Base station mic selection

[K9DWB]

I can't be radio brand specific as I've yet to own any base radio, so this is maybe a little too generic I suppose. Is the stock mic good enough that comes with these radios or do most choose aftermarket or otherwise opt to use an upgraded mic?

I am considering a base radio, hopefully sometime next year from Yaesu, Icom, or Kenwood. Right now I'm leaning towards the Yaesu FT-991A. I know there's pros and cons to an all in one, but it's seemingly at least an acceptable choice to me.

The question is whether or not to consider an upgraded mic and what info helps make the decision to get one? And if it does make sense to choose and upgraded mic, what would you suggest or use yourself?

 

[popnokick]

How much are you willing to spend? Base station mikes can begin at about $75 and go up.... way up... from there.

 

[n5ims]

Get the radio first and use it while you learn the radio. Using a non-standard accessory will make it harder to learn the radio and figure out what may not be working right. Since the base mics are generally expensive, that will give you a point of reference on if you actually need a special mic and probably even what you'll want out of it. You might discover that instead of that $250 special mic (and an extra $50 or so for the footswitch to control the PTT function) that you'd be better served by a headset with mic instead (e.g. "would you turn that #$*@ radio down!!!").

 

[majoco]

I haven't looked at your choice, but many mobile/base rigs come with a microphone that has much more than a PTT on it! Some you can select and control almost all the functions of the radio from the microphone. If want an old style candlestick microphone you will lose all that functionality.

 

[K9DWB]

Good points from both of you. Thanks, now that headset mic sounds interesting at that.

I'm an old blacksheep CBer and almost always ran mic gain at full. I'd think it was needed in the loud Freightliner I got stuck driving.

 

[K9DWB]

I'll need to look what's available at what price level to answer price I'd accept. Like was mentioned, maybe I should look at headset mic.

 

[K9DWB]

Has anyone used the Heil Pro-7 headset? I see it's around $250 and up so it's pretty pricey.

 

[jwt873]

I'm a fan of headsets.. I use a basic Heil Pro-Set Pro Set - Heil Sound with the HC-6 electret mic cartridge. I use it with my Icom IC-7600 and my Kenwood TS-2000. Heil makes adapters for both radios, so I just switch between them as needed. I wired up a foot switch for PTT.

What I like is that the microphone is always a precise distance from the mouth whether I'm bent over my desk, or leaning way back in my chair. The foot switch leaves both hands free to write, to type on the computer or whatever.

Now and then, I'll use the factory supplied microphones for both radios. People I know will always ask that I switch back to the Heil set because it sounds so much better.

 

[Louie1961]

The stock mic on my FTDX-3000 gives AWESOME sound quality. Definitely get the radio first and test it our before investing in a new mic. Also, You may want to consider the FTDX-3000 for just a little bit more money. It has extra ports on the back that make it so much more useful than the Icom 7300 or the FT-991A, such as the IF out, RX out, multiple antenna jacks, etc. I have mine set up with the Win4yaesu software control suite, an SDRplay unit feeding a second monitor for full screen panadapter/waterfall output, Log4OM, and all the digital mode software (FLdigi, WSJT-X) and run it all on a dual monitor setup. I can control everything from the keyboard or with a mouse, and never have to touch the radio at all. It really is pretty slick. You won't get the 2M/70CM coverage with the FTDX3000, but you get a much better receive, with superior filtering and DSP, and its just much better for HF work, contesting, etc.

 

[WB9YBM]

Is the stock mic good enough that comes with these radios or do most choose aftermarket or otherwise opt to use an upgraded mic?
The question is whether or not to consider an upgraded mic and what info helps make the decision to get one? And if it does make sense to choose and upgraded mic, what would you suggest or use yourself?

I've operated under the assumption that the manufacturer designs a standard stock microphone to work well with the radio it's paired with (or vice-versa), so if the microphone gets changed it's anyone's guess how well it's paired with the transmitter it's getting attached to.

Audio quality is also highly subjective. For example I once put a equalizer between my microphone & transmitter and asked a friend to listen while I adjusted the frequency response until my friend said something to the effect of "Perfect! Leave it like that!". Okay, fine. A few minutes later another friend came by and said "that sounds awful! adjust XYZ!". This went on a few times more until I figure to hell with it, I'm fed up trying to please everyone else. So I put the equalizer on the radio's output, added an amplifier, and fed it to a decent speaker. Problem solved.

 

[prcguy]

Even though a 7300 is an entry level transceiver, its receiver is better than an FTDX-3000 by about 12dB in close spaced dynamic range. The 7300 will also run circles around and FTDX-3000 on transmit with louder more punchy audio and its a very clean transmitter keeping all its energy within a very narrow band where the FTDX-3000 is a splatter box. They get constant complaints of taking up way too much band width on transmit. With stock mic turned down real low they pass spec but turn it up to where it starts to sound ok and they look like a Christmas tree on a spectrum display. Same with the FTDX-1200, a couple of guys in some nets I belong to ran 1200s and a 3000 and they were asked to fix the radios so the net doesn't get any more complaints about splattering.

The FT-991 is also a shack in the box with 2m and 70cm, the Icom 7300 or Yaesu FTDX-3000 is HF only. Does the OP need 2m and 70cm in the same radio?

Now to be somewhat on topic, any newer Icom like the 7300, 7610, 9700, 7100, etc, will do really well with the low end Icom SM-30 mic. Its plug and play and with the built in EQ in these radios it can be adjusted for anything you want like the late night FM radio DJ but louder and punchier.

I have not used a Yaesu FT-991 but most of the previous models did much better with an after market mic but you can easily spend more $$ than the value of sound they produce. I would not recommend the higher end Heil mics like the PR-40 or PR-781 as they need to be equalized and compression added and I don't think the FT-991 has enough capability to optimize those mics. Plus the Heil PR-40 has a gawd awful proximity effect problem where you have to park it at a specific distance from your pie hole or the bass gets really obnoxious. I found the PR-781 has similar mid bass and upper frequency characteristics to the PR-40 with much less of a proximity effect.

Since the OP has not chosen a radio yet one mic stands out above all the rest for sounding excellent on all radios, probably 20+ different models over the last 45 years. If you can find an old Shure 526T with the straight cord its really good and sounds the same on a Yaesu or Kenwood or Icom or any CB, you name it. The upper mid range is slightly boosted and the end result is a very articulate sound with just the right amount of bass and its internal amplifier has some compression characteristics that add to the loud punchy sound. Going from a stock mic to a Shure 526T is like a day and night change where people will accuse you of getting an amplifier.

I've even had a rack full of outboard mic preamps, equalizers, compressor/limiter fed with various large capsule condenser mics and got that to sound fantastic on a particular radio. Just when everyone said its perfect and the best they ever heard, for a sanity check I plugged in the Shure 526T. Everyone then said whatever you just did lock it down and don't touch it. So much for the rack full of junk and now I own five maybe six Shure 526Ts. Although I do use an Electro Voice RE-27ND on my Icom 7610 and a Heil PR-781 on my Elecraft K3 but they have gone through many sessions of adjustments where everyone loves the sound so I'll leave those as is. Anything else gets a 526T.

The stock mic on my FTDX-3000 gives AWESOME sound quality. Definitely get the radio first and test it our before investing in a new mic. Also, You may want to consider the FTDX-3000 for just a little bit more money. It has extra ports on the back that make it so much more useful than the Icom 7300 or the FT-991A, such as the IF out, RX out, multiple antenna jacks, etc. I have mine set up with the Win4yaesu software control suite, an SDRplay unit feeding a second monitor for full screen panadapter/waterfall output, Log4OM, and all the digital mode software (FLdigi, WSJT-X) and run it all on a dual monitor setup. I can control everything from the keyboard or with a mouse, and never have to touch the radio at all. It really is pretty slick. You won't get the 2M/70CM coverage with the FTDX3000, but you get a much better receive, with superior filtering and DSP, and its just much better for HF work, contesting, etc.

 

[K9DWB]

2M and 70cm would be nice but not required in same box as HF. However, I will be very restricted on space inside and outside the new apartment I'm moving to at the end of the month. It's a county assist property and is an efficiency as in bathroom and everything else room. My building is ground floor only and it's divided in quarters, each getting a corner. I will be limited on antenna space even if they allow me to put something outside. HF may not even be possible, admitted I don't know it yet. I had to accept the property as I've been on the list for 2 years, before I became a ham. I may be able to get away with vertical antennas of some sort.

Part of the reasoning in considering aftermarket mic is something like a headset and switch is likely hands-free, I have arthritis and it makes holding and pressing difficult sometimes.

As for radio itself, I don't see myself as a contester, field stuff, etc. Mobility limits are restricting doing it and it's not really set off my like meter so to speak. I'd just want a decent radio to do HF VHF and UHF. In the same box isn't needed, but one box means less radio to buy, limits purchases. I'm tight on money which hinders the radio hobby pursuit, bit I can build out a shack if I choose wisely. I do like the price and specs I see on the 991A, but I'm open to choosing similar better or whatever but no matter what, I've got to save up for any radio, mic, antenna system, etc. My monthly SSDI income is $1,271 after this recent cost of living increase of $17 mo.

So price is definitely a limiter, and I may skip on the mic and run the stock one for a while. I would rather have radio and antenna system and power supply before mic anyway now that I think of it.

BTW can there be a power supply built up from a battery and charger to run a HF rig instead of normal power supplies? Say with something like the Bioenno LiFePO4 and its charger?

 

[WB9YBM]

Heil also makes after-market microphones, some specifically for contesting. Haven't used this brand myself; heard a few, though, and they sound good.

 

[krokus]

I have a Heil Traveler headset, for use with my dual band handhelds and mobile, and it works well for me. That said, I agree with learning the radio first, and seeing what your operating preferences will be.

 

[138BG]

W2ENY's website might be worth a gander.