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Headsets

gaetabob

Registered User
pilot
ANR: active noise reduction
ENR: electronic noise reduction
PNR: passive noise reduction
TNR: total noise reduction

passive is the basic sound shielding you get from the foamies around the ears. active and electronic (which sounded identical to me) use electronics to cancel additional ambient noise. here's a link to DC's explanation: http://www.davidclark.com/HeadsetPgs/encstory.htm

and this is Sporty's explanations (at the bottom of the page): http://www.sportys.com/terryc/headset1.cfm
hope this helps to shed some light on the subject.

Do the headphones in the helmets we fly with have any ANR, or is it possible to get some to have the PRs install for you?
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Do the headphones in the helmets we fly with have any ANR, or is it possible to get some to have the PRs install for you?

Can't speak for the TacAir side, but on the helo side, ANR sets aren't currently legal (at least as of two years ago). Some guys rigged up something on deployment to see how it worked, and it worked well...for a about a month. Then all the stray 'trons flying around off the ship eventually killed them. This was a non-SPY ships as well, so I'm guessing getting repeatedly zapped by the SPA(?)-49 radar did them in.

I hear Barbara Streisand has a pair of those and loves them.

Touche.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
This was a non-SPY ships as well, so I'm guessing getting repeatedly zapped by the SPS-49 radar did them in.

Concur. You don't have to be around a phased array emitter to get blasted with trons. If anything, non-phased array antennae are prone to put out a much dirtier lobe pattern and longer dwell times that will put energy in all kinds of funny places (including your COTS headset). [/EW paste-eating session]

Brett
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Thanks for the correction. I thought SPS was surface search, so I guessed the SPA. Didn't feel like looking it up.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Thanks for the correction. I thought SPS was surface search, so I guessed the SPA. Didn't feel like looking it up.

The -49 does both. It's actually one of our more capable radars. I just got all excited that we were talking about emitters. :D I'll go back to my corner now.

Brett
 

Lawman

Well-Known Member
None
The -49 does both. It's actually one of our more capable radars. I just got all excited that we were talking about emitters. :D I'll go back to my corner now.

Brett

Coke Bottle Glasses :D



For the Headset discussion. I have a set of DC's from 5 years ago that have been beaten and abused and still keep working. Most if not all of the CFI's Ive meet have DC's as well. The only people that seem to harp on Bose being a better brand are the people with them. Either way though get ANR, I flew with my crappy $120 dollar headset I bought for passengers on a 4 hour hop and it was noticable. Also crappy headsets seem to have some serious fit and comfort problems as well as I noticed when my Jaw and ears started hurting after an hour or so. Best to spend the money now.
 

HAL Pilot

Well-Known Member
None
Contributor
When I was flying turboprops, I loved my Lightspeeds. Biggest, ugliest most comfortable and most quiet headsets I ever used.
 

kmac

Coffee Drinker
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Why do guys want ANR/ENR so badly? One of the guys I work with bought them (IE, had the gov't buy them) and hated them. He doesn't use the ANR/ENR part of it because he can't hear the engines very well anymore. Basically, it decreased his SA on what his aircraft was doing. For those of you with experience using them, does it really block out sound that much?
 

Fly Navy

...Great Job!
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Why do guys want ANR/ENR so badly? One of the guys I work with bought them (IE, had the gov't buy them) and hated them. He doesn't use the ANR/ENR part of it because he can't hear the engines very well anymore. Basically, it decreased his SA on what his aircraft was doing. For those of you with experience using them, does it really block out sound that much?

Isn't that like when you listen to the TV really loud then turn the volume down and you can't hear it well for a while, then you start to normalize after a little bit? Or is the reduction THAT good?
 

HAL Pilot

Well-Known Member
None
Contributor
Why do guys want ANR/ENR so badly? One of the guys I work with bought them (IE, had the gov't buy them) and hated them. He doesn't use the ANR/ENR part of it because he can't hear the engines very well anymore. Basically, it decreased his SA on what his aircraft was doing. For those of you with experience using them, does it really block out sound that much?
Why did I want ANR? To preserve what is left of my hearing. Yes I believe they work that good. There was a very noticeable, very large reduction in noise when I wore my Lightspeed ANRs as compared to my non-ANR Dave Clarks.

Who listens to the sound of the engine anyway? Especially with jets or turboprops? The gauges and the feel of the plane tells me what the engines are doing. I do not believe I have lost any situational awareness wearing ANRs.
 

xmid

Registered User
pilot
Contributor
Hal, I thought you airline guys wore those little "walkman" styled headsets?
 

HighDimension

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Why did I want ANR? To preserve what is left of my hearing. Yes I believe they work that good. There was a very noticeable, very large reduction in noise when I wore my Lightspeed ANRs as compared to my non-ANR Dave Clarks.

Who listens to the sound of the engine anyway? Especially with jets or turboprops? The gauges and the feel of the plane tells me what the engines are doing. I do not believe I have lost any situational awareness wearing ANRs.

Funny story involving ANR's: We had a Seminole doing touch and goes here at DAB that had blown an exhaust stack seal while in the pattern. The IP and student were both wearing ANR headsets and never knew anything was wrong until a mechanic from another FBO called ERAU and ERAU called the tower.
 
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