Old RAF type leather helmet - adapting to ICOM type handheld?

[IanLaw]

Many thanks Ron Ernie and dsbrantjr - I've tried to post photos of the jack plug innards & helmet phone sockets etc - the plug cover just unscrews as Ron suggested earlier. I can just see embossed words on the Bakelite under the screw terminals for "MIC" etc, so it would seem to be easy to rewire these to the modern NATO type.
Regards. Ian

[dsbrantjr]

Switchcraft make both 0.250" and 0.206" plugs with screw terminals; it looks like you could just undo the screws on your current plugs and attach the modern plugs. This would be an easily-reversible change if you should decide to sell the helmet as an antique. I like the old "Air Ministry" "crown" stamp on the earpiece.

[IanLaw]

Thanks dsbrantjr and I'll give that a try!

Ian

[Saville]

I dunno...using 60-70 year old receivers and staking your safety on them?

Is there some way you could fit modern receivers into the earcup/receiver holders without destroying anything? And then replacing the old ones for display?

I have an AN-H-15 that I'm trying to retrofit with modern receivers. it's not easy as the AN-H receivers had provision for protecting the wire runs.

Also, I've seen pictures of an ANH-H-15 with a period correct boom mount for the mike. If such things were done to your helmet you might consider that. You can get Period booms and the mike might fit

[rwanttaja]

I dunno...using 60-70 year old receivers and staking your safety on them?

Don't know about "safety"; seems to me that few folks flying an open-cockpit plane really need any sort of electronic devices to ensure their safety.

Is there some way you could fit modern receivers into the earcup/receiver holders without destroying anything? And then replacing the old ones for display?

The problem is, it doesn't really eliminate the big drawback for flight use of this helmet: Noise attenuation. Modern headsets do a much better job at eliminating the engine and slipstream sounds. I found this when I converted an old Russian leather helmet for GA use...yes, the speakers were right by my ears but the background sounds weren't really reduced much.

I fixed that issue by wearing high-attenuation ear buds under the helmet, and not bothering with the in-helmet speakers at all. I'm using Plugfones in my Fly Baby right now...

https://www.plugfones.com/

They have ~25 dB of attenuation, about the same as a headset. You would need a simple impedance matcher to use them on a standard aircraft radio, but they're just fine on a handheld with 8-ohm output. They fit easily under the helmet.

Ron Wanttaja

[Saville]

Don't know about "safety"; seems to me that few folks flying an open-cockpit plane really need any sort of electronic devices to ensure their safety.



They have ~25 dB of attenuation, about the same as a headset. You would need a simple impedance matcher to use them on a standard aircraft radio, but they're just fine on a handheld with 8-ohm output. They fit easily under the helmet.

Ron Wanttaja

By "safety" I mean:

If you are flying around and you depend upon your receivers to work, then it can be a safety issue if 70 year old receivers should conk out - and maybe you don't discover that immediately.

Is such an impedance matcher commercially available?

[rwanttaja]

By "safety" I mean:

If you are flying around and you depend upon your receivers to work, then it can be a safety issue if 70 year old receivers should conk out - and maybe you don't discover that immediately.

Is such an impedance matcher commercially available?

No, but it's a dirt-simple build.



It can be installed into just about any small enclosure.



Ron Wanttaja

[IanLaw]

Many thanks Saville and Ron and regret that I haven't had time yet to really get on with adapting my headset; domestic matters keep interrupting important things like building aeroplanes etc!

I'm grateful again for the great help and advice ( not to mention Ron's fantastic graphics ) and hope to make use of all this information sooner rather than later.

Regards from the UK to all.

Ian

[Dana]

Ron, have you tried nose cancelling ear buds? I was wondering how the plugfones compare... I've been using Audio Technica NC earbuds which claim "up to 20dB" noise reduction under my leather helmet, but the plugfones claim 25db.

[Dana]

By "safety" I mean:

If you are flying around and you depend upon your receivers to work, then it can be a safety issue if 70 year old receivers should conk out...

In an open cockpit biplane at an uncontrolled field, I don't "depend" on my radio to work, it's a convenience... I flew for years without a radio at all.