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Mic sensitivity (Halo) with cockpit airflow

cjensen

cjensen

Well Known Member
Anyone have issues with mic sensitivity with a Halo (or any mic for that matter)? I am getting a lot of air noise, mostly from the air vents I think...if I have the vent pointed at my face, I get A LOT of staticy crackly noise, which of course subsides when I point the vent down a bit. I've messed with the squelch and it doesn't seem to help.

Wondering if there is a mic issue???:confused:
 
Directional microphone on HALO

The HALO in-ear set has a very directional mike. There is an L at the end of the stalk. Make sure it bends toward your mouth. That took care of the problem on mine.
 
Adjusting the squelch isn't going to help this issue. Try adjusting the mic gain down a bit. The factory settings for many radios is too high for the very high noise environment of an RV cockpit.
 
same issue here

Chad,
I have the same problem but with a MarvGolden headset. Using an SL-40 so I have the same question. How do I set the gain on an SL-40 radio?
 
The gain is adjusted on the radio, not the headset, and it depends on the radio. Some have a manual pot that needs to be turned (such as the A200) and on some it is a software setting. Check the manual for your radio.

Which radio are you using?
 
Which intercom do you have? Some intercoms, like certain models of the PS Engineering ones, have some switches inside them that can be set for higher noise environments like the RV's. It makes a huge difference in the mic's breaking or not breaking the squelch due to higher wind noise such as in a descent, or when the vents are open.

Vic
 
RE: Mic Side

hevansrv7a said:
The HALO in-ear set has a very directional mike. There is an L at the end of the stalk. Make sure it bends toward your mouth. That took care of the problem on mine.
Click to expand...

I am looking at my Halo as I type. I took off the mic cover and note that on one side there is a deeper set silver screen and on the reverse side is the creen punched in the plastic.........which is the mike side. Plus I didn't see the "L"...... this doesn't mean it isn't there I just don't see it.

On a side note my SL40 is with Garmin to comply with an SB that is directly related to spurious noise when PTT is actuated.

Frank @ 1L8 ...RV7A... Flying and Tracken (MT-RTG)
 
I use the "isolate" position...

...on the FlightCom 403 installed in the flying RV-6A I purchased. Most of the time I fly by myself so that is not an issue. With a passenger I would have to flip the switch to use the intercom.

I too have a Halo so I am interested in solutions that are better than mine. I am especially interested in PIREPS on MGL's VL-10 with built-in intercom. Supposedly their radio/intercom was developed in a high noise environment.

LarryT
 
I have the Flightcom 403b, and have used both positions...that wasn't making a difference in my case.

I'm hoping the gain in the A210 will fix the issue...it's quite annoying.:rolleyes::)
 
Hmmm...this is an interesting topic for me. I have a Halo and love it, but my problem is that the mic is not hot enough. It works fine if I turn the squelch way down on my PM3000 intercom, but then the Lightspeed 30G that I use for the passenger activates from engine noise alone. I find if I have the squelch right at the point where the 30G's are quiet, then I still have to practically yell to get my mic to activate the intercom. I made sure that the mic was pointing directly at my mouth.

Would changing the SL40 squelch really change how the intercom reacts? I thought that was completely driven by the intercom?:confused:
 
Mike factory problem

When I went and see Phil (Quiet Tech) at Osh this year, he pointed out that they had some problems with the mike oversensitivity. They have been replacing it with one less problematic. You might want to ask if your model is the ones that need a recall. I still have to send mine in.

Peter
 
Chad - while I don't have the Halo and rolled my own, a foam cover over the mic is something to also consider besides squelch. Works great on mine. Just look at news crews with their outdoor mics - usually covered with foam or synthetic material to help with wind noise.
 
Yeah, I'm using the supplied foam (light foam) cover. I've never taken it off to look at the mic orientation tho...
 
fstringham7a said:
I am looking at my Halo as I type. I took off the mic cover and note that on one side there is a deeper set silver screen and on the reverse side is the creen punched in the plastic.........which is the mike side. Plus I didn't see the "L"...... this doesn't mean it isn't there I just don't see it.

On a side note my SL40 is with Garmin to comply with an SB that is directly related to spurious noise when PTT is actuated.

Frank @ 1L8 ...RV7A... Flying and Tracken (MT-RTG)
Click to expand...

The Halo mike external design has evolved over the years. My very recent version (we have had multiple Halos) does not have the "L" and is as you describe. And, it seems to have the best mike and feel of the lot. I think the plastic slotted side is towards he mouth but, honestly, I'm trying to sort that out for myself. I didn't initially take the foam cover off to observe until I had some difficulty with it yesterday. The problem seemed to resolve when I rotated the screen side towards the mouth.

I mentioned to Paul after the flight that I'm going to put some nail polish or some visual reference on the cord at the end of the foam to help me know which side should be towards the mouth. Phil, if you're listening, you might consider some sort of marking on these new mikes. I love it, but it is too hard to find the right position in flight.
 
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RE:phil's answer

I e-mailed Phil and asked which side is the mic side. He said......

Frank

Speak into either "flat side" top or bottom...doesn't matter. Feel it through the windscreen.


Cheers
Phil McCandless
Quiet Tech
 
Chad,

Could you clarify what the problem is? Is the high noise level causing the intercom to break squelch? Or is it that the high noise level in the earphones during transmit? Or is it something else?
 
The high noise level is breaking squelch, but it doesn't always sound like wind/airflow noise. Sometimes it's a high pitched static crackle. It does not do it when the vents are pointed away...
 
Halo mike and A210

Thought I would chime in.
Got my Halo's upgraded to the new mikes, and there is a significant change in sensitivity. The new mikes are louder, and more sensitive. In other words, They will break the intercom squelch with less speaking volume, and I hear more background noise in the headsets via the sidetone. Radio checks from my buddies indicate a much clearer and well modulated transmission, with no or very little background noise being transmitted. As for the 210, I reduced the mic gain 10 percent, and I seem to have the proper balance now. Wind only breaks the squelch if the vents are pointed directly at the mic and I turn my head 20 degrees or so to the left. I have found that I can alleviate this with small adjustments to the position of the mic in relation to my mouth.

As for my mic upgrade PIREP, I highly recommend. This has proven to make an already outstanding headset even better. Also, their customer service has been absolutely great.

Regards,
Chris
 
Thanks for posting that Chris. Maybe I will see if they can upgrade the mic on mine. In addition to my issues with breaking the squelch, some people have told me that I sometimes sound quiet when I transmit over the radio. The main thing for me is to get the sensitivity close to my 30G's that I use for passengers.
 
I just purchased a new Halo, so I assume that it has one of the new mic's on it. I flew with it last night for the first time for about 45 minutes. Just for reference, my previous headset was a Lightspeed QFR (ANR). The Halo worked perfect right out of the box. I didn't even need to adjust the squelch. So far I am loving it!
 
Thought I'd update this thread...I have a whole 26 hours on my 7 now, and I still get the noise every once in a while. Today was about the worst it's been. I have the static noise nailed down to being related to the canopy.

When I look left or up, I get the horrible staticy crackle. Anyone else have this issue or heard of this? I haven't adjusted the gain on the A210 yet, but would that make a difference in this case???

My David Clark's will be back from repair on Monday, and I plan to fly with those next time to see if there's a difference.
 
Still sounds to me like a basic squelch issue Chad - especially if you get it from being close to the canopy. Flying fast gives more airflow noise, and you just have to desensitize the squelch.

Of course, you could slow down, but what fun is that?! :)
 
I don't think its the squelch

Chad,

I get a similar problem with my Halo. I don't believe it is the squelch breaking as it is a subtly different noise, and is definitely dependent on the speed I am flying at - faster is worse. I have tried turning the mic with no effect. I think it is an EMC problem, with the mic somehow picking up some interference. My head set is about 2 years old. I need to call Phil to discuss - will try over the next couple of days. I don't see the problem with a Sennheiser HEMC300 - I'm using a PS Engineering PS6000 intercom/audio panel.

Pete
 
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I may call Phil too then...sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with. I'm gonna play around with A210 settings in flight next time too, and check things out with my DC headset.
 
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