Cheap headsets for control tower

[AerBabe]

I've been tasked with sourcing some new headsets for the A/G radio at North Weald. They have to be personal issue, so costs need to be kept down. There is some debate amongst the staff over whether single sided headsets would be better as we often have to answer the phone while talking on the radio.

At around £150 the Telex Airman 750 are a bit too much, but how about these from Talking Headsets? http://www.talkingheadsets.co.uk/products/item.php?id=73

I've had a chat with the guy who owns the company. He was very helpful and said he could remove the inline PTT and fit an aviation double jack.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Thank you! :ok:

[av8boy]

I'm a big fan of only using one ear for RT (leaves the other ear free for the phone and listening to jokes), and my personal favorite headset continues to be the standard Plantronics Starset (http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?DID=19&Product_ID=5452&CATID=94). Add a molded earpiece and there's nothing better. The price appears to be about half-way between the Telex you rejected and the Talking Headsets you're looking at.

Dave

[chevvron]

If it's only for A/G, then anything you can pick up in a surplus shop will do, bearing in mind that aircraft headsets might not be compatible with a radio designed for ground use. If it's for FISO, then it would probably have to be a design approved by SRG.

[AerBabe]

Good point about FISO. We're not at the moment, but with three of us signed off at other airfields, we might go that way at weekends some time in the future.

[vintage ATCO]

Currently kit for FISO units doesn't have to be CAP670 approved, but no doubt it will come . . . ;)

I would suggest you go the two earpiece route. Most of us operate with one side back but it does help to pull it back on when there is a lot of ambient noise and you are trying to concentrate.

Our headsets have an inline PTT and most of the staff like it, that and a foot switch. Why do you need a double jack? What are you connecting to?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Just make sure that whoever looks after your radio gear tells you the spec for the mic and earpieces. Any old mic may not necessarily do - some require pre-amplifiers to boost the output for the transmitter. There are other factors involved too before you fork out the dosh..

[Over+Out]

I agree with vintageATCO. Go with the two earpiece due possible ambient noise. I'm not familiar with your airfield, do you have any aircraft noise (music) near-by?

[AerBabe]

Thanks for all the input. This only came up in coversation this morning and I offered to do the research...

There is not that much general background aircraft noise. We have a lot of ho me-based Jet Provosts and a couple of Gnats, but we're quite a way back from the runway. The bigger problem is colleagues speaking on the phone - they don't always realise/think about how loud they are! Also, we've just had new radio kit installed and the speakers aren't as good as the old ones. They're clearer, but not as loud.

[Mooncrest]

Aerbabe,

Check your PMs for some advice.

MC

[Nearly Nigel]

Or you could get in touch with whoever sources the whole of Italy's ATC microphones.

They must be the cheapest ones on the market. Either that or they really do have a bucket over their heads whilst working... As if the accent and determination to talk at '500 mph' didn't make it difficult enough anyway!

I suppose they just have to buy them from the local Mafia boss' cousin's son-in-law's import/export business.

Sorry, I know you wanted proper advice but I couldn't resist... I thought from the title of the thread that it just had to be about Italy.

Thank goodness for British ATC standards.

[Pierre Argh]

NN... several years ago I had the pleasure of spending a week in ATC at Decimomanu (Sardinia)... the three military controllers sat side-by-side in Tower used hand-mikes with their frequencies on loud speaker in front of them... on top of their console was a BIG Boogie-box, playing something appropriately soothing (like AC-DC?)... The "funniest" scene was when one of the jets had a problem... the controllers, as one man, rose to their feet and just started shouting down the microphones. It seemed to work for them, but I can see that background noise must have been a problem?