Whites TDI Pro External Speaker / Booster?

[Nugget]

Never having used one before, what are the available options for external speakers for the TDI Pro?

I generally prefer not to wear headphones in the bush, so I've been thinking it might be beneficial to have an external speaker / booster clipped onto the strap of my bag or hydration pack for those quiet signals, possibly even a dual speaker config if it makes any difference at all.

 

[Ben78]

I used a external rechargeable speaker from kmart on mine, about $20, in the MP3 player section

 

[Dogmatic]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the point of an external speaker if you have unimpared hearing?
The external speaker appears to be plenty loud enough at the moment and I could not imagine I
would want it any louder. That may change as the years roll on.

I have worn headphones but do find they get in the way a bit. Cordless would be okay but would still
be hot as hell in summer.

 

[Nugget]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the point of an external speaker if you have unimpared hearing?
The external speaker appears to be plenty loud enough at the moment and I could not imagine I
would want it any louder. That may change as the years roll on.

I agree the built in speaker is plenty loud in ideal conditions, but head out bush on a windy day and now your dealing with the rustling of treas, wind noise etc. I'm mainly interested in boosting the faint signals and not so much the loud ones, which I believe is the point of a booster.

P.S. I have very good hearing

 

[Nugget]

I used a external rechargeable speaker from kmart on mine, about $20, in the MP3 player section

Did you see any benefit over the internal speaker?

 

[Guest]

Nugget, I know exactly what you mean, When i still had my Whites GMT, i was out bush many times, with a little wind or cicadas during summer, I couldn't hear the internal speaker worth a damn!

I would recommend buying yourself a little booster, 6.5mm and external speaker Miners Den sell a good speaker for $29
As for the booster.. If you're handy with a soldering iron..

Order yourself a little (PAM8403 Class D amp ebay: 261528522319 or LM386 board ebay: 141373604026 , 6.5mm plug, 6.5mm socket, pro audio cable.. few other bits n bobs.. shove it all in a project box and BAM amp..

I've got a box full of different units I've built.. LM sounds more crunchy but can run directly off a 9v.. easy fix is to solder in a 470mF cap from the pot to ground.

Anyway.. my 15 cents

LM386 version.. (built for minlab SD-GP series) replace the input/output with 6.5mm jack/plug

 

[Pro-oz]

Nugget, have a look at this little speaker. .NOKIA MD-11 has it's own amp and batteries excellent quality and cheap. I have made a little bracket and mounted just in front of the control box of the TDI. And really good sound.

 

[Guest]

Nugget, have a look at this little speaker. .NOKIA MD-11 has it's own amp and batteries excellent quality and cheap. I have made a little bracket and mounted just in front of the control box of the TDI. And really good sound.

cheaper simpler option, good call..

 

[Nugget]

Nugget, I know exactly what you mean, When i still had my Whites GMT, i was out bush many times, with a little wind or cicadas during summer, I couldn't hear the internal speaker worth a damn!

I would recommend buying yourself a little booster, 6.5mm and external speaker Miners Den sell a good speaker for $29
As for the booster.. If you're handy with a soldering iron..

Order yourself a little (PAM8403 Class D amp ebay: 261528522319 or LM386 board ebay: 141373604026 , 6.5mm plug, 6.5mm socket, pro audio cable.. few other bits n bobs.. shove it all in a project box and BAM amp..

I've got a box full of different units I've built.. LM sounds more crunchy but can run directly off a 9v.. easy fix is to solder in a 470mF cap from the pot to ground.

Anyway.. my 15 cents

LM386 version.. (built for minlab SD-GP series) replace the input/output with 6.5mm jack/plug
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3531/1408275985_wp_20140817_004.jpg

Cheers for that mate, unfortunately my soldering skills are terrible so I may have to stick with a pre-built variant or get someone to make it for me.

Nugget, have a look at this little speaker. .NOKIA MD-11 has it's own amp and batteries excellent quality and cheap. I have made a little bracket and mounted just in front of the control box of the TDI. And really good sound.

I'll check it out, thanks.

 

[Nugget]

OK, so I've just been looking at the Nokia MD-11 as suggested and it looks pretty good, I also like the fact that you can piggy back two together for stereo sound (if you wanted to).

@Prooz, in your above post are you implying the MD-11 is louder than the internal TDI speaker? I just realised you have mounted yours on the control box.

 

[Guest]

http://unleashthephones.com/2011/07/23/review-nokia-md-11-portable-speaker/
I used 2 x these on my GMT & found they had a better output & sound quality than it's inbuilt speaker. Not sure if the TDI would be the same but I think most current Whites machines have the same 16ohm 0.3w speaker.
On the GMT there is no volume control so they lived screw through the eyelet with my armrest attachment screws. Having volume control for these with the TDI would make them even better in my opinion & allow you to clip one or both on you in noisier conditions. Without the volume control on the GMT it would be too loud if you hit a big target but having volume control may allow enough adjustment for faint signals to be heard but keeping it low enough not to blow out the eardrums if attached on your upper body. You may need an extension though as the cord is only about 500mm long & obviously you need an adapter 3.5mm to 6mm.
If they had a volume control inbuilt I would get a set to try on the SDC - at $25 for a pair it's a fairly cheap experiment that I know did improve the GMT at least.

 

[Guest]

Only thing i dislike about the nokia speaker is the lack of volume control. but its a good cheap option, if you want to mount it on the detector itself.

 

[Guest]

Shouldn't matter too much on the TDI with its own volume control? Built in control would be better though if attaching to yourself so you can adjust while swinging over target/s.
On the GMT one volume = loud - not very discrete :lol:
Not a bad cheap option.
Obviously if you can't make your own, a booster + speaker or amplified speaker set up is the way to go if you have $150+ to spend. Something like the B&Z booster or Vktek Treasuremate II that have headphone socket, volume control & bypass switch built in.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, I like the shoulder mount, so I'd require vol control lol, don't need anymore hearing loss..

 

[Ben78]

I used a external rechargeable speaker from kmart on mine, about $20, in the MP3 player section

Did you see any benefit over the internal speaker?

Yes, because it was closer to my ears.

At Hanging Rock the cicadas are insane in summer, I tried using external speaker on the 5k but I couldn't hear it over them. I use in ear noise isolating earbuds. No sweat and if you buy a decent set (I use TDK) the audio is fantastic.

 

[Tails]

Hi Nugget,
got this speaker on line and it works like a charm

Nokia MD-11 works like a charm......when plugged in, volume adjustable with TDI's audio adjust.

Cheers
Tails

 

[Nugget]

Thanks for the feedback Tails, I checked out the MD-11 and plan on getting one to try out very soon.

 

[Dogmatic]

Just ordered one. Will be good to have the speaker near my ear rather than my hip. :/