Listening while at the track - earphone amp mod Pro-95

[Pro-95]

Ok I attempted to use my ear bud while at the race track yesterday. I'm hear(pun) to tell you it doesn't work real well. Especially since you can't hear yourself think most of the time.

Now I'm not an avid track go-er but may go 3 times a year. This hardly justifies a set of racetrack headphones.

So a question for the wizards is there a way to alter the external/headphone jack modification from just blasting to a controllable loudness? I'm thinking a small pot but don't know if the modification is a all or nothing mod.

Website where the mod is described.
I'm assuming that this is jumping ground but I can't say for sure.

 

[thumbtrap]

Could you try an earbud under a good 30db set of muffs? A note on hearing protection - it's easy to find cheap 30db plugs. But most ear muffs you can walk into a store and buy are no better than 20-24 db. There are some good 30db muffs targeted to the shooting crowd - and they're not terribly expensive.

 

[jerneedog]

I use my scanner at NASCAR races as well and I use these head phones.

They came with the package I bought and they've been good head phones, plus they have a small price.

I wouldn't have even tried using my earbud at the track at all, knowing
before hand how loud the races can get.

 

[Pro-95]

I use my scanner at NASCAR races as well and I use these head phones.
I wouldn't have even tried using my earbud at the track at all, knowing
before hand how loud the races can get.

Listen in on the constant conversation between your favorite Driver and Crew. Handy for airplane and boat races too.

Vanco HF24RS Scanner Headphones Features:

• Full Size Headphone
• 3.5 mm Premium Gold Right Angle Plug with a 10 ft Coiled Cord
• Dual Volume Controls to Maximize Hearing Levels
• Snug Fit Headband for Comfort You Can Feel
• Comfort Fit Cushions Let You Hear the Action Over Crowd and Engine Noise
• 4 Color Box Illustrating Race Driver and Scanner Head Phone

Vanco HF24RS Scanner Headphones Specifications:

• Impedance: 8 ohms
• Frequency Response: 180 - 12,000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 98 dB at 1 kHz
• Maximum Input: 250 mW

14 bucks?!?!? That's like suspiciously cheap. They are good? Really? They don't advertize a db rating?

Yeah I took the earbud out of habit. :roll: It worked ok if I cupped my ear and I could almost hear it with out. Just needed a little more umph.

 

[Pro-95]

BTW, I did a test then performed the modification. The sound level increase was worth it just for the normal speaker alone. The volume level is still very controllable, even for earbud usage. Yes you *could* hurt your ears if you cranked it with the earbud.

But I look at it this way, definately an improvement in the "anemic" sound overall and I *could* cut my arm off with a chainsaw.

And reckless days of my youth with 100 watt stacked amps and a guitar left me fairly well damaged in the hearing department as it is.

 

[jerneedog]

They don't advertise noise reduction but I've been using them at the track and my wife and I have no complaints on them. I've used ones with noise reduction (when I use to rent scanners at the track) and these really do compare. I've been happy with them, they feel comfortable too.
I would buy them again if something happened to my current ones.

BTW...the picture shows them in gray, but mine came in red.

 

[SAR923]

You can do an audio mod for the Pro 92 through Pro 95 line without even opening the scanner. Just take a twist tie with a wire center. Strip off the paper cover and wrap the wire around the bottom of the BNC antenna post and then wrap the remaining wire around the bottom of the headphone or speaker plug. This provides the same ground as described in the mod but can be removed if not needed and the price is right.

 

[thumbtrap]

FWIW active noise reduction may be dissapointing. While the concept is valid, consumer active noise cancelling phones I've played were around 6db, and only from say 100hz to 1khz. A good set of closed cans had better noise reduction in the OFF mode, just by virtue of the fact that they obstruct and cover your ears. I wouldn't just take an earbud and blast it to match the background noise - I was suggesting UNDER a good solid ear muff.

 

[Halfpint]

From personal experience I can say that both the RadioShack RS#33-1158 @ approx $70 and the RS#33-1198 @ approx $50 work quite well. (Example: At the Mile-Hi Jet Car Nationals 2 years ago I used the 33-1198s and was up in the `Top Eliminator Club seating' which is basically right over the starting line and was able to listen to my PRO-92 with absolutely no problems even when they were warming up the afterburners. This year I went to both the Jet Car Nationals and have been down to the local `roundy-round' track just outside Erie, Colo using a set of the 33-1158s and let a freind use my 33-1198s and afterwards neither one of us went home with our ears feeling like they had been `stuffed with cotton' like as `usually?' happens when one *doesn't* use any hearing protection!) While neither set has as high a NRR as the ones I use for shooting they *definitely* work and are worthwhile for anyone who's going to be `spectating' noisey sports like stockcar, drag, or motorcycle racing. (I use the `ProEars' brand of *active' shooting `muffs' for *most* of my shooting *and* when working with our farm machinery. I've also used Peltor `Tactical 6S' and Silencio `RangeSafe RSX-87' hearing protectors and while they are `pretty good' they just don't compare to the ProEars hearing protectors in either `basic' NRR and the way the `active' circuitry works. The ProEars `active' circuitry is a true fast attack `compression' system while the others just cutout on high SPL activity and can leave one with `holes' in conversations similar to someone clicking a mic on and off.) There are also assorted headsets available from `Racining Electronics' that are quite also quite good for scanner use. (If you are a NASCAR fan you'll see quite a few of their headsets in use by quite a few of the crews.) I'm seriously considering getting some of the RE headsets that allow both scanner and HT use so that one can talk to other people in one's group whilst protecting your hearing and listening to the crews with one's scanner.

Just an `Olde Fart's' 2¢ worth. {VB GRIN!}