looking for a good kenwood style 2pin mic/speaker for HT while mobile

[WSES772]

so while i'm currently undecided as to what to get for a long term mobil radio, i've been running my HT in the truck with an exterior mag mount antenna.

 

found out that i need to use some kind of mic as i've dash mounted it (via the belt clip onto a mic mount on my dash) and all i currently have is a cheapo-delux that came with one of my beoufwhangs.   as a mic it functions well, but the speaker part of it is... well.. pure chinesium.

 

looking for a recommendation for a Kenwood style 2 pin mic that would hopefully work for me?  not looking to spend top dollar, but not afraid to make an investment in a reasonable quality peice of equipment for the long run either.

any feedback would be appreciated, thanks!

 

-Berne 

WSES772

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, WSES772 said:

so while i'm currently undecided as to what to get for a long term mobil radio, i've been running my HT in the truck with an exterior mag mount antenna.

 

found out that i need to use some kind of mic as i've dash mounted it (via the belt clip onto a mic mount on my dash) and all i currently have is a cheapo-delux that came with one of my beoufwhangs.   as a mic it functions well, but the speaker part of it is... well.. pure chinesium.

 

looking for a recommendation for a Kenwood style 2 pin mic that would hopefully work for me?  not looking to spend top dollar, but not afraid to make an investment in a reasonable quality peice of equipment for the long run either.

any feedback would be appreciated, thanks!

 

-Berne 

WSES772

I would look at what Kenwood sells.

[Davichko5650]

27 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

I would look at what Kenwood sells.

If price is no object, absolutely. But pure Kenwood is $$ - $$$ these days from what I've seen online...

[Guest]

For the price of a good quality 2 pin mic $75-$100 you would be 1/2 way or more to a good mobile radio.  Might be time to bite the bullet and make a decision.   A great true 20w water proof truck radio with a very nice speaker runs $130.  That and the mag mount will do 50plus miles put a good higher gain antenna on and your in really good shape.  You could really step up and get a Motorola 40w for $160.   
 

shoulder mics are not designed to be that loud since they are other next to your ear. 

[tweiss3]

KMC-45D

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, tweiss3 said:

KMC-45D

And be careful to get a genuine Kenwood.  Amazon has two (at least) listings for this.  This one appears to be genuine Kenwood: 

https://a.co/d/4br5zAE

 

And at $19.95 and no mention of Kenwood, I suspect this one is a clone:

https://a.co/d/5ocPatD

[tweiss3]

1 minute ago, SteveShannon said:

And be careful to get a genuine Kenwood.  Amazon has two (at least) listings for this.  This one appears to be genuine Kenwood: 

https://a.co/d/4br5zAE

 

And at $19.95 and no mention of Kenwood, I suspect this one is a clone:

https://a.co/d/5ocPatD

I'd put money that neither is genuine: https://www.ameradio.com/product/101281/description.html

[SteveShannon]

6 minutes ago, tweiss3 said:

I'd put money that neither is genuine: https://www.ameradio.com/product/101281/description.html

Yeah, Gigaparts has it for $84, but the reviews seem to indicate that that the $35 one comes from Kenwood USA.  For the price difference I’d try it and return it if it’s not genuine.

[WSES772]

1 hour ago, Socalgmrs said:

For the price of a good quality 2 pin mic $75-$100 you would be 1/2 way or more to a good mobile radio.  Might be time to bite the bullet and make a decision.   A great true 20w water proof truck radio with a very nice speaker runs $130.  That and the mag mount will do 50plus miles put a good higher gain antenna on and your in really good shape.  You could really step up and get a Motorola 40w for $160.   
 

shoulder mics are not designed to be that loud since they are other next to your ear. 

ive already got a nagoya RB-50 NMO mag mount, running a midland MXTA26 whip on it.  when i'm not in the truck i'm using signal stick's.  so i think i got the antenna side covered for the moment, short of going to a hard mount system anyway.  i can hit most repeaters at 30+ miles

 

ive been tempted by the DB series (like the db40g or similar) from radiodidydidityeh - or however they spell it, names like that are mean to those of us with dyslexia lol -but have been reading a lot of things about how difficult their radios are to program.  like i totally have chirp nailed, along with the T6UV cps... but yea... got me a bit nervous.

 

so i'm hoping for a $50 or less option to get me by for now... if one exists... or maybe i just need t hold off and buy once/cry once and just get it done with a proper mobil unit.

[WSES772]

15 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Yeah, Gigaparts has it for $84, but the reviews seem to indicate that that the $35 one comes from Kenwood USA.  For the price difference I’d try it and return it if it’s not genuine.

ya i'm gonna give that one on amazon - direct from the kenwood store - a try and hope it fits my temporary needs.  

 

thanks!

[WRXB215]

Double check the pinouts. Just because it is the same plug, doesn't mean it's wired the same.

[Guest]

ve been tempted by the DB series (like the db40g or similar) from radiodidydidityeh - or however they spell it, names like that are mean to those of us with dyslexia lol -but have been reading a lot of things about how difficult their radios are to program.  like i totally have chirp nailed, along with the T6UV cps... but yea... got me a bit nervous.
 

yea I’ve never heard may good things from experienced radio guys about any radioditty product   

 

 

 

[Lscott]

7 hours ago, WSES772 said:

looking for a recommendation for a Kenwood style 2 pin mic that would hopefully work for me? 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/395675998567?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=s1puwzhytei&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=j_t98fioS_6&var=664414170010&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[WRYZ926]

I know a few guys that are using the Commountian Kenwood/Baofeng compatible mic  and they are happy with them. I know they sound way better than the Baofeng hand mics.

[WSES772]

On 10/30/2024 at 1:46 PM, WRXB215 said:

Double check the pinouts. Just because it is the same plug, doesn't mean it's wired the same.

fair. but i'd like to think i can trust the manufacturer when they say their product is pinned to accept Kenwood style pinout accessories?  i'll definatly keep it in mind if i notice any discrepancies.

[WSES772]

On 10/30/2024 at 12:08 PM, Socalgmrs said:

For the price of a good quality 2 pin mic $75-$100 you would be 1/2 way or more to a good mobile radio.  Might be time to bite the bullet and make a decision.   A great true 20w water proof truck radio with a very nice speaker runs $130.  That and the mag mount will do 50plus miles put a good higher gain antenna on and your in really good shape.  You could really step up and get a Motorola 40w for $160.   
 

shoulder mics are not designed to be that loud since they are other next to your ear. 

so just out of curiosity which motorola radios can you buy for $160.  are you referring to used options?

 

[n4aof]

On 10/30/2024 at 1:18 PM, SteveShannon said:

Yeah, Gigaparts has it for $84, but the reviews seem to indicate that that the $35 one comes from Kenwood USA.  For the price difference I’d try it and return it if it’s not genuine.

The KMC-45 and KMC-45D are not the same microphone.  

[n4aof]

On 10/30/2024 at 1:18 PM, SteveShannon said:

Yeah, Gigaparts has it for $84, but the reviews seem to indicate that that the $35 one comes from Kenwood USA.  For the price difference I’d try it and return it if it’s not genuine.

The KMC-45 and KMC-45D are not the same microphone.

[SteveShannon]

2 hours ago, n4aof said:

The KMC-45 and KMC-45D are not the same microphone.  

Welcome to the forums!

[Lscott]

3 hours ago, n4aof said:

The KMC-45 and KMC-45D are not the same microphone.  

Correct. The difference is the -45D has additional internal filtering for use on DMR radios. Otherwise they are basically the same.