Radio solution for MSA Sordin (non boom mic)
 

So I recently moved to the states where they love their Thunder-B's. Due to this a good noise cancelling headset was in order so grabbed a pair of MSA Sordin supreme pro X.

I'm curious if its possible to get a comms setup working with my Puxing 888k (kenwood) without the need for an expensive boom mic addition.

I'm aware of the compatibility problem between mil headset / civ radio but after doing some digging I found this PTT from Toysoldier Toy Soldier PTT which looks like it will solve the PTT problem. But how can I get a mic working with this setup? preferable a clip on chest mic.

Any knowledge appreciated!


http://i.imgur.com/dG3mLVY.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/P25FWNP.jpg

I think they have the same problem as my Howard Leights where there just isn't any way to do a pass-though for a mic. You could do a straight through to your Aux port to receive only, but short of finding a real fancy ptt that can split and handle all of the traffic, we're pretty much SOL.

Thats a shame, you would think there would be a way.

A less than ideal solution would be to just wear an earpeice under the cup. Sacrificing a little bit of noise reduction (although the gel cups are pretty great at covering bumps like wires)

Afaik it's a shortcoming reflected in the price and purpose of our ear pro. I've thought about using an ear piece as well, but in my experience cramming buds under ear pro for work, it gets painful pretty quick.
Best solution I've come up with (apart from shelling out for full-on tac sordins) would be running a 2-way shoulder piece (actually way more effective than you think) and just plugging in for recieve only, and letting my buddy do all the talking (fine by me).

Most good shoulder(PA) mics will have a sound passthough meant for those clear ear tubes. Just get a 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack (if that is the size used) and use that to pump sound into the sordins and use the PA mic to talk.

Like so:

http://g01.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1G01zH...G-Yaesu-CB.jpg

Here is one that should work, kinda pricey, but so were the sordins.
http://www.911supply.ca/collections/...-3-5mm-kenwood

Im sure there are other options out there though.

You could also just get you hands on a raw kenwood connector or lapel mic/ear phne combo and put your own 3.5mm jack on it. (cut off the earbud)

The AUX connector on the sordins is supposed to work with media players so you should not have any impedance issues.
The incompatibility usually found with sordins has to do with the mics and not the speakers. All that had to be done with mine when I got it set up for civ comms was replace the mic, a $7.50 part.

This is the solution. Saw the thread and was going to post something practically identical.

Well hot damn.
Looks like we got a stew goin'!

Peltor boom mic and y-cable adapter works great with that headset. Might be cheaper south of border seeing as Peltor is distributed out of the US.

Been using that setup for years.

;)

This is great news, thanks guys!

Cobrajr122 - You mentioned you had to replace the mic, are you saying that purchasing the above solution would require some modification? Could you elaborate on that if it's the case?

In real world use, I just use the peltors with radio ear buds underneath. Less hassle when things cut out from loud noises etc.

I was referring to my sordins with a boom mic - you will not need to mod anything for the solutions I posted above.

Why would your headset cut out the radio, this should NOT happen. No real headset I have ever used does this.

My working man Peltors have a built in radio that blasts, but the aux input dampens my ipod to cutoff levels (great for people with good hearing, but annoying because I'm already pretty deaf).
Maybe it's something like that?

Thought I'd share this, had this bookmarked for ages...

I run HL Impact Sports, no comms yet so haven't bothered to source the various parts and figure out how to wire it up.

http://b0.us.is.pp.ru/s/sava_woodcats/3/22783803XkQ.jpg

http://b0.us.is.pp.ru/s/sava_woodcats/0/22783770wBi.jpg

http://b0.us.is.pp.ru/s/sava_woodcats/7/22783777Yuw.jpg

Source:
http://sava-woodcats.livejournal.com/17900.html

Is Russian so I haven't been able to glean any significant information off the post, but the pictures are fairly self explanatory.

Though personally, I'd prefer to install a better looking mic like this one off the AR15 forum.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ps2f6aff3a.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ps7f2c5b7d.jpg

Source:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_10/41..._Comtacs_.html

If anyone figures out a parts list and how to wire it up, do share :D

Looks like a simple splitter to ptt. The better one must have required disassembly of the one cup, a drill through the shell, and figuring out how to seal and clamp it.
Very interesting. I love my HL ISs, would be into figuring this out as well.
The shoulder 2-way seems like the simplest/ sturdiest option though, so I'ma just do that.

Beta, wiring it up is super super simple, especially on kenwood or Motorola 2 pin connectors where you dont even need to have one unionized connector, just appropriate 2.5mm and 3.5mm jacks.

Here is the pinout and basic layout of a kenwood 2 pin.

http://www.miklor.com/COM/images/dualplug.jpg

So in the case of passing through to a headset with a 3rd party boom mic and AUX port it would look like this.

http://i.imgur.com/KGb2kUr.jpg
(note: It's been a very long time since I have had to wire up civi radios so this may not be correct, but based on the previous image it should be - assuming it is correct)
Depending on your headsets AUX is wired you might want to bond the tip and ring on the AUX input jack together so you get comms in both ears.

If you are going to mount a mic intended for use with mil radios you wil have to exchange it for a mic that will work with the radio you are using though, so keep that in mind when searching for a more military looking boom arm.

Not to threadjack, but if one has a mil quality ptt, can they not just cut off the end (icom, 6pin, etc) and splice/put on a new one (kenwood, single pin, etc...)? Or would thins still need the ptt to be amped?

I can recommend the code red signal21 shoulder mics if you want something a bit "higher-end" than a generic China one. They're basically the same as the Motorola ones you see police and security guards using. I use mine with a regular "secret service" style ear piece, but was thinking about getting a pair of Howard leights for the times when I actually near hearing pro.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Nacre QuietPro
 

I have a Nacre QuietPro that I use with dual Puxing 888 radios and I just love it. I have the version programmed and wired for use with PRC-148 radios; an adapter is required to convert from a U238 plug to a Kenwood 2-pin.

The QuietPro is a comms PTT/interface with active hearing protection and sound amplification. The unit is completely sealed and is IPX-8 rated I believe (it's not afraid of rain). Both the radio and the talk-through volume are independently adjustable. The sound amplification enables one to hear a snail pass wind at 100 paces if one so desires.

The QP uses in-ear active hearing protection with bone conduction microphones so it is incredibly low profile and comfortable (no hot ear cups or snags-on-everything boom mic). If you don't mind wearing foam earplugs then you will not be fussed by the QP.

QP units may still be found on evil-bay and various independent sellers in the price range of CDN $200-300 (costly but less expensive than a real Sordin headset). Avoid the units designed for use with the Motorola XTS series as it uses a proprietary radio connector which is compatible with nothing but the XTS series.

This is what I use when I want to be a little more silent than shoulder mounted mic

http://i.imgur.com/PfBQjLq.jpg

The shoulder mic worked great, thanks guys! I ended up going with a cheaper option from amazon: Link for future reference

The one thing i'm still not clear on is how you could get a comtac boom mic to work with this setup. I get the Y cable / boom mic part but how do you place a PTT into the system?