Sick of two sets of head phones

[Walsh]

How can i play an iPod through my Helmet??? Its an Alpha eagle.

[Yakking]

Depending on the aircraft you fly and its comms system, you're potentially better off putting it through you comms box. Easier to control the volume, and some will have a cut-out button so that when either a mic is activated or someone transmits on a freq, your music cuts out.

There are also some 'boxes' you can get from the States (sorry can't remember the name) that you plug in between your headset jack and the aircraft, you then plug in the iPod and listen to it through there. It will then cut out when there is other transmissions (like the previous example)

I ain't judging, hence my advice, but I'm sure there are numerous people who have already raised an eyebrow at using an iPod under a helmet. I guess you're not operating in busy airspace or have any pax on board???

[airlens]

flightcell is supposed to be good you can also use a mobile phone, tho they say for an emergency back up to comms....
there is a nato plug version for choppers too
let me know if anyone has used this i would be interested in kowing if it is worth it?

http://flightcell.net/products/flightcellpro.aspx

are there any cheaper ones that allow a mobile and an mp3 connection?? or either seperatly?

[ringer]

Mate I've got a flightcell in mustering machine and it is brillant you can plug a phone / ipod / and sat phone in there are many options for the ipod to cut in and out when someone is trying to call you on VHF and UHF , hope this is some heip to you . cheers ringer

[woody]

I have had a flight cell for about 6 months and it is the best 650 bucks I ever spent. carnt fault it at all. opinions my vary but I don't go spraying without it. music cuts out on with phone and radio calls batteries last for a couple of days or it can be plugged into cigerette lighter jack. phone call quality is much clearer than calls made through car kit wired into the machine no background noise. from what I have sceen anyway.

[NEWBIE]

Yakking I am guesing you are talking about a muse. A lot of the boys use them over here.
http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/4419

[Walsh]

Righto so that muse thing sounds like the go... And thats going to plug into a R22, R44, B206 or do i need to ask for a different conection??

And yeah mate i'm opperating in the bush and usually by myself so couldn't really give a stuff who's on the VHF. Too much yabba on that thing normally anyway.

[NEWBIE]

Plugs into your helmet line and then has cable to your A/C input Jack. Cuts out when some one is talking on VHF/UHF, but Have heard new model has a switch that will allow cont play. Takes a 9V Batt and if you use the rech bat will get about 12 Hours of music before you need to recharge.

[Yakking]

Yep, that's the one.
MUSE.
Pretty nifty little invention. Small, lightweight, simple and fairly ecnomical. When I was in the States they were all the rage.
One connection suits all. It just plugs into the aircraft and then you plug your helmet/headset into it.

And if Newbie is correct, then at 12hrs in between battery charges... you're laughing!

[CYHeli]

The pdf document on their website says 40 hours of battery life...
Not that a company would brag about how good it is.

[Pear Head]

With a NAT aa12s in the Robbie you can use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack to plug it straight in. Only problem is that the bass/treble on the comm box is set at time of installation by the avionincs engineer, and he's tweaking it for voice, not techno, so it can wind up being a bit tinny and without any decent bass response.

[redline]

With regard to the flightcell pro..i'm having some dramas with doors off operations and the mic cutting in and out due to background noise.Does anyone know any tricks? I have the squelch up at 90% but its still happening and it's giving me the SH%TS!! Also when on the phone i can hear people nicely but they can't hear me,,only helicopter noise?? Cheers.Red

[skypig]

I’m super keen to get one of these (Muse or Flightcell) or something similar for music/phone. But lots of people seem very disappointed in Flightcells especially.(see above) I need to be a bit more confident before I part with the cash.

It’s a similar story with ANR headset. I like the Bose and have used them a lot with great success (except for “doors off”). There are still a fair few disappointing stories around, and I have no idea if the mike is compatible (impedance wise) with most AC or if it can be changed like on my old DCs. (I’d like to use it occasionally in a Super Puma, and they need a “high impedance”? mike (different to most).

Any cone heads that can comment on impedance?

Sky "Tinnitus At Distracting Volume" Pig

[nzheliwhore]

Hey

I got one of the PA Electronic cell phone interface for rotary flying, from the skyshop. My phone has a music in it so can chat on phone and play music. Bloody great unit. Works thru my helmet and David Clark headset. great value at $200. I had a flightcell, but keep breaking down and just was unreliable

For fixed wing work I have a Ears Alert system I got thru ebay. Very cheap at $100 ( AUD ) landed on my door from the USA. The unit is only OK I wouldnt rave about it. This company do put out a rotor systems as well, and think it would be much the same. It will last forever and a day, but you do get wot you pay for and it is cheap so bear that in mind those that are looking. However was a huge improvement on wot I had befor for fixed wing. A cheap canadian unit I ended up giving away.

Recently went thru a bit of a upgrade on my gear. One thing I am carrying in my flight bag now is a net book ( small laptop ) see you can get these at coles now for $380 ( price always drops after you buy one). Put a telstra wireless internet dongal and you never get caught short for info or planning. can also patch it thru a sat phone as well for internet.

My 2 cents
NZH

[helothere]

Hey Impedance-pig, you need a new 5 ohm mic and module to replace your high impedance one on your headset-X. They cost around USD$300 and in my mind, are not worth the money for turbine work. Best with CEP I reckon. I did find an interesting gizmo;



More info here. As you can see, it replaces the cover on the mic mount on the spare side of the headset and takes a 3.5mm plug straight in. Only for music or listening to phone (no mic for phone) and no auto mute. Price is right though...

I have used the flightcell units and found them good but I can't really recommend them for the money you pay. That said, for calling in half hourly scheds on the sat phone, they were fantastic. I didn't care for music when flying low level, just couldn't concentrate. Pity we are not allowed to have music in this line of (sometimes a little dull) work.

[Jabberwocky]

The iPod ear buds are really starting to annoy me at work (I don't listen to music when I'm on the controls). I'm using an Alpha Eagle and like to run my CEP buds whenever possible to try and achieve some hearing longevity in this game. Has anyone had luck with any of the adapters rather than the $500 flightcells etc...?
I found a bloke up north of Noosa that may be able to help. One of his kits runs a 9v battery so I'm wondering if that would power the helmet speakers instead of my iPod doing it and hence get more than ~2 hours of music out of it...?

http://www.pilotcommunications.com.au/adapters.htm

In particular the PA86AH.

Cheers

[helothere]

Have you tried simply hooking up your CEP to the ipod? If that works you could just make up a lead to feed it into them only, with a switch to bypass the alpha speakers and comm's input. I'm assuming you don't need to be able to hear comm's at the same time if not at the controls?

You are correct in your assumption of the PA86AH taking the power load away from the ipod. The 9v battery would be powering the speakers (via the built in amp) with your ipod supplying a roughly line level signal (~ 1v). That said, the oo6P (9v) is not a high current battery so would be likely to last a short time with continuous music use anyway.

[Jabberwocky]

Good idea, I didn't think about going straight through the CEP. But then I won't be able to use the CEP buds for comms when doing the ferry runs... I installed my CEP parallel to the Alphas speakers so they still work and I would still hear the coms through them anyway. Unless I can get a line that would go from iPod to the CEP buds, and then just un plug it when on the controls...

Hmmm... the saga continues.

The other option I've been thinking about is buying a decent set of ear bud phones and mounting them in the top of the ear cups of the helmet by drilling a few holes and glueing them there or similar. Shouldn't be too hard - there's heaps of room around the cup and they 'shouldn't' press into my head at all, and then just run the lead down through the helmet in a similar fashion to how the ANR sets run the leads out through the the Helmets coil lead. Should eliminate any dramas of the lead catching when I turn my head, will stay with the helmet as one set-up and once agian will have no iPod battery draining issues.

Just need to pull my finger out...

Cheers mate

[helothere]

The easiest way would be to put a switch between the cep and the helmet speakers and an input socket for the ipod. Switch one way for ipod into CEP, the other way for speaker input into CEP. Like this: