David Clarke Headset Problem

[Chuck-ski]

Hello !

I dont quite know which part of the forum to put this but this seemed like the most appropriate...

here goes...

I have just completed my PPL cross-country qualifier & am looking forward to do my hour building in the near future. To this end I have bought a David Clarke H10-30 headset, brand new from the states & it came with an "M-1/DC Amplified Dynamic Microphone", military style on a steel boom. Trouble is, I now get lots of background noise filtering into the new headset (Flying Pa-28 & Pa-38) and my readibility is often as low as 3 because of this, even in the circuit or on the apron - when I unplug my microphone (its got a quick in-line disconnector) to see if its better the noise totally goes away & I can hear everyone on ATC & in the plane perfectly without any interference.

Would anybody on here be knowledgable enough to suggest what might be the culprit ? I know the mic sounds like an obvious one but it appears ok & I dont want to start taking it apart. Alternatively would anybody be able to suggest someone I can take it to for an inspection ?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards, Chuckski

[Pilot DAR]

Don't take anything apart, there's nothing you can fix in there. DC headsets are notoriously reliable and well made. 99% chance it's the plane. Presuming the aircraft are equipped with an intercom, try turning it right off, while still using the aircraft radios. If that fixes it (which I wouls expect), you know where your problem is. Most intercoms have a squelch control. With the intercom on, fiddle it.

There could be other issues of compatibility, with which others here would be more familiar, but it's likely fairly simple to get corrected...

[Chuck-ski]

I would not dream of fiddling with the headset - I know very well the reputation they have got for being well made.

What you say makes sense, I will try and plug it into another plane & mess with squelch/ volume. I have a friend who says he has compatibility issues with the club-planes I fly and his DC headset gets a lot of issues with them. He has a share in another plane he reckons have no issues with his DC so I will try and plug into that next weekend.

Still, please keep the suggestions coming, I really appreciate the feedback.

[Chuck-ski]

Thank you Pilot DAR - I will definitely try that ! :D

[Whopity]

The M1 DC microphone has a small potentiometer to set the gain of the microphone. It is possible that this is set too high. Look for a small hole in the mic casing with a white cap containing a screwdriver slot beneath the hole. It will not do any harm to rotate this anticlockwise a small bit at a time to see if it improves things. Make a note of the original position. It would obviously be better if someone could do this with an oscilloscope to measure the audio level.

I used to repair lots of DC10-30s and had no trouble with them in PA28s. I prefer the 10-13.4

[Chuck-ski]

Found it, marked it and did exactly as you said - only turned it a little bit. Will keep you posted how I get on - thank you sir !

[Cusco]

My DC 13.4 was not compatible with my instructor's Bose: turned out to be a carp intercom in the School Arrow.

[A and C]

Almost all headset compatibility issues are the result of the people operating the aircraft trying to save money on the Avionic instalation by using the audio amp in the radio for the intercom.

With a number of inexpensive intercoms on the market there is no reason not to fit one and save a whole host of problems over the life of the Avionic fit.......if you are flying with an outfit that thinks this type of economy is a good idea then I would take a good look at the rest of the operation before taking to the sky in one of their aircraft.