Is it possible to modify a regular land mobile radio microphone (to fit Kenwood, Moto, etc) to fit the connector found in many CBs?
CB Mikes
- Thread starter N467RX
- Start date
- Status
It all depends on the cartridge, if it's a simple dynamic OK but some use electrets, some are dynamics with a preamp molded into the assembly and both require phantom power from the transmitter. On the other hand some CBs use crystal mics so a dynamic may give low modulation. I say "may" because you just could have a dynamic mic to begin with being they're rugged and crystals are not. You can easily tell the difference, remove the cartridge and hold it in your hand, if it's crystal it feels empty and light while a dynamic has some heft to it. If you're not sure you can measure it with an ohm meter on the X100 scale, (never use X1) a crystal looks like an open circuit while a dynamic is continuous.
I used a Shure 404B on my old Rat Shack and everybody loved the nice clean sound of it.
A word of caution, the "stock mic" or good replacement gives the best results, "power mics" are noted for overmodulation and splatter. It's not nice to "splash" other channels and give ear bleed to others trying to understand your fuzzy audio. Louder is NOT better, it's just a big pain in the butt.
I used a Shure 404B on my old Rat Shack and everybody loved the nice clean sound of it.
A word of caution, the "stock mic" or good replacement gives the best results, "power mics" are noted for overmodulation and splatter. It's not nice to "splash" other channels and give ear bleed to others trying to understand your fuzzy audio. Louder is NOT better, it's just a big pain in the butt.
kb2vxa said:
I get a kick out of monitoring a local grocery distribution center here that uses CB channel 8 to do driver check-ins/door assignments. Mostly funny when one particular female security guard starts screaming at the drivers and such.
But it also gets funny every once in awhile when one of the divers has the echo effect, or something similar, and a few of the other drivers start making fun of him and then they might start shouting about being professional drivers and all, which they do with the female security guard I mentioned earlier, none of which though actually have anything to do with their respective driving skills, or lack thereof...
902
Member
I've been a ham for 29 years now, but still use a CB pretty extensively when we take road trips (typically 1,000+ mile rides). CB has been very valuable to us, but gee whiz, I wish people would s*** can those echo boxes! I can't understand a word they say through them and it only makes me strain to try and figure out between accents and echoes WT* they're talking about.trace1 said:
Warren's got it down about the when you can and when you can't use certain types of mic. Just remember - your objective is clean, crisp audio, not some sound effects mush or distortion. Your best bet may be to use that p.o.s. mic that came with the radio. If you want to look cool, maybe gut a "professional" mic and just use the housing with your crappy ol' mic's innards.
902 said:
That's probably the best suggestion I've got. Yes, the main reason is that I like how regular mics look, so that would be the best option.
- Status
