Astatic D104 and 10DA mic sound comparison
Astatic D104 and 10DA mic sound comparison
quick listen of the D104 mic and 10DA Super Sidebander hooked up to a mic tester. D104's are tailored for high frequency cutting audio and 10DA is flat and limits all hi frequency after 3khz's.
quick listen of the D104 mic and 10DA Super Sidebander hooked up to a mic tester. D104's are tailored for high frequency cutting audio and 10DA is flat and limits all hi frequency after 3khz's.
Astatic Silver Eagle Trouble shooting and repair PART 2
Astatic Silver Eagle Trouble shooting and repair PART 2
Astatic D-104 Silver Eagle Mic Mods
Astatic D104 Silver Eagle Mic
lollipop
The D-104 range of mics were first and foremost communications grade microphones. Remember that fact and say it twice.
The were not design to be recording units,but for amateur\non-critical\radio use. In that role, and coupled correctly, the D-104 is a great communications microphone. Clean, CRISP, highly intelligible audio that makes each syllable perfectly understandable.
Larry King audio... nope.....ESSB audio...nope, but if you want that, spend a ton of money or use AM or FM. SSB was designed ( and works well ) to be an efficient, narrow bandwidth mode. The audio part of it was deemed acceptable ...and still is.
They always had crisp, CLEAN, and understandable audio.
Used D-104's usually need to be re lubricated, and it does not hurt to re-solder all contacts. Adding a electret element to replace a working UNDAMAGED original element is pure folly, and there are those that have done it. Kind of like putting a Ferrari engine in a Corolla and then hoping somehow that it will be a Ferrari.
There is NOTHING wrong with the audio of a D-104 if one remembers what it was designed to do ,AND if it is not over driven AND is electrically and mechanically working.
Most new hams, however, have no idea of the tonal design plan that was incorporated into this mic and think it should sound like a studio mike. Then again, even experienced hams still believe that somehow, someway, SSB can become and deliver AM or FM quality audio easily. Sorry folks but there is one word preventing that.......BANDWIDTH!!
lollipop
The were not design to be recording units,but for amateur\non-critical\radio use. In that role, and coupled correctly, the D-104 is a great communications microphone. Clean, CRISP, highly intelligible audio that makes each syllable perfectly understandable.Larry King audio... nope.....ESSB audio...nope, but if you want that, spend a ton of money or use AM or FM. SSB was designed ( and works well ) to be an efficient, narrow bandwidth mode. The audio part of it was deemed acceptable ...and still is.
They always had crisp, CLEAN, and understandable audio.
Used D-104's usually need to be re lubricated, and it does not hurt to re-solder all contacts. Adding a electret element to replace a working UNDAMAGED original element is pure folly, and there are those that have done it. Kind of like putting a Ferrari engine in a Corolla and then hoping somehow that it will be a Ferrari.
There is NOTHING wrong with the audio of a D-104 if one remembers what it was designed to do ,AND if it is not over driven AND is electrically and mechanically working.
Most new hams, however, have no idea of the tonal design plan that was incorporated into this mic and think it should sound like a studio mike. Then again, even experienced hams still believe that somehow, someway, SSB can become and deliver AM or FM quality audio easily. Sorry folks but there is one word preventing that.......BANDWIDTH!!
Astatic D-104 Silver Eagle Fet Mod Part 1
D104 Fet modification for better audio on solid state equipment.
Credit: This modification can be found online at Mr. Walter A. Breining is the creator of this information. I do not take credit for his information. But the link above can be downloaded by anyone who wishes to perform the modification. 73's and have fun with this one.
Credit: This modification can be found online at Mr. Walter A. Breining is the creator of this information. I do not take credit for his information. But the link above can be downloaded by anyone who wishes to perform the modification. 73's and have fun with this one.
D104 Microphone Source Follower
This video shows how I modified the Astatic D104 microphone and added a JFET source follower circuit to it with a 9V battery. Its a pretty easy mod. I also use a phase switch. I highly recommend using this circuit for the D104. I prefer the source follower rather than a common source type circuit as the D104 mic already has a high audio output and presents a high Z .to the TX speech amp. I have used this circuit in this mic and it has been running for about 5 years with no issues on various transmitters.
How to clean the relay contacts in Astatic D104 with lazy bar stands
How to clean the relay contacts in Astatic D104 with lazy bar stands
Method shown and explained will work with most of the Astatic bases with the lazy bar such as TUP9, Night Eagle, Silver Eagle
D104 Microphone Preamp
Here is a demonstration of a D104 preamp with adjustable Bass and Treble controls. The preamp allows this microphone to be used with modern radios while maintaining excellent sound quality. The preamp is available as either a kit or assembled PCB.
Astatic D-104 Silver Eagle Mic Mods
Astatic D-104 Silver Eagle Mic Mods
Modifications for even more basses and warmer sound
The D-104 has been around since the 30’s and is still popular today for communications. The current ones are still pretty much the same except that in the early 70’s a two- transistor pre amp was added to the base. The D-104 is considered by many to be the coolest looking mike around.
The early elements used a Rochelle salts crystal but later a ceramic crystal was used to make the element more rugged. These elements are unique in that the diaphragm is convex instead of concave. Although these diaphragms were made of aluminum foil, Astatic used an ingenious method of placing batting in contact with the element. This eliminated the “tin” sound of these elements and they are capable of a surprisingly good sound. The peaky sound that we sometimes hear from these mikes is due to improper loading, not the diaphragm material.
Without the pre amp, these microphones sound very good with tube equipment that provided a very high impedance load to the element.
#13: D-104 Microphone amplifier / Equalizer for Ham Radio
#13: D-104 Microphone amplifier / Equalizer for Ham Radio
This video describes the microphone preamp and equalizer that I designed in 1999 to use with my Astatic D-104 microphone with my ham radio. The D-104 suffers from two issues when used with modern ham radios - impedance mismatch and non-ideal frequency response. The circuit addresses both of these issues. The video briefly describes the circuit, it's frequency response, and demonstrates the bass and treble adjustments using an oscilloscope and signal generator.
More information can be found on this webpage:
http://www.qsl.net/w2aew/myd104amp.html
Note that it is quite likely that you will have to employ strategically placed bypass capacitors, ferrite beads, etc. to keep RF from coupling into this circuit. Every application and installation is different, so you may have to "play" with these components to eliminate RF from your circuit. You can see some of the ferrite beads I used when the video shows the circuit board in the base of the microphone.
http://www.qsl.net/w2aew/myd104amp.html
Note that it is quite likely that you will have to employ strategically placed bypass capacitors, ferrite beads, etc. to keep RF from coupling into this circuit. Every application and installation is different, so you may have to "play" with these components to eliminate RF from your circuit. You can see some of the ferrite beads I used when the video shows the circuit board in the base of the microphone.
D104 converted to a Studio mic stand and keyup
D104 converted to a Studio mic stand and keyup
Guy sent me in a D104 he wanted converted to hold his Sm58 Studio mic plus works to key the radio also. I go threw and show how to build 1 from start to finish. If you don't want to take on the task yourself just send it in and I'll be more then happy to fix you up. Also rig up the cable needed for the iRig and tested everything.
Guy sent me in a D104 he wanted converted to hold his Sm58 Studio mic plus works to key the radio also. I go threw and show how to build 1 from start to finish. If you don't want to take on the task yourself just send it in and I'll be more then happy to fix you up. Also rig up the cable needed for the iRig and tested everything.
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