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write your own review of the Heil HM-i for Icom.
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REEF2K
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 17, 2003 17:26
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dynamic & punchy
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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i had to pay the normal rip-off uk price,around 100 pounds with lead,but it performs very well with my ic 746pro & 756 pro with loads of gain and a good frequency range. i run the rigs mic gain at half way and bass at +2 and treble at +4/5.if your radio has no tx tone controls then it may be a disadvantage. i also have a goldline and im told the sound is rather mellow but the hmi is bright and strong but not harsh.
i would recommend this mike for the above radio's but don't know if they'd work as well with other icom's
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KF4LVC
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 23, 2003 15:08
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Very good mic
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I purchased my HM-i from Bob Hiel himself a year ago (very knowledgable and nice guy). I wanted something a little better than the SM-6 I was running on my '746. The workmanship of this mic is outstanding and the dual filters are very convienient. I must say that for regular ragchews, this is the mic to have! The audio freq response is top-notch studio quality. However, for DX and rough band conditions on HF, I still find my D104 a better choice, even if the audio is "flatter" and more "tinny".
The Heil HM-i IS worth the money and I would reccommend it. But keep a D104 on hand for DXing!
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VK5NJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 7, 2002 21:00
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what a great product
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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well i have to thank Bob Heil for his advise & emails about the mic Hm-i, the work manship is a-1,the reports so far are fantastic ,thats not knocking the trusty sm-8 i have used for many years with my Ic-756 the original model.Thanks to as well from R&L electronics for there super quick response to e-mail and to post it to vk area,6days is quicker than mail in vk itself.Must also mention,USE the proper connecting cable for the Hm-i as well the settings are spot on as well .cheers for now vk5nj john
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KC2HHY
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 29, 2002 08:41
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Great mic, Great value
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I decided to go Heil and I am glad that I did. I have ICOM equipment (756pro and a pair of 820H's). I previously used an SM-20 and SM-8 on the rigs. (You'll soon see them posted for sale on a web site near you.) The mic's are fine, but all in all I found them too hot for my liking, and candidly, I like the convenience of a boom mount with a foot switch. So, I went to the HMi and started getting outstanding audio reports on both FM and SSB. I have had no complaints about audio punch quality v. the SM-20 or SM-8. Then again, I've never tried a D-104 on my radios. I guess like beauty, the Tx audio of a mic is in the eye of the beholder.
Now what I call the bad news. I called Heil to find out what's going on with all of the "blow out sales promotions" on the HMi. They told me that they are phasing out the HMi for the ICM. Granted, the ICM has a cable attached, but the ICM does not have as wide a frequency response. This is not a bad thing. Rather just a matter of taste. So, I picked up 2 more HMi's from a retailer selling them for $49.95.
I'm sorry to see Heil discontinue the mic.
73's
ed
kc2hhy
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KD2E
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Rating: 2/5
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Oct 27, 2002 21:36
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Also switched to D104
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I got this mic with an IC736, and tried it out on my PRO. It worked, but everyone I checked with gave better on-air reports when using the D104.
I have a transistorized version that I got new a while back.
I used a D104 years ago with my HW101, again with my TS520 and 830.
You'd think I would have learned by now!!!
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WD40
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Rating: 3/5
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Oct 27, 2002 00:04
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Switched to D-104
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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After reading all the reviews on this mic, I thought it would be the right choice for my IC-718. After many days of trying this and trying that, I found that the stock hand mic had more punch then the Heil. My reports came back saying it sounded ok but I kept having to repeat everything when signals got weak. The crisp punch was just not there. Finally, I decided to hook up my old D-104 after adding a 33k resistor to the audio line. Big, big difference. Super audio reports and everybody agreed after tying all 3 mics, the D-104 won hands down. Maybe the Heil had problems, maybe I had a bad mic I don't know but the mic did work, just not as well as the Astatic.
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VE2AKV
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 26, 2002 18:12
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No audio Punch!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Well i try this mic and no thank you for me.
I got a 751-A Icom rig and a Astatic D-104.
On hf there no is no audio puch so i received a 5/5 on report ...change for the D-104...5/9...
But a least it`s a nice quality finish and well made for shure...and a great compagny for customer service.
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K5ZP
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 16, 2002 15:22
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Best Value + Excellent Performance
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I'm using the HM-i on my IC-765. I picked up the rig this winter without a microphone and originally had an SM-20 in mind. After a call to Ron at HRO San Diego I experienced severe "sticker shock". Let's get a grip.....an electret microphone for $259 retail!!!
I had some experience with the SM-20 and know that it works well, has perfect reviews and is of high quality but........ I just couldn't shell out that much money for the mike. (Electronics manufacturers extensively use electrets because of their extremely low cost and ease of manufacture - typical electret elements cost less than $.25 each in bulk)
On to the HM-i. AMCOM sent me the mike and Icom cable for around $110. I consider this to be an excellent value because you are getting two mike elements to fit most normal applications (contest and casual). The fit and finish were above par. The matching cable is well built, shielded and is of high quality.
This mike must be equalized with any Icom transceiver using the transceiver's built in mike equalizer. Heil gives a chart depending on your particular transceiver. The recommended settings produced good results. I have my mike gain set so that I can fairly close talk the mike (2 inches) and have received many excellent audio reports.
Here's my only minor problem with the mike. Switching into the narrow position produced overly equalized audio. Additionally the gain characteristics were different than the wide condensor element. My speech processor went off the scale when I first switched the narrow element in.
After re-equalizing the mike and changing the gain the performance was excellent. This normally isn't a problem as I can reset the rig quickly especially if I know in advance that I'll be working a contest. The added performance negates the minor task of moving the settings a couple of notches. I was able to tell immediately that weak DX could hear me better on the narrow element.
Well there's my experiece with the mike on an IC-765. It should work in a similiar fashion on most Icom transceivers. Looking at the Heil transceiver equalization chart it is apparent that the frequency response of the microphone amps for the many ICOM transceivers that this mike will work with vary widely. Set it up per the instructions and play with it later. I can recommend it and saving over $100 is icing on the cake.
73 de Steve,
former studio engineer
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VE7ABC
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 28, 2002 10:32
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Fine piece
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I purchased this mike on the advise of Bob Heil to work with my IC765. No disappointments here. I get great reports on my audio. If you own one of ICOMS' older rigs, this is the mike to use.
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KN7K
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 2, 2002 14:48
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Great Microphone!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I've been using the Heil HM-i for about 8 months and I am thoroughly satisfied. I consistently get good audio reports and I feel that the value is excellent and the quality is very good. Prior to purching the HM-i I was using the Heil HM-10 with the HC-5 cartridge. I was very dissapointed with it because it just didn't have enough drive and it required the use of the processor. I would certainly recommend the HM-i for use with the IC-746.
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