Motorola EX600 speaker

[Bean791]

I have a UHF Motorola ex600 and the speaker quality is not great and the volume is low. Has anyone ever replaced a speaker on one of these radios? Is it easy and does anyone think this will solve the problem? Thanks in advance.

 

[mmckenna]

Small little radio with a small speaker and small amplifier.

If you could find a better speaker, it's likely not the issue. Installing it might be problematic as the ribbon/flex cables attaching the speaker to the board are notoriously fragile and difficult to work with.
Speaker mic may help.

Or, just get a larger/newer/different radio. Most of the older radios were really weak on the audio side. Recently, more manufacturers are putting better audio quality towards the front of the design. Kenwood has been doing this for a while.

I would not risk disassembling the radio to install a new speaker that will be the same size. I doubt you'll hear any noticeable difference.

 

[mbnv992]

I remember this radio and the Visar had terrible audio quality back in the day. As was noted, super small radio expect tinny / lower volume. I still run some standard Sabers for GMRS and the speakers on them are still very loud as they were 30+ years ago.

 

[Bean791]

I remember this radio and the Visar had terrible audio quality back in the day. As was noted, super small radio expect tinny / lower volume. I still run some standard Sabers for GMRS and the speakers on them are still very loud as they were 30+ years ago.

My HT1000 and MT2000 still function the best

 

[Bean791]

Small little radio with a small speaker and small amplifier.

If you could find a better speaker, it's likely not the issue. Installing it might be problematic as the ribbon/flex cables attaching the speaker to the board are notoriously fragile and difficult to work with.
Speaker mic may help.

Or, just get a larger/newer/different radio. Most of the older radios were really weak on the audio side. Recently, more manufacturers are putting better audio quality towards the front of the design. Kenwood has been doing this for a while.

I would not risk disassembling the radio to install a new speaker that will be the same size. I doubt you'll hear any noticeable difference.

I did attach a speaker mic and yes that definitely helped the quality. I’ve swapped out speakers on Minitor Vs before with disappointing results. I figure the EX600 would be the same, just thought I would ask if anyone had any luck.

 

[mmckenna]

I figure the EX600 would be the same, just thought I would ask if anyone had any luck.

Something about polishing a turd pops into my mind.

There are better radios out there, and trying to make an EX600 work like a higher end radio would take too much work with poor results.

 

[ten13]

I have two EX600s, and I find them to be exceptional radios: compact, loud (without a speaker mic), tough, with very good reception in the NYC area.

I would think it would be a worthwhile attempt at replacing the speaker, if need be. However, there's usually a few individual 600s on sale on eBay now and then, at low prices, or, to a lesser extent, a few "for parts only" to get the speaker.

In any event, a good radio to keep.

 

[mmckenna]

Unless the existing speaker is damaged, replacing it with an identical one isn't going to make it louder. A larger speaker isn't going to fit in the radio.
There are other limiting factors, like the design of the radio itself and how that plays into the acoustic nature of the radio. The amplifier is probably limited to the capability of the speaker.

If hearing the radio in a noisy environment is the goal, then a headset or speaker mic up close to your ear is a better option than cracking the radio open and hoping to improve it by swapping parts. As I said earlier, flex cables can be tricky to work with.

There are louder radios on the market if you are in a high noise environment. Waris series portables were not known for their stellar audio quality.

 

[Bean791]

I have two EX600s, and I find them to be exceptional radios: compact, loud (without a speaker mic), tough, with very good reception in the NYC area.

I would think it would be a worthwhile attempt at replacing the speaker, if need be. However, there's usually a few individual 600s on sale on eBay now and then, at low prices, or, to a lesser extent, a few "for parts only" to get the speaker.

In any event, a good radio to keep.

I have a VHF ex600 and I’m happy with it. The size is great, you can toss it in your pocket. I just got this UHF one on eBay for $70. I’ll check around for a “parts” only one. Thanks

 

[Bean791]

Unless the existing speaker is damaged, replacing it with an identical one isn't going to make it louder. A larger speaker isn't going to fit in the radio.
There are other limiting factors, like the design of the radio itself and how that plays into the acoustic nature of the radio. The amplifier is probably limited to the capability of the speaker.

If hearing the radio in a noisy environment is the goal, then a headset or speaker mic up close to your ear is a better option than cracking the radio open and hoping to improve it by swapping parts. As I said earlier, flex cables can be tricky to work with.

There are louder radios on the market if you are in a high noise environment. Waris series portables were not known for their stellar audio quality.

I would hate to open the radio and mess with any ribbon cables and ruin the radio. For now, I may just use the speaker mic and problem solved. It’s a shame cause the rest of the radio works great.

 

[ten13]

I, too, have one UHF and one VHF, and the radios' sizes makes them convenient to carry both, if need be.

As far as the sound goes, I carry my UHF one in my pants pocket while in Midtown Manhattan, where I can still hear the transmissions, so much so that I have to reach in and turn DOWN the volumn under certain circumstances while walking around, in order to remain "discreet" (which is something visitors to NYC with radios should keep in mind).