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You can
write your own review of the Heil HandiMic Series (new for 2004).
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K6USN
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 13, 2007 14:16
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Thumbs up!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Okay, I thought at first the HandiMike was a silly rendition of a tape recorder microphone and didn't look like ham gear. I've changed my opinion after a hands on try at HRO in Oakland.
I wanted a microphone for my IC 7000 that would also work with my PRO III. Was looking for something small and light, with the time proven
HC4/5 elements Heil is renowned for. The color schemes of the Gold Line or the HM-10 was not to my taste.
The HandiMike fits the bill! In fact, I bought three!(HM4,HM5 and Pro) I use them on a small desk stand when at home, and clip them to the rig when operating portable.
Extremely well constructed - solid feel, balance and weight. Not your plastic hand held mike at all! The audio is superb, as is to be expected from the time tested microphone elements utilized.
I also like the fact that they are the traditional black matte and match my Icom radios.
I will never go back to a stock 'clamshell' mike again.
Allen
K6USN (ZK1USN)
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W2DIP
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 11, 2007 13:53
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Great for the Icom 7000
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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For those of you who have Icom 7000's, I have two, you know that the audio is enemic at best using the unmodified hand mic. I have heard myself and many other 7000 owners and they all have the tell tale hollow sound with no range. I always get my mics modified by Bob Nagy who does a great job at a reasonable price but I wanted something that I could both use with my boom/desk stand and hand. Ofcourse, the biggest problem is not having use of the keypad on the hand mic. I find myself switching back and forth. For some reason Icom's manual tells you emphatically not to hook two mics up at the same time. I am wondering if that is because of the danger of transmitting on both mics at the same time (a difficult feat at best) or for some other reason. I thought that the abilityt to plug both mics in would give me the best of both worlds but I have to check further.
BTW, if you take the supplied hand mic apart, at your own risk, you will notice that the mic element in not behind the hole in the shell which contributes to the hollow sound since in effect you are talking into a boxed in enclosure forcing the sound to bounce around before it gets to the mic element. The use of Japanese cell phone mic elements designed for the Japanese voice also does not help matters (in all fairness to Icom, they did switch their frequency response to the generic 'International setting'). Every 7000 owner in my neck of the woods either has their mic modified or uses some other means to improve their audio. Despite this however, many 7000 owners who leave comments on the web report no problem. I have heard about 8 7000 rigs so far and they all share the same audio problem so I am baffled at this. One explanation is that the poor audio is most noticable on FM simplex. It is not bad on repeaters or SSB. I know lots of hams who never or seldom talk on FM simplex so perhaps that is one explanation why more people are not up in arms over this. Another explanation is that the problem is voice dependant and for some voices it works well and with others, like my deep monotone voice, does not.
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KI4CRA
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 25, 2007 16:14
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Outstanding
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had my Heil HandiMic for going on 2 years now. Other than the cable being defective and on recall talked with Bob, he thought he had got all the defective cables, evidently I had one of the last ones. Got it replaced ASAP, and no problems, until about 6 months ago.
I would have had the problem corrected back then except that I have both rotator cuffs surgically repaired, and have just in the past couple of weeks addressed the problem. The little black PTT button has been sticking for months now. E mailed Bob and see if we couldn't come up with a solution. Received a solution, tried it twice, didn't make much of a difference. So emailed Heil Sound and I should be getting a replacement PTT button any day now.
It is an excellant mic, and I ahve had many enjoyable contacts withit and hope to be back on the air with it again very soon. 73 all and thank you for reading my post.
Mark AI4HO
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KO1D
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 26, 2007 07:04
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Good Mic
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought the HM-5 with the adapter cable recently for use with a TS480sat to replace the Kenwood stock mic. I had serious doubts about how I would like a more studio type mic while driving versus the traditional (if you will) boxy style mic. Previously on other HF radios I had come to love the Kenwood MC60 mics for their pleasant sound that was hard to screw up and the D104 for the punch it gave an old Drake TR4cw I had.
The mic has good weight balance and fits in my hand quite naturally. The PTT (or release to listen for some) is a nice rubber button that is neither too hard to push to activate nor so light that it goes off when jostled in the car. The size of the mic is also just right being neither too small or too big for my hands. I can easily and comfortably operate the mic while driving.
There were other reviewers concerned about the lack of a coiled cable. For me this is an advantage due to how I need to run the cable in the car. The coiled mics stretch nicer, but they get tangled up and caught on things easier as well.
I am still playing with radio settings but for my voice running the speech processor and some bass from the 480 gives a nice full sound according to those I have spoken to on SSB. Running with a setting of either 2 or 3 on the FM mic gain on the same radio also gives a nice rich sound from what I am told.
Thanks for a good product Bob.
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AB0O
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Rating: 4/5
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Oct 31, 2005 19:16
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Good equipment
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Purchased the HandiMic Pro as a replacement mic for my FT-857D mobile rig. The day after the purchase, the PTT stopped working in the middle of a QSO, but has worked well ever since. (Probably a loose paint speck or plastic shard in the contacts.) Otherwise the audio is flawless and reportedly very pleasant to listen to. Fit and finish is good, with the mic element set in an enclosed inner case.
The only sustained complaint I would have is that the mic cord supplied with the mic is a very heavy cable, with the rather large and ungainly plastic cover for the plug connector. The cord is not coiled and is impossible to straighten out, especially on cold mornings. I would think that a special wide-temperature-range lightweight coiled cord with a more streamlined plug would be a required accessory for this mic.
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N7ZM
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 24, 2005 16:15
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Great small microphone
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Great small microphone. Drives the pants off my Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark-V, better than the MD-200.
Ron N7ZM
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AF4KK
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Rating: 4/5
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Oct 5, 2005 07:46
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Works very, very well!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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This is a good quality microphone with good quality sound. I have an HM-4 and and HM-5 and they both look as good as they work. The only teeny-tiny little problem is when you place the mic in the mobile bracket with the wind screen on, it pushes the foam piece up just enough that it nearly falls of the mic. Otherwise, a fine addition to my Kenwood 480SAT!
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K0CWO
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 31, 2005 07:56
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Trust Bob's recommendation
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have owned the Heil Goldline GM-5 for about a year now and use it with my Icom 756ProII. I am very happy with its performance and was looking to replace the stock hand microphone I use with my Kenwood TS-2000. I wrote Bob Heil not knowing which Handimic to buy. He recommended the HM-5. I have used it for two weeks now and I have received a lot of compliments on my audio. The microphone is very comfortable to use and has plenty of drive for the TS-2000. Another high quality product from Bob!
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N0JSN
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 22, 2005 17:09
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LITTLE MICROPHONE BIG AUDIO
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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GREAT PUNCH FOR THE MOBILE. I FIRST RUN THE HANDI MIC ON MY VACATION OUT TO GRAND CANYON,ONE OF MY FRIENDS AB0RJ RECORDED ME WHILE I WAS SITTING AT THE AIRPORT AT GRAND CANYON TALKING BACK TO ST.LOUIS, DIDN'T REALIZE HOW GOOD THE AUDIO WAS UNTIL I HEARD IT FROM THE RECEIVING END VERY PUNCHY AUDIO YET VERY EASY TO LISTEN TO. BIG IMPROVMENT ON WHAT I SEEN THE WATT METER DOING ALSO! MADE BIG USE OF MY 100 WATTS IT GAVE AN ALL NEW MEANING TO PEP POWER. NOW I HAVE PURCHASED ONE OF THE KENWOOD 480 HX 200 WATT MOBILES, EVERYBODY I TALK TOO SAYS WHAT GREAT AUDIO I HAVE, AND THE SAME THING GOES WITH THE OLD WATT METER BUT NOW WITH 200 WATTS PEP. WHERE DOES BOB COME UP WITH ALL THESE GREAT SOUNDING MICS? I'VE TOLD BOB BEFORE, "JUST KEEP DOING WHAT YOUR DOING BECAUSE YOUR DOING IT RIGHT!" CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HE COMES UP WITH NEXT.
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K9NYO
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Rating: 5/5
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May 27, 2005 15:50
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Every day I like this mic more
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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First of all, Bob has always been very gracious and helpful when I've talked to him at Dayton through the years. Though he probably talks to thousands of hams, he has always replied promptly and thoughtfully to any e-mails I've sent with questions.
I am very discriminating when it comes to audio and microphones, having built my first mic out at the age of 8 out of conduit, an old shower head, an element from my dad's (WA9NYO) junk drawer and some perf board (hi hi). I later worked as an announcer in broadcast radio for nearly 10 years, and I got used to high quality mics and high quality headbags. I've been really pleased with all of Heilsound's products.
So after a demo and trying out the mic myself at Dayton, I ordered one from R&L Electronics (fine folks) and had it within 2 days. I hooked it up--it's the HM-4 DX element--in the mobile and worked Liechtenstein through a pile-up within 10 minutes. I've received excellent reports on the audio since.
The microphone has a really nice feel to it, and I've found I can work the PTT with my thumb (as one might traditionally hold a mic) as well as with my index or middle finger when holding the mic as one might hold and operate a typical hand mic. For these reasons, the size and shape of the mic were very transparent in their use.
I would highly recommend this as well as other Heil products for their sound, construction and class...yes, they're really classy looking and that's important, too.
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