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hand mic or desk mic for base ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BOOTY MONSTER
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BOOTY MONSTER

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on a base radio do you have a preference ? which do you use ? i seem to recall reading somewhere that hand mics are better than desk mics because most are noise cancelling and eleminate tv, kids and other house hold sounds that can interfer with the tx .
 

I use both depending on what radio and mood I'm in. Sometimes I like to use the hand mic because it takes up less space. If you turn the gain up too high on any of them, you'll get background noise, although the noise cancelling mics help quite a bit.
 
I prefer a desk mic when I'm at home. I have quite a nice collection of them, many of them no longer being produced.

I run an MD1008X on the Yaesu FT-847, an Astatic TUP10DA SuperSidebander on the Galaxy DX-2517, a Shure 526T on the President Lincoln, and a Cobra CA-72 (made by Turner) on my Cobra 150 GTL-DX. They all sound phenomenal with those radios.

When mobile, I run an Astatic 575 on the Lincoln, or a Superstar DM-452 on the Uniden Grant LT.
 
What I like, and what I prefer for a base radio mic - has to be the D104/TUP9.
I got attached to the sound from hearing others on my base radio. They all have that great distinctive 'clink' when keyed up. And if the mic is in decent shape, you can key it up at an arm's length/distance from your mouth. Talking in a regular tone of voice - sounds distinctive, clear, and full of character. As far a background sound being picked up, I think that is a plus. Some guys I know have a tropical bird in their house, and it will sometimes squawk in the background. Great sense of depth; as any mic will pick reflected sounds in any room - it adds to the character of the sound transmitted - IMO. The D104 is top of the list when it comes to that.

The TUP 9 mic is also equipped with the base key switch, and I like that better than the side key D104/TUG8's. Just personal preference. Additionally, they have the same guts as the Silver Eagle; the only difference is the engraved Eagle on the back. That's about it...

But I have used a handheld D104. They sound very good - I think that is certainly one of most versatile mics around. Great on a base radio, and pretty decent if you are mobile with it - provided the car is one with a quiet ride.

If you want to go Hi Fidelity, then a Shure or ElectroVoice will be needed. Either one will make you sound like a commercial AM broadcast station - very accurate and full. Not necessarily more expensive - but quite a bit harder to find. You can always get a Shure SM56 and hook it up t your radio in the same ways that Hams adapt mics to their rigs. ElectroVoice mics might run you a $150~ if you can find one - but so is the cost of a Silver Eagle. Between the two, the ElectroVoice is a much better mic; but the Silver Eagle has character. That is the best way to say it - IMO...
 
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i perfer desk mics on the base.and like most said weather its a hand mic or base
either will pick up noise .so with that said if it does get noisy i will switch
from my desk mike to my rk56.same with my mobile i use a rflimited 2018[non xtreame]
when im by myself.when ever it gets noisy in my car i switch to my skythumper 65dx
this seems to work very well for me
 
I have always used a hand mic on my base. My base is located next to the workbench in my shop, and it is ALWAYS on. I have a really long mic cord, and since I spend a lot of time in the shop it's nice to be able to pick up the mike and throw my 2 cents worth into a conversation. Just a convenience thing for me.

- 399
 
I have 3 base mics I truly love on the base. Astatic 878 DM is a new mic and has the same specs as the D104M6 Hand Mic. Very clear and loud but not quite as loud as the other two. The D104 Silver Eagle is a great one as explained above Loud and Strong sound. Afuzz less clear than the 878 but not by much. And then the Old Saldelta Echo Master Plus I picked up awhile back. Love this mic also and find myself using it more and more. Its loud as any Mic ive used and drives radios and amps as hard as a D104 but truned down afuzz sounds as good on SSB as any mic ive used. This Mic looks like the Galaxy Base Mic that is still in production and have been told it sounds the same but I cant say for sure. . Sadelta has built in echo and a double roger beep but they can be turned off. I hate both but some like it. They made a single meter and a double meter but I was told by afew the single is better. Only negitive coment ive seen is that the meter movement wear out batteries alittle faster than most mics but thats ok. Some unhook the meter but I will leave it as is. Here is what it looks like.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sadelta-Echo-Master-Plus_W0QQitemZ270382155156QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCB_Radios?hash=item3ef4084594&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50
 
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Boom mount ;-)

I always liked my Shure 522's until I got a boom...it's much nicer. You can keep the mic in close where it's supposed to be for the best audio, keep your desktop clear for other things and depending on how you mount your boom, you can even stand up while using it.

I'm a slave to a boom and foot switch now, I love it.

For the boom mount, I took a 1/2" x 12" pipe nipple and a threaded flange mount and screwed that flange to my desk on the far left side. The stub on the base of the boom slips into the pipe. This puts the base of my boom up higher than an open laptop or a full sized rig with junk on top of it. Gives more clearance for the boom over the desk.

You can make a mic boom from a $20 boom arm desk lamp if you want for lighter mics.

I still use a hand mic from time to time, I find it is best for rapid fire repeater conversations.
 

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