Good mike for SSB use on a RCI 2995?

[King Mudduck]

I'm currently using a hand held D-104 and it seems to work well but i was wondering if there is something better, what i'm looking for is a more full and rich sound on SSB. I know that HEIL makes some great mikes but some of those are out of my price range although i'm not ruling them out. I do wonder if the one that i have looked at ( the PR-781 ) can be wired for use on a 2995, at almost $200.00 i would want to make sure it could before i got it! I'm not really concerned about AM as much as i am SSB as that's where this radio is used and that is where i'm most concerned about the quality of my audio.

So what do you think,What would be a good mike for this radio that would really bring it alive on SSB?

 

[ExitThirteen]

My recommendation would be an Astatic D-104 or Silver Eagle desk mic with the Astatic 10-DA SSB head on it. I have 2 mics with the 10-DA head on them... and I always get compliments on how good I sound, nice full sound without being to "bass-ey" (like the Turner mics) or too "tinny" (like the normal lollipop heads on the Astatic Desk mics).

You could get a regular Astatic D-104 mic pretty reasonable, and the 10-DA SSB head runs anywhere from 30-60 bucks on fleabay.

-Exit

 

[Happy_Hamer]

Have you considered the best of both worlds?

Parts - Amateur Radio - Heil Sound

Scroll half way down the page to HC 104 Conversion Kit for D104 Microphone

D-104 ASTATIC - The D 104 does not need a baffle board, as the internal metal back plate IS a baffle board. Simply cement the HEIL element right to that. It is usually best to cement a very thin piece of foam between the two to eliminate any vibrations that may carry through to the element. As with all of the microphone installations, it is also best to place a THIN, acoustically transparent, piece of foam in front of the element which serves as a windscreen 'breath blast' filter. Most microphones will already have some type of filter in them.

 

[Highlander_821]

The 10DA-L head is a great mic for that radio. Too bad you can't buy one new....

...Oh yeah, you CAN buy a brand new, TUP10DA "SuperSidebander" black and chrome 10 DA-L mic from me, 140 bucks, shipped to the lower 48.

This unit is 100% mint, blemish free, in original packaging.

I use an identical mic on my Galaxy DX2517, and people think I'm on a Yaesu or Kenwood.

 

[Robb]

My fave? Without a question - the Silver Eagle if you can get a good one. Pay thru the nose - you will. Which ones do I own and use? I have the next best thing to a Silver Eagle, the D104/T-UP9 - and can be found at half the price of a Silver Eagle. The only real difference between them is cosmetic, so be happy. They both have 2 key switches; one on the side of the mic - and the other on the base.

The base switch is my favorite part on these mics. When keyed, you can hear the distinctive and resonant 'clink' and the awesome modulation that follows. Keep your background noise to a minimum, or choose it carefully to color your distinct sound. I keep mine at a distance of my outstretched arm, so that natural slap echoes from the room return subtley to the mic. Don't need to talk loud or directly either; let the mic put out that sweet sound. They are very sensitive, so use you modulation meter bridge and adjust your final modulation on the radio mic gainaccordingly. Turning up the preamp in the base of the mic to 80% on and talk like you would to anyone with normal volume of speech. Let the mic do the rest; it will. Sweeeet. What is the quality that makes it sweet? The resonance of the stand and the frquency responce of these Astatic elements - that's fo sho. But this is base-station talk; and it is clearly a winner on SSB as well.

Mobile speaking, I have a D104/M2 - an older one that looks as if it lost a nasty fight. Its pretty tore up, but can modulate with the best of them. It sounds best when stationery, and when moving it gets pretty noisy. I'm afraid it has seen better days (had it for 20 years) and I need to get a new mobile mic - something that can noise cancel and still throws sweet modulation and swings well. The Turners are a fave of the truckers, because they cancel noise really well while rolling with all of that noise trucks can generate. They modulate well, but don't exactly sound sweet but are swingin. I guess it is a trade off. I was thinking about the Astatic Road Devil noise-canceling mic this time around. A little cheaper than a new D104/M5 - but does it still have that sweet & swing? That is the $50 question.
And how it works on SSB is a puzzle to me as well...

 

[Wire Weasel]

I always liked the Turner desk mics. Great sound and they are of more sturdy construction and easier to work on if you have to, than a D 104. Ebay has Turners all the time. I'd look for a +3 model. Have used one on a Yaesu and an Icom with great results. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[AE5RD]

The best Mic I heard is a syncron base mike. It gives that low full rich sound on SSB as well as AM. Also they are really priced right. I tried the Heil but was unable to attain decent audio levels. When I called Heil they said I had to have an audio preamp. I was using the Heil on a Yaesu 101b. Plus the Guy on the phone was snotty.

 

[Switch Kit]

Turner Super Sidekick (as in Side band) is another one that will work on SSB very nicely. I've always found that the 10D head were nice but just regular d-104 heads were to much unless they were modified one way or the other.

Some of the best sounding mic's I've heard over the years on SSB were good plain ole stock mic's. believe it ........or not.

 

[WR0220]

I swap a Kenwood MC60a between my 2995dx and dx2527 and the audio quality is outstanding on both radios. You can pick one up used for less money then a D104 and (IMO) the audio quality is far superior. Another nice feature is the frequency up/down buttons on the base of the mic.

 

[mackmobile43]

I'm currently using a hand held D-104 and it seems to work well but i was wondering if there is something better, what i'm looking for is a more full and rich sound on SSB. I know that HEIL makes some great mikes but some of those are out of my price range although i'm not ruling them out. I do wonder if the one that i have looked at ( the PR-781 ) can be wired for use on a 2995, at almost $200.00 i would want to make sure it could before i got it! I'm not really concerned about AM as much as i am SSB as that's where this radio is used and that is where i'm most concerned about the quality of my audio.

So what do you think,What would be a good mike for this radio that would really bring it alive on SSB?

There is a simple mod you can do to that mic that will give you a tone control.
It's a simple matter of changing a resistor on the board (the 270k ohm to a 100k ohm and adding a 2 meg pot in series back to the board)

Here is the mod in detail

Here is a picture of the mod when completed, leave your devices leads full length to give yourself some room to position them in the mic cabinet.

 

[SR385]

I keep meaning to try that.

Any reason you didn't just wire the pot in place of the resistor?

 

[mackmobile43]

I keep meaning to try that.

Any reason you didn't just wire the pot in place of the resistor?

They need to be in series so the pot is less sensitive.

 

[King Mudduck]

They need to be in series so the pot is less sensitive.

Thank you very much for that!!!

 

[King Mudduck]

Have you considered the best of both worlds?

Parts - Amateur Radio - Heil Sound

Scroll half way down the page to HC 104 Conversion Kit for D104 Microphone

I sent Heil an email asking them about mike for the 2995. They said they had not designed any mike to work with this radio.

 

[WR0220]

I sent Heil an email asking them about mike for the 2995. They said they had not designed any mike to work with this radio.

What Hamer is referring to is a replacement element for the D104 - not a complete microphone. Making an inquiry about a mic to use on an 'illegal' radio is kinda like spittin' in the wind...it will just end up back in your face.