Anyone use one of those cheap chinese condenser microphones?

Bill -VA3WTB

Very nice Ria, this is why I use an Yamaha cm500 headset, it does on pick up room sounds. That would be a problem with the Bm800 but I like how crisp the Bm800 sounds.

AA5JD John

Thanks Ria! Hearing the sound comparisons was excellent. I ordered a BM800 as a backup microphone.

KS0CW

Ria, it's not a bad mic... only draw back is its ability to pick up background noises from joining rooms, other than that the 6000 allows one to dial it in for decent audio.

Ria

I agree. It is omnidirectional and pretty "hot" which makes it good for booth use but in the shack it picks up everything

Ria

Bill, missed this, but I am usually on 40 at night with Dave in England (G0EVY) and company.

Ted VE3TRQ

The BM-800 has a cardioid pick-up pattern, in the direction of the "BM-800" logo. So really, its more or less unidirectional. Of course if the noise you don't want picked up is over your shoulder, it won't be in the mic's null, but behind the mic it should be pretty insensitive. Ted VE3TRQ

Andrew VK5CV

Thank you Ria,
Which Behringer mic was it?
I liked that one.
Andrew VK5CV

Bill -VA3WTB

Ria,,what model was the Behianger mic?

Ria

Xm8500

Ken - NM9P

Thanks, Ria.

If these recordings were made without TX EQ or PROC, then I must say that I am impressed with the Radiosport right out of the box.  Clear, articulate, punchy...just what you would want for DX or Contest audio.  Add some of the FRS "Magic" from PROC and EQ and it is a big hit.  It was also very much more quiet than the other two - the noise cancellation advantage was apparent.  The particular Radiosport M207 element you used (300-8000 Hz response) wouldn't have the low end for a good rag-chew profile for MY voice, but it would make a killer DX/Contest mic.  I would love to hear the M208-Wide response element, too.

The Behringer sounded more like a cheap SM58 knock-off - a bit muddy, bassy, with a few peaks in unwanted places, and what sounded like a lot of proximity bass effect which would vary with distance to the mic.  (This is the primary reason I don't use a SM-58 or their ilk, because I don't like the profile changing whenever I move a couple inches to grab something on my desk, etc.)  It may be able to be corrected with the TX EQ, etc, but it seemed that there may have been a lack of response in the articulation frequencies that I like to hear.  The old saying is "you can't boost with EQ what isn't there in the first place."

The Chineese BM-800 had a better profile out of the box.  It seemed to be more full ranged, more articulate, with better highs.  You could tell it was an electret/condenser mic.  But it picked up a LOT of background noise...more, it seemed, than the Behringer.  But it is a Mic I could work with a lot better than the Behringer.

Out of the box - the best mic is the Radiosport.  
The BM-800 was impressive for the price.
The Behringer sounded like a $20 Microphone.

But the proof for me would be how good could I make any of them sound after working the "magic" on them...

A little work with the DEXP may reduce the ambient noise pickup issues.

My 2 cents, for what it is worth.

Ken - NM9P

BTW...While cleaning in the Basement this past week to rid soem mild mold problems, I found my two additional Electrovoice EV-664 "Silver Hammer" mics and their unique connectors that I salvaged from a church PA cabinet about 12 years ago when the Trustees were preparing to throw them away.  The connectors are almost worth more than the mics themselves.  Now I have three sets that I may be putting on the market.  They are pretty, but I don't need them!  I even have the boxes!  I used one with my Flex-1500 for a few months before I got the Heil PR-22UT that I currently use.  I ought to do a comparison between the EV-664 and the PR22UT, and perhaps a homemade electret mic I have been contemplating....

WG5D

I got a cheap one on Amazon - one of those Chinese BM series, it integrated well, but considering that it is supposed to be uni-directional, it picks up every noise in the house - way too sensitive for my liking. 

Ria

Turn down the gain to a comfortable level. 

WG5D

Ria - thanks for the tip - I have done that already. I even have a 32 channel equalizer inline with it to try to filter out ambient noise in the room - I have a lot of equipment in the shack including a Dell server and some Cisco gear that generate a lot of racket. If I reduce the gain to the point that the mic does not pick up noise, I don't get good transmit and compression levels unless I have my pie-hole right on the mic. My Heil headset works great - but I don't like wearing that all the time. I may spring for a PR40 and see what happens

Ken - NM9P

Broadcast studio mikes are designed to be used at fairly close range, unless you have a sound-quieted room, which few hamshacks are.... Two to three inches spacing, and using the DEXP, can help tame the background noise somewhat.

Mike VE3CKO

That's what I was saying. You have be right on top of the BM-800, if you move a few inches up or down, left or right off the sweet spot the sound goes to ****. If you can stay on top of the sweet spot and don't move it can sound decent, but then it's the physical obstruction of the microphone, the boom has to be adjusted just right so I can view SmartSDR.

EA4GLI

This is exactly why, for me, the headset is the right tool for the job. It is almost impossible for me to stay in fron of the mic without moving. I have the boom mic just because.... another toy in the radioshack, but handsdown, the headset is the way to go.
I am not the most experience operator but using a confortable headset and a PTT pedal are the 2 things I have to have.

KC2QMA_John

In this comparison I have to agree that the Radio Sport is the winner. The headset was the most articulate without sounding harsh and would be the one that gets through the band noise the best.

Plus you get the added benefit of hands free operation and built in earphones for better copy. Also interchangeable mic elements means you can decide on the right mic for you mode of operation.

Ken - NM9P

I don't own a set of Radiosport...yet...
But I tried them on at the Flex Booth at Dayton in 2016.
It took me all of 15 seconds to determine that they were the most comfortable headphones I have EVER put on my head.
I just couldn't afford the $300 then...or now...yet...

This year at Xenia I had planned to buy a set, but ended up putting a deposit down on a trade-up for a Flex-6600.

But they ARE on my list!

Ken - NM9P