WORKMAN SILVER SALUTE DESK MIC

[CHOPPERDAVE]

Just picked up a SILVER SALUTE desk mike.
Anyone else have one ?
So far, I've got great audio reports from it.
No one told me it sounds tinny at all, they all say it has good base sound to it.
Very well made mic, nice looking , great chrome finish.
was wondering if there were any MODS to this mic such as the ELEMENT.
I've seen one site that sells these and used to have a special element for them that you could upgrade for a few dollars more but, they no longer offer that replacement on their site.
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[Punkin Head]

if you can find a Heil HC-4 or HC-5 Dynamic element which is an upgrade from the crystal element in the D104 it may improve the sound some. You may have to check the bay to find one or call Bob at Heil to see if they have any. They dont list them on the website anymore so they may be discontinued. I do still see them on the bay from time to time tho.

Sweet mic btw!

[CHOPPERDAVE]

The Silver Salute has a DYNAMIC element not a CRYSTAL element.
I've tried 2 different D104 heads with different elements on the SILVER SALUTE and everyone told me they sound like crap.
I would have to replace the DYNAMIC element for something similar wouldnt I ?
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[Punkin Head]

The Silver Salute has a DYNAMIC element not a CRYSTAL element.
I've tried 2 different D104 heads with different elements on the SILVER SALUTE and everyone told me they sound like crap.
I would have to replace the DYNAMIC element for something similar wouldnt I ?
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Yes, the HC-4 and HC-5 are dynamic elements. They were upgrades for the D104 to replace the crystal elements and get better sound quality.

[1FatBoy]

I wish you luck with the PTT switch in that mic. I have seen quite a high percentage of them fail.

[tim2]

Had one didn,t care for it ..

[KP68]

Hey chopperdave, I have one. Before buying it I knew that this mic didn't receive the best customer feedback and when I got mine, I understood the reason why. I can only speak for myself but mine sounds god awful. The main reason why I bought this mic was for the chrome finish, which is beautiful, and the style. I plan on making an exact replica of the PCB size and design my own circuit of find some proven designs or if anybody has any good mods for this mic I would love to hear about them.

[CHOPPERDAVE]

im using mine on my rci 2950 and everyone says it sounds very good, not tinny at all.
i bought it off a guy that used it on a galaxy radio and when i first heard him use it, it sounded like a stock hand held mic,
i figured, for the looks and something for my shelf for $50, i cant go wrong, anyways,
seems to be working great for me, lots of good audio reports so far.
one more thing, i did try it on my other radio which is a texas ranger 40 ch ssb mobile radio and friends said it didnt sound good, maybe ya just have to find the right radio to use with it

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Monday, 24 December 2012, 7:20 AM

i do have an old d104 that i could use if i wanted to transfer the amp and crystal element over to the salute and make it sound better if i really wanted to but, since this mic is stock, im gonna keep it this way.
if i happen to come across another one for $50 or less, then, maybe i;ll consider doing the transfer.
or maybe experiment with a few different elements.
the HC -5 or the HC -4 are a bit too expensive for my taste.
could even use the guts out of one of my turner plus 3's i have here but, they have 2 PTT switches inside and that makes it a little tricky.
ive wired up hundreds of mics to radios and now, im getting into repairing them and modifying them.
the one thing i love about these mics and the d104's are that even if you dont have a radio, they look great on a shelf.
i know that the workman superstar dynamic stock mics are one of the loudest and best sounding mics ive heard so far, maybe the element from one of them might help .
they sell replacement elements for them for around $6

[1FatBoy]

@CHOPPERDAVE - What matters is that you're happy with it.

[MDYoungblood]

Not all audio circuits in the radios are the same so that is why it sounds different on different radios. I have had the privilege of wiring one up yet but after the holidays one might come by my bench.

3's

Greg

[KP68]

You have a lot of good ideas chopper and you're spot on about it sounding different on different radios. Great price by the way. It does look great on the shelf and in the room. I have mine spit shined and it looks awesome with all the multi colored Christmas lights bouncing of of it!

[3ZERO8]

I run a silver salute on my connex 3300hp in the house. I listened to myself on a video gate and I sounded like a loud stock mic...I was very surprised. Of course that audio was from Texas to South Carolina but still. All these bassy, sweet sounding voices coming through and then all of a sudden I hear my voice...I was dissapointed in what I heard. I'm pretty critical, but I didn't like what I heard. I'm going to tinker with the mic gain on the radio and mic to see if I can't get it sounding better. Maybe less mic and more gain out of the radio.

-3ZERO8 North Texas

[CHOPPERDAVE]

i once saw an upgrade for the mic on some site that was selling the salutes. they were offering a different element for an additional $29 or something like that, i cant remember the type of element, when i went back to the site, that part of the ad was not shown anymore.
i had even emailed them but, received no reply.
recently i tried the salute on my stonewall jackson and everyone said it didnt sound that good.
ive also read reviews that some people said it sounded as good as the D104s .
Im gonna try it out on as many radios as i can , maybe it just needs to be used on a piticular radio to sound great or at least comparable to a D104.
one way or the other, im gonna have it in my collection for many years , they made millions of D104s, so i think the salute might end up being more of a collectors item one day.
i doubt that they've made as many salutes as they did D104's .
probably only 10,000 were ever produced which would make it a more sought after mic within the next 10 years.
maybe not so much for audio quality but, for collectability .
would be cool to see some kind of remake of some of the old turner mics as well.