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Earpiece / Microphones QHM05 QHM07 Sept 2019 |
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Not all Earpieces are the same At first glance they appear to be the same, but I've had several that didn't make the cut, with poor audio, thin wires and just plain uncomfortable. The two models I chose to review were the QHM05 and QHM07 and was more than pleased with both. Earpiece Comfort / Options The ear plug should be soft and comfortably fit itself to the inside of the ear for working in a high noise environments. With both the 05 and 07, the ear molds were included along with the standard ear plug. For environments that require full hearing capability, such as building security, ear molds should be considered. This allows for full unobstructed hearing while the radio is silent, but full audio when the radio is active by directing audio directly into the ear canal.
Audio The audio quality should be equal to that of your handheld. Several audio tests should be performed before putting into service. Unlike a handheld that has a microphone element with a hole in the case to pass the audio, the newer earpieces have the microphone element and switch together with no visible hole. The proper speaking distance should to be determined before putting the earpiece in service. I found the audio more sensitive than expected and needed to back up about an inch from the element. The audio reports were excellent and matched the audio in the handheld. RF Shielding One of the tests I put both of the above units through was verifying the shielding properties of the cable. If not properly shielded, RF can return back into the radio through the cable. This is especially noticeable on digital where a pulsing or 'motor boating' sound is transmitted along with the audio. Both the QHM05 and 07 were totally clean. Cable Feed There are two possible ways to feed the microphone cable. One is with both cables feeding the bottom of the element (QHM05), while the other feeds from both ends (QHM07) keeping the cable in a straight line. This switch is slightly larger on the 07 and the positioning of the switch is a bit more convenient.
Convenience While some earpieces include a basic junction for the collar/shirt clip, feed and ear tube, others go one or two steps further. The QHM07 also includes a strain relief and adjustable hub along with an ear tube lock for easy replacement and cleaning.
Ear Tube While some voice tubes simply slide over a feed point, the QHM07 uses a push and twist to lock the tube into place (see above). This eliminates the possibility of the ear tube falling of while in use. Conclusion The connector is a standard Kenwood K1. This allowed me to test them with my MD380, DMR-6X2, UV82HP and UV5X3. Each worked perfectly. As you can see from the above, there are quite a few things to consider when selecting an earpiece. This explains why the price can vary from $10 to $40. The QHM05 and 07 are my two personal earpieces of choice. I give both models and 'Miklor 2 thumbs up'. Amazon: BTech QHM05 BTech QHM07 Note: This equipment was received for the purpose of a fair and unbiased review. All findings are factual based on the equipment I received. Any issues found have been reported both here and back to the seller or manufacturer. |
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