Do any of the mics you mentioned have frequency response curves similar
to high articulation mics like the original Astatic D-104? or the
vintage Heil HC-4/5 ???
_
Howdy! Good question, Tony.
Yes, some electret capsules and maybe fewer dynamic cartridges
If you have a working, unamplified D-104, the solution to this is quite simple.
Back in the 1990s, my transceiver was a TS-830S. I had a pre-citizens band
D-104. These classic microphones were much heavier than the later ones and had
a stamped serial number plate riveted to the head.
The
I remember the D104's from my early years in Ham radio.
I never had a mic for my DX35 in the late 1950's and acquired a carbon
mic with the old AN-ARC-1 VHF AM radio I bought for 2m AM as a Tech.
I upgraded to a Johnson 6N2 after college so bought a new Electro-voice
mic that had cardiode
I believe all electrets will have high freq response well beyond 15K...
way past bell labs' 300-3000 cps voice response.
And it looks like all the most inexpensive mics do use the electret
elements. They might not have a lot of bottom end... but "we" don't
need that anyway . Then add in
On 2/23/2022 5:54 PM, JR wrote:
I am often amazed how little some hams know about microphones. You
can purchase any number of compatible dynamic microphone cartridges,
or electret condenser capsules, and fit them into a D-104 head shell.
JR:
Do any of the mics you mentioned have frequency
I am often amazed how little some hams know about microphones. You can
purchase any number of compatible dynamic microphone cartridges, or
electret condenser capsules, and fit them into a D-104 head shell. I
buy a number of excellent dynamic replacement cartridges on eBay for
less than $10,
17:35:58 -0500
From: Dean Adinolfi
To:elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] D-104 Mic Element Replacement
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
W2ENY element works great.
https://www.w2eny.com/
De
Thanks for the references.
Some of the elements from the harmonica place are interesting, but expensive.
A good source, if they are OK.
Emboldened by D-104 Element Repair - Mike Harrison (smugmug.com) I tore into
one and found the diaphragm glue gone and the linkage between the diaphragm
No actual replacement found so far, but several nice dynamic/electret
conversions.
Encouraged by this posting on QRZ, D-104 Element Repair - Mike Harrison
(smugmug.com), I decided there was nothing to lose by looking inside.
It's actually no problem at all and I found multiple problems:
Moreover, Bob Heil retired and sold the company earlier this month.
https://heilsound.com/press/heil-sound-announces-new-owners/
73,
Kent K9ZTV
> On Feb 23, 2022, at 9:57 AM, Bill Coleman wrote:
>
> Heil Sound stopped selling HC4 and HC5 mike elements many years ago. (10
> years ago?)
Heil Sound stopped selling HC4 and HC5 mike elements many years ago. (10 years
ago?)
I think part of the rationale was that modern rigs have built-in equalizers
that eliminated the need for a crystal microphone with a tailored response.
> On Feb 22, 2022, at 9:03 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
>
>
In the original post, he stated that he specifically did not want an
electret element, has found the dynamic replacements and is not interested,
but wants a crystal element replacement. Most of the links offered do not
offer what he is looking for. So I stand by my original statement with the
Heil HC4/HC5 elements were discontinued many years ago. I believe that DX
Engineering sells a similar element for D104's.
John KK9A
Don Wilhelm w3fpr wrote:
I have used electric elements in the D104 and they worked quite well.
If you want a dynamic element, I suggest the HC4 or HC5 from Heil
On Tue, Feb 22, 2022 at 20:19 Don Wilhelm wrote:
> I have used electric elements in the D104 and they worked quite well.
> If you want a dynamic element, I suggest the HC4 or HC5 from Heil
> Sound. I don't know if Heil is still selling those mic elements
> separately, but they do work well in
I have used electric elements in the D104 and they worked quite well.
If you want a dynamic element, I suggest the HC4 or HC5 from Heil
Sound. I don't know if Heil is still selling those mic elements
separately, but they do work well in the D104 (and other mics). Just add
enough foam padding
: [Elecraft] D-104 Mic Element Replacement
No replacement available...
Well... that's not entirely True. If you search a little, you can find
places all over the internet where you can buy "old stock" or "removed" D104
elements. Just depends which one/ kind you want. IN FACT ju
No replacement available...
Well... that's not entirely True. If you search a little, you can find
places all over the internet where you can buy "old stock" or "removed" D104
elements. Just depends which one/ kind you want. IN FACT just a few years
ago I bought a hand full of "authentic
On 2/22/2022 11:22 AM, Wilson Lamb via Elecraft wrote:
OK, discriminating operators, does anyone know of a good replacement D-104
element.
The Shure 444 and other of their mics with numbers in that series have a
similar response, specifically tailored for SSB. Shure has always had
some hams
I thought Heil used to have an element that you could substitute. You
had to remove the D104 element.
W0MU
On 2/22/2022 5:27 PM, Tim Tucker wrote:
That element only works on the powered / amplified model.
On Tue, Feb 22, 2022 at 2:35 PM Dean Adinolfi wrote:
W2ENY element works great.
Are you referring to the original non amplified D104? If so, there is no
replacement available. There is a lengthy thread about a proposed
(dormant) project to recreate the element here:
https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/d-104.241890/
Tim
On Tue, Feb 22, 2022 at 11:22 AM Wilson Lamb via
That element only works on the powered / amplified model.
On Tue, Feb 22, 2022 at 2:35 PM Dean Adinolfi wrote:
> W2ENY element works great.
>
> https://www.w2eny.com/
>
> Dean, KD3ANX
> __
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home:
W2ENY element works great.
https://www.w2eny.com/
Dean, KD3ANX
__
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OK, discriminating operators, does anyone know of a good replacement D-104
element.
Yes, I have been on the web and see dynamic and electret replacements. My uses
don't involve electret empowered radios.
I also see statements that all the ceramic replacements have been sold, but I
hold out
I very much appreciate the number of responses I have received to my earlier
postings - - -
Thanks
And now I have another problem of how do you connect the 8pin to the 4 wires
from the D 104?
There is a schematic on the inside of the mike bottom plate but does not
address the from 4 to 8
Charlie,
It is difficult to answer from only the wire colors without any
diagram. Those colors in the cable can mean most anything - except the
shield is ground.
According to the Astatic .pdf in G4WPW's extensive list of microphones,
the wire colors are: White (audio), Shield (AF Ground),
On 6/9/2011 11:25 AM, CHARLES WHITE wrote:
I assume the black and red are for the mike and the white for PPT.
Use an ohmeter to find out. Then study the schematic or connector
pinout info in the Elecraft manual to figure out which wire goes to
which. You cannot hurt the mic with the ohmeter,
I would like to connect a D 104 mike to the K3 but the D 104 is a 4 pin jack
and the K3 is 8 pins.
I have not been able to find a 8 pin jack for the mike at either MOUSER or
DIGIKEY suppliers.
Does any one use the D104 with the K3?
Any advise?
Thanks
Charlie White
K6TBB
San Diego
I use an amplified D-104 with my K3, excellent audio reports.
I have also used an un amplified D-104, with equally good reports.
Try your local radio shack for the 8 pin jack.
8-Pin Ham Microphone Plug
Model: 274-025 | Catalog #: 274-025
$4.19
.
Lou WA3MIX
- Original Message -
From: Sam Morgan k5oai@gmail.com
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 1:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] D 104
I use an amplified D-104 with my K3, excellent audio reports.
I have also used an un amplified D-104, with equally good
- Original Message -
From: Sam Morgan k5oai@gmail.com
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 1:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] D 104
I use an amplified D-104 with my K3, excellent audio reports.
I have also used an un amplified D-104, with equally good reports.
Try
On 6/4/2011 11:45 AM, Lou Kolb wrote:
You'd also be well advised, if its an unamplified D-104, to add one of the
op-amp matching circuits which can be powered from the K3.
As a pro audio engineer, I would advise trying the D104 straight into
the K3 and using TX with someone listening to you
That would be a COMPLETE AND TOTAL waste of time. The K3 mic input Z is 600
ohms nominal per spec.
The D-104 element needs 500k minimum and better no less than 5M. Last I heard
the input stage of a K3 was not a 12AU7/12AX7.
That's why Z transformation (preamp, xformer) IS required for this
...@gmail.com
To: elecraft elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 2:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] D 104
You'd also be well advised, if its an unamplified D-104, to add one of the
op-amp matching circuits which can be powered from the K3. It'll make the
D-104 look into the 10
On 6/4/2011 12:16 PM, Grant Youngman wrote:
That would be a COMPLETE AND TOTAL waste of time. The K3 mic input Z is 600
ohms nominal per spec.
Nominal is the operative word here. It's designed to have enough gain
for the low impedance mics commonly used with ham gear. If you study the
All of the vacuum tube rigs from the 50's that I used with a D-104 had an
input impedance of between 500k Ohms and 1 Megohm (the grid resistor of the
first speech amplifier stage). Astatic does not list a specific load
impedance on the specifications sheet I have.
The original D-104 used a
: Saturday, June 04, 2011 3:29 PM
To: Ron D'Eau Claire
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] D 104
Gain isn't the issue. It's the termination Z. A low Z termination will
destroy the frequency response. Why do that and then attempt to fix it with
TXEQ? Might as well just do something else from the start
I give :-/
Why use a D-104 if that's the only point? A $3 electret from the shack will
do just as well.
Hopefully, someone will step in and kill this thread.
To the original poster - the simple solution is to use an Astatic stand with a
preamp or something similar. Or as Don suggested,
Despite all the solutions presented, the D-104 Lollipop is one of
those classic mic frames that just will not give up. I have 2, one with
no PTT lever on it (anyone have one for sale?) and another with a Heil
HC-5 cartridge instead of the original mic element.
For those who have a D-104
Jim and all,
Looking at the schematic for the K3 mic input, it is an op amp with a
gain of 10. It looks to be a classic differential amplifier with a 10k
resistor in both the + and the - inputs. That would produce an input
impedance of about 20k ohms. Matching is not necessary (nor
-
From: CHARLES WHITE [mailto:charliewh...@cox.net]
Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 1:23 PM
To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Elecraft] D 104
I would like to connect a D 104 mike to the K3 but the D 104 is a 4 pin jack
and the K3 is 8 pins.
I have not been able to find a 8 pin jack
Does anyone have a design for a FET preamplifier for a
D-104 that will work off the K3 mic bias (rather than the
separate +8V line) and the typical 3.3V mic bias in the
current crop of laptops?
Joe,
I would try the circuit shown in the link below.
http://72.52.250.47/images/ECM.png
I have used the following circuit on a D104 to my K2:
http://members.cox.net/n4jk/d104.htm
Works great and you wire it for power through the mic connector.
Mark
W5EZY
--
View this message in context:
http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/D-104-preamp-tp5319528p5322031.html
Sent from the
I have used the following circuit on a D104 to my K2:
http://members.cox.net/n4jk/d104.htm
Works great and you wire it for power through the mic connector.
That circuit won't work with the K3's bias on mic pin (Joe's intended use).
To work that way with mic bias, power and audio must be
Joe,
If you aren't married to the original element you could change it out to an
electret element wired directly to the K3 input with the bias turned on. I
did that than trying to find a replacement crystal element.
The electret element is available from many sources (including your local
George,
If you aren't married to the original element you could change it out
to an electret element wired directly to the K3 input with the bias
turned on. I did that than trying to find a replacement crystal
element.
If I were going to change the element I would change it to a Heil
I said it once, and I'll say it again.
My 1956 crystal-element D-104 works great with my K3. I plugged it in and
did an on-the-air check with K9YC. Jim reported outstanding audio. Before
modifying your D-104 or building a preamp, try the bare-bones D-104.
K9YC: If you don’t have a problem,
I suspect the solution lies in an MPF-102 as a common source amplifier
with a 470 Ohm resistor in the source lead, 680K to 1M as a gate leak
to set the low frequency roll of at around 150 Hz (my preference -
since I see absolutely no benefit in reproducing unnecessary and power
wasting low
Does anyone have a design for a FET preamplifier for a
D-104 that will work off the K3 mic bias (rather than the
separate +8V line) and the typical 3.3V mic bias in the
current crop of laptops?
I'd like to avoid providing separate preamp power when
the mic is connected to a computer soundcard
Good morning,
I have an old D-104 that worked fine when last used (1977) and want to use
it with the K2.
I know I could replace the element with one from Heil, but I would prefer to
keep it as original as possible (it does have the preamp in the G stand
base).
I will assume the preamp works,
The D-104 is an excellent microphone for the K2 (and K3), Tom. Because
the ceramic/crystal element is high impedance, your best way of testing
it is to wire it up and try it. The pre-set gain control will need to
turned fairly well down.
Connect it to the 8-way plug:
WHITE (or
I know I could replace the element with one from Heil, but I would prefer
to
keep it as original as possible (it does have the preamp in the G stand
base).
Tom,
Odds are the crystal element is still in good shape, provided it has not
been subjected to a high humidity environment over an
Do you have an audio amplifier, a mic input on your sound card or even a
pair of headphones around? Try the mic with them. Any audio in the phones is
likely very low level but you might hear something in the typical 50-ohm
computer or game headsets around today. Some clip leads and a suitable
Paul, W9AC, wrote:
Also, anyone contemplating the use of the D-104 with the stock Astatic amp
should consider an alternative buffer amp. The input Z to Astatic's 2-stage
preamp calculates to 470K-ohm -- way too low for a crystal cartridge. The
crystal cartridge should see a termination of no
The Astatic D-104 was designed as a *communications* microphone with a
carefully shaped frequency response for speech and not for extreme high or
low frequency response.
Although the presence rise was a design attribute of the mic, limited
low-end response was not. The D-104 was produced in
I've been using the setup you describe with a K-2 for about 10 years
without problems. In fact I've gotten a few unsolicited compliments on
audio over the years. Mine is wired just like David Pratt described. I
have the K-2 set for SSBA-1 (attenuator in) and the mic gain pot about
half way
: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net
[mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of w2bvh
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 4:52 PM
To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] D-104, only slightly OT
I've been using the setup you describe with a K-2 for about 10 years without
problems
Lots of mike comments have caused me to remember that
I have a D-104. And am waithing for a K3.
Has anyone put a Radio Shack electret element into a
D-104 and used it on a K3?
I want to plug into the rear mike jack.
Tips anyone?
Thanks.
73, Ty, W1TF K1 #1423
Ty,
I have not tried an electret element, but I have a Heil HC-5 element in
my D-104 frame that I have been quite pleased with. I made my own
'filling' for the much smaller sized element, but Heilsound does sell a
kit for just that purpose.
Just use connectors for the AF and PTT that mate
electret
element, and wire it appropriately. I think you will be
pleasantly surprised!
Dave W7AQK
- Original Message -
From: Ralph Tyrrell [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 10:02 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] D-104 and Radio Shack electret element
you might be able to place an electret element in the case and leave
the original element in there You'd have to rewire since the
astatic has a 3 conductor
plug on the mic housing. I have placed an electret ( small ) in
front of a dynamic AKG element in my current station microphone,
The Astatic crystal element exactly fits the lollipop housing. It's THAT
big! But it's no problem to remove and rewire. The lollipop top even unplugs
from the stand.
Unlike a lot of modern desk and hand mics, the D-104 was designed around
the element, rather than coming up with a design for the
At 04:03 PM 2/23/2007, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
Unlike almost all modern mics, the original D-104 has a shaped frequency
response curve for optimum speech quality. It has a broad peak in the 3 kHz
not unlike all modern mics,
the Shure SM58... is probably the world's most popular mic
I have been reading about the different microphones used by fellow K2 owners.
A fellow ham encouraged me to try a vantage, (1960s) D-104 crystal mic for
the K2. I had been using a Kenwood MC-48B and it was working OK. I knew that
the straight D-104 mic would not work with the K2 as crystal
heh heh
I loved your line ... towers almost a foot over my K2
man, the mike is bigger than the radio!
I can visualize a ham wrestling with a giant mike connected to a
teeny radio ...
That brought smiles to my face, thank you.
Ron, wb1hga
Elmer the inquisitive
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I have
Unlike almost all modern mics, the original D-104 has a shaped frequency
response curve for optimum speech quality. It has a broad peak in the 3 kHz
range to pick up the sibilance essential for intelligibility, with good
roll-off characteristics at the higher and lower frequencies.
Since filter
Don,
There was a report somewhere within the past few months that one ham
successfully used his unamplified D-104 with a low impedance rig (it may
have been a K2). He simply added a series resistor to keep the mic looking
into a high impedance and it worked fine. I have not tried it here, but I
On Feb 23, 2007, at 2:03 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
It's a great mic and a real icon. If yours has the original
element, it may
well be a Rochelle salts crystal element. Of so you're fortunate it's
survived. They are easily destroyed by physical shock (knocking the
mic over
or dropping
Ouch!! That's a great story though. I got similar personal support from the
National company back in the 60's. Elecraft's excellent customer support
isn't something new; it's just something that's been missing from too many
companies for too many years.
You might try the suggestion Don Wilhelm
Hi Group,
Thanks to Ron and Tom.
The E/H switch is, apparently, a method of going from E (electronic) to H
(hand) control. However, I will have to rewire the whole thing to use VOX
as the amplifier is also switched on by the hand switch.
Wiring the amplifier to run continuously would
Hello Group,
After seeing several messages about the D-104, I decided mine looked better
in the shack than on the shelf in my study, so I spent some quality time
with it this weekend.
It has the preamp built in the base, and the little schematic glued to the
base is dated 9-75 which is about
: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of W3FPR - Don Wilhelm
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 5:13 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] D 104 mic with K2
The D 104 mic (unamplified version) needs to look into a very high
impedance
(50k ohms
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], John [K7SVV]
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes
On their Web page, Astatic does not give the value of the Base to
Collector
resistor value in the first stage of the the preamp but they do for the
same
resistor in the second stage. Have you any idea what it might be?
It
I would like to try the D 104 Mic. (crystal element ) in the K2 . I
remember a circuit posted on the reflector on this , can anyone help ?
Thanks ,72, 73,
Jerry Uhte K9UT K2 # 1273
___
Elecraft mailing list
increased gain mod of the KSB2 - which is what I use).
73,
Don W3FPR
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 7:39 PM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Elecraft] D 104 mic with K2
I would
PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] D 104 mic with K2
The D 104 mic (unamplified version) needs to look into a very high impedance
(50k ohms or greater). That mic was developed in the days of vacuum tubes
with mic amplifier input inpedances in the 50k to 1
Thanks for the many replies; mic is sold.
To the M who can't find the parts locations: I have
the same problem. But, it gets logarithmically easier
as you populate the board! Once a location is
filled your eyes/brain don't have to 'scan' there
any more, and so finding the missing places gets
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