"Michael A. Covington" wrote in message ...
Soundcards don't take the same kind of microphones as tape recorders. A
tape recorder or PA system takes a microphone that outputs about 1 mV. A
soundcard supplies power through a resistor to a transistor inside the
microphone, amplifying the sound level to about 30 mV.

A few years ago I published an article and circuit in QST (the ham radio
magazine) about how to use a traditional microphone with a soundcard. It's
a 1-transistor amplifier. I don't have the circuit or the exact reference
handy.

Okay, thanks for the advice. Apparently the mike jack isn't
compatible with a telephone/cassette interface. What about the line
in jack on the back of the computer? Would this be compatible with
this type of interface?