Not So Secret Vice

[slowmover]

Of mine would be that I find yet another microphone to be irresistible.

I’ve had to keep increasing the size of the storage container over the years.

Not counting the second and third copies I’m at about twenty (20) handheld mobile microphone examples.

“Hey, they don’t cost much” ($17- $72).

Latest target acquisition is the new (old) Stryker 76NC. Old, as it looks just like my Palomar SL-41.

Stryker SR-76 Noise Cancelling Microphone

Brand: Stryker Radios | SKU: SR-76NC Stryker SR-76 Noise Canceling Microphone $49.99 Maximum Talk Power Premium Noise Canceling Cartridge Rugged ABS Housing Quality Tested Frequency Response 100-8,000Hz One-Year Limited Warranty

strykerradios.com

Glad to hear the test, even though it’s not the way it would sound at ones station.

The mic has quite a bit of tone adjustment, the desirable feature set past that great shell design.

No echo (that’s 1989), and working to get audio “perfected” (bespoke) looks like a nice challenge.

As it’s electret it ought to be a good match to the latest & greatest from PRESIDENT or ANYTONE (or RADIODDITY).

My last couple were the DRIVER EXTREME DX-656 a more conventional N/C type. Has some adjustment possible, but really excels in shell & cord sturdiness. A real PTT Mic Switch.

If there’s anything that’ll turn one off to a particular mic it’s shoddy components. The cord on the Astatic 636L. Or the PTT switch on the Astatic D104-M6.

I feel the same way about battery-powered mics. Toys, not for the serious traveler. Fun (like the Xtreme 2018).

The cord on the Turner RK-56 is a bit better than the 636, as is the switch. The ergonomics beats hell out of the last two mentioned. The PTT is on the CORRECT side of the mic.

The DX-656 is my choice nowadays for N/C.

Looking forward to how the 75NC will do.

I would guess there are from 50-75 CB mobile handheld mics if we go back far enough in time. Being a collector isn’t my thing. I just can’t resist trying another.

The Interface



In Texas they didn’t use the radio. One wasn’t going to outrun an A38 Dodge Police Pursuit.

Radio was for going off-duty awhile with no evidence a run to 132-mph worthy of, Vanishing Point, had been made in that 1971-spec DPS sedan.

The first man to break the sound barrier aboard Glamorous Glennis was legendarily cool, calm & collected across that radio. The next two generations of military pilots strove to emulate that demeanor, right down to his West Virginia drawl.

Confidence is what we have to lend when on-air in a trying situation. Words are but a conveyance of that state.

This is what a great microphone will impart in detail:

You

Be careful for what you may wish in regards this subject when every nuance will be received across this solar system.

.

 

[rf_patriot200]

Of mine would be that I find yet another microphone to be irresistible.

I’ve had to keep increasing the size of the storage container over the years.

Not counting the second and third copies I’m at about twenty (20) handheld mobile microphone examples.

“Hey, they don’t cost much” ($17- $72).

Latest target acquisition is the new (old) Stryker 76NC. Old, as it looks just like my Palomar SL-41.

Stryker SR-76 Noise Cancelling Microphone

Brand: Stryker Radios | SKU: SR-76NC Stryker SR-76 Noise Canceling Microphone $49.99 Maximum Talk Power Premium Noise Canceling Cartridge Rugged ABS Housing Quality Tested Frequency Response 100-8,000Hz One-Year Limited Warranty

strykerradios.com

Glad to hear the test, even though it’s not the way it would sound at ones station.

The mic has quite a bit of tone adjustment, the desirable feature set past that great shell design.

No echo (that’s 1989), and working to get audio “perfected” (bespoke) looks like a nice challenge.

As it’s electret it ought to be a good match to the latest & greatest from PRESIDENT or ANYTONE (or RADIODDITY).

My last couple were the DRIVER EXTREME DX-656 a more conventional N/C type. Has some adjustment possible, but really excels in shell & cord sturdiness. A real PTT Mic Switch.

If there’s anything that’ll turn one off to a particular mic it’s shoddy components. The cord on the Astatic 636L. Or the PTT switch on the Astatic D104-M6.

I feel the same way about battery-powered mics. Toys, not for the serious traveler. Fun (like the Xtreme 2018).

The cord on the Turner RK-56 is a bit better than the 636, as is the switch. The ergonomics beats hell out of the last two mentioned. The PTT is on the CORRECT side of the mic.

The DX-656 is my choice nowadays for N/C.

Looking forward to how the 75NC will do.

I would guess there are from 50-75 CB mobile handheld mics if we go back far enough in time. Being a collector isn’t my thing. I just can’t resist trying another.

The Interface

View attachment 166021

In Texas they didn’t use the radio. One wasn’t going to outrun an A38 Dodge Police Pursuit.

Radio was for going off-duty awhile with no evidence a run to 132-mph worthy of, Vanishing Point, had been made in that 1971-spec DPS sedan.

The first man to break the sound barrier aboard Glamorous Glennis was legendarily cool, calm & collected across that radio. The next two generations of military pilots strove to emulate that demeanor, right down to his West Virginia drawl.

Confidence is what we have to lend when on-air in a trying situation. Words are but a conveyance of that state.

This is what a great microphone will impart in detail:

You

Be careful for what you may wish in regards this subject when every nuance will be received across this solar system.

.

This mic LOOKS a lot like the Turner RK-56 which was a favorite of mine from the period.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Any opinions about the old Turner M+2?

 

[slowmover]

Any opinions about the old Turner M+2?

Nor about ASTATIC M575.

Haven’t owned either. Been buying what’s on shelf.

.

 

[jcrmadden]

I picked up the 636L and was not impressed. Went back to the stock. Is there any advantage to a power mic? Are there power mic's that are also noise cancelling?

 

[slowmover]

I picked up the 636L and was not impressed. Went back to the stock. Is there any advantage to a power mic? Are there power mic's that are also noise cancelling?

Depends on radio. One of the NRC radios probably best with stock electret mic.

Of course, you could be our man to try the New! Stryker 76NC (noise-cancelling, but with an electret vs carbon cartridge). There’s plenty of mic adjustment to dial in voice.

Power mics give a bump in perceived modulation. Some radios benefitted. Not that many. A U980, sure. A C29, maybe not.

Q5 or latest Prez it wouldn’t occur to me. I may have some, but never in front-line service.

Power Mic is a gizmoed AR-15 with a bump stock. Why? When I could have had an H&K 91 and problems are solved with one round.

This?



Or, The Spear of Destiny.



Prez with Digi-Mic is far as I’ll go for high performance. (Read that as, says Swarovski or ZEISS on H&K 91 optic vs. Hensoldt).

Mics aren’t expensive. There’s that.

Xtreme 2018 mic does have a place in messing with cornfed Fred.

EC-2018XTR Xtreme echo microphone

Takes a long time with plenty of work to get it right, but it can be superb on older radios. Knowing those settings is key to messing with someone as “options” are what you barely crack open, “Hey, jumbo, your radio is starting to sound weird” (as you finagle that mic a TINY bit).

And you can try the range of them all for not much more than a C-note or two.

.

 

[jcrmadden]

Xtreme 2018 mic does have a place in messing with cornfed Fred.

Except in that scenario, I AM Cornfed Fred

 

[slowmover]

If you want to try power mic, find videos like these, read comments (take notes):

My opinion is just that. My preference is that my voice is received with “space” around it. Which hasn’t any boom to it. Pre-NRC and needing amp power was different.

“Clarity” means, IMO, kinda letting chips fall as they may. I’ve gotten one helluva lot of queries as to what I’m running. I’m getting thru in a way that’s different for many. Surprises them.

New mic option for President & Uniden 6-pin CB radios

mic item number psm6pm

www.youtube.com

.

 

[slowmover]

Post in thread 'Hooking up PA system, BC 980'
Hooking up PA system, BC 980

 

[jcrmadden]

EXtreme 2018 Ultimate Echo Microphone with Noise Reducer

Roll to the 6:00 mark to skip straight to the audio test.

They can keep all that echo.

I don't understand the need to make communications harder to understand...

 

[slowmover]

EXtreme 2018 Ultimate Echo Microphone with Noise Reducer

Roll to the 6:00 mark to skip straight to the audio test.

They can keep all that echo.

I don't understand the need to make communications harder to understand...

“You” (whomever) have to understand that the controls cover a wide range.

Little bits of Mic Gain and Mic Settings are how it works.

3rd Time: takes patience and testing to get the controls dialed-in.

Adjust one and have to change the others. Each time.

(5) controls? How many possible settings if each has ten positions?

1,000?

As each is a dial or slide, it’s higher than that example.

There’ll be a narrower range after some tests of gross changes. It’ll come to playing 2-3 off each other with small moves. Why you paint a mark when done.


.

 

[slowmover]

Stryker SR-76 Noise Cancelling Microphone

Brand: Stryker Radios | SKU: SR-76NC Stryker SR-76 Noise Canceling Microphone $49.99 Maximum Talk Power Premium Noise Canceling Cartridge Rugged ABS Housing Quality Tested Frequency Response 100-8,000Hz One-Year Limited Warranty

strykerradios.com

 

[merlin]

I picked up the 636L and was not impressed. Went back to the stock. Is there any advantage to a power mic? Are there power mic's that are also noise cancelling?

No real advantage with a power mic if you are modulating 100%. Echo, reverb, etc only distort voices, sometimes beyond interpretation.
Good mics don't need preamps, but like a CBer, all the way up is still not enough.

 

[slowmover]

 

[slowmover]

In Days of Old (pre-2023) we’d want some adjustment of radio to microphone to have best audio “sound”. Every radio (brand and/or model) and against a favored mic (truck driver was almost always going to use a dynamic Noise-Cancelling Mic) to get best performance.

Radio set to factory-spec align/tune, and modulation adjusted such that your voice came across in an effortless manner.

1. Some mics just sound better (clear).
2. One’s vocal characteristics will favor one brand/design
The over others.
3. Some TLC brushed on.

— I’ve seen mics modified internally, but more rarely (Ranger SRA-198).

As with most things in life, it’s attention to detail. A CB rig benefits by “matching” radio & mic. Past external control settings dialed-in (listening across another radio) the internal tweaks would then pay off handsomely.

Think of this as, “clarity”. Best radio performance, and now best microphone performance. The rig may not be as good as some others, but it’ll sound as good as it can sound.

The day I spent at Clay Thompsons radio shop in San Antonio in 2014 with some of that oilfield frack boom money burning a hole in my pocket to get a twin Wilson 2000 antenna system done on a Peterbilt 367 and then a Galaxy 99v2 radio was a heckuva big deal to me.

Dangerous conditions 24/7/365. Take the risk of high speed Interstate, transfer it to 2-lane State (not US) highways and add in difficulties which result in a high number of fatalities.


I wanted “best”. And I wanted a Galaxy. This then new model fit the bill (and I wanted Sideband).

My usual choice of a TELEX/TURNER Road King 56 was substituted by an ASTATIC 636 as the former was OOS that week.

Radio & Mic both tweaked a little for audio.

— New coax system.
— Power to a fuse tap.
— BC-15 speaker.

With no more TX power than the previous radio this new one was a substantial jump in features and quality and I was gratified at the responses it got. First time I was consistently holding conversations at 7-miles plus out west.

The RX was much better also as a result of antenna system + radio + different speaker.

With microphone “better” it seemed that other men more likely to respond and to keep comms going a bit longer. (The radio previous was no slouch).

This was what encouraged me to take the expensive gamble of the West Mountain Radio CLEARSPEECH DSP Speaker. That opened up the world of High Performance.

That A636 hasn’t ever been separated from that 99v2 despite trying other mics. Dedicated.

In the video is noted, “having one mic”.
This is what’s meant: other mics may have advantages, but unless radio tweaked on bench for that exact mic, those advantages won’t be obvious.

.

 

[slowmover]

Adding a KL-203 and the aforementioned speaker to the 99v2 thereafter gave me a legendary Big Radio. That I could hear and talk FAR beyond those around me was what convinced me to never go back.

Was westbound into Fort Stockton after midnight one time with the other company trucks out ahead of me and was able to speak with one driver leaving Monahans on the return trip. 25-miles? 30? 40-miles, IIRC.

I was descending a mountain grade and all that was out ahead of me was “flat”.

Others didn’t believe it (the ones strung out a few miles just ahead). So they called that driver.

I listened to my audio from across a phone held to a CB mic of how I sounded at 40-miles.

Pretty impressive.

Seven years and several jobs along (back to national OTR) and the only change I’d have made to that radio rig when running a large car would be to have substituted for my last Galaxy radio, a 959b.

The best FCC AM/SSB radio of the previous era.


With the DSP speaker the 959 ability to modify RX audio is an outstanding combination.

On this one no mic was matched. But a DRIVER EXTREME DX656 is the mic dedicated after I changed sound characteristics per design (foam inserts). Getting the pair onto a techs bench will still be done even though not in service.

If you find the right mic, then apply TLC.

Note: this is the combination which I didn’t believe one of the NRC radios would beat. Not a concern as I would be happy to have a less-difficult coax/power/audio cabling problem to use on the road. I was confident based on the experience of drivers with greater tech knowledge than me, and who’s concerns matched my own about the value of a great radio system.

I was expecting 80-85%. I “got” 105%. (Whoa!). The AT Q5 isn’t as sophisticated as the WMR DSP, but that’s past my use (better with base station antenna quality).

The upgrade to the Q5 is to have substituted the adequate electret mic (my other dozen weren’t better) with a BC45 to eliminate the up/down buttons, and after adding an internal weight plus a ferrite at base, a mic of more substance in size and weight. Better to grab sight unseen without accidentally changing channels as it swung from its GearKeeper hanger cord.




It’s not always the audio. (Although this one sounded slightly better to my ears).

At a base station the equivalent is in adding a keying jack, or a foot switch, or a mic boom.

.

 

[slowmover]

No real advantage with a power mic if you are modulating 100%. Echo, reverb, etc only distort voices, sometimes beyond interpretation.
Good mics don't need preamps, but like a CBer, all the way up is still not enough.

It’s a good option with a Uniden 880/885/980
as the modulation from factory is low, usually. Will wake them up and no Golden Screwdriver will have been allowed access.

Granted, one needs KL203 + DSP so that $180 980 is now up to $450 thus a moot application now that SSB-capable NRC radios with adequate power are $270 and up.

But as a short-range Yard Radio using a KES-5 speaker in its second life, yeah, I’d add a power mic to help it get above diesel engines, excavators, etc.

.

 

[FPR1981]

I've heard a lot of guys say the West Mountain Radio speaker is good, but that it pales in comparison to BHI's competing product (both as a speaker/filter combo OR the inline filter alone. I watched some videos with audio samples, and the BHI product did sound a bit better to my ears. than West Mountain's product. I suppose you'd be in good shape whichever direction you choose.

Side note: My Uniden 980 SSB has a very tight receiver, AND it perks up nicely with the introduction of a D-104. I do believe that this is one radio where a power mic does give you a bit of productive edge. I'll bet running it with a DSP filter would make for an ever greater rig.

 

[slowmover]

BHI speaker gets fewer check marks.

The in-line devices are another matter. WMR is simpler. Better for mobile.

The MFJ filter is complicated. But said to be impressive once one figured it out.

 

[slowmover]

An undercover mobile mic from one of the seasoned hands on WWDX. ‘Splosive-proofed for Sideband work.

.