W3JK Audio
Menu:
WZ5Q
If you would like to know more about Mike's mods, or Voodoo Labs, or Voodoo Audio please click here
More about Mike (WZ5Q)!
Long before I had ever talked to Mike (WZ5Q), I had browsed his website for the immense amount of detailed information on ham radio, from audio to mods for the radios. I am a lover of the TS-950SDX, and he has plenty of information about it on his website. I later ran into Mike on the air while I was talking to a friend from Portugal. Mike joined the conversation, and then we were joined by Greg (W5UDX). It was amazing to listen to Mike and Greg, and their audio was absolutely phenomenal. My friend from Portugal exchanged a few notes with Mike, and then signed off due to the deteriorating band conditions. In the meantime, Mike recorded my audio and sent me a copy. That was the first day of many that I would interact with Mike over the next several weeks.
Once you listen to amazing audio that makes you stand up and take notice, it’s very hard not to want to have the same audio coming from your radio. I sent Mike an email, and asked him for some advice on the audio gear on his website. I already had an EV-RE20 with me, and I was hoping to start small with the Behringer gear. I was interested in the mods for the EX-3200 and the DSP-2024P. It was easy for me trust the genius, and I requested him to do the mod and ship the gear to me. I bought the DEQ2496 and the MIC2200 at Samash in Manhattan. Mike sent me an email with all the details on my entire gear, including recommendations on Furman power conditioners for the audio rack. This was extremely helpful for me in buying all the right products and accessories. Mike's prompt responses during this initial process helped me get ready with all my gear within 10 days. He also shipped the modded 3200 and 2024p within the time he had projected. and was very professional and prompt in updating me on the status while the mods were in progress.
Now I have all the gear connected and ready to go. Mike has already sent me an email with the set of initial settings for all the gear. I asked him for some extra help, as I was not sure of the entire setup. I sent several audio recordings to him, and he gave me fine tune suggestions after listening to every clip. I even called him once or twice due to an issue with my recordings. There was a tearing occurring on my audio and my alc was running high on the radio, no matter what I did. This is where Mike went above and beyond in helping me out. We narrowed the issue to the new iPlus from W2IHY. The audio level from the iPlus was coming in too high. A phone call to Julius (W2IHY) gave me suggestions on some jumpers and the audio level was brought down significantly. I happened to be one of the first users of the iPlus after Julius started selling it. The Kenwood likes the mic level audio coming in to be a bit lower than other transceivers.
Now, having meddled with all the settings due to the tearing, I had to start all over to get the right adjustments. Once again, Mike went above and beyond to help me, and within a few hours we nailed what I thought was the best possible audio. A stickler for perfection, he didn’t let me off that easy even then, and kept sending me additional adjustments until he gave me his certificate of good audio. We went on the air, and he then said that I sounded excellent and he was very happy with my audio. I broke in to 14.178 and had a qso with Marty (KA7GKN) and Larry (W3OZ). They immediately complemented me on my audio and this was the beginning. I have since had another thousand plus qso's on the air, and have received un-solicited compliments every 3rd qso. I keep hearing stations complimenting me on my audio along with the 59 report. It’s become such a practice, that if I don’t hear a compliment, I check my audio gear to make sure they are turned on. That’s how common it is to get a compliment on the audio. Some stations even record me while on the air and play it back to me.
Now that I have graduated from the Behringer's, it’s time for me to get into the world of Bellari's and other gear. I turn to no one else other than Mike to help me to my next level. It’s very nice to talk and deal with someone who is interested in nothing less than perfection. Mike is an amazing person to interact with, and he has elevated me to a different level with my audio in amateur radio. This has even made me consider taking up podcasting at times.
During the times or periods when audio is not the topic, Mike shares his wealth of knowledge about the TS-950SDX. Mike knows the Kenwood 950SDX inside out, and my rig will soon be sent to him for his magical touch. It’s hard to explain the positive interaction that you have with him, as words do not justice to the overall experience.