I've seen some pretty sweet deals on mics on Craigs List (Some starving artists are really starving). They're Shure mics (MC58 I think).
Looking at grabbing one or two. Problem is, I know studio mics are XLR mics (Balanced). What would I need to do to wire them for ham uses? Balun then to the mic jack is all, or is there more to do here?
I've been looking into that somewhat and I discovered that ham XLR mics come with 4 pins and studio XLR mics come with 3 pins. Consider the characteristics you seek in a mic, ie: strictly vocal etc... and if you choose a studio mic you will need to wire a PTT at the mic connector or use VOX. I prefer the switch. I'n some cases like Ten Tec, you may already have a place on the radio to plug in a PTT switch.Originally Posted by KC2UGV
Aside from the common factors like impedance and frequency response, 3 pin XLR mounts and cords are available all day long at your local Rat Shack and pawn shop.
I've enjoyed island life for 17 years. That's 13 years more than the Confederacy was around.
RIP Albi
When do you tell a woman you're a ham?
It's a jungle out there. Many EQ stupidly with poor articulation.
~TKX
YIAH
"And, of course, the Gym Teacher being his usual self."
W3WN
"The enablers ride on the top of the pile."
WZ7U
OK, I'll try this one more time. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN XLR MIC. XLR references a type of connector only, it tells you nothing about the characteristics of the mic it's connected to. A mic with an XLR connector on the capable can be of any type and have any impedance.
The Shure SM58 is a dynamic cardioid pickup patern mic with brighted midrange specifically for vocals but it is low impedance and does not work well with most modern ham rigs. I've never heard of a MC58 but Shure has a website at http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/ and any info on Shure mics is there or elsewhere on the web.
If your rig is built to use mid to high impedance mics, you're pissing in the wind with low impedance mics.
Although this is lost on you, the XLR connector is something we're already aware of. Stick with program. The man also asked about impedance and the pissing in the wind comment was truly uncalled for unless of course you're pissing in an ocean of piss because you've grown weary of banging your cane on the ceiling.
I've enjoyed island life for 17 years. That's 13 years more than the Confederacy was around.
RIP Albi
When do you tell a woman you're a ham?
It's a jungle out there. Many EQ stupidly with poor articulation.
~TKX
YIAH
"And, of course, the Gym Teacher being his usual self."
W3WN
"The enablers ride on the top of the pile."
WZ7U
Some hams most pressing problem these days is learning the proper nomenclature to describe what they are talking about. My post was very gentle compared to what a lot of OF hams would have laid on Corey.
If Corey was aware that XLR referred to only a type of connector and not mic characteristics, I don't believe he would have worded the post in such an irrational and completely incorrect manner.
I don't mind helping anyone who can at least formulate a question correctly. I was even about to sound the warning alarm about constructing antennas made with cheap dielectric Rat Shack speaker wire in one's attic but since none other thought anything about Corey possibly burning his home down, I kept my silence like a good boy. Being of an era when all hams knew the basics before being licensed, the new world is confusing me.
Carry on.
Anyway... you're on the right track.
XLR is balanced, as is tip-ring-barrel 1/4 inch plugs. Tip-barrel is your unbalanced 1/4 inch plugs. RCA phono is also unbalanced, though it tends to be used for line level, and not microphone level signals. And of course turntables. That is only a convention. But keep after the grounding and RF in the shack... unbalanced audio loves to pick up RF.
You may want to get your hands on a cheap mixer, it's more fun to play with different microphones, especially one with an EQ. Guitar Center does have ham equipment.
I use a cheap Behringer and soon will have a Tascam PortaStudio 564 inline... 4 track Minidisc recorder, so I can record QRM from multiple receivers.
What radio? For some reason I think you have an FT-897?
Last edited by WØTKX; 05-26-2010 at 05:48 PM.
"Where would we be without the agitators of the world to attach the electrodes
of knowledge to the nipples of ignorance?" ~ Professor "Dick" Soloman
Amazingly 600 ohm impedance input is listed as nominal for the FT-897. Which would mean a Shure SM58 would be a good choice for that radio.
Yes, which was gonna be my next point. Though I really like my Yaesu MD-100... I had the FT-897D and traded for an 857D.
There's a cheap Rat Shack copy of the SM58 with a better 3k voice peak... poor man's Heil.
"Where would we be without the agitators of the world to attach the electrodes
of knowledge to the nipples of ignorance?" ~ Professor "Dick" Soloman
How can anyone ever tell if you're being helpful when you're constantly berating everything?
I've enjoyed island life for 17 years. That's 13 years more than the Confederacy was around.
RIP Albi
When do you tell a woman you're a ham?
It's a jungle out there. Many EQ stupidly with poor articulation.
~TKX
YIAH
"And, of course, the Gym Teacher being his usual self."
W3WN
"The enablers ride on the top of the pile."
WZ7U
Correcting error is not "berating".
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