On 5/7/10 9:11 AM, Brian Mathis wrote: > On Fri, May 7, 2010 at 12:53 AM, Tracy Reed <tr...@ultraviolet.org> wrote: >> On Thu, May 06, 2010 at 10:44:23AM -0400, Luke S Crawford spake thusly: >>> The other day at the hardware store I noticed noise dampening headphones; >>> they looked like the enclosed ear protectors and claimed 27Dbi protection, >>> but they had a line in where you could plug in your MP3 player. I should >>> give something like that a go. >> >> Does anyone have a lead on an inexpensive headset/mic setup good for >> talking on the phone in a datacenter? The standard bluetooth and even >> wired headsets are just not made for this kind of environment. >> >> When I'm not hacking on servers I am a commercial pilot. Aircraft tend >> to be very noisy so we use either closed ear headsets or in-ear >> headsets (my current favorite due to light weight) with a mic with >> squelch control. This setup works very well in the airplane. The mic >> is very directional and only picks up my voice and not engine/air >> noise. I imagine something like it connected to a cell phone would be >> a hot item in a noisy datacenter. Several times this week I have had >> to call someone's tech support from the datacenter floor and talk to >> them while standing behind a rack of screaming servers and fans. And >> the person I'm talking to almost always has an accent. >> >> Sure would be nice if we could hear each other. I know the technology >> exists out there somewhere. There are such things as: >> >> http://www.skygeek.com/headset-cell-phone-adapters.html >> >> but they all start at $100 (which I might actually just barely >> consider but no more) and they all appear to be designed to be plugged >> into an aircraft intercom system and will not work independently with >> just a phone and a headset. >> >> -- >> Tracy Reed >> http://tracyreed.org > > > I have a set of headphones with a mic like this: > > http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+Ear+Bud+Headphones+-+Blue/8964873.p?id=1217029959796&skuId=8964873 > that work well enough. The biggest problem I've had is hearing the > other person if you're the one in the data center. Usually the person > on the other end is in a more quiet area, so they might get background > noise from you but not so much they can't make out what you're saying. > > I would guess that the next level up would be something from > Plantronics, maybe headsets made for call centers where you have a lot > of people and need the same kind of directionality on the mic. But > given your price point of $100, there's no way you'll get something > this specialized any cheaper.
I'm a ham radio operator and we work community service projects like providing communications for marathons and the March For Babies walk. The locations where we set up are extremely noisy, because everyone cheers when runners and walkers go by. I use an earbud and mic set similar to the Sony above for my ham radio, and cover them with my Peltor shooting earmuffs http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=214443 The earmuffs cut the outside noise, and the earbuds are comfortable underneath. I do have to speak up a bit so my voice can be heard clearly over the din, but it's easy to hear the incoming voices and you don't have to turn the volume up to an uncomfortable level. My data center used to have sets of earmuffs hanging in the machine room, but they weren't maintained so I carry my own when I need them. Allan West WA4JD _______________________________________________ Tech mailing list Tech@lopsa.org http://lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tech This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators http://lopsa.org/
