USB Head Set - Looking forward to 1.4

Dan -- KC4GO

Change the thread a bit with recommendations for USB headsets?  Looking forward to sitting on the patio watching the grass grow and playing radio.  I do think it's a lot like a kids Christmas. As a 4-5 year old you really never knew when it would happen (no sense of time) but boy were you glad when it got there. 
My best to the Flex Development team for all their hard work for us...
73's 
Dan --- KC4GO

Jim Gilliam

Not sure what the latency issues will be, but don't forget about a Bluetooth headset possibility. That way you are not tethered to a USB chord.

Jim, K6QE

Chuck

Dan,
I used a $30 USB set during my flight simulator time last year. it worked well for voice/phrase recognition during landing instruction etc. I do not know its specs. Its made by Logitech and was purchased at Best Buy.

I wonder if I will be able to use it with 1.4 either from the USB port on back of 6500 or from USB on my computer? Do not have a  laptop here for remote lan, but would like to use the headset on the 6500.

73
Chuck w9nwr

Alex_KM5YT

OK on the logitech, but am hooked on my Bose-X ANRs that **** ambient noise, so I'd be interested
in a USB set that has that feature - and/or is there an aviation adapter that converts PL-55/PL-68 to USB?

73
Alex/KM5YT

Jim Gilliam

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/wireless-headset-h800?crid=36

This looks interesting as the frequency response is tailored to voice.

Jim, K6qe

Greg - K5GJ

While I was producing the LAN Remote video, I used 2 different units:

The Logitech H390:  http://www.logitech.com/en-us/for-business/products/headsets  
Decent signal reports.

RadioSport RS60CF with the M360 High Output Electret Element and a custom Headset to USB cable. 
I got great reports once I got the EQ set.  Electrets are BRIGHT!!

73,
Greg - K5GJ

Asher - K0AU

Greg, will the RadioSport EQ settings be in the release note?

Jay -- N0FB

I plan on testing my Logitec G930 Gaming Headset with SmartSDR once that 1.4 comes out.  This is a wireless 2.4 GHz (non-bluetooth) headset which I have been using for VOIP for my business a little over a year.  It has great audio and low latency.  Most of the bluetooth headset devices I have used in the past exhibited excessive latency.  I'm not sure as to why.
I will report back to the group my findings after some experimentation, equalization and getting some over-the-air audio reports.

http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/g930-7-1-wireless-gaming-headset

Jim Gilliam

That looks great! It is independent of Bluetooth but has a USB wireless adapter and can be charged via the USB connector. I am looking forward to hearing your reports on it. Thanks so much for the info!

Jim, K6QE

Norm - W7CK

I would highly recommend going with wireless Bluetooth as others have suggested.  I don't particularly like large bulky headsets so I have gone with an LG HBS-800.  This set is extremely lightweight, small, fits around your neck and has 2 ear buds which provides full high quality stereo.  There is no boom microphone to deal with.  Audio quality is fairly good and the USB chargeable battery lasts over 10 hours.  I've used this in conjunction with my phone as well as my laptop while operating remote and haven't had any negative reports.  I love the size, and the fact that I can listen to my music in full stereo when not using it for remote communications.  The microphone is built into the part that fits around your neck.  When not in use, it just rests around your neck and doesn't seem to get in the way at all.

There are lots of possibilities out there.  v1.4 is going to be lots of fun.

Norm - W7CK 

KY6LA_Howard

For the past year I have been using a $26 Logitech Bluetooth headset for my iPad remote operations via Parallels Access to SSDR from my 6700 Very light, portable audio is very good and I get superb "FM Broadcast" quality audio reports. In fact, people are amazed when they hear it's only$26. http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Headset-iPhone-981-000381/dp/B005JXAEGS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1423619425&sr=8-2&keywords=logitech+bluetooth+headset They are still available

K6OZY

I have been using this extensively with the Alphas and it is a fantastic solution.   I will be writing up how I worked K1N with just the headset walking around the house and nothing else.

KY6LA_Howard

BTW. The best part. About Bluetooth headsets is that you are no longer physically tied to ur pc. You can walk around the house during a Q

EA4GLI

Hey Greg, I asked in the main video post but maybe it went unnoticed.

What software do you use to produce the videos?

I am trying to create my own Flex video and I am struggling a bit finding the right software, and before I fork the cash for a specific one I would like to know which one do you use. Ultimately, I want to create a few videos in Spanish showing the capabilities of the flex. There is tons of information (and misinformation) about the Flex radios, but very little in Spanish.

Thanks!

EA4GLI

I completely agree with the recommendation to use Bluetooth (BT). I have also noticed that BT devices have much better tolerance for stray RF. I currently use a BT Mouse and BT keyboard. The other advantage is freeing USB ports, which are limited in some of the more portable laptops and tablets. I am really looking forward to run SmartSDR on a Windows 10 tablet.

The only suggestion would be to enable the "pick up call" button on some of these to act as PTT.

The main disadvantage of BT is having to recharge. A tethered solution will not need to be recharged. Some of the BT headsets have about 6-8 hr talk time which could be limiting.

Greg - K5GJ

Salvador - I use Camtasia Studio v8.44 from TechSmith.  I've found it very easy to learn and use.  The "LAN" video was my first attempt with several features.  I added live video inserts (during the FM section).  I did post-edit voice-over narration in 3 places. and a few new animations.  I'm just barely scratching the capabilities of the tool and yet I'm very pleased with the results.  YES!!! I have a lot to learn about doing videos but they get the message across.  I would highly recommend Camtasia.  73, Greg

Greg - K5GJ

Asher - Mark - NA6M has been working to capture the RadioSport EQ settings for the M207 and M360(High Output Electret) elements.  We are hoping to get them reviewed and installed before 1.4.  That is NOT a promise! I'm not in engineering so I'm not allowed to make commitments..... But I do know they are working on them and will integrate into SmartSDR as soon as practical.  73, Greg

Jay -- N0FB

Howard, when 1.4 comes out, I would love to read a report from you as to how well your headset works directly with SmartSDR.  My concerns still surround latency that I've experienced with many Bluetooth headsets.

Jim Gilliam

Do you experience this same latency with programs like Pandora? Perhaps it's not the Bluetooth per se' but the latency in your computer. I have noticed very little latency with my Bluetooth speakers using my Dell portable. I compare the audio coming into my Bluetooth speakers with that of the audio coming directly from my Flex 6500. The latency creates nothing more than an echo.  

Jim, K6QE

Asher - K0AU

That's great!  I have the RadioSport USB dongle and an M360 waiting in a bag to try out. 

On a different note, I'm really anxious to test how LAN Remote audio latency affects my ability to key using my RemoteRig keyer.  I have less than 1ms of LAN latency so I have my fingers crossed it'll work out. 

I'm also assuming / hoping that the 6K still follows hardware TX/PTT signals in LAN remote mode since the RemoteRIg can still assert a PTT signal remotely.

K6OZY

Not all BlueTooth headsets are created equal.  The ones that are designed for phone use need to be tested to make sure that the microphone is going to work with the HFP..   BlueTooth Audio has two audio profiles:  A2DP/HFP and HandsFree.  In A2DP audio-out mode, the audio is stereo and high fidelity sent from the computer or phone to your headset.  The microphone return channel that has great quality is called HFP (Hands Free Profile).  Many headsets do NOT support HFP.    This means that when you listen to SmartSDR remote over the A2DP stream, the microphone cannot be activated at the same time.   If you activate the microphone, the entire headset shifts over to "cell phone mode" and the hands-free profile activates.   This silences the A2DP stream and turns on a very low quality audio out and microphone listener.

Make sure you test this before committing to a headset that you may not be able to return.

K6OZY

The big advantage this 930 has is the side buttons on the left side of the headset.   I can bind them to any macro or keypress on the computer.   To work K1N,  I setup the CWX macros to send my Callsign as F1,  send 5NN TU as F2.

I then bound the G1 button to F1, the G2 button to F2, and the G3 button to ESC.   This let me send my callsign while walking around pressing G1 and quickly cancel it if needed by hitting G3.

K6OZY

Oh and I get 12-15 hours of battery life on this headset too.  Good stuff.

Steve K9ZW

Will the USB cable and Dongle be new standard offerings of Radiosport, or does one roll their own? 73 Steve K9ZW

David Decoons, wo2x

I've been using the Yamaha CM-500 headset with the Griffin iMic. Works great with the iPad and also the laptop running Windows. I get excellent audio reports on it also.

The CM-500 goes around $50 - $60 and the iMic is $30

For real portable operation using a Bluetooth I use a Plantronics Voyager Legend.

I also have a Plantronics CA12-CD wireless base/PTT unit which I use with a lightweight Plantronics Supra Plus HW251N. The nice thing about the CA12-CD/Supra combo is I can wander around the house and be able to talk with PTT control. It uses 900MHz wireless band and has better range than Bluetooth.

EA4GLI

Thanks Greg.
So I tried using the Camtasia and I run into this problem. If I try using DAX to record SmartSDR audio I get a high rate clipping sound. Sometimes I can eliminate the clipping sound if I turn off the DAX audio stream and turn it on again in the DAX control panel, but it eventually comes back. I think it is an issue with my laptop and integrated sound card. However, it does happen on both laptops I have.
Anyway, a solution to get good sound in my SmartSDR videos is to connect the sound from the headphones port in the Flex directly into the Line In of the laptop. This works great, however, when I PTT and talk, my voice comes in from another source and gets into that mic in.

When I troubleshot the problem I went through the following:

1. Try with MON on and off. MON on will send the audio through OK, but the "second" audio is still there. With MON off is just that second audio that I can find how it is getting picked up.

2. I thought it might be a Mic in the actual laptop, but that is not the case either.

3. I checked all the recording sources under recording devices to make sure I wasn't inadvertently "listening" to any of them. 

Not sure what is the cause.... You can see an example of this problem at the 3min mark on this video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaBpMBFGL8c

John Molenda

Hi Jay , I am using the same logitech g930 but can not get it to work any quick ideas ?  thanks JOhn kb2huk

mdavid01

How is it going using that G930 with the flex?
Would you still recommend it?

k0eoo

Ok, I get how you worked K1N while moving around but how'd you log the contact remotely?

KY6LA_Howard

If I really want to log a QSO, I use COMMCAT mobile app on my iPad.
But frankly i rarely bother to log most QSO's unless I am collecting a NEW COUNTRY that I am calling FROM.

Dave - WB5NHL

I agree Logitech H340 USB headset is great. I use with DSTAR dongle and get good reports.  For Bluetooth headset you can't beat Blue Parrot B250-XT. It's a litttle pricey but worth every penny. This is the one truckers use!!!  I know why! I use it with my Icom ID-5100 in the car. I can be carrying on a conversation on radio and my wife, in the passenger seat, can listen to Sirius radio.  Yes, the noise cancelling is that good!!!  Comfortable, single ear piece with great audio.