CAPGear

SAREX Report: Pryme Heavy Duty Speaker Microphone

This is going to be a new ongoing segment here on CAPGear where we focus on the performance of one piece of gear in the field.

Our first victim topic will be the Pryme Radio Products Heavy Duty Speaker Microphone that I recently purchased from TWA Comm.

This was a simple 1-day SAREX with several ground and air scenarios (which began with an actual, but that's another story).  This mic perfromed flawlessly and came with some bonus features I was not aware of.  First, it has 3 push-to-talk buttons - that's right, 3.  The first one is the standard side of the microphone one you see on every speaker mic, the second one was a nice button on the connector itself, I can see this would be handy if you wanted to begin transmitting discreetly - not super useful for us, but cool in general.  The final button is the most amazing.  When I opened the unit I started playing with it before it was connected to the radio.  I noticed that the actual speaker assembly seemed to be "loose".  I was a little miffed because it was brand new and I need something for Saturday.  Well in the process of playing with it I pushed it in pretty far and felt the click of a button.  I thought that was curious - well, it turns out the entire speaker itself is a PTT button.  That was especially handy because I was wearing gloves, and without the tactile sense it was hard to find exactly where the (fully rubber jacketed) side mounted PTT was.

This thing came in so handy, at one point while we were regrouping after finding an ELT I actually stopped the team and announced how useful it was.  One of the best $80 bucks I've ever spent.

Now for a summary of the pros and cons.

Pros:

• 3 PTT Buttons
• Rugged Water Resistant Case
• 3.5mm Connector on the Mic itself for a concealed earphone
• Clear Audio Components
• Durable Coiled Cord
• Large Durable Metal Reinforced Clip

Cons:

• It's BIG about 2" x 2" x 3/4" deep
• The connector for the EF Johnson Radio is bulky, I imagine any speaker mic would have this issue
• The screw used to secure the connector requires a small screw driver to tighten - a tool not readily available in the field - hate to ruin a knife tip on this

Overall, I would say anyone looking for a speaker mic for their shiny new Civil Air Patrol Radio should pick this one up, I imagine it will last forever.

EF Johnson Radio Accessories...

Okay - so I have a big SAREX this weekend and I needed some toys for my EF Johnson HT.  With my old VX-150 I had a Pryme 1-wire recon headset which was awesome - the audio quality rocked and it took a serious beating and kept on working.

When these EF Johnson radios came out they rendered all of my Vertex accessories useless.  I was faced with a hunt to find the right stuff for this funky multi-pin connector.  Well, in a sheer stroke of genius - the gang at EF Johnson made this connector essentially the same as the Motorola HT-1000 connector, making most of the 1,000,000,000 HT-1000 add ons work with their radio as well (not sure about the fancy speaker mics with controls on them).

Once I nailed down what I needed I started my search for a vendor.  I landed on TWA Comm.  They are rockstars.  I placed my order today and it's already on its way.  They sent me an email conformation and everything - gotta love an easy paper trail.

I ordered the following:

1 Pryme Radio Products Heavy Duty Speaker Microphone for EF Johnson and Motorola Multi Pin Radios (SPM-3123) for the very reasonable price of $80.04.  As you all know, I don't mind spending a little bit more for something that (barring another radio change) will last me a long time.

1 Pryme Radio Products Cord with Right Angle Connector (EH-1389SC) for $36.97.  This is so I can limit who hear radio traffic if I want to.  This comes in handy sometimes.

...and finally...

1 Pryme Radio Products Ear Insert Replacement (P-EMMR) for $9.45.  Okay - this is purely for my comfort.  It's an ear molded insert - for long wear it's way more comfortable.

Overall - a pleasure to buy from these guys.  Give them a call at 877-389-0000 - ask for Steve, he rocks.

New Ground Team Gear!!

Okay - I'm not dead.  Just been a bit busy to say the least.  Between being a Squadron Commander and work - I've been buried.  All that being said, I had to blog about this.

I'm finally trading in my old Blackhawk Medic Vest (totally useless for what we do).

I thought I would let you know what I picked up and why.

I considered the standard LBV, another Blackhawk vest, and the Camelbak Delta-5 Tactical Vest.  I chose Camelbak - it was fully integrated, and Francois had one which gave me a chance to mull it over.

I decided to use OPSGear to make my purchase.  They had good pricing (not the best), but the main reason was one stop shopping.  They had all the pouches I wanted and the shipping was cheap.  I would highly recommend them for purchases like this.

The vest itself comes in black and sage green, it's made of tactical nylon mesh with MOLLE/PALS attach point on the front and back.  It uses large YKK zippers and has an integrated 102oz OMEGA Water Beast reservoir.  This vest is adjustable in 3 places on each side, and the length of the "shoulder straps" is also adjustable.  The water system uses quick disconnects at all points, and a covered bite valve so you don't get dirt or sand in your water.  It has an integrated "rescue" drag handle that is reinforced, it also has 2 velcro patches for ID purposes.  It's meant to be attached to a web belt of some kind to keep it from riding up.  This thing is amazing.  I chose sage green to attempt to match either BDU's, or maybe someday the ABU.  As I did on my black medic vest, I will eventually apply (using velcro) a large amount of reflective material in order to avoid having to wear a vest over this one.

I'll outline each pouch I selected and why.

First I knew I would need a radio pouch that could accommodate these nice new EF Johnson Radios - they're kind of big.  I selected the MOLLE Radio Pouch in OD Green.  It's big enough to hold the radio, it includes an adjustable retention strap to keep the radio in place when you have the main compartment open to make adjustments.  It has a nice reinforced port on the top for wires and antennas.  It includes the MOLLE connection straps which is nice.

Next I selected some small multi-use pouches.  I knew I needed something for both my Surefire 6P flashlight, and my Leatherman Multi Tool.  I selected the MOLLE Single Pistol Mag Pouch.  The dimensions were good, and the closure flap was adjustable.  Both of my items fit perfectly.  As with the Radio Pouch, these came with connection straps built in.

I have a lot of miscellaneous gear that I need access to on a regular basis, things like a simple knife, mono scope, notepad, pens, signal mirror, etc.  I decided to select a piece of Maxpedition gear for this stuff.  They call it the Monkey Combat Admin Pouch.  This thing is amazing.  It has a handy ID holder in the front that can be revealed by pulling down on the tab.  It has 3 internal pockets - the middle pocket velcros shut to keep items from falling out.  I stuck my mapping compass and signal mirror in there.  The front pocket has my pads and pens.  The inside most pocket holds my knife, a small LED flashlight, and my mono scope.  The entire front of this piece is covered in velcro.  I'm not sure I could live without this thing now.  The only drawback - if you could call it that would be the lack of connection straps.  I address that later in the post.

Now, we all have that pile of "undefinable" equipment.  Things you know you'll need but don't really fit into something "custom".  For those types of items I picked up a MOLLE Utility puch.  It's big and it has more MOLLE attach point on the front.  I put matches, gloves, bug repellent, etc in this pouch.  It has room for me to add miscellaneous items as needed, like my camera.

Finally to round it all out, I wanted a new butt pack.  I had the traditional, standard issue model.  No extra pockets - basically a big ass water resistant bag - useless.  I needed something I could putt my meals and shelter material in.  Something that if I needed one thing, I didn;t have to pull everything else out to get at it.  With all that in mind I selected the MOLLE Butt / Vest Pack.  It has plenty of extra pockets, including one on top for my extra batteries.  Overall a vast improvement over the original.

Because the Maxpedition pouch didn't have any straps for attaching, I had to pick some up.  I chose the Blackhawk STRIKE MOLLE Speed Clips.  They worked out well and weren;t too expensive.

The final product looked something like this:

I admit - this was a bit of a decent chunk of change, around $350 when it was all said and done.  You have to think of your GTM gear as an investment.  Not only is this gear going to last me a LONG time, it's also going to make my ES life a lot easier.

Next time on CAPGear - EF Johnson Radio Accessories, which ones worked for me.