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Tech808
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Username: Tech808

Post Number: 14218
Registered: 8-2002


Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 7:59 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


Superstar DM-5000 Tornado Microphone


Complete Specifications,
and
Non - Technical Review.

By

Lon ~ Tech808 ~ N9CEF




GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS:

Factory wired for 4 Pin Cobra/Uniden radios.

Power Tornado Echo Microphone

External ECHO VOLUME & ECHO DELAY Controls

20 sec. Recordable IC

Built in TALKBACK

Mil 10 Mic Cord

FEATURES

Tornado Echo, with Astatic Style High
Performance microphone Cord.

This Mic has a 20 second recordable IC Chip, for recording any sound you like.

Comes with the PC2 Accessory Cord for direct hook up to other sound devices.

On the rear of the microphone there is external Echo Delay and Echo Volume controls.

As well as VR2 and VR3 Adjustment holes so that you do not have to make any inside adjustments.

This is a power Mic and requires a single 9 Volt battery (Not Included).

RECORDING

Start by connecting the PC2 cord you received with the microphone, to your computer. Unplug your external speakers from your computer. Insert plug #1 into the jack you previously had the external speakers in. Plug the external speakers into the panel jack that is on the PC2 cord. Plug #2 is then plugged into the jack on the side of your DM5000 microphone.


Choose the Sound Byte you wish to record. Play it using the media player of your choice. The Windows Media Player will do just fine. Play the Sound Byte a couple of times, get use to the time it takes for the Sound Byte to begin playing. This will be very important later on.

Place a 9-volt battery in the DM-5000 microphone. Push the RED button on the side of the microphone in until it clicks on. You have now turned on the power to the toy. Plug #2 gets plugged into the panel jack on the side of the microphone as noted above. Be certain it is inserted all the way in. To be certain of a good contact in an older microphone that the connectors may have oxidized, rotate the plug back and forth a couple of times. Having the Sound Byte already cued up, take the RED push button on the PC2 cord in one hand. Use your mouse to start the Sound Byte and push the RED button at the same time, hold the red button down for the entire time the Sound Byte is playing. When the Sound Byte is over, release the RED button.

Push on the RED button located on the side of the DM-5000 Microphone to turn the power off to the toy in the microphone. This MUST BE DONE before you remove plug #2 from the side of the microphone. If you do not turn off the power to the toy, it will erase. Now you are ready to play your recorded Sound Byte over the air.

A E01-06025 Super Star T747 Microphone Test Center as shown below from Copper Electronics is what I used for this Review and it works GREAT to verify that the toy and voice levels are equal.

This avoids actual on air testing to achieve the final result's you want to go out over the air.


CLICK HERE > T747 Mic and Echo Board Tester

REVIEW & COMMENTS

REVIEW

The 1st thing I noticed and really liked about this microphone is the separate 9-volt battery compartment cover.

This allows you to change the 9-volt battery quickly and easily rather then removing the complete rear cover of the microphone to replace the battery.

Another feature I like is the separate black metal microphone grill.

While this microphone does have separate external Echo Volume and Echo Delay controls/wheels ranging from 0 thru 10 I personally found for my own personal use was to have the Echo Volume set at: -2- and the Echo Delay set also at: -2-

It also has 2 adjustment holes on the rear of the Microphone for adjusting the Audio OUTPUT level and the level of the TALKBACK.

COMMENTS

While I am not a big fan of using echo this allowed the mic to sound great with good clear audio and allowed me to get GREAT feed back / audio report's of (LOUD & CLEAR) from 99.9% of the CEF Radio Club Member's that I have talked with on the air for the last 15 weeks on 10/11 and 12 meter's with only one person asking if I was using an echo mic.

While this mic also has a 20 second recordable IC Chip I personally found no reason to use this feature except for doing this review unless you just want to aggravate everyone on the air.

NOTE!

The Quality/Sound of your recording will depend on the quality of the audio card and mic you are using with your computer.

For those of you who really like using echo and noise toy's then this is the mic for you as it reminds me of the old peat/repeat radio modules for radio's of years past with a repeat of 8 to 10 repeat's with the Echo Volume & Echo Delay all the way open to the 10 setting on both dial's.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lon
Tech808

Lon ~ Tech808 ~ N9CEF
CEF#808 ~ CEF HAM#33 ~ CVC#002
Tech808@copperelectronics.com