Balanced (XLR) microphone connections

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w-u-2-o
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Balanced (XLR) microphone connections

Postby w-u-2-o » Sat Apr 21, 2018 8:29 pm

Good (use shielded mono audio cable and bond XLR pins 1 and 3 at the microphone end):

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Better (use balance microphone cable and bond XLR pins 1 and 3 at both ends):

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Best (use a matching transformer):

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Typical example: Neutrik NA2F-D0B-TX miniature matching transformer (make your unbalanced cable shielded and short):

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Regardless of what the illustrations above show, you must NOT use a mono (tip, sleeve) plug with the ANAN series radios. You MUST use a stereo (tip, ring, sleeve) plug. Use the tip and the sleeve ONLY and make no connections to ring unless you want to provision a PTT switch.

Set up your radio as follows (Setup > General > H/W Select) for a dynamic microphone, only enable BIAS if you are using a condenser microphone:

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With a dynamic microphone you will also need to activate MIC BOOST (Setup > Transmit):

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W1AEX
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Re: Balanced (XLR) microphone connections

Postby W1AEX » Sun Apr 22, 2018 8:23 pm

Very nicely illustrated Scott, and it should be helpful to anyone running audio into the ANAN's 1/8 inch TRS MIC jack. When running a balanced microphone (typically found with studio dynamics) into an unbalanced input (like what is found with the 1/8 inch TRS jack of the ANAN rigs) I have always used the second approach you illustrated and found it to have very high immunity to RF ingress and hum.

In all cases, I would avoid the cheaper spiral-wound shields used in some Pro Audio mic cable and stick with the braided shield that is found in the better quality mic cable. That spiral wound stuff does not hold up well and is not necessarily up to speed when it comes to handling mic or line level audio in an RF environment.

Thanks for posting this!

73,

Rob W1AEX
"One thing I am certain of is that there is too much certainty in the world."
w4cm
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Re: Balanced (XLR) microphone connections

Postby w4cm » Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:14 pm

i am trying to use a couple of mikes in the RCA Left line in jack on the rear of the Anan 7000.
i have Audio-Technica, ATR 30 and a TenTec 709 mike. It appears the level out of the mikes is too low for the line input. You can crank the gain and mike levels up on the radio but you start to introduce rf in the audio.
Can you recommend a economical one channel pre-amp and circuit diagram Please ?

Thanks,
Cecil W4CM
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Balanced (XLR) microphone connections

Postby w-u-2-o » Thu Dec 20, 2018 1:46 am

Cecil--of course a microphone level signal will not properly drive the line input. Why not just make a cable to connect to the microphone input?

If you have your heart set on driving the line input, as you point out you will need a microphone preamplifier. I have always been partial to the very inexpensive but excellent DBX rack gear. W1AEX has a great setup documented here (the "direct connection" config.). Obviously it shows connections for a 100D, but it will work for the RCA line in jack just as well.
w4cm
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Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2018 8:18 pm

Re: Balanced (XLR) microphone connections

Postby w4cm » Thu Dec 20, 2018 1:57 am

thanks ....
Trying to get as many wires/ connections as I can to the rear of the radio.

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