[TheKeith[_2_]]

found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.
http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

[John L Rice]

"TheKeith" wrote in message
oups.com...
found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.
http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

Heh, I have one of those around! I got it maybe 25 years ago from a friend
who worked at a radio station from their junk box. I can't remember if I put
a new plug on it or came that way but I'm pretty positive mine has just a TS
connector on it and I messed around with it as a dynamic mic. Pretty thin
sounding and I used it as a special effect a couple times. If I can locate
mine I'll let you know how it's wired.

--
John L Rice
www.DeliriumFix.com

[Scott Dorsey]

TheKeith wrote:
found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.

It's a communications mike. I don't recall the military nomenclature
on the plug, but it's the same plugs that are still used for some
helicopter intercom applications.

I think if you cut the plug off you'll find a high-Z balanced output
on the thing. If you call CAD they may still have docs on the Astatic 335.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Mike Rivers]

On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.

It's a cheap and crappy crystal mic that was supplied with a home tape
recorder in the 1950s. It needs to go into an actual hign impedance
input like a guitar amplifier or instrument DI input on a mic preamp.
It's the kind of mic that makes you want to say "I really want to try
this mic and see if it's good for a special effect." It's perfect for
making your nice 24-bit digital recorder sound like a 1950s tape
recording only without the hiss and distortion.

They did use some oddball short plugs on those mics for some unknown
reason. You'll probably want to cut off the plug and replace it with
something you can use. Or maybe you can make a mobile out of it.

Incidentally, Astatic, one of the oldest microphone manufacturers, is
still in business. Today they make communications (dispacher) and
installed sound (podium) mics, and the CAD division makes some fairly
decent studio mics.

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.



Hey thanks everyone! I would have no trouble snipping that connector
off and replacing it with a 1/4, as long as you're sure there are no
adapters made for it. Will any stock 1/4 connector do, such as this
one?

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=090-302

--and if so, is there only one stranded metal wire in the cable that I
can solder onto the connector terminal?

thanks.

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.



Hey thanks everyone! I would have no trouble snipping that connector
off and replacing it with a 1/4, as long as you're sure there are no
adapters made for it. Will any stock 1/4 connector do, such as this
one?

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=090-302

--and if so, is there only one stranded metal wire in the cable that I
can solder onto the connector terminal?

thanks.

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 3:19 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

Hey thanks everyone! I would have no trouble snipping that connector
off and replacing it with a 1/4, as long as you're sure there are no
adapters made for it. Will any stock 1/4 connector do, such as this
one?

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=090-302

--and if so, is there only one stranded metal wire in the cable that I
can solder onto the connector terminal?

thanks.



oh yeah, and why does the current connector seem to have 3 channels?

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 3:19 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

Hey thanks everyone! I would have no trouble snipping that connector
off and replacing it with a 1/4, as long as you're sure there are no
adapters made for it. Will any stock 1/4 connector do, such as this
one?

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=090-302

--and if so, is there only one stranded metal wire in the cable that I
can solder onto the connector terminal?

thanks.



oh yeah, and why does the current connector seem to have 3 channels?

[Mike Rivers]

On Mar 18, 3:19 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

Hey thanks everyone! I would have no trouble snipping that connector
off and replacing it with a 1/4, as long as you're sure there are no
adapters made for it. Will any stock 1/4 connector do

I'm quite sure there are no adapters made for it, at least none that
would be easy to find. You don't have to go to Parts Express to find a
standard 1/4" phone plug, any Radio Shack will have it.

I doubt that it's a balanced connection (two conductors plus a shield)
but I suppose that's possible if it's a dynamic mic like Scott say and
not a crystal mic. Unless you find some real documentation for it,
youll just have to do some exploratory surgery and experimentation.
It's possible that they used that two-conductor plug to accommodate a
remote recording switch on certain mics. Most likely, you'll find a
single conductor and shield when you cut off the original plug and
strip back the insulation.

[Don Pearce]

On 18 Mar 2007 12:21:02 -0700, "TheKeith" wrote:

On Mar 18, 3:19 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

Hey thanks everyone! I would have no trouble snipping that connector
off and replacing it with a 1/4, as long as you're sure there are no
adapters made for it. Will any stock 1/4 connector do, such as this
one?

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=090-302

--and if so, is there only one stranded metal wire in the cable that I
can solder onto the connector terminal?

thanks.



oh yeah, and why does the current connector seem to have 3 channels?

I think you will find that a couple of those contacts are joined to
the switch.

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

[John Smith[_2_]]

TheKeith wrote:


oh yeah, and why does the current connector seem to have 3 channels?


One is probably for the switch to be used as a push-to-talk. Those were
the most popular style mic on early CB transceivers. I seem to recall
that those mic's did come in crystal, ceramic, and dynamic versions. On
some the switch was wired as an on on-off, on others as a push-to-talk.

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.



ok guys, here is what i found after stripping the cable down
http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic_2.jpg

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.



ok guys, here is what i found after stripping the cable down
http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic_2.jpg

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.



ok guys, here is what i found after stripping the cable down
http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic_2.jpg

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 4:13 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

ok guys, here is what i found after stripping the cable downhttp://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic_2.jpg

seems to be just one wire under that white insulation there

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 4:13 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

ok guys, here is what i found after stripping the cable downhttp://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic_2.jpg

seems to be just one wire under that white insulation there

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 4:13 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

ok guys, here is what i found after stripping the cable downhttp://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic_2.jpg

seems to be just one wire under that white insulation there

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 4:13 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

ok guys, here is what i found after stripping the cable downhttp://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic_2.jpg

seems to be just one wire under that white insulation there

[Richard Crowley]

"TheKeith" wrote ...
ok guys, here is what i found after stripping the cable down
http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic_2.jpg

Then it is almost certainly a high-impedance mic.
Perhaps even a ceramic/crystal microphone(?)

The inside conductor may be extremely thin, and
you may have to "melt" the white internal insulation
to get to it without nicking or breaking the inside
conductor.

Your mic might produce something wierd/interesting
into an instrument input (like e-guitar), but may not
do anything useful into a conventional Lo-Z mic
input.

PS: Please send your messages ONLY ONCE.
No need to send 3-5 identical messages. Really.
Usenet messages don't necessarily show up
instantly. Even on Google Groups (which is not
really Usenet.)

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 4:13 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:
On Mar 18, 2:12 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

ok guys, here is what i found after stripping the cable downhttp://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic_2.jpg

seems to be just one wire under that white insulation there

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 4:21 pm, "Richard Crowley" wrote:
"TheKeith" wrote ...

ok guys, here is what i found after stripping the cable down
http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic_2.jpg

Then it is almost certainly a high-impedance mic.
Perhaps even a ceramic/crystal microphone(?)

The inside conductor may be extremely thin, and
you may have to "melt" the white internal insulation
to get to it without nicking or breaking the inside
conductor.

Your mic might produce something wierd/interesting
into an instrument input (like e-guitar), but may not
do anything useful into a conventional Lo-Z mic
input.

PS: Please send your messages ONLY ONCE.
No need to send 3-5 identical messages. Really.
Usenet messages don't necessarily show up
instantly. Even on Google Groups (which is not
really Usenet.)


oh sorry about the multiple posts. No i didnt send it three times but
i think i refreshed the page a few times and since there was POST data
on the page, it sent three times. Sorry bout that.

Anyway, should i just solder than thin wire to the terminal on a
stnadard 1/4 mono plug? Would that be ok. I do have a guitar amp i
could try it out with.

[Richard Crowley]

"TheKeith" wrote ...
oh sorry about the multiple posts. No i didnt send it three times but
i think i refreshed the page a few times and since there was POST data
on the page, it sent three times. Sorry bout that.

Alas, another undesirable side-effect of using Google Groups.

Anyway, should i just solder than thin wire to the terminal on a
stnadard 1/4 mono plug? Would that be ok.

Exactly. I use the soldering iron tip to "score" around
the white plastic to expose the inner conductor. I have
seen some that were around the size of a hair. Be very
careful.

I do have a guitar amp i could try it out with.

Try it wherever. You likely won't break it. Who knows
what you will hear.

[Mike Rivers]

On Mar 18, 4:28 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

Anyway, should i just solder than thin wire to the terminal on a
stnadard 1/4 mono plug?

There are two terminals on the 1/4" plug. One looks like a terminal,
located in the middle of the "shaft." That's where the center
conductor goes. The other terminal is the part of the plug that looks
like it's supposed to support the cable, and in fact, that's what it
does. You connect the shield to that. When you strip the outer
insulation, you'll see the shield, which might be braided or just
wrapped around the white-insulated wire. You'll need to make a "lead"
out of that shield so you can solder it.

Unscrew the cover of the connector on a guitar cable and look at how
it's wired. And don't forget to slip the cover on to the cable before
you solder the plug. Othewise you'll burn out the microphone with cuss
words.

Oh, and Google Groups works fine for me, nearly all the time. Just be
patient and don't keep pushing the Send button.

[TheKeith[_2_]]

On Mar 18, 5:31 pm, "Mike Rivers" wrote:
On Mar 18, 4:28 pm, "TheKeith" wrote:

Anyway, should i just solder than thin wire to the terminal on a
stnadard 1/4 mono plug?

There are two terminals on the 1/4" plug. One looks like a terminal,
located in the middle of the "shaft." That's where the center
conductor goes. The other terminal is the part of the plug that looks
like it's supposed to support the cable, and in fact, that's what it
does. You connect the shield to that. When you strip the outer
insulation, you'll see the shield, which might be braided or just
wrapped around the white-insulated wire. You'll need to make a "lead"
out of that shield so you can solder it.

Unscrew the cover of the connector on a guitar cable and look at how
it's wired. And don't forget to slip the cover on to the cable before
you solder the plug. Othewise you'll burn out the microphone with cuss
words.

Oh, and Google Groups works fine for me, nearly all the time. Just be
patient and don't keep pushing the Send button.



ok thanks everyone for your help! I just sacrificed an old crappy 1/4
mono cable and just spliced the two cables together--works great in my
guitar amp! Thanks again for your help, everyone!

[Paul Stamler]

"TheKeith" wrote in message
ps.com...

ok thanks everyone for your help! I just sacrificed an old crappy 1/4
mono cable and just spliced the two cables together--works great in my
guitar amp! Thanks again for your help, everyone!

Now that you've got it up and running, blow some harmonica into it, Little
Walter style.

Peace,
Paul

[Eeyore]

Scott Dorsey wrote:

TheKeith wrote:
found this mic in my basement and would like to try it out, but I need
some help determining what it's for. It has Astatic 335L-29 embossed
on one side, but any information i found on the web wasn't very
useful. As you can see the connector is unconventional--appears to
have 3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a 1/4"
jack.

It's a communications mike. I don't recall the military nomenclature
on the plug, but it's the same plugs that are still used for some
helicopter intercom applications.

http://www.mobileone.com.au/headset/plugs.htm

Graham

[Arny Krueger]

"TheKeith" wrote in message
oups.com

found this mic in my basement and would like to try it
out, but I need some help determining what it's for. It
has Astatic 335L-29 embossed on one side, but any
information i found on the web wasn't very useful. As you
can see the connector is unconventional--appears to have
3 channels, and is short and stubby; it will not fit in a
1/4" jack.
http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated--thanks.

Astatic is still in business:

http://www.astaticinstalled.com/

They have newer incarnation as CAD microphones:

http://www.cadmics.com/

Most companies with a long history like Astatic actually enjoy talking about
their legacy products. I've gotten contacts from their staff when I sent
them email inquiries via their web sites.

[Ty Ford]

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:12:37 -0400, TheKeith wrote
(in article .com):

http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Looks like a rip off of the Johnson Messenger CD tranceiver mic.

Regards,

Ty Ford


--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demos http://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

[Arny Krueger]

"Ty Ford" wrote in message

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:12:37 -0400, TheKeith wrote
(in article
.com):

http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Looks like a rip off of the Johnson Messenger CD
tranceiver mic.

Unh, that would be CB. ;-)

Astatic sold a ton of mics during the CB craze.

[Ty Ford]

On Mon, 19 Mar 2007 08:55:29 -0400, Arny Krueger wrote
(in article ):

"Ty Ford" wrote in message

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:12:37 -0400, TheKeith wrote
(in article
.com):

http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Looks like a rip off of the Johnson Messenger CD
tranceiver mic.

Unh, that would be CB. ;-)

yes it would.

Astatic sold a ton of mics during the CB craze.

And I was a part of it. never got to the Browning level, but I did have a 3
element beam.

Regards,

Ty



--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demos http://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

[Arny Krueger]

"Ty Ford" wrote in message

On Mon, 19 Mar 2007 08:55:29 -0400, Arny Krueger wrote
(in article
):

"Ty Ford" wrote in message

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:12:37 -0400, TheKeith wrote
(in article
.com):

http://keithpetrino.com/other/astatic_mic.jpg

Looks like a rip off of the Johnson Messenger CD
tranceiver mic.

Unh, that would be CB. ;-)

yes it would.

Astatic sold a ton of mics during the CB craze.

And I was a part of it. never got to the Browning level,
but I did have a 3 element beam.


I just pushed the boxes over the counter and took the money. ;-)