RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BROADCAST HEADSET TO USE WITH CELL PHONE

[OttoM]

This was buried in another thread - so here it is in its own thread.

Does anyone have a thought on the best 2.5mm cell phone headset to use for a non-airborne traffic reporter?

I'm looking for something to plug right into the phone - not using a Flipjack, MicTel or any other external parts (except for maybe some adapters). Thanks for your input!

 

[TomT]

I've had good luck plugging a 635 directly into a cellphone, but not other dynamics with lower output. With an RE-16,unless talent projects well, not enough output to drive th-- cel-one an-- it drops --t.

So you might want to experiment with a typical "sportscaster" type headset/mike combo which puts the mike closer to the mouth. May need some kind of beltpack unit to juice up the receiver audio, as I doubt the cellphone has enough push to drive the big headphones. On a Motorala V-60 (last one I played with, the tip was mike hot, ring headphone hot, shield common ground. The 635 and most good dynamic mics have a transformer somewhere, so there is no ill effect on the low-voltage (3 v or so) DC fed out to drive a condenser mike.

Unless you are talking about a non-airborne, mobile, traffic reporter. Then, for safety's sake, you are back to conventional hands-free units.

In that case, I would go with a Bluetooth device, as that gives your reporter the most freedom from distractions while driving.

 

[OttoM]

Unless you are talking about a non-airborne, mobile, traffic reporter. Then, for safety's sake, you are back to conventional hands-free units.

In that case, I would go with a Bluetooth device, as that gives your reporter the most freedom from distractions while driving.

This is a non-airborne (car-based) reporter. So a single-ear headset is what we're looking for.

Bluetooth is out - don't want to add another wireless link (and the failure possibilities it adds). The more I look at this - it really seems we'll have to get a Flipjack or MicTel, or else tolerate the poor quality from a $25 wired headset.

 

[Chuck]

Unless you are talking about a non-airborne, mobile, traffic reporter. Then, for safety's sake, you are back to conventional hands-free units.

In that case, I would go with a Bluetooth device, as that gives your reporter the most freedom from distractions while driving.

This is a non-airborne (car-based) reporter. So a single-ear headset is what we're looking for.

Bluetooth is out - don't want to add another wireless link (and the failure possibilities it adds). The more I look at this - it really seems we'll have to get a Flipjack or MicTel, or else tolerate the poor quality from a $25 wired headset.

This will sound unlikely, but here goes:

My wife dragged back a GE branded cell phone headset from Target, which I immediately dismissed as "junk." It turns out it has a noise cancelling mic. Somewhere in the package is says "noise cancelling" but you can tell if it really is by inspecting the actual mic. If it is noise cancelling, it will have a vent hole (or holes) on the back side of the mic element.

To my surprise, the darned thing actually sounds pretty good. It is way better than the mic in the cell phone, and it's reasonably comfortable to wear. The down side is they seem to break easily. I've snapped off the padded part of the headrest on more than one of them. The good news is they cost under $15.00, making them disposable. You might give it a try.

 

[OttoM]

Well - after some trial and error - we found a pretty good solution, so I though I'd share it with the class.

http://hardware.teamxbox.com/reviews/xbox-360/64/Motorola-X205-Gaming-Headset/p1/

Turns out this Motorola headset comes with a cable that hooks directly into a 2.5mm headset jack. And it sounds great - not Sennheiser/Beyer quality, but a lot better than most $20 headsets.

Unfortunately this model was discontinued but there are plenty available on eBay. Average cost: about $20. But be sure to get the XBOX version - the PS/2 model doesn't come with the proper cable.