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Category: Organizations and Disaster Preparedness

Published: 22 December 2020

Last Updated: 22 December 2020

Hits: 2245

• radio
• learning

At the end of 2019, my peers in VECTOR accepted me for the role of president of the society. I am the third person in the transition from a top-down organization on our journey toward a self-managing, organic team of teams.

In this journey, I shared ideas with VECTOR members and our amateur radio community on the VECTOR website. I have also assembled a gitbook for reference and to share how I'm serving members with future VECTOR presidents.

Read more: VECTOR Articles

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Category: Organizations and Disaster Preparedness

Published: 14 January 2026

Last Updated: 14 January 2026

Hits: 281

• radio

Field Radio Ear Pieces

Summarizes experience with earpieces for amateur radio handheld transceivers. Reprinted from Gitlab.

1. Basic Earpiece for Quiet environments 2. Simple Change for Comfort in Quiet Environments 3. Simple Change for Noisy Environments 4. Improved Change for Noise Environments 5. Improved Earpiece for Noisy Environments 6. Alternative Improved Earpiece for Noisy Environments 7. Costs 8. Sources

Basic Earpiece for Quiet Environments

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• silicone mushroom tips sometimes uncomfortable, pinchy when the end wrinkles in your ear canal
• $ 69 each kit
• can change the ear-tip (replacement mushroom tips also available)
• use with noise PPE for high-noise environments
• 2.5 mm 90-degree jack
• M9 phono connector suitable for VECTOR handhelds
• VECTOR default
• Simple Earpiece at Impact Comms, BC

Simple Change for Comfort in Quiet Environments

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• relieve the pinchy feeling of sticking the eartip down your ear canal
• $ 8.50 to $ 17 (available in pair or one side at a time)
• holds the acoustic tube in position and away from your ear canal
• braces against the features of your outer ear
• can be challenging to get correct size and fit as well as correct placement
• mixes radio sound among ambient sound
• Skeleton Earpiece

Simple Change for Noisy Environments

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• $ 3.00 each (available in 25 and 500 unit quantities)
• Noise Reduction Rating 21 (for outside environment)
• Earplug tip for acoustic tube

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• often needed to connect alternative tips to the AT1 acoustic tube
• acoustic tube replacements available in large quantities
• $ 1 each
• alternative available that caps noise level
• Connecting specialized tips to acoustic tube

Improved Change for Noise Environments

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• wear as earplugs and plug radio acoustic tube into your favourite side
• $ 25 per pair
• 3 sizes
• available in large quantities for teams
• lanyard
• wear with both filters for hearing protection
• wear with one filter and plug in acoustic tip for use with radio
• remaining filter protects inner ear from excessive sound from radio
• HearDefender DF eartip with filter

Improved Earpiece for Noisy Environments

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• earphone has position for changing the Crescendo passive noise filter with alternative style (drums, music, industry, etc)
• default eartip is a little narrow, can change tip
• $ 63 each
• noise control earpiece
• 2.5 mm 90-degree jack
• improved noise reduction
• Earpiece with Removable DEC passive noise filter

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• $ 70 per pair - alternative sizes
• DEC Noise PPE

Alternative Improved Earpiece for Noisy Environments

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• Works with simple earpiece at top (not the DEC earpiece)
• Next step over yellow ear tips
• $ 55 for set with multiple sizes or colours (30 units)
• Easy to install friction fit L-joint adapter (bought separately)
• Reusable and easy to clean with normal soap and water
• Compatible with various air coiled radio harnesses (bought separately)
• Compatible with hearing aid BTE (Behind the Ear) Size 13 tubing (bought separately)
• Usable with HearDefender-DF™ acoustic resistor and wax guard (special order)
• Usable with Earplugz-PC™ for hearing protection built into the tip (special order)
• Communication Earpiece
• Alternative
  • fully fitted custom eartip for use with acoustic tube
  • generic fitted eartip

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Typical Costs

VECTOR Volunteer Experience

• Jesse VE7DET

Sources

1. Impact Communications - VECTOR default
2. EAR Inc - alternative and hearing protection options
3. Crescendo - hearing protection and replacement filters

Details

Category: Organizations and Disaster Preparedness

Published: 03 December 2025

Last Updated: 03 December 2025

Hits: 395

Coaching community volunteers about communications protocols and equipment, the group noticed how I practice check-in and check-out rounds for all our sessions. Explaining allowed me to reflect on what brought me into that practice.

Three things fuel my practice of checking in and checking out in formal meetings:

1. Connection before content - Chad Littlefield
2. Share of voice - David Marquet
3. Learning organization - Integrated Project Delivery Alliance

Check-in Rounds serve three additional purposes:

1. Brings people who participate into the same moment
2. Warms people's voices up for speaking
3. Tests audio equipment and connections

Check-out Rounds could serve 5 additional purposes:

1. Learning from reflection on the session
2. Celebrating what the people participating enjoyed about the session, when shared as a "plus" in a Plus-Delta
3. Identifying improvements for the group, when shared as a "delta" in a Plus-Delta
4. Solidifying learning when shared as a "what I want to take away" round
5. Solidifying commitment to actions, when shared as a "my actions for next time" round

Let's take a moment to reflect on the sources and the results.

Links at the end.

Read more: Check-in and Check-out Rounds