoiled by the "plug 'n play" hand mikes I've used with previous Kenwood/Icom rigs and I'd really like something like that to use with my K2. If the Elecraft/Heil MH2 were still available I wouldn't be asking for help but it's not. What do others of you use? Also, does it need to be a mike with any special features? The guys in Elecraft support have been great to work with but I thought I'd start here since its after 5pm on the west coast. 73, Cary, K4TM K2 #5266 _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
What's the purpose of the 5.6k resistor?
I use a Ten Tec 701 hand microphone with no resistor with good audio. I use a Ten Tec 706 desk microphone with no resistor but it loses some of it's lows. Tried substituting a 9v battery fo0r the bias voltage, but it made no difference in the audio. The MD2 and MH2 tend to overdrive my particular KSB2. 73 de NA8M John > I use a TenTec 701 hand mike. It is a little smaller than the MH2 and comes > with a 4 pin connector so you will need to go to Radio Shack and get an 8 pin > connector and install it in place of the 4 pin. The interface is the same as > the MH2 with the 5.6k resistor for bias required. Works good and is > inexpensive ($28) > > Don Brown > KD5NDB _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
Hi
The electret elements used in these mikes need to have a small bias voltage applied to the mike usually 5-10 volts through a resister usually a few kilo ohms. The 701 has the resistor built into the microphone case but the Elecraft mikes do not so the resister needs to be added on the back of the microphone connector on the front panel board. The resistor connects from the +5 volt to the audio out pin and Elecraft recommends 5.6K for their mikes. The 701 mike will work fine with or without this resistor as it would just be in parallel with the internal resistor and the value is not very critical although it does need the +5 volt supply connected for it to work. Don Brown KD5NDB ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Huffman" <[hidden email]> To: <[hidden email]>; "Don Brown" <[hidden email]> Cc: <[hidden email]> Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 2:51 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K2 microphone advice > What's the purpose of the 5.6k resistor? > > I use a Ten Tec 701 hand microphone with no resistor with good audio. I > use a > Ten Tec 706 desk microphone with no resistor but it loses some of it's > lows. > Tried substituting a 9v battery fo0r the bias voltage, but it made no > difference > in the audio. The MD2 and MH2 tend to overdrive my particular KSB2. > > 73 de NA8M > John > > > > I use a TenTec 701 hand mike. It is a little smaller than the MH2 and > > comes > > with a 4 pin connector so you will need to go to Radio Shack and get an > > 8 pin > > connector and install it in place of the 4 pin. The interface is the > > same as > > the MH2 with the 5.6k resistor for bias required. Works good and is > > inexpensive ($28) > > > > Don Brown > > KD5NDB > > Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
In reply to this post by K4TM
I haven't used or worked a K2 on SSB but I get the impression it is not
the best audio. Seems to me the issue is not the mic, but the 2.0 KHz SSB filter. That's pretty narrow and won't give good hi-fi (or mid-fi) SSB. How hard would it be to increase the bandwidth of the SSB board's filter to 2.6 KHz or so? I'd love that. If I want the bandwidth limited I can do it with an outboard parametric EQ. - Keith KD1E - _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
Keith, KD1E asked:
I haven't used or worked a K2 on SSB but I get the impression it is not the best audio. Seems to me the issue is not the mic, but the 2.0 KHz SSB filter. That's pretty narrow and won't give good hi-fi (or mid-fi) SSB. How hard would it be to increase the bandwidth of the SSB board's filter to 2.6 KHz or so? I'd love that. If I want the bandwidth limited I can do it with an outboard parametric EQ. ------------------------------------- Elecraft provides kits of capacitors to change the SSB filter bandwidth, widening it to 2.2 or 2.6 kHz. Order SSBCAPKT. The original SSB filter was made narrow to provide more "talk power" or "punch" for QRP signals. It's a tradeoff between the narrowest possible bandwidth, which provides the loudest signal at the other end, and audio quality. I opened up the filter in my K2 to 2.6 KHz and it receives 'standard broadcast' A.M. signals with the same fidelity as most small AM receivers. (With the 160 meter option installed, the K2 receives the upper part of the North American A.M. broadcast band). The wider bandwidth also allows you more flexibility in setting the passband for test transmit audio (remember, FL1 is *always* the one used on xmit, no matter which filter you have selected for receive). With my somewhat gravelly voice I find better to raise the low frequency cutoff up above 300 Hz and make use of some of the higher frequency response to balance the audio. Ron AC7AC _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
In reply to this post by Darwin, Keith
Darwin,
The current production K2s have a SSB filter bandwidth of 2.4 kHz - that can be easily changed to a 2.6 kHz width by changing the capacitor values (most easily done before the crystals are mounted) - Elecraft has a kit with the proper value capacitors. Proper alignment of the filter passband in the audio spectrum will also go a long way toward obtaining a 'natural sounding' audio response. In addition, those K2s that do not have proper dial calibration may sound a bit 'wimpy' on an SSB roundtable net if one just tunes it to the designated frequency and does no more fine tuning of the rest of the folks in the roundtable - the K2 dial may not read correctly unless it is properly calibrated after setting the 4 MHz reference oscillator. If you want details on how to accomplish this task, check out the K2 Dial Calibration article on my website http://w3fpr.qrpradio.com . The older KSB2 did have a 2.1 kHz filter width which gave more SSB power when QRP. Yes, it did not give great 'broadcast sounding audio', but it is quite effective. As an aside, I can recall when the Collins 1.8 kHz SSB mechanical filter was the thing to be desired by the SSB crowd with adequate bucks to buy the filter - it gave great communications intelligibility (albiet at the expense of fidelity) - I just shake my head in wonder about how expectations have changed over the years. 73, Don W3FPR > -----Original Message----- > > I haven't used or worked a K2 on SSB but I get the impression it is not > the best audio. Seems to me the issue is not the mic, but the 2.0 KHz > SSB filter. That's pretty narrow and won't give good hi-fi (or mid-fi) > SSB. > > How hard would it be to increase the bandwidth of the SSB board's filter > to 2.6 KHz or so? I'd love that. If I want the bandwidth limited I can > do it with an outboard parametric EQ. > > - Keith KD1E - > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
Don W3FPR wrote:
As an aside, I can recall when the Collins 1.8 kHz SSB mechanical filter was the thing to be desired by the SSB crowd with adequate bucks to buy the filter - it gave great communications intelligibility (albiet at the expense of fidelity) - I just shake my head in wonder about how expectations have changed over the years. ---------------------- They were greatly prized by what many ops called the "Donald Duck set", as AM phone operators often called the SSB stations when both modes were quite popular. (The "Donald Duck" moniker came from what SSB sounded like when not properly tuned in). For A.M rigs, good "communications quality" A.M. had a bandwidth of about 3 kHz (at the -3dB points) and was often wider. The bandwidth was limited only by the coupling circuits between audio stages with no filters as such, so the roll off outside the 3 kHz range was very, very gradual compared to a filter SSB rig. Very few people operate AM these days but many operators long for the more "natural sounding" audio with a somewhat wider bandwidth. Of course, there are those who go to absurd extremes seeking "broadcast quality" audio that uses excessive bandwidth, but they're not representative of the bulk of Hams. Ron AC7AC _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
|
|
In reply to this post by K4TM
Thanks guys for the info.
As a pseudo-semi-pro musician, I have some audio processing gear to put between the mic and the rig. Mixing board, full parametric EQ, compressor. Using the EQ, I can dial in the amount of bandwidth I want but it is for naught if the rig is filtering it out. I prefer a wide open rig (2.8 KHz or so) which allows me to widen the signal for strong signal rag chews and narrow it for DX, Contests, QRP, etc. It's funny, really, the gear for the audio path is larger than the rig itself :-) 73! - Keith - -----Original Message----- From: Don Wilhelm [mailto:[hidden email]] Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 6:20 PM To: Darwin, Keith; [hidden email] Subject: RE: [Elecraft] K2 microphone advice Keith, The current production K2s have a SSB filter bandwidth of 2.4 kHz - that can be easily changed to a 2.6 kHz width by changing the capacitor values (most easily done before the crystals are mounted) - Elecraft has a kit with the proper value capacitors. _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
«
Return to Elecraft
|
1 view|%1 views
| Free forum by Nabble | Edit this page |