ANR kit for David Clarke 13.4 headset
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ANR kit for David Clarke 13.4 headset
First off, I did my first solo on Easter Sunday! Was going to make a big dedicated post about it but figured there are only about a hundred-thousand or so first solo threads on the internet so I gave you guys a break 
Anyway, I find myself having trouble hearing radio transmissions sometimes. I, just like many of you, fly in old, worn equipment as do many of the other people in my airspace. I currently have a set of David Clark 13.4's with maybe 10 hours on them. I have heard that Oregon Aero makes a nice "mechanical" upgrade kit for this set...meaning cushions and microphone tips and such. What about actual electronic ANR? I have heard more horror stories about aftermarket ANR than I have heard good stories. Any advice? Thanks for your time as always guys (and gals).
Anyway, I find myself having trouble hearing radio transmissions sometimes. I, just like many of you, fly in old, worn equipment as do many of the other people in my airspace. I currently have a set of David Clark 13.4's with maybe 10 hours on them. I have heard that Oregon Aero makes a nice "mechanical" upgrade kit for this set...meaning cushions and microphone tips and such. What about actual electronic ANR? I have heard more horror stories about aftermarket ANR than I have heard good stories. Any advice? Thanks for your time as always guys (and gals).
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Never got around to the ANR kit for my 13.4's, but here's something cheap that might be worth a try. Ear plugs. Stick a pair in your ears, then crank up the volume on the headset to compensate.
Result, less background noise, same perceived audio. Your mileage may vary, and it might be antisocial for the instructor if present.
Another idea I've pondered is good (passive) noise isolating in-ear headphones, with the headset over the top. But honestly you should be fine with regular 13.4's in a C150, you'll find with practice you'll get better at decoding the babble.
Result, less background noise, same perceived audio. Your mileage may vary, and it might be antisocial for the instructor if present.
Another idea I've pondered is good (passive) noise isolating in-ear headphones, with the headset over the top. But honestly you should be fine with regular 13.4's in a C150, you'll find with practice you'll get better at decoding the babble.
A little less conversation,
a little more aviation...
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Communications & Ear Protection, Inc.
Excellent in stupidly high-noise environments, work as well in DCs as they do in a Gentex, for not a lot of dosh.
In your average touring GA type though, they really shouldn't be necessary.
ANR in your DCs will cut out some of the low-frequency stuff, and make things *marginally* easier to hear, but not a huge amount.
When I was in your position, I did buy a pair of factory built DC ANR somethingX's costing hundreds and hundreds of pounds. I've still got them...somewhere...but to be honest the money would have been far better spent on avgas.
Congratulations on the solo, but IMHO stay with your existing kit and spend the dosh on flying. After a while, you brain becomes more adept at picking out salient details from the crackling and distortion of VHF comms.
If, on the other hand, you find yourself getting out of the aeroplane with your ears ringing from ambient noise and the effects of pumping the volume all the way to 11 to overcome it, look at ANR or, my preference, the CEP link above or something like Clarity Aloft.
Excellent in stupidly high-noise environments, work as well in DCs as they do in a Gentex, for not a lot of dosh.
In your average touring GA type though, they really shouldn't be necessary.
ANR in your DCs will cut out some of the low-frequency stuff, and make things *marginally* easier to hear, but not a huge amount.
When I was in your position, I did buy a pair of factory built DC ANR somethingX's costing hundreds and hundreds of pounds. I've still got them...somewhere...but to be honest the money would have been far better spent on avgas.
Congratulations on the solo, but IMHO stay with your existing kit and spend the dosh on flying. After a while, you brain becomes more adept at picking out salient details from the crackling and distortion of VHF comms.
If, on the other hand, you find yourself getting out of the aeroplane with your ears ringing from ambient noise and the effects of pumping the volume all the way to 11 to overcome it, look at ANR or, my preference, the CEP link above or something like Clarity Aloft.
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Congrats too.
Agree. I remember reading some research that pilots eventually become proficient at picking up the meaning of transmissions that are 50% distorted and are run at 150% (or even 200%) of normal conversational pace.
But... The prerequisite for that is that you know what to expect in at least 90% of the cases. What helped me a lot when I was a student was just spending hours listening to R/T. I bought a scanner so I could only pick up my local airfield (which happens to be Schiphol, so there was plenty to listen to anyway) but these days you can get virtually every frequency from virtually every airfield, from the smallest grass strip to the largest international airport, via the internet. Just google for "Live ATC".
What helped me most was not to turn a frequency on, and listen to it as background noise, like you would do with a radio, but to actually sit down and listen, with a piece of paper in front of me where I would write down callsigns, circuit positions and everything. I then did the same exercise, but without the pen and paper. Until I was able to draw a mental picture of where everyone was in the sky. With that kind of situational awareness you can predict all R/T calls before they're being made. And that helps tremendously in understanding garbled transmissions.
After a while, you brain becomes more adept at picking out salient details from the crackling and distortion of VHF comms.
But... The prerequisite for that is that you know what to expect in at least 90% of the cases. What helped me a lot when I was a student was just spending hours listening to R/T. I bought a scanner so I could only pick up my local airfield (which happens to be Schiphol, so there was plenty to listen to anyway) but these days you can get virtually every frequency from virtually every airfield, from the smallest grass strip to the largest international airport, via the internet. Just google for "Live ATC".
What helped me most was not to turn a frequency on, and listen to it as background noise, like you would do with a radio, but to actually sit down and listen, with a piece of paper in front of me where I would write down callsigns, circuit positions and everything. I then did the same exercise, but without the pen and paper. Until I was able to draw a mental picture of where everyone was in the sky. With that kind of situational awareness you can predict all R/T calls before they're being made. And that helps tremendously in understanding garbled transmissions.
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There's a guy in Hertfordshire who can quickly and easily convert a set of DCs with an ANR kit. You can find his details on the 'other' GA online forum. It is well worth it if you fly anything even slightly noisy as the difference is huge.
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I had my 13.4's converted a few months ago and it was money well spent.
I've never used a 'proper' ANR headset so don't have anything to compare it to, but I'm very happy with the end result.
I've never used a 'proper' ANR headset so don't have anything to compare it to, but I'm very happy with the end result.
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My solution was a bit different.
Because the radio - specifically the P2 headphone jacks connection - was a bit dodgy, and because the aircraft only is fitted with 2-way intercom, I bought a 4-way intercom unit.
This is fitted (as are many radios, tbh) with a squelch knob. Adjusting that carefully cut out a lot of the background noise, whilst keeping ATC and other aircraft transmissions clear.
It has also proved to be a much-used device in my group's ageing PA28, so if you were thinking of getting a share in an older aircraft, which may not have 4-way comms, could be a good investment. The model I went for is a Pilot PA400-ASC, and I have been very happy with it.
Because the radio - specifically the P2 headphone jacks connection - was a bit dodgy, and because the aircraft only is fitted with 2-way intercom, I bought a 4-way intercom unit.
This is fitted (as are many radios, tbh) with a squelch knob. Adjusting that carefully cut out a lot of the background noise, whilst keeping ATC and other aircraft transmissions clear.
It has also proved to be a much-used device in my group's ageing PA28, so if you were thinking of getting a share in an older aircraft, which may not have 4-way comms, could be a good investment. The model I went for is a Pilot PA400-ASC, and I have been very happy with it.
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Thanks for all the helpful replies guys. Turns out that last night I did in fact go ahead and order the Oregon Aero enhancement kit for my 13.4's. It gets pretty rave reviews and I like the fact that I can build up from an entry level headset and not have to drop a grand on a 'Zulu or a Bose this early in my flying "career". At least, I HOPE it is the beginning of a flying career!!!
