====== Microphone Model 215 ======
{{215.jpg?150|}}
===== Description =====
Ceramic type for hand held or desk top operation.  Includes cable, PTT switch, and separate desk stand.  Offers optimum articulation, free of power peaks, impervious to temperature and humidity changes.



===== Mods, Fixes, & Additional Info =====
  *{{215.pdf|Specs and Switch Conversion}}

===== Specifications =====
  ***Element:** Ceramic
  ***Impedance:** High
  ***Response:** 200 - 4000 Hz
  ***Level:** -50 dB level
  ***PTT Switch:** SPDT
  ***Cable:** 4', one conductor shielded, two conductors unshielded
  ***Case:** Die-cast Zinc and Cycolac(r)
  ***Base:** Die-cast Zinc
  ***Color:** Gray front, black back, gray stand
  ***Height:** 8.5" in base
  ***Weight:** Mic - 11 oz, base - 13 oz.

==== 215P ====
  *In addition to above - 3-circuit (P)hone plug included.
==== 215PC ====
  *In addition to above - 4' coiled (C)able, single conductor shielded, two conductors unshielded.

===== 215, 215P, and 215PC Explained =====
By W8EK from the Ten-Tec Reflector, September 29, 1999:

When Al Kahn left Electrovoice and formed TenTec, he took with him the
rights (and I think even the dies, etc.) for this mic.  I don't
remember the EV number, but the same mic was used by Drake with a
number of their rigs.  I do not recall Heath using it, but my memory
may not be complete.

TenTec sold the mic a variety of ways.  The 215 is the number for the
plain mic and die cast base.  The 215 P, had a 1/4 inch stereo plug on
it (P for Plug), that was used with the Trition, Argonaut, Omni, etc.
at the time.  These all had a standard cord on them.  Some time after
the Triton series of rigs, TenTec came out with the 215 PC, which had
a plug and a coiled cord on it.  The coiled cord worked better with
the Omni, but the Triton and Argonaut need a "non coiled" cord to
reach the connector in the back.

In addition, there were 2 different color schemes.  One was a gray
color.  Later models were more of a chocolate brown.

The mic could also be a 214 mic.  The outside looks exactly the same
as the 215, but inside is an electrolet condenser mic element.  This
mic element required a small (about 8 to 12 volts at less than 1 ma)
polarizing voltage.  In order to get this voltage, TenTec went to the
4 pin connector that was very common at the time.  This worked fine,
with a ground pin, mic audio, PTT, and the polarizing voltage.  In
some cases it was necessary to "find" a polarizing voltage.  This was
usually done with a 1 K resistor to the 12 V DC supply, with the
resistor acting more as an isolation resistor than anything else.  It
was also for protection, in case someone connected the 12 V DC pin to
something nasty (like the ground pin by mistake!).

To the best of my memory, all 214 mics had a coiled cord, and 4 pin
plug, and were the chocolate brown color.  The 214s would occasionally
pick up RF, so a small RF choke was added inside the mic case.  I do
not remember any 215s having the RFI problem.

The freq response of both of these mics were great.  TenTec furnished
a sample of the curve with the instruction sheet of the mic.

73,

Ken, W8EK

Ken Simpson