#45 How to get the best microphone for your ham radio shack with Bob Heil

Paul said -- ... ]I can contribute a first-hand account of Heil's awareness of "phase" connections. He was staffing a display at the Dayton Hamvention some years ago (2007) ...

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YEP - I GOT THE SAME PITCH in 2008. It was sort of surreal because I was talking to Bob directly, but he was talking to me over the PA system, and mixing his sales pitch and demonstration of phase and proximity effect with what I was talking about, which was both annoying and a little creepy. He also claimed his microphones are better because they lack "proximity effect" which was in itself, misleading because EVERYONE KNOWS microphones with cardioid or figure-8 pick up patters usually have it, while omni directional microphones generally do not. Just more snake oil, I guess. (See white papers on the Shure and Neuman web sites about this.) A freind from NM too this photo of Bob working the PA and mixing his pitch with what he was saying to me, a strange brew indeed. K8JHR

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This guy has totally lost it1 He is living in a out of phase universe! He sounds like crap...THIS is a SOUND MAN producing mics????? What a joke..
His mics are way too costly and MOST sound like crap to anyone who can HEAR !!!!!

 

How to destroy a good man with one thread! OK you don't like his microphones, move on! Is this the world we are living in now? Yes I get it, be nice and move on for F** S** wear your mask wash your hands!

 

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What else?

 

The audio is not a good advert of Heil.
I have used ( and do use ) HC5 which is excellent.
Shame they dont make them anymore. There is a company on ebay that sells Knowles capsules, which are identical in shape size and response, although I have not tried them.
Evidentally the seller has dismantled one, and says they are built like a watch , and it's no wonder that heil could not afford to keep producing them
I think the quality rather lacks on the newer Heil Mics. I had a Mic switch go Chintzy after not much use.
I think the best way to improve audio is to set up on one of your local SDR radios on the web, set it to record, and then runthrough as many of your settings/ Mics as you wish.
Then, listen to the record of the web SDR , and decide what works for you.
Just Sayin'
73 Des G4OBB

 

True, the HC5 and HC4 are excellent mic elements
I bought a Knowles 2390 on Ebay for a few euros (now they cost 33 euros), I'm using it and I can tell you that it is identical to the hc5.
These Mic elements Knowles were used in RACAL military microphones in the 60s and 70s (at this point I wonder if the Knowles 2390 or HC5 was born first).
Agree with you also on the way to test microphones.
73 de IS0HXK Peppe

 

My hams are cheap a good 90%...from all the 53 yrs of hammimg I saw this..Ham usually start from the bottom up I ask my self why manytimes.
Start with the best antenna you can buy,,,next the best brand ane cable ( how many use cheap RG 8x) , any tress around my wife wont let me put up
a antenna or tower.......I can spend maybe 900.00 for a used rig..... People we are not a NOVICE OP....are we, please get out of that MODE.
pick up the nanual of the new radio READ IT the whole thing.....Know what your buying dont guess what you think of the results...( I going to ask me buddy to help me set it up )
get your own experiance find your own way LEARN, LEARN......BUILD SOME OF YOUR OWN....when I became a ham we had to learn to build our own & CODE
Get to learn the CODE even if its 5 to 17 words a minute....These high end radio cost , are you going to be using all of then features in this expensive radio< ???
NO I like the way the radio Looks ) I like my radiio staion to look like a BROADCAST STATION ".....and what does it sound like Broadcast <? do you
know how to broadcast, so what is the AIM here tell me i like to get your professinal opinion........IF you SAy CB`er like communications Broadcast,
PLEASE DONT ANSWER ME.....Tell me what you done inthe past to make Amateur Radio Better that 5 years or more......
I await your rresponce I like to lear n more from you......BTW I havnt learned anything yet by BOB HEIL THE Engineer all hes doing is seeling cheaps mics.

 

Heil refusing to sell mic elements:
This goes back 10-15 years ago when Heil sold their elements separately. One or more vendors started buying mic elements from Heil, repackaging them in cheaper shells and then selling them with advertising emphasizing "Heil". Thus trading on the Heil name and undercutting them.

Bob's reasonable decision was to stop selling the elements. Heil has always provided repair service at nominal cost so customers are still being supported. Send your mic/headset to the "Heil Hospital" and your bad element will be replaced.

 

I call BS. It should be easy for anyone at Heil to differentiate between a guy wanting to replace his own mic element and someone buying quantity for trading on the Heil name.

 

I would add to my previous post on this that the operators voice is also important.
I have always been able to " speech process" my own voice...I am also a good mimic, I can reproduce animal sounds and so on with some accuracy.
I remember back in the 1980's we had a net between the UK and stateside , and I often used to demonstrate this to the net....how I could use my "radio voice " and switch to what I called my " everyday " voice...
Interesting stuff...73 all.

 

Make your own for $1.28

 

What a great Callsign!!!!