Microphones @ WB4IUY/AC4QD

I love old microphones. Heck, I like most all kinds of microphones, and have been picking up various versions here and there for years. I've restored some, kept some as original with their wear and tear from years of use, and have modified other microphones to use other types of elements to fit my personal taste. Sometimes, I just change elements to see what the difference in audio reproduction is...

Some of the microphones I have are pulls from commercial service. Some have been used in police, fire, rescue, and other public service venues. Some were picked up at hamfests and came from Amateur or CB use. I don't think I've _ever_ had but 1 brand new mic since I got my ticket in 1974. Oh well, this is an attempt to show you a few of my old mics...

Astatic JT-30 Microphone

This is an old Astatic JT-30 Desk Microphone that I restored back around 1995. I have adapters wired that will connect this to the Heathkit Twins, to my Yaesu FT-901, and my Icom 756. It has a very 'bright' sound to it, and I use it often on my Heathkit 301/401 twins. This one was built sometime in the early 1960's, based on the silver border adhesive label with stamped “JT 30”.

Astatic D-104 Microphone

This is another old desk mic that I picked up at a hamfest (I'm a sucker for these things...). It was in a nasty condition, and was almost free. You can click the first pic to see it prior to repair, and click the second pic on the right to see it now. I actually bought two junkers at the same time...and it is a good thing. I used the element from the parts mic, cleaned the chrome, sprayed and cleaned the gain pot in the preamplifier, replaced a broken connector in the base of the head from the parts mic, recovered the base with some felt from the hardware store, and installed a new cord that I had around the shop.

Astatic Model 10-C Microphone Head

This is another old hamfest piece I found somewhere. I disassembled it, gave it a good cleaning, polished the chrome, and it's as good as new! When I disassembled the head, I discovered an original Heil HC-4 element inside. You can click the pics to see it from it's original condition through repairs, and the final result.

Electro-Voice Cardax 950 Microphone

This is yet another old mic that I picked up at a hamfest, somewhere. I've had it so long, I don't remember where it came from :-) . It's all original at this time... I recently pulled it out of my 'rainy day' box and brought it up to this condition. I plan to disassemble the head once more, have the outer components chrome plated, and reassemble it for one final time like new. The first pic is of the lower portion of the head before cleanup, the second pic is after cleanup and reassembly.

Turner Super Sidekick Microphone

This is an old desk mic that I picked up at a hamfest. It was in pretty foul condition, but I only gave $2 for it. You can click HERE to see a pic of it during restoration, or click the pic on the right to see it now. I have it connected to a Heathkit HW-101 and operating in Studio B at this time.

Shure 404C Hand Microphone

This is an old Shure Brothers model 404C that was manufactured for ITT Mackay, and was originally used in the marine service. It is currently wired to my Icom IC-211 and in use on 2m SSB. It has a nice bright response that cuts through noice similar to my Heil HC-4.

Astatic 636L Hand Microphone

This is an Astatic 636L Hand Microphone that was sold as a common non-amplified mic in the CB market. It is currently wired to my old Yaesu Memorizer and is in use on 2m FM. It has a soft response that that sounds very natural on 2m Fm.

Motorola TU532A Desk Microphone

This is an old mic I got from a Motorola commercial rig I picked up at a NC State auction. It's a pretty cool mic, and I use it with my old Kenwood TS-120 from time to time. There's nothing really special about the mic, but I think it's a kinda cool.

Turner +50 Desk Microphone

This is a Turner microphone I picked up at a hamfest back in the early 90's, and was built somewhere around 1968. It's not stock inside, though... I stripped the internals out (amp, element, etc), and installed an electret condenser element and biased it with a 9v battery. It stays connected to my Heathkit SB-301/SB-401 combo. The electret condenser mic has much better lows, and that's what I needed on my rig when operating AM.

Turner +2 Preamplified Desk Microphone

This is another Turner microphone I picked up at a hamfest back in the mid-90's. It's a pretty cool old mic, was made around 1972, and was actually more popular on CB rigs than amateur radio. It's very clean and just another mic in my collection.

Misc. Microphones

This is a pile of old broadcast & studio mics I've collected for future restoration. The 2nd mic from the left is an Electro-Voice Cardax 950 Microphone and has been restored to operation and shown above. The mic on the far right is a 1940 Shure 708A Stratoliner (CX-50) crystal microphone (32-319), and is currently being fully restored from the base metal up.