“I read your post about setting up rig control with the 746. Did using the hex address of 66 work for you? I’m getting that rig in a few days and have been totally unable to get my Icom 725 set up with the rig control after trying every possible solution.”

My solution uses the RigBlaster Pro as the interface between the Icom and a laptop with a real serial port (DE9 connector). My radio settings are:

• CI-V Port Speed: 9,600 bps
• CI-V Address: 64h
• CI-V Transceiver: ON
• CI-V 731 Mod: Off

It took a bit to get working. The RigBlaster serves very well as the interface between the DE9 connector of the computer serial port and the little phone plug on the radio.

The N3FJP software has the address set to 64 also.

It works for me. Does anyone reading this post have any advice for the reader with the Icom 725?

I decided a headset was well worth investigation. So I sent out an email to the local club for their advice. Most reported having large headsets that fully cuffed the ears to provide the operator with great isolation. A common theme to every headset owner was the word Heil.

With this knowledge I reviewed E-ham on various Heil headsets. All had mostly good things to say. After some research I realized there were two issues for me to resolve: headset size and radio compatibility.

Headset Size

From the start the glowing reviews from my friends for various big Heil headsets had me looking at the Heil Prosets on their web site.

Then I noticed the BM-10… a small headset.

I went back to E-Ham to see what the reviews for the Heil BM-10 had to say. One common theme was flimsy construction. However, many still opted for this headset for the following reasons:

• Lightweight means less operator fatigue
• Small ear cuffs mean you can hear the surrounding sounds

I thought about that last reason for a moment. Why would you want to allow surrounding sounds to be heard while trying to operate?

More reviews on E-Ham suggested for some with small children might actually want to keep a cocked ear out for trouble, but still have the radio sound dominate. I have children I need to hear on many occasions so this makes sense.

So…

I included the smaller headset in my trade study.

Radio Compatibility

Reading Heil’s web site brought attention to a low microphone sensitivity issue designed into my Icom 746. Sure enough, the Heil iCM microphone that came with my radio was designed specifically by Heil to strengthen the signal to compensate for the low gain of the microphone audio input stage. Later Icom rigs don’t have this problem so I had to be careful in my selection.

What I wound up with is the BM-10 with the iC cartridge specifically designed for my Icom 746 and its weak mic pre-amp.

I ordered one from a vendor and here it is.

The Heil BM-10 Headset with Icom Adapter

Note the iC part of this is built into the mouthpiece. Also note the separate interface cable. This cable takes the microphone portion combines it with a foot switch and plugs straight into the Icom 746’s Microphone input. The large phone plug of the headset plugs into the radio’s headset jack.

The word flimsy is quite true about this headset. The cables are very thin. One of the silver end caps on one ear piece fell off quickly. I have to constantly worry about where the cables are to ensure they never receive a tug for fear of having them pull out.

That said, the Heil BM-10 iC works. I can lean back and talk freeing me from leaning near the desk microphone. I can even talk if I turn my head. The audio reports are just fine. Having a foot switch makes all the difference in the world.

While the surrounding audio from the children is still audible, proper adjustment of volume on the radio allows me to hear the radio activity just fine while still keeping an ear cocked. For me this works out very well.

Comfort

The E-Ham reviewers mentioned that fatigue would be an issue with the larger headsets and this smaller one is much easier to wear for long periods. I can’t speak for wearing a large headset for hours and hours, but I can tell you the Heil BM-10 is so light you barely know it is there. This is the most comfortable headset I have ever worn. Plus your ears don’t sweat.

If you are considering a headset pay close attention to compatibility issues. The manufacturers have plenty of information to help you make the right choice, but you will have to do the research yourself. Don’t rely on any vendor’s advice; Get the information yourself.

This is a delicate headset so you will have to take good care of it. If you can, then you can benefit from lightweight great sounding operation.

This situation is quite likely very common among amateur radio operators who keep a simple shack set up with one large power supply feeding multiple loads.

Many operators use a DC power distribution system like the RIGrunner from West Mountain Radio to distribute the power.

In this case, the viewer simply has the power cords for both radios tied straight to the DC power output posts on the power supply.

Equipment involved includes:

• Power Supply Astron RS35A
• IC-746 (the non pro version)
• Kenwood TS-180S

The problem:
Whenever the Kenwood TS-180S radio is powered on, the Icom IC-746 will not transmit and the display screen goes white with no visible characters.

If you turn the Kenwood TS-180S off, the Icom-746 returns to normal operation.

The Kenwood radio shows no problems when the Icom is on or off.

The viewer asks for thoughts on what may be causing this behavior.