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Reviews For: Astatic D-104

Category: Microphones for ham radio

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Review Summary For : Astatic D-104
Reviews: 70MSRP: 90.
Description:
The Liliypop Mike
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.astatic.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00704.7
W5BZC Rating: 2002-08-21
Golden Eaqle Time Owned: more than 12 months.
After reading all these reports I just had to jump up and run over and look in the box I pulled from a closet last week. I have a Golden Eagle D-104 that I purchased about twenty five years ago. It is plated with 18 carat gold and is still in the original celophane packing and box. Bright and shiny without a smudge or fingerprint. I have been inactive for quite sometime and let my license expire. I am going to take a new test Sept. 7 on element one(1) and will soon be back on the airwaves. I have a TS-520 with MC-50 Mike that I will be putting back on the air. I have had D-104's in the past but I hate to open this one as it was produced to celebrate our Nation's Bicentennial.
K5NT Rating: 2002-08-21
Great Mike, and Super Mirror Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have a D-104 I bought back in 1953, and it still provides great audio! It also serves another purpose. When I need to hook up cables to the back of a rig, I use the polished back surface of the D-104 as a mirror. That way, I make fewer mistakes in back-panel connections.
WA2MGB Rating: 2002-07-01
Oldy but VERY goody Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have collected several D-104's for my tube rigs. Those that had pre-amps, I simply bypassed the amp and ran without...And old trick, still worth mentioning is remember to talk across the mike, not directly into it, you'll produce a better sound with more bass. Talk across the windscreen!The other trick, when you ask for a signal report, never tell them your using a D-104...otherwise your "wonderful" will change to "well, it sounds a little tinny, on the high side". Tell them it's a Heil, you'll be surprised how wonderful your audio/signal reports will be.....:^)
KG4LFZ Rating: 2001-12-27
A very good mic Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got a D-104 for Christmas, the day after i got it wired for an Icom 756, and the I went home put a battery in it an plugged it into the rig. Then I adjusted it for best audio possible. So then I went down to 17 meters an heard a friend calling CQ so i went back to him and asked if I got an EQ or something and told him that I got a D-104 and said it sounded very good. Then after we had our little QSO I went up a few khz and heard a DX station gave my call and he replied and said I had very good audio. So I really like this mic and plan to keep it for a long time. 73 Eddie
MW0ATI Rating: 2001-10-09
Best Mike Ever Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I Used to play about with all the audio gear,then got fed up of 1 ham telling you the best audio they have ever heard,then the next QSO saying that you have to much base.So I decided to sell all the audio gear and studio mike and try a D-104.
I bought mine new in Feb.2001 and I run it on a Yaesu FT847.It really drives the radio very well and I get a full 100W indicated on my MFJ 989C.I have also done back to back tests of D 104 V Yaesu MD100A8X.I was working a guy on 2M SSB when I decided to change from the 104 to the Yaesu,without telling him.He said what have you done your audio has gone crap and you are down about 2 S points and its getting hard to copy you.He thought that I had turned off an amplifier(which was not the case).So to sum up the best Mike I have ever used and when I get my new HF radio(756 PRO or MK 5 MP)I will be fitting my trusty D 104.LIsten out for me on 28.480 most days and see what you think
73 Geoff MW0ATI
W4CNG Rating: 2001-09-23
Great Fidelity Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned 2 of these microphones in the last 2 centuries. The first one was used to feed my Galaxy V HF radio in the early 60's. Very good audio reports then. The second I bought on E-Bay with a twin this past year. One worked, the other did not. Sold the non working one at a hamfest (noted it did not work). Kept the other which now resides as my only standby microphone of choice. There are many other microphones that will provide a faithful reproduction of your speech, but not many will ever equal the D-104 (no amplifier needed). Some newer microphones are more easily equalized than the D-104, run straight into a radio, you cannot beat it.
W6TH Rating: 2001-09-23
Perfect mic for ssb and am. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am using the D-104 with the amplifier and it is the best mic for voice communications. It really punches through the QRM with my TS-520S. Have used many microphones through my years and the D-104 was always the best. Never thought it would be so great on ssb, it sure is a winner. Get one on eBAY for a low price.
WA2MZF Rating: 2001-09-15
Works Great ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been using a stock d-104 with a kenwood ts850 for about seven years now. ANY other mic does not compare. I also hasten to add that it is the amplified type, with no modifications ! I am using it as originaly built. Homebrew or the famous heil hc-5 does not sound good at all. Heil replaced the hc-5 and the new sounds as bad as the old.
Reports from any mic except the d-104 are not good. While I love the 104 I just wish I could find a hand mic that would work ! Being full time
rver the odd time a hand mic would be nice. I did make the mistake of getting rid of the orignal stock hand mic.
W2CBK Rating: 2001-09-15
Great mike Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I acquired a used, unamplified D-104 for my Ten-Tec Trition IV. The unsolicited remarks about great audio speak for themselves. I've tried other crystal mikes, as well as an electret on this rig. The results were disappointing. I just bought a second D-104 for my new old DX-60. This was $30 very well spent!
KC0IEE Rating: 2001-01-29
Very good audio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought mine used for my TS-520. I get lots of compliments on audio quality. Works great with older rigs with a High Z input, I'm not sure how it would do with newer trancievers. The PTT switch does have to be rewired for use with VOX as the audio line also runs through it. This mic is very well built with a long lasting leaf spring type switch, and no plastic parts to break easily. The fact that it is a beautiful mic to look at is just icing on the cake.