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| Reviews Summary for Heil Pro Set Quiet Phones |
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Reviews: 30
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Average rating: 3.5/5
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MSRP: $225.00
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Description: There are three models of PRO SET QUIET PHONE - depending on which Heil microphone element you choose. PSQP -5 contains the Heil HC-5. PSQP-4 contains the "Dx Dream Machine" HC-4 and the PSQP -"iC" contains the high performance Heil electret for early (Pre Pro) ICOM inputs. The Heil PSQP interfaces into the Heil AD-1 adapters that are available to your corresponding transceiver.
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More info: http://www.heilsound.com/amateur/pro_set_quiet_phone.htm
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AB7R
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Rating: 3/5
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Jun 1, 2009 09:12
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Works good - poor mechanical design
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Like the previous reviewer I've had lots of problems with my pro quiet phones. But when they work they work great and really cut down on noise in the shack.
The mechanical assembly is terrible. I had to take mine apart and was suprised to see the crap soldering job on this small board. One of the ground connections failed. I resoldered everything and reinforced the cable support and have not had any problems since.
GL
Greg
AB7R
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K6BR
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Rating: 1/5
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May 31, 2009 20:33
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Poor Quality
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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These head phones have an RFI problem, which just about drives me crazy. I have no other RF problem in the shack at all. With even low RF levels of 400 watts I can hear myself in the headphones, crank it up to 1500 watts and they are unusable.
After 3 months of use the right headphone speaker is not working when the unit is switched off. So, I am forced to have the unit switched on so that I have audio in both the left and right ears and suffer the RFI.
The cord is way too short with the amplifier inconveniently located 3 feet from the head phones. I talked to Heil and like others I was told that I have an RF problem, I have no RF problems in my shack, I keep a junky clock radio by the amplifier that even picks up the cell phone when it rings, but does not pick up any RF from my station. The overall design is good and the headphones are very comfortable, but the cable and and small plug for the speaker is poor. 90% of radios and extension speakers use 1/4" jack. Then of course there is the big red 1/4" PTT plug that is not necessary and gets in the way. The right thing for Heil to do instead of blaming their customers for the RFI problems, would be to admit they have a problem and to part exchange the PSQP for one of their new units for a reasonable charge. These headphones were an Xmas present from the XYL, so I feel obliged to keep them in the shack, otherwise they would have been in the trash can.
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WF7I
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Rating: 3/5
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Apr 29, 2009 08:02
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Very poor quality control
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The headphones work great, IF they work at all.
As with others on here, my first headset was dead on arrival, and I had to exchange for another one. The second pair worked fine for about 6 months, and then developed a problem with the PTT button. You had to apply *A LOT* of force to get the dang thing to key up. After another year, I could hardly key up at all, and I had to hold it down so hard that it hurt my fingers!
After about 3 years, in addition to the PTT problem, it developed an audio problem as well, where the right earmuff audio would blank out off and on. At this point, I had to tear into the unit.
I discovered VERY shoddy soldering connections on the board, which was allowing for the audio lines to short out with adjacent grounding lines. I did not possess small enough shrink-wrap to insulate the lines from one another, so had to put in mini pieces of electrical tape!
The PTT I had to replace entirely with an outboard toggle switch. Their PTT is a metal membrane style that simply does not work well over time, and having to constantly apply pressure is a poor design.
Other than these QC and design flaws, the headphones are very comfortable and the noise canceling works great. I find them a pleasure to use for hours on end.
I'd think long and hard before buying another one until Heil makes corrections for the QC issues and a different design for PTT.
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WB4MAK
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Rating: 1/5
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Mar 28, 2009 12:22
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Poor RFI suppression
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Horrible RFI with this headset at 1.5 KW. The RFI is non-existent with my Bose Quiet Comfort headset. It is very poorly engineered against RFI. The cord is entirely too short. You have to keep the battery pack in your lap. The PTT switch is useless for contesting. I do not recommend that you but this headset.
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K2YWE
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Rating: 2/5
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Mar 2, 2008 10:46
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Clunky
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Noise cancellation works OK, but certainly no better than the $15 pair I bought at the drugstore.
The electrical interfaces have separate pigtails with plugs for PTT, headphones, and the microphone. The amplifier is four times as heavy as the cheaper set I have, and battery life seems no better. My biggest complaint is the short cord. You have a choice of either extending the three lines and carrying around the amplifier on your hip (although there is no provision for a clip) or in your pocket, or cutting the triple cord and lengthening it. I find neither an attractive alternative. The phase reversal switch has been moved from the 'phones to the amplifier, so carrying the amp in your pocket is not only heavy, but makes using the switch a pain.
I wonder if the designers consulted any contest operators before rolling out this model. Not much good unless you stay glued to one position without much movement.
Look elsewhere. You can do much better!
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N4GG
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Rating: 3/5
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Dec 30, 2007 12:53
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Clumsy
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I don't have RFI issues, but even at 1.5 KW on the antennas I don't have much RF in the shack.
The ANC works FB.
Issues:
1. QC is poor. The first pair shorted one of the earphone leads within a few weeks, and no rough handling. Heil has good service - they sent me a new pair. The phasing switch was broken right out of the box on the new pair.
2. The cord length with electronics box in the middle are exactly the wrong length. Lean back and the box falls off your table and yanks on your head. All good ANC designs have the electronics and battery in the headset, not in-line with the too-short cord.
3. Price. These cost more than the best ANC phones you can buy in the consumer market.
4. No auto-shut off. Leave it on - come back to dead batteries. Easy to do.
5. PTT is a joke. The switch is too stiff to be of any use, and the jack is a nice heavy 1/4 inch job that should have been a 1/8 or done away with all together.
I use them every day, but they could be so much better.....
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K9MA
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Rating: 2/5
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Dec 26, 2007 08:33
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RFI Problems
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Noise reduction works well at low frequencies. Passive noise reductions at high frequencies is fair, but a reasonable trade-off for comfort.
Sound is fine, except for slight high-frequency hiss. Distortion occurs at a fairly low level, which could be a problem for older users and those who use ear plugs for high frequency attenuation.
The big problem is RF susceptibility. I am disappointed by reports the Bob Heil blames this on excessive RF levels in the shack. Based on my experience, unless your antennas are far away from the shack, you will have a problem at 1.5 kW. Amateur equipment MUST be designed to tolerate fairly high levels of RF, and most is. I built an external filter consisting of one 470 microhenry chokes in series with each of the 5 microphone and audio wires, including the shields, which reduced the level considerably, but did not completely eliminate it. Wrapping extension cables around ferrite cores also works, but it took 3 of them. I suspect the remaining susceptibility comes from the cable from the headset to the electronics module. (Perhaps that is why that cable is so annoyingly short.)
I will keep the headset, but only because the acoustic noise from my amplifiers is slightly more bothersome than the RF pickup (after connecting the filters). I could recommend it without reservations if Heil did the following:
Fixed the RF susceptibility problem
Added about 3 feet to the cord from headset to module
Fixed the high-frequency hiss
Increased the maximum audio level
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N1KFC
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 4, 2007 04:39
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Bravo Bob!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have used the PSQP for a couple of years and have had no rf problems in my shack or at friends' stations. The ANC function takes out power supply and other noise. The PSQP are comfortable for hours at a time. I have always received compliments on my audio. Even the case is well built and big enough for a spare set of batteries. Heil has delivered again. Thanx, Bob!
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G7SOZ
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Rating: 1/5
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Jun 4, 2007 03:52
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Need RF-proofing
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I tried a pair of these at CW NFD this weekend. The ANC works nicely, doing a good job of cutting out generator noise etc. All is great until you key the rig and get RF problems.
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W3LK
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 18, 2007 17:59
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Not the Phone's Fault
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have used a (borrowed) pair of these off and on for several months with no RF problems, and I generally run a KW on a variety of bands.
The RF problem isn't with the phones themseves, but with stray RF in the shack. Get rid of the RF in the shack and the RF in the phones will go away.
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