Headsets for WT

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D.J.J. Ring, Jr.

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Jul 25, 2018, 9:31:13 PM7/25/18
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ITT/Mackay radio stations were equipped with TRIMM Professional headsets.  The had Mercerised cotton cords with tinsel copper 
which was extremely flexible being made of entwined copper and cotton strands which because tinsel wire was a nightmare to solder were terminate at both ends by a compressed metal piece:
 "phone tips" which looked about the size of a grain of rice
 which connected the ear piece
, and on the other end, "phone pins
​​
​​
​​
" which were about a half inch long, these could be put into a Fahnestock clip or used with a SwitchCraft phone plug where these pins would be held by cast steel plates which compressed the phone tips.   These phone tips fit inside a SwitchCraft right angle telephone plug which was fitted with short flat head screws that compressed the phone pins and held them tightly
​​
.  
​​They also fit inside the large diameter phone plugs which also had screws and plates to hold the phone tips tight.  
Where the two phone pins exited the Mercerised cotton cable covering, there was a strain relief made of the same Mercerised black cotton which attached to the right angle telephone plug by plastic hole on the cover of the flat phone plug.  
The pigtail strain relief was pulled tight so that there was no stress on the phone tips. 
This is the same plug but without the strain relief hole which was like a ring on the side of the plug. 
​ ​
 https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/YR0AAOSwcUBYTMIF/s-l1600.jpg

TRIMM of Libertyville, ILL was around until around 1986 or so.

You can see the cotton lined head band and the phone pins here: http://oldheadphones.com/crystal/phones/a82feather.JPG

​My memory says the Professional Trimm headset had the cotton covered headband, but all the photos I find had the simple bent wire headband.  In any event, either I special ordered the cotton covered headband on my Trimm headphones when I ordered replacement cords.  (I bought the Y type cords and the straight cords so I could feed one receiver into one ear, and a separate receiver into the other ear - which is how I kept continuous watch on the Distress frequency of 500 kHz (600 meters).

73

DR
N1EA​


Eric

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Jul 25, 2018, 9:55:29 PM7/25/18
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NOS MacKay supplied pos
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Eric

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Jul 25, 2018, 10:00:39 PM7/25/18
to 'Eric' via Radio Officers
What sane and reasonable people used on US Flag ships....

Rgds:
Eric Weber
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D.J.J. Ring, Jr.

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Jul 25, 2018, 10:05:21 PM7/25/18
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POS means you didn't like them?

They were very good for Morse because they were resonant sounds peaked around 800 cycles per second audio tone.  800 Hz.

When I played the Sunday symphony from the BBC, I turned on all three HF receivers and played through the loudspeakers.

Those were the days!

73

DR

D.J.J. Ring, Jr.

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Jul 25, 2018, 10:40:06 PM7/25/18
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I thought only the best R/O's used those because they were used on aircraft.  extremely light weight and the tube came down from your temple to your ear canal.

I never used one but they looked very comfortable.

How'd they sound on music?  I liked the Sunday symphony or the occasional opera that would be broadcast during the early afternoon after lunch, one Spanish speaking station used to have opera.

73

David
N1EA 

Eric

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Jul 25, 2018, 10:44:17 PM7/25/18
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Too narrow band for opera but great for cw and SSB.... yes much more comfortable for all day wear...

I’ll have to send you some opera links... I should be editing Opera video instead of playing on the computer...

You could check this one out..... https://youtu.be/n_8WlHa277U

Rgds:
Eric Weber
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