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.
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