Mic issues with DC H10-30

D

drummer4468

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
305
Display Name
Display name:
drummer4468
So, I acquired a spare DC H10-30 headset from a kind gentleman who had some laying around. I was planning on buying them from him, but they appeared inop when we tested them in his plane. He was kind enough to simply give them to me so that I can send them off to get repaired (his guesstimate was about $180, about what I was gonna pay him anyway)

Gave them a quick try out of curiosity in my club's 152, and after some fiddling with the connectors they seemed to work just fine, until the mic started cutting out and eventually caused annoying noise with movement, sounded like a bad solder joint or failing wire, etc. The headphones never had an issue though.

I've never sent a headset in for repair, any idea what it may cost to have this fixed? Or would I need any special/proprietary tools to open 'er up and see if I can test/repair them myself? I know my way around a soldering iron pretty well, and if I can fix it cheaply myself I'd love to pay the aforementioned kind gentleman for the merchandise after all.

Thanks
 
UPDATE: Wow, these are a lot simpler to pull apart than I imagined. Already isolated the bad connection to the small pigtail where the mic leads go into the casing, verified with a simple continuity tester. 20 bucks and some solder to replace, but for now I managed to get it to work "good enough" by twisting the wire just so. Who knows how long that'll hold but I'll go ahead and order a replacement for a permanent fix. Yay for old passive headset tech!
 
I have sent multiple headsets to DC over the years, and never have been charged for repairs. They also fix or replace stuff that didn't need to be fixed, like new ear seals, headband pad, etc. You may be very surprised. At the very least they will give you a quote before doing any repairs.

The last one I sent to them had the cable almost cut in half when it got caught in a seat track. Fixed for free.
 
I sent in a set of 10-13.4's that I had for about 10 years when the year cup got broken. I don't recall if they gave me a quote to repair or not. They did offer to send me a refurbished (basically new) set for under $100. I thought that was a good deal and I got a basically new headset out of the deal.

Brian
 
Oh? I heard DC's customer service was good, but if there's a good chance they'll fix it for free, I'll go ahead and give em a call! Definitely seems like a design defect after all, I can easily see how the wire in question would get fatigued over hundreds of movements of the mic boom, sometimes getting mildly pinched. I'll be sure to rectify that once it's fixed.

Thanks for the input, gentlemen. Much appreciated.
 
I can second DC's great customer service. Back when I did my private, I had a set of 13.4's. About 10 hours into my training, the mic started crackling, cutting in/out... basically causing my CFI to tell me to either get them fixed or she was going to quit due to the noise... I don't think she was kidding. Sounds kinda like the issue you are having. I sent them back to DC and they fixed them up for free and shipped them back. I think the whole process took two weeks. Great customer service. IMO not so great headsets compared to other stuff out there. But wasn't bad for initial training. And hey, those green plastic shells around the earphones make a person look so pilot-y...
 
Deelee said:
I can second DC's great customer service. Back when I did my private, I had a set of 13.4's. About 10 hours into my training, the mic started crackling, cutting in/out... basically causing my CFI to tell me to either get them fixed or she was going to quit due to the noise... I don't think she was kidding. Sounds kinda like the issue you are having. I sent them back to DC and they fixed them up for free and shipped them back. I think the whole process took two weeks. Great customer service. IMO not so great headsets compared to other stuff out there. But wasn't bad for initial training. And hey, those green plastic shells around the earphones make a person look so pilot-y...
Click to expand...

The DC One-X and Pro-X are better than any other headset I have ever used. They are lightyears ahead of the old style H10's, etc. A big plus is they are designed and manufactured in the USA.
 
Groundpounder said:
The DC One-X and Pro-X are better than any other headset I have ever used
Click to expand...

Good point. I meant the 13.4s aren't as great compared to other stuff out there. They served well during primary training. But just can't compare to stuff like the one-x/pro-x, LS Zulus, bose
 
I don't mind DCs for what they are, they seem to last for decades with minimal issues if properly cared for. A good, relatively cheap option for new student pilots without having to drop $700+ on a good ANR headset, and a great backup for those who only occasionally take a passenger up. That being said, I'm now VERY spoiled by my ANR Lightspeeds lol, and wouldn't settle for any less than ANR. The bells and whistles like bluetooth are a solid bonus too.

As for Bose, as much as I used to talk crap about em being overpriced junk, I once borrowed a pair of A20s and was blown away. I thought the Lightspeed was comfortable but the Bose was next-level. I still think they're overpriced, but definitely not junk.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top