V3i Wireless Headphone Problem

[Explorer]

Has anyone had these issues with their wireless head phones with the V3i?

It started with while detecting my head phones would occasionally make a loud pop like a static discharge. The first time it happened I thought it was a gunshot it was so loud.

Now they have recently developed a new quirk where the left head phone will just fade out and I am only hearing tones in the right channel (side with on/off button). This is happening with fresh batteries. By turning the headset off and back on establishes stereo communication again. I have tried changing channels, boosting the power level and even tried the balance which has had no effect correcting the fading left side when it decides to act up. The quirk is that they will work flawlessly sometimes and then there are times I will have to reset them numerous times during a hunt. There are also times when I will hear stray signals in the left head set only. Under wireless headphone settings -- the speaker is set to Off and the Search Audio is in Discrimination mode. I am not using mixed or mixed stereo modes.

I am getting down to my last hair to pull.

 

[Larry (IL)]

It sounds like a call to the factory is in order. Do you know someone nearby to try their headphones?

 

[Explorer]

Yes, I do have several huning buddies with wireless. We will give it a try. Tried a set of wired head phone that work ok. Just do not sound as good as the wireless.

 

[grumpyjohn]

Get the loud pop occasionally (and as you posted, it is like a gunshot) but not the fading out !!

 

[Larry (IL)]

I might be mistaken, but I thought the software update was suppost to take care of that popping noise. Do you guys have version 1.1 on the headphones?

 

[grumpyjohn]

Don't know anything about updates on headphones so have no idea what version mine is Larry but I got my V3i in December 2009 and have had that popping sound occasionally right from the start.

 

[Larry (IL)]

If you have a V3i, it should have all the updates that was done on the V3 including a new display pod, updated coil, new soft leather ear muffs and software updates on both the detector and headphones.

 

[Explorer]

Sorry for the slow response, I have been focused on other things. The detector is a Spectra V3i purchased new June 2013. It should be up to date software wise.

Headphone version shows 1.3 under information. Popping was just that with no fade out. The fade out problem is a more recent even.
I used them to detect on Sunday and they worked without problem. I wish what ever is going to fail would just fail. Easier to diagnose and correct.

 

[Rob (IL)]

The popping noise is not going to cause a failure. I'm sure everyone has heard it some time or another. I think your fading problem is the first I've ever seen on the forum.

The problem I remember is the need for good battery contacts. The springs can be stretched. Also I have a small piece of foam in my battery compartment cap to keep the batteries tight.

 

[basstrackerman]

Mine did the loud popping noise pretty regular. Loud enough to give me a headache at times. Tried everything but never stopped..

 

[burlbark]

Mine did the popping at the worst possible time making me jump out of my skin.... They do it once every 200 hrs or so now. I think its the devil....

I didnt change anything that I know of it just kinda went away, I did however clean up all my ground wires and reset all my ribbon cables and put a radius on my battery contacts. Come to think of it, it may have been a combination of things including headphone batteries making intermittent contact. It still may be the devil.

 

[ecoast]

mine sometimes drop out when changeing programs; although still on, they need to be powered off/on to re--connect...

 

[Giant056]

I've had the same problem with mine quite some time now, the left speaker sometimes will fade, sometimes I only get audio from the right side and turning them off then back on most of the time will put it back to normal. I also get the loud popping sound every so often. I have resolder many of the connections in the audio circuit on them too, I just got a new pair of muffs for them so while I had them apart I went over all the solder connections I didn't hit except the tranceiver part of the unit (they'll do it even when my detector isn't turned off so I'm sure it has nothing to do with the detector. The fading part makes me think there's some bad boards out there. The next time I take them apart I'll check two electrolytics in the audio circuit with my ESR tester, that's about my last resort.

 

[Explorer]

Sending them back in with my detector Whites replaced the head phones and worked on the detector.
I have not had an issue with them since I got them back.