Batboard

I bought a RMN5068 desktop microphone for a project I have. It's as simple as extending a desktop mic about 25 feet across a room.

I assumed that the mic would work with a Maxtrac or a M1225 desktop base...so, I didn't bother checking it before I extended the cable....

No I have monitor function but the PTT just beeps at me...

Any ideas?

Bill

Ouch. So, rather than using a pre-made CAT5 cable with a coupler as an extension cord, you hacked on the mic. Time to go back over your work. 25ft should be fine though I would stay away from motors, florescent lights, and other sources of hum.

,,,,crap....why didn't I think of that.....too easy probably...I'll take another run at it, thanks!

There are five different flavors of the new desktop mike, depending on usage. Did you order the correct one for your radio?

There IS a dipswitch inside that reconfigures the mike for different Moto radios that have the same plug, but the document to set the switches is an internal Motorola document last time I checked.

A call to tech support 'might' result in you getting the correct dipswitch settings for your application, if it is supported.

FYI, I ordered the $172 RMN5070 desktop mic for the desktop XTL5000 radio. Based on getting half-a-dozen folks to critically listen to and critically evaluate (in their subjective opinions) the received audio quality on their radios in another room, all 6 of our volunteer "evaluators" (including Yours Truly) reported that the $172 HMN5070 desktop mic did not sound nearly as good as the $75 HMN1090 standard mobile mic. We did this testing with blind A/B technique evaluations, so no one listening knew which mic was actually being used for each of the A/B tests.

We used two different receivers for our receiver end of this testing: 1) another XTL5000 deskset with the external high quality HSN4032 speaker, and 2) an Icom IC-R9500 receiver with the P25 optional module, and Icom's SP-20 external speaker, both receivers operating and listening in analog FM and digital P25 modes. We did this testing after carefully adjusting the gain control on the rear of the deskmic and talking 8 inches away, per the included instructions from Motorola. Hands down, the mobile mic won every time in our test of perceived audio quality.

I can definitely see the advantage of the desk mic IF you have a dispatcher that is sitting at a chair and is bound and determined on not wanting to have to hold a mic in their hands. The trade-off is that the audio is good, but not nearly as good as the mobile mic.

BTW, the old Star Trek mic looked so much cooler than the new Fat Boy mic, IMHO.

Everybody hates the desk mic. It hears a gnat picking it's teeth at ten yards, but hardly picks up the dispatcher. And the cord is never long enough to put the mic in front of the monitor the dispatcher reads from the most. So, everybody gets to listen to her through the back of her head.

And it doesn't matter who makes the mic. Nobody makes one that works well. They are either deaf, or too loud, or make clunk clunk sounds every time you hit ptt.

I think it's an evil plan to have techs touch the gain pot at least 150 times until someone breaks down and orders a headset adapter with dual jacks, foot pedals, telephone interface, and logging output that they now want to use ... along with a Plantronics wireless headset. And, oh by the way, the phone isn't loud enough, and she can't reach the foot pedals. Oy vey.

Bill_G wrote:Everybody hates the desk mic. It hears a gnat picking it's teeth at ten yards, but hardly picks up the dispatcher.

Well stated!

ASTROMODAT wrote:

Bill_G wrote:Everybody hates the desk mic. It hears a gnat picking it's teeth at ten yards, but hardly picks up the dispatcher.

Well stated!

Correct JUNK, expensive desk mics with piss poor acoustic performance. Just a cheep plastic case with a cheep condenser element.


Get a REAL microphone....... like the Audiotecnica gooseneck mic used on the old Comtegra consoles.