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  #131  
Old 12-28-2009, 08:17 AM
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rocketbob rocketbob is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: 8I3
Posts: 3,564
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lostpilot28 View Post
Hi Rick,
I just got mine in the mail yesterday and put it on...I don't think the silicone tips will block enough sound, and the foam tips it came with are not very soft at all. I have a Comply headset and its tips are much, much softer. So, I ordered some T400's off of eBay. It was $20 for a set of 5...I hope they work as good as the Comply headset...that thing blocks everything.
I bought a set of the 480's just to give this a try. I also fly with a pair of Halo headsets and I don't think these will work as well since its impossible to get the earpieces to fit as far into your ear canal as the Halo's do. The wires are also of poor quality and it seems they won't last long from tugging and getting the wires twisted.
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N9187P PA-24-260B Comanche, flying
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  #132  
Old 12-28-2009, 09:06 AM
jasman45 jasman45 is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 54
Default Comply TX400

Rick,

Do the Comply TX400 tips fit the Plantronics Audio 480?
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  #133  
Old 12-28-2009, 09:58 AM
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DCat22 DCat22 is offline
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 531
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jasman45 View Post
Rick,

Do the Comply TX400 tips fit the Plantronics Audio 480?
Yes. They are a little snug to get on, but I think that is the way they are supposed to be. You have to mash them pretty good, but they spring back as designed.

With the Comply tips it seems to have good reduction...I wish there was an easy way to test the actual noise suppression though, as far a hearing protection goes. Might end up flying behind it this afternoon (without mic bias) so I'll see what it's like with an engine...
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  #134  
Old 12-28-2009, 01:33 PM
mojo6911 mojo6911 is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 12
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Just an update. I took out the audio transformer and the volume is fine. With the audio transformer the volume is very low.
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  #135  
Old 12-28-2009, 11:02 PM
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DCat22 DCat22 is offline
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 531
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Flew with the straight through Plantronics today. (Mic without bias, ring NC.)

Was pretty awesome actually. I don't think I can ever go back to a headset... much quieter than my old Peltor's. Audio quality was superb. Mic seemed to work well on radio transmit. Seems like the "head footprint" is less than the Halo or CA's with no "wire" or "headset" and with the Comply tips I think they might even stay in place during light acro -- just make sure you squish them real good before putting them in. I wanted to keep talking to ATC just because...

HOWEVER, the intercom didn't work so well...not a squelch issue, but I have to talk very loud and steady. I'm going to try to add a battery powered mic bias and test again this weekend. But, solo, it was perfect.

This is what I used, from Amazon:

Plantronics 480 ($20.44 shipped)
Comply T-400 Tips ($14.95 for 3 pairs)

And from Mouser:

1x Small Case ($2.96)
2x 3.5mm Jack ($1.29)
1x Red 1/4" Audio Plug ($6.90)
1x Black .206" Mic Plug ($9.02)

...I swapped the red/black cases so the mic was the red jack. Also picked up a stereo "extender" cable locally so I could find one in-person with a good feel...nice flexible but tough 1/4" cable. Cut the ends off and in half to use for the "to plane" wire. Other than that, just drilled the case and soldered the wires to the jacks and plugs. (I didn't have a spare headset to use, and since the Plantronics 480 is a little delicate, wanted to be able to use it without modification...and build an "adaptor box", which could also work with any other PC headset too. I'll probably order two spares in case they become hard to find.)

I actually got 3 mini jacks, so I'm going to use the 3rd as an input for a battery back with a variable bias resistance and voltage to the mic's ring contact so I can experiment with the best mix for radio and intercom use (if it helps at all...). Will post what happens...and document the wiring if it works well. )

All in, less than $65. =)

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Last edited by DCat22 : 12-28-2009 at 11:23 PM.
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  #136  
Old 12-31-2009, 06:32 AM
h&jeuropa h&jeuropa is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
Posts: 263
Default Platronics questions

I tried the Platronics last Fall and had a few problems.

Couldn't keep the microphone in place, the earpiece wanted to fall out.

Big problem is that it sounds fine in the intercomm both on the ground and in flight but controllers say my audio is garbled and unreadable. What I hear when I transmit in flight is fine. The cockpit is somewhat noisy and high pitch with the Rotax engine.

Everything works fine with conventional headsets. GMA340 audio panel and GNS430 Comm.

Any suggestions or ideas? I'm thinking a microphone windscreen or perhaps I need to adjust the mic audio in the GNS430.

Jim Butcher
Europa XS
N241BW
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  #137  
Old 12-31-2009, 08:38 AM
rv7charlie rv7charlie is offline
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pocahontas MS
Posts: 3,884
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The problem I've had is that the mic boom is simply not long enough to get the mic in front of my lips. I found that if I pushed the mic against the corner of my mouth as I talked, it worked ok, but otherwise my voice was at a very low level. This is really the same type of problem you have with a conventional headset when your passenger fails to move the mic up close to their mouth.

It's basically a signal to noise ratio issue. Noise in the cockpit is pretty much the same level everywhere. The farther from your mouth the mic gets, the lower your voice level in relation to the background noise.

Try taking the mic-side earpiece out & holding the mic in front of your lips like a 'normal' headset mic & see if ATC can hear you that way.

(Be sure that you're talking into the correct side of the mic; talking to the back side of a directional mic will *really* hurt signal to noise.)

Charlie
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  #138  
Old 12-31-2009, 11:24 AM
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DCat22 DCat22 is offline
 
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Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 531
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Yeah, the mic is short...I basically sculpted it to my face, and you have to make sure it's twisted so the right hole is in the right place. And extra 1/2 to 1 inch would make a lot of difference.

This weekend the FBO owner was also going to listen on his handheld, so I can get a much better idea of what the radio side "really" sounds like.
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  #139  
Old 01-01-2010, 07:03 AM
Denase Denase is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 40
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While looking for Comply earphones I found this.

http://www.amazon.com/Durosonic-Guar...2354021&sr=8-4

With just a change in the plug you have a headset like the Clarity Aloft at a much lower price.
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  #140  
Old 01-01-2010, 09:02 AM
trib trib is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Posts: 474
Question stereo

The guardian looks pretty cool, but would take all the fun out this project . The only drawback I can see is that the plug has 3 contactors. This seems to imply that there would be an audio, microphone and ground connection, i.e. mono and not stereo. Any thoughts on this? If it can simply have the connectors swapped and get stereo play, I'm in for this one. I'll just use my comply earphones that I already have for mowing the lawn!
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