Clone Comtac reception problem

[vibora]

I recently acquired a Bravo clone of the Comtac II headsets, and I'm having problems receiving transmissions. The mic works fine and I can send out clearly, but when I have other people talk to me, all I get is a clicking noise from the speakers in the headset. The sound amplification speakers (which are separate from the comm speakers) work like they should. I also took the earpieces apart to see if there was something wrong with the soldered connections but every one I checked looked to be secure. I am out of ideas on how to fix this thing and I need them for an event fairly soon. Please help!

[McNair]

What are you connecting them to?
I know I just borrowed a set of the ztactical bowman headset with a motorola 1 pin connector, which I read works in Garmin Rino radios/gps. I actually had them work fine last night but today I can only send and hear nothing when I receive. I looked it up and noticed teh motorola 1 pin is actually just a tad bit longer than the standard 1 pin for the garmin. So, I ask what you're connecting to since I'm having somewhat of the same issue.

[Beran]

the bravo headsets in general are garbage. i know three or four people who bought various models and most of them didn't work. neither did the replacements two of them were sent. their wiring is terrible, at least one was found to be wired backwards when the buyer took it apart. the mic lead was going to the earphone connection and vice versa. they are decent if you just want a cool looking accessory, but the chances you get a good one are not very good.

i have a bravo comtac headset, and it does the same thing. since the noise amp and cutout still works, i just pulled the mic off of them and use them for real steel shooting sometimes.

[vibora]

Mcnair, I'm connecting them to a Motorola 1-pin Talkabout T6500 with a PTT that looks like this: http://www.strykeairsoft.com/shop/index ... cts_id=693 I also pulled apart the PTT and everything looks to be in order, so I think I'm SOL for now.


Beran, I knew it was a bit of a gamble going into the purchase, so I'm not too disappointed. I can rewire anything if I have a knowledge of where this stuff is supposed to go. If I could get my hands on a wiring diagram I would be have a working headset in about an hour


Speaking of which, if anyone has such a wiring diagram (even for real Comtacs; I figure they should be similar enough) or knows where I could get one, I would be very grateful. If nothing else, I'll call the store I bought the headset from and see if I can get a replacement from them. I'll ask them to test the damn things before they ship them to me, too.

Lastly, if anyone has a set of real Comtacs or Sordins they'd be willing to sell for fairly cheap, I am open to offers. I shoot real steel enough out here in AZ that I think I could justify that purchase to myself.

[Jewish Ninja]

Check ebay for a deal on sordins. I personally would take Sordins over Comtacs, even though not as many people use them. Keep in mind that the real steel versions of the headsets will not work with the chinaman PTTs, so you'd need to invest in one of those too.

[vibora]

Do they work with non-Icom radios or do I have to get one of those too?

Also, I've been checking Ebay for awhile, and Sordins are markedly cheaper than any Comtacs I have found. Any reason for the Sordins over the Comtacs, though? I know our SF guys use both, but I see way more of the Comtacs in person and in pics.[/quote]

[vibora]

Update:

I gave Stryke Airsoft a call to see if they could remedy the problem. I talked to Drew, and he told me he also had the same issue with his Comtac headset. According to him, it turns out it is most likely the PTT giving me problems, and he had to experiment with a few PTT models before his headset worked correctly. He also told me I would be receiving a different model, brand new PTT within a few days (for no charge).

[Insert plug] If you haven't bought from Stryke Airsoft before, I recommend at least a trial run. This headset was my third purchase from Stryke, and I have yet to experience an issue with them. Good prices and the best customer assistance I've received from any airsoft store in awhile.

[Jewish Ninja]

I prefer the Sordins over comtacs as they are more low profile and how they work. When the Comtacs cut out anything above the db threshold, it shuts off all the audio input from your external mics. The Sordins keep playing all sounds and just remove what is above the db threshold, so you can still hear what's going on. Then there's also the TCI Liberators which are like Sordins, but have seperate speakers for comms traffic and external sounds. Its perfect for when people are talking both in front of you, and over the comms, you can hear everything at once.