Captain Kilowatt, you have my apologies sir. I misunderstood your statement on, I believe, page two. I am no troll Sir however, I was, at one time when I owned my shop, a licensed repair center for both Astatic and Turner. I can assure you there are distinct differences between the +3 and the +3B. There is no 'Electronic-Relay' switching in the +3B and there are three sets of switches in the +3B instead of two and they operate differently. The Amp boards are the same though. I will also go so far as to say I think the Turner +3s are the best amplified mics of any type ever built, Compression-Amp or otherwise. I dearly love D104s but, Turners, especially with SSB, are better in every sense.
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Looking for a mint Turner desk mic Plus 3B model
- Thread starter Retro CB Guy
- Start date
To tell tne truth EVERYTHING I have ever seen said the +3 and the +3B were the same except for tbe color. As for the switch I'll have to pull mine out and have another look. I haven't used it in MANY years.......like 20 or so. I was sure there was a switch on the bottom that was connected to the wafer switches and changed the way they operated. THAT part I may be wrong about. It will have to wait however as I am at work....on the night shift.
Oh, little secret, the four wire +3 mic cord has to be changed for five pin mics like the cobra and Uniden mics. The +3 mic cord is four wire;Shield, audio Xmit, rcv. You can wire this to a five pin mic plug but a lot of times you'll get keyoff squeel. The trick is to replace the existing cord with a five-wire cord like an Astatic or such and internally wire the fifth wire(Usually Blue or yellow) to the center contact tab on the Xmit/Rcv switch, not the switch that carries the battery negative. Then it goes on the switch pin on the mic plug.
It's the difference between connecting to ground and connecting to a common point. Ground is usually a common point but not always especially when dealing with switches or relays.
OK I got home from work a while ago and the first thing I did was pull the Turner +3B down off the top shelf in the shack and take a look at it. No switch on the bottom. Hmmmmm I could have sworn I remember there being one. Still not satisfied I pulled the bottom cover plate off and took another look. I also took a picture and as you can see there is no switch HOWEVER there is an empty mounting slot for one. That must be what I was remembering. Oh I mentioned it has been at least 20 years since I used it......well it was a couple years before I was married and last week we celebrated our 25'th anniversary so I guess it has been a little longer than I had thought. I plead advanced age and elapsed time as an excuse for my mistake. 
The arrangement where you see 4 wires with a E/R switch (+3), and 6 wires with no switch (+3B) …. is same arrangement that you see with the D104's TUG8 vs. TUG9. This was all supposedly done to make it easier to wire up to certain kinds of older radios …. but I've never seen any radio myself that you couldn't wire either style of these mics to ….. not to say there weren't any such radios …. but they must be pretty obscure. Another different in the Turners is like you see in CK's pic above, the 3B has three sets of contacts whereas the Gray +3 only has two sets …. again …. this seems to make for no operational difference.
Both having compression and same board / sound the same ….. you're basically now choosing only between do you want a gray mic or a black one.
The Gray +3's were more common and therefore easier to find now.
You have to ask seller's this question: Is the Head 100% completely tight on the neck? Will it wiggle or move any at all? - They have a tendency to get loose. There is a mounting screw that holds the head onto the neck accessed through the back of the head through an access hole and it is covered by a label ….. I've never seen anyone be able to neatly remove that label without destroying it …. not saying it's impossible. ~ then along with this question …. is the Label on the back of the head still there?
So the best scenario is to find one where the head is completely tight …. has never come loose on it's own, and the label on the back of the head is complete and intact.
Good luck !!
Both having compression and same board / sound the same ….. you're basically now choosing only between do you want a gray mic or a black one.
The Gray +3's were more common and therefore easier to find now.
You have to ask seller's this question: Is the Head 100% completely tight on the neck? Will it wiggle or move any at all? - They have a tendency to get loose. There is a mounting screw that holds the head onto the neck accessed through the back of the head through an access hole and it is covered by a label ….. I've never seen anyone be able to neatly remove that label without destroying it …. not saying it's impossible. ~ then along with this question …. is the Label on the back of the head still there?
So the best scenario is to find one where the head is completely tight …. has never come loose on it's own, and the label on the back of the head is complete and intact.
Good luck !!
OK Here is just one of many sites that say the ONLY difference between the +3 and the +3B is the colour.
http://www.radiomuseum.org/m/turner_usa_en_1.html
If in fact the difference is that the +3 had four wires and two switches and the +3B had six wires and three switches then there MUST be two different schematics available out there somewhere. Can someone post up BOTH schematics that clearly show the two different microphones? I can only find one schematic that seems to apply to "both" models which would mean they are the same. Is it possible the four wire two switch models and the six wire three switch models are in fact an overall change to the same model?
Also has anyone ever seen a black +3 or a gray +3B? I mean factory colors.
http://www.radiomuseum.org/m/turner_usa_en_1.html
If in fact the difference is that the +3 had four wires and two switches and the +3B had six wires and three switches then there MUST be two different schematics available out there somewhere. Can someone post up BOTH schematics that clearly show the two different microphones? I can only find one schematic that seems to apply to "both" models which would mean they are the same. Is it possible the four wire two switch models and the six wire three switch models are in fact an overall change to the same model?
Also has anyone ever seen a black +3 or a gray +3B? I mean factory colors.
I have worked with these mics since 1976. I have worked with them recently refurbishing them and installing my Tweety Bird noise toys in them.
CK when I say "switches" I'm referring to the littler E/R toggle switch in the rear as you mention in your post and noting that it's not there your pic.
When I say one has (2) and the other has (3), I'm referring to Sets of Contacts.
+3 = 4 wires, 2 sets of Contacts and has the little E/R toggle switch
+3B = 6 wires, 3 sets of Contacts and no E/R toggle switch.
Either mic should wire up to and work well on most any radio.
CK when I say "switches" I'm referring to the littler E/R toggle switch in the rear as you mention in your post and noting that it's not there your pic.
When I say one has (2) and the other has (3), I'm referring to Sets of Contacts.
+3 = 4 wires, 2 sets of Contacts and has the little E/R toggle switch
+3B = 6 wires, 3 sets of Contacts and no E/R toggle switch.
Either mic should wire up to and work well on most any radio.
Likewise with the D104's. Same mic elements, same amp board:
TUG8 = 4 wires & E/R Switch
TUG9 = 6 wires and no e/r switch
TUG8 = 4 wires & E/R Switch
TUG9 = 6 wires and no e/r switch
Captain, see the three sets of switches under the Key? That's what I was referring to. The gray +3 only has two sets there.
Yeah I know either mic will wire up. If I follow what you are saying the +3 with 4 wires has two lever switches connected to the PTT bar AND AN ADDITIONAL SLIDE SWITCH FOR E/R SWITCHING.
The +3B has six wires, three sets of lever switches connected to the PTT bar and no slide switch for E/R switching. That is what I have understood all along. That explains why my mic has the spot to mount the E/R switch but since it has six wires it does not have the switch.
My understanding was that the +3 and +3B were the same mic that was originally made with 4 wires and a switch which later was modified to six wires and no switch and that the only difference between the +3 and the +3B was the colour. If this is not the case then I was mistaken due to misinformation from years gone by.
There is a difference between some of the Turner mics. Think it was the 'Super SideKick'; it had a pot on the board to adjust the amount of compression. Otherwise, the compression was a fixed value for the rest of them - IIRC . . .
The Super Sidekick does not have compression. The pot on the bottom was simply a limit for overall gain. Think of the pot on the bottom as a preset input level on a mixer and the main pot on the top of the mic as the master gain
