Speaker microphone suggestions

[bd348]

I have a Wouxun SMO-002 speaker microphone, which works well but sounds "small", i.e. small speaker.  By way of comparison, the speaker in the handheld KG-S88G radio sounds "boxy", lots of midrange but less highs.  Each is of sufficient clarity.  And I realize that there are audio band limits to these transmissions anyhow, so there is only so much audio quality you can get from GMRS.

Has anyone compared these $20-$30 speaker microphones, available in many brands, with something costing two or three times as much, such as the Kenwood or Impact brands?  Water proof and Kevlar cords are of limited benefit for me so far, but I would like something with more presence and clarity than the $20-$30 units, but more easily handled than a desktop microphone.

[Lscott]

6 hours ago, bd348 said:

I have a Wouxun SMO-002 speaker microphone, which works well but sounds "small", i.e. small speaker.  By way of comparison, the speaker in the handheld KG-S88G radio sounds "boxy", lots of midrange but less highs.  Each is of sufficient clarity.  And I realize that there are audio band limits to these transmissions anyhow, so there is only so much audio quality you can get from GMRS.

Has anyone compared these $20-$30 speaker microphones, available in many brands, with something costing two or three times as much, such as the Kenwood or Impact brands?  Water proof and Kevlar cords are of limited benefit for me so far, but I would like something with more presence and clarity than the $20-$30 units, but more easily handled than a desktop microphone.

Good question. This is one of those areas that can be very subjective. Some people will find the audio response satisfactory for a given test sample while another may dislike it. One sample may sound OK on a given radio's RX while on another it won't. Just another wrinkle to think about.

The one thing that is important is the microphone's sensitivity. I have a soft voice so I tend to set the "gain" higher, there is a setting for this in my commercial radios, and I don't know if there is anything like that for some of the inexpensive radios. Some radios have an auto gain control function. There is also an audio equalizer for both TX and RX audio in the analog/digital radios I have.

Just IMHO the larger speaker microphones the RX auto does tend to sound better due to the larger speaker. The smaller speakers tend to distort the audio at higher volume levels. This is a consideration when the radio must be operated in a high noise environment.

In the end it's all about "communication" and so long as the party on the other end can understand your speech clearly that's what really matters.

[wayoverthere]

I will agree with the subjectiveness. I have a few different ones, from the cheapie baofeng (tinny, not fantastic), the slightly better btech water resistant with the dmr 6x2 (decent), to a water resistant vertex (solid, even at higher volume with the windows down).

Have a pryme for the vx7r that I haven't put to use yet.

[Chimborazo]

I haven't had a chance to really test it yet, but I got a commountain speaker mic for my KG-UV9PX and so far, so good. I'll try to remember to update when I get to use it more.

[WRQC527]

I have a Pryme that I use on my VX-7R (about $30) and a Yaesu SSM-17 for my other Yaesu HTs. They sound about the same and get good audio reports. I'd stay away from any MFJ products. The ones I've heard on the air sound awful. A couple of people I know use Baofeng speaker mics. They sound a bit muffled but they're usable. 

[back4more70]

For my Baofeng UV-9G radios, I use an ABREE AR-780.  For my Wouxun KG-935G+, I use a Commountain CM01-K2P.  I'm very pleased with both choices.

[HK2GO]

I haven't purchased one yet but am leaning heavily towards the Kenwood KMC-45D. A bit spendy for what it is but something tells me I won't find a better one when it comes to sound quality, and it should last for a very long time.

[Lscott]

8 minutes ago, HK2GO said:

I haven't purchased one yet but am leaning heavily towards the Kenwood KMC-45D. A bit spendy for what it is but something tells me I won't find a better one when it comes to sound quality, and it should last for a very long time.

A similar speaker mic is the KMC-17. I have a couple of those and my buddy says it sounds good on the air. It might also be cheaper than the -45.

KMC-45.pdf KMC-17 Revised.pdf

[tweiss3]

I have the KMC72 which sounds amazing, and is nice and loud for noisy environments, but it has the Kenwood data port connection.

[Lscott]

12 minutes ago, tweiss3 said:

I have the KMC72 which sounds amazing, and is nice and loud for noisy environments, but it has the Kenwood data port connection.

I think that's the replacement for the old -42WD type.

KMC-42WD.pdf

[HK2GO]

39 minutes ago, Lscott said:

A similar speaker mic is the KMC-17. I have a couple of those and my buddy says it sounds good on the air. It might also be cheaper than the -45.

KMC-45.pdf 157.68 kB · 1 download KMC-17 Revised.pdf 229.52 kB · 2 downloads

It appears that the 17 was discontinued and was replaced by the 45.

[Lscott]

On 3/21/2023 at 6:08 PM, HK2GO said:

It appears that the 17 was discontinued and was replaced by the 45.

I believe it. One might find used ones for sale on various auction sites, maybe even NOS, new old stock, for a reasonable price.