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Desk mic
- Thread starter KJ4VRQ
- Start date
RatsoW8
Supporting Member, W9WDX ARC Member - WD8T
Heil makes some great mics. I've been using a Gold-line GM4 for almost 10 years. Also had a the Proset 6 on my FT-950 and it had excellent audio.
Before I say anything - please do not be offended by what I am about to say - Please!
You have a basic $1000.00 transceiver, it's basic design is that it is somewhat a mobile that is designed to be a take along radio.
Its stock mic has been configured to be very good.
Most people looking for a microphone upgrade are only doing it because they do not have a radio voice and they are looking to compensate for what ever they lack in tone or quality.
It does not make much sense from a economical standpoint to buy a $1000 radio and then connect it to a $350.00 microphone - trying to make your audio sound better.
With most all communications taking place on single side splatter - all that counts is that I can hear you and you can hear me.
If we wanted broadcast quality audio we would either buy a radio station or we would start out with a much better transceiver such as the Kenwood TS 590 which allows you to tailor your audio and even listen to it on the talk back. That is about a $1500.00 base station transceiver that does not need any type of additional filter purchases.
You could spend $4500 and buy a Ten Tec Orion and then spend another $2000 on filters to do the same thing.
The only people that worries about their audio tends to be the vain or the AM operators. The AM operators tends to purchase the older equipment such as the Viking Valiant or the commercial Collins transmitters.
You can spend thousands of dollars on Behringer Boards or Bozaks and you can spend hundreds of dollars on Heil Goldline microphones, but the bottom line is that we are not supposed to broadcast.
So what does it matter what your audio sounds like.
Invest your money into more efficient antenna's and feed line, this will get you your best gains.
Buying a crappy radio and then hooking it up to an amplifier so you can make your signal appear louder only tends to distort the audio and make you sound crappy.
Radio is all about Db's - you can get good Db's of gain out of more efficient antenna's and coax or you can get crappy Db's of gain out of crappy amplifiers.
I'm sorry that I am making assumptions here, but I have been around radio a long time and I know from experience what I have heard on 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 meters.
A million times I have heard the statement that they were using a G5RV and a 1000 watt linear amplifier and that they could work everyone they could hear.
Their problem was that the only people they could hear was their good buddies with the same set up.
When a person came with a good antenna, 100 watts, clean audio, and was not pushing their needle 20/9 - they refused to talk to them.
Please do not take my post as a personal assault.
Invest your money into a better antenna, good coax, a better transceiver..
You have a basic $1000.00 transceiver, it's basic design is that it is somewhat a mobile that is designed to be a take along radio.
Its stock mic has been configured to be very good.
Most people looking for a microphone upgrade are only doing it because they do not have a radio voice and they are looking to compensate for what ever they lack in tone or quality.
It does not make much sense from a economical standpoint to buy a $1000 radio and then connect it to a $350.00 microphone - trying to make your audio sound better.
With most all communications taking place on single side splatter - all that counts is that I can hear you and you can hear me.
If we wanted broadcast quality audio we would either buy a radio station or we would start out with a much better transceiver such as the Kenwood TS 590 which allows you to tailor your audio and even listen to it on the talk back. That is about a $1500.00 base station transceiver that does not need any type of additional filter purchases.
You could spend $4500 and buy a Ten Tec Orion and then spend another $2000 on filters to do the same thing.
The only people that worries about their audio tends to be the vain or the AM operators. The AM operators tends to purchase the older equipment such as the Viking Valiant or the commercial Collins transmitters.
You can spend thousands of dollars on Behringer Boards or Bozaks and you can spend hundreds of dollars on Heil Goldline microphones, but the bottom line is that we are not supposed to broadcast.
So what does it matter what your audio sounds like.
Invest your money into more efficient antenna's and feed line, this will get you your best gains.
Buying a crappy radio and then hooking it up to an amplifier so you can make your signal appear louder only tends to distort the audio and make you sound crappy.
Radio is all about Db's - you can get good Db's of gain out of more efficient antenna's and coax or you can get crappy Db's of gain out of crappy amplifiers.
I'm sorry that I am making assumptions here, but I have been around radio a long time and I know from experience what I have heard on 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 meters.
A million times I have heard the statement that they were using a G5RV and a 1000 watt linear amplifier and that they could work everyone they could hear.
Their problem was that the only people they could hear was their good buddies with the same set up.
When a person came with a good antenna, 100 watts, clean audio, and was not pushing their needle 20/9 - they refused to talk to them.
Please do not take my post as a personal assault.
Invest your money into a better antenna, good coax, a better transceiver..
BJ radionut
Supporting Member and 6m addict
I also like the Heil's. I use a Gold Elite on my FTdx3000, this is the same as I used on my FT-950. I use the wide Studio element for "Rag Chewing" and occasionally use the HC-5 element for DX Pile-ups.
The Gold Elite has 2 different elements in the same head and is switchable.
I have also used for many years a Shure 444D on my Kenwood's and Yaesu rigs.
Good all purpose mic that can be purchased fairly reasonable on the used market.
I had the MD-100 for a time and was told it sounded good, however I did not like the "SHORT" profile stand. I used it with a small wooded box under it to bring it higher off the desk.
I prefer a Boom set-up to bring the mic up about 12-14 inches above my bench, so I may speak directly in to it.
Mics can differ sound wise with many people depending on their particular voice range. Microphones differ in the speech range where they may have their "peak" pick-up. Thus if you have a Higher pitched voice, one may wish to have a Mic with a Lower peak range, and the same if your voice range is low a higher peak may sound better.
This is where having a rig with a built-in EQ can be a plus for some.
Well this may help you make a choice, maybe not!:headbang
All the Best
Gary/W9FNB
The Gold Elite has 2 different elements in the same head and is switchable.
I have also used for many years a Shure 444D on my Kenwood's and Yaesu rigs.
Good all purpose mic that can be purchased fairly reasonable on the used market.
I had the MD-100 for a time and was told it sounded good, however I did not like the "SHORT" profile stand. I used it with a small wooded box under it to bring it higher off the desk.
I prefer a Boom set-up to bring the mic up about 12-14 inches above my bench, so I may speak directly in to it.
Mics can differ sound wise with many people depending on their particular voice range. Microphones differ in the speech range where they may have their "peak" pick-up. Thus if you have a Higher pitched voice, one may wish to have a Mic with a Lower peak range, and the same if your voice range is low a higher peak may sound better.
This is where having a rig with a built-in EQ can be a plus for some.
Well this may help you make a choice, maybe not!:headbang
All the Best
Gary/W9FNB
I can buy an md-100 for under $100... Was just looking for any other options... Not worried about a radio voice.... Just easier to use with a desk mic than having to pick up my mic ever time I talk.... I don't use my radio for mobile operations...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have a Heil gold line mic " broadcast element and #5" and a yaesu md 100 .
I myself prefer the md 100 for tone response it gives .The Heil is to flat and bass and requires audio gear to adjust it in.
The md 100 has a simple yet very effective audio filter built in "controls on bottom of mic stand" and even on my ft 950 with built in eq the mic built in filter and no radio eq sounds better then the Heil and radio eq.
The 897 doesn't have any input eq so highly recommend the md 100 . I have a ft 897d and it never sounded good with the Heil on either element ..too much bass on the broadcast element and too high pitched on the # 5.
For a nice natural sound on the 897 the md 100 is hard to beat
73
RatsoW8
Supporting Member, W9WDX ARC Member - WD8T
At the end of the day its all about what mic works with your particular voice frequencies and what you want to use it for.. The Heil GM4 dual element mic works best with my voice with absolutely no out board processing.
Heil mics are communications quality mics and Bob Heil is one of the only guys out there giving us choices in desk and headset boom mics these days. You either go with the Yaesu offering, the old Kenwood MC series or some vintage mic that's 30+ years old. I'm not saying that some of the vintage mics out there aren't worth looking at but our choices are limited for new microphones. I have no affiliation with Heil but I do like a company that makes a quality product that works as advertised and they've been in the "sound" business for a long time.
Like I've said before the only piece of equipment that I haven't traded or sold off for something else in the GM4 and it stills looks and works like the day I bought it.
Heil mics are communications quality mics and Bob Heil is one of the only guys out there giving us choices in desk and headset boom mics these days. You either go with the Yaesu offering, the old Kenwood MC series or some vintage mic that's 30+ years old. I'm not saying that some of the vintage mics out there aren't worth looking at but our choices are limited for new microphones. I have no affiliation with Heil but I do like a company that makes a quality product that works as advertised and they've been in the "sound" business for a long time.
Like I've said before the only piece of equipment that I haven't traded or sold off for something else in the GM4 and it stills looks and works like the day I bought it.
I have to ask.
What is that comment about?
Or for convenience, like the man has said.
Can you tell us all what a real radio voice sounds like?
Really?
Most good op`s do care what there audio sounds like.
Anyway, I think you get my point.
Ya, please do not take my post as a personal assault
73
Jeff
What is that comment about?
Or for convenience, like the man has said.
Can you tell us all what a real radio voice sounds like?
Really?
Most good op`s do care what there audio sounds like.
Anyway, I think you get my point.
Ya, please do not take my post as a personal assault
73
Jeff
Last edited:
BJ radionut
Supporting Member and 6m addict
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