Shure 444D

[VE7ABC]

Does anyone know what hand mike or headset is the same as the Shure 444D?
The reason I ask, is I've got a 444D on my Yaesu 107m, and of all the mikes I've got, it is the one that I constantly get the best audio reports.  While the desk mike is nice, I like to lean back in the chair while ragchewing and a hand mike or a headset would make this old mans life just right.

Thanks for reading.

[ONAIR]

Could you swap the mic element out and put it into a hand held?

[AA4PB]

Part of microphone design is the housing so you **might** find that the 444D cartridge placed in a different housing won't sound the same.

[KQ6EA]

If you want another Shure mic, then the 514B looks to have the closest frequency response to the 444D.

The 444D uses an R111 "Controlled Magnetic" cartridge.

Shure has the spec sheets on their website, and I compared what they have in hand mics to the response curves of the 444D.

The 444D has about a +12dB peak at about 2800Hz or so while the 514B has about a +6dB peak a little lower.

[VA7CPC]

An alternative:

 . . . Get a Heil "Handi-Mic" (or other handheld mic) with an HC-4 element.

The HC-4 has the same kind of "presence peak" around 2.5 kHz.

The HC-5 has a milder peak, around 6 dB I think, and more bass than the HC-4.

That works if your rig will take a low-impedance mic.  If it's "tube input" for the mic preamp, you'll need something else.

.            Charles

[WB6DGN]

That works if your rig will take a low-impedance mic.  If it's "tube input" for the mic preamp, you'll need something else.

The Shure 444 series mics. (and 404 series hand mics.) are HiZ, Controlled Reluctance type dynamic microphones.  They were private-labeled by General Electric and used on their "Progress Line" and TPL series radios (and maybe, the Mastr Pro series).  They were largely responsible for GE's reputation as having the best quality audio in the industry in "the day".
If you can find an OLD GE mic., the element is identical and will work just fine.  They may actually be more common than the Shure brand at this late date.  Wish I had a few myself for various uses.
Tom

Forgot to add:  The desk mic. COULD be loZ, but, if it is, it is "converted" to loZ with a small transformer in the base of the mic.  The element itself is always a HiZ element in that vintage mic.

[W9GB]

Does anyone know what hand mike or headset is the same as the Shure 444D?
The reason I ask, is I've got a 444D on my Yaesu 107m, and of all the mikes I've got, it is the one that I constantly get the best audio reports.

Graham -

Fortunately, I live in Chicago area, where Shure is HQ and based.
http://www.shure.com/americas/products

Shure Canada
http://www.shurecanada.com/

User Guide for Shure 444D
http://55d5340a043a828856e1-f62de27af599bb6703e11b472beadbcc.r28.cf2.rackcdn.com/user_guide/upload/403/us_pro_444d_ug.pdf

LOOK CLOSELY at the Frequency Response curve for the Shure 444D, found in the User Guide.
That's the reason for your positive audio reports.

These are current production Shure Communications/PA microphones.
http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/other

The current production model of the legacy 444D is the Shure 450 Series II.
The 450 Series II model uses the R96 microphone cartridge, frequency response like 444D.
http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/other/450-series-ii-voice-communication-microphone.

For Shure HAND microphones, I like the Shure model 527B.
The 527 model uses the R131 microphone cartridge, frequency response like 444D.
http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/other/527-voice-communication-microphones

Shure recently introduced the new BRH31M Broadcast Headset.
Frequency response is FLAT, except for a bass roll-off (< 1 kHz) depending on microphone placement.
http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/other/brh31m-lightweight-single-sided-broadcast-headset

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Long & McQuade; Tom Lee Music are 2 dealer/distributors in British Columbia that carry many Shure products.