Another Mic Radio question

[Grogan]

I saw in another thread The Kenwood MC60a mic was a good match for the Galaxy saturn turbo. Will the mic be a good match for the Omegaforce S45HP This mic has all I would need Pre-amp on-off -stand-by switch. Stand with up-down also press to talk and mic lock also I would like to wire to the left side mic conector for the up-down etc. If the mic was a good match I know not all mic's work well with different radios. I work mostly AM with this radio with some ssb Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Grogan]

Was also looking at a mic that yaesu has and was wondering if it is also compatable with the S45HP also at 160.00 us

 

[Needle Bender]

I saw in another thread The Kenwood MC60a mic was a good match for the Galaxy saturn turbo. Will the mic be a good match for the Omegaforce S45HP This mic has all I would need Pre-amp on-off -stand-by switch. Stand with up-down also press to talk and mic lock also I would like to wire to the left side mic conector for the up-down etc. If the mic was a good match I know not all mic's work well with different radios. I work mostly AM with this radio with some ssb Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

i could never get the rfi out of my mc60a so i sold it. the guy that bought it has to slip the cord under the radio to stop the rfi and his other one does it to but it does sound good on hids 2517

 

[Grogan]

I guess it's better to stay far away from known problems with a mic, who wants to squeal like a pig.

 

[hookedon6]

i could never get the rfi out of my mc60a so i sold it. the guy that bought it has to slip the cord under the radio to stop the rfi and his other one does it to but it does sound good on hids 2517

the metal "gooseneck" on the MC60 is NOT @ elect. ground.

you can add a ground wire (inside the base) from the gooseneck to the base ground.

also, what most people call RFI from an MC60 is caused by the MIC element, NOT being isolated from the gooseneck.
in fact, in many cases just touching the gooseneck with your hand will make the RFI go away.

if you unscrew the screen cover over the mic element, you should see an O-RING. the O-RING must not be ripped/misinstalled/ect. it MUST prevent contact between the mic element and the gooseneck.

I think the MC60 is a great mic

 

[mackmobile43]

the metal "gooseneck" on the MC60 is NOT @ elect. ground.

you can add a ground wire (inside the base) from the gooseneck to the base ground.

also, what most people call RFI from an MC60 is caused by the MIC element, NOT being isolated from the gooseneck.
in fact, in many cases just touching the gooseneck with your hand will make the RFI go away.

if you unscrew the screen cover over the mic element, you should see an O-RING. the O-RING must not be ripped/misinstalled/ect. it MUST prevent contact between the mic element and the gooseneck.

I think the MC60 is a great mic

I agree and did not know about the goose neck to stand grounding issue and will try that with my mine.

 

[RatsoW8]

The MC60 had that grounding/rfi issue. Thought they fixed it in the MC60a? I don't have any problem with my "a" model but I do remember having to run a separate wire from the base of the mic to the radio on the early model. Btw, the gooseneck of the mic is insulated from the mic itself by the plastic mic holder. Why would that be a problem?

 

[hookedon6]

The MC60 had that grounding/rfi issue. Thought they fixed it in the MC60a?

the difference between an MC60 and an MC60a is the pre amp circuit. both still use unshielded cable for everything except the audio wire. many people still have RF isses with both.

the MC60 picks up stray RF via the ungrounded mic stalk and a bad o-ring around the mic element. (install a ground wire or disch caps on the stalk and check the o-ring)

the MC60a often picks up stray RF via the amplifier circuit.

both are good mics,.... if you control the RF in the shack

btw: there is more than one version of the MC60a as produced by Kenwood.
one MC60a can have different components and internal wiring than the MC60a next to it. Kenwood MC60A schematic error??? - The RadioReference.com Forums

the MC60a keps the pre amp energized even when the pre amp switch is in the off position,........................... DUH!

 

[unit248]

The MC-60/MC-60A doesn't have a gooseneck. The MC-80 does.

I own two MC-60As. One has the old style Trio-Kenwood logo and one has the newer logo. Both say just "MC-60" on the front even though they're MC-60As (both have the pre-amp in the base).

I've had RF feedback issues with them, but only on 40 meters. Both worked fine on all other bands. The only way I found to avoid the RF feedback on 40 was to connect the mic cable directly to the mic (i.e. bypass the pre-amp in the base) and avoid touching the body of the mic itself (touching the base is fine). I made some attempts to add RF bypass caps, but had no success with them.

When the mic is working normally, it sounds fine. I think the frequency response is documented to be 150Hz to 10000Hz with the pre-amp off (and 250Hz to 7000Hz with it on), which is better than some mics, but not as good as others. I recall the last time I used it, I felt like it could really have used a foam wind screen, but I may have been close-talking the mic a little too much.

Putting it on the Galaxy or OmegaForce will require re-wiring, since it comes wired for Kenwood 8-pin mic plugs, and those radios use 4-pin plugs. Note that the MC-60's cable can be unplugged at both ends. I recommend that instead of re-wiring the cable that comes with it, you find a scrap 4-wire cable from another mic, get an 8-pin and 4-pin cable from Radio Shack, and just make a replacement. That way you avoid hacking up the factory-supplied cable, and if it turns out you don't like the MC-60, it'll be a little easier to resell it.

-Bill

 

[unit248]

find a scrap 4-wire cable from another mic, get an 8-pin and 4-pin cable from Radio Shack

Oops, sorry, that should have read: "8-pin and 4-pin plug." (Sadly I noticed this too late to go back and edit the original post.)

-Bill

 

[Wiskey Delta-40]

I use a MC-60a On my Lincoln and a Galaxy Pluto before it with NO RF issues at all.. There is a guy on Fleabay that makes adapters for what ever radio/mic configuaration you want.. A bit pricy @ $21 but very good quality... so I did not have to chop up the Kenwood 8 pin and keep it for when I get my kenwood back in action..

Nothing but GREAT audio reports with it.. Ill say it again if you have a chance to get the mic by all means do it, Not one regret here

 

[tecnicoloco]

PLEASE NOTE !
RF Feedback has been experienced due to a connection error in
the Kenwood schematic. The correct connections are below.

PIN 1 MIC.(white)
PIN 3 DOWN.(blue)
PIN 2 PTT.(black)
PIN 4 UP.(red)
PIN 5 N/C.
PIN 6 N/C.
PIN 7 MIC GROUND (shield/braid)
PIN 8 PTT GROUND (green)


My previous post had a Typo. Here is the corrected procedure:
Walt N9WB

Bad sound and RF problems with the Kenwood MC-60 series microphones.
Two possible issues.

Issue 1:

Many, but not all of the MC-60 mikes had a wiring error inside the mike itself. This problem occurred more frequently with MC-60A models but not all MC-60 A mikes had this problem. Also some MC-60 have been found to have this problem.

The problem is that the mike case ground and live mike audio wires #are reversed inside the mike itself.

Inside of the mike, Pin 1 should be the live mike audio. Pin 7 should be the ground. This is if the mike is wired properly.

The diagram in the MC-60A manual is faulty and has this error.

Here is how to check for this error.

Remove the small screw and cable clamp screws on the plug that is on the cord that connects to the mike itself.
Unscrew the metal cover so the plug solder connections are exposed.

Locate pin 7 on the mike plug.

While speaking into the microphone and listening to your audio, short pin 7 of this mike plug to a bare spot on the microphone case. (The microphone itself, NOT the stand). One good place to do this is the outside chrome ring of the male plug on the mike itself.

If the audio goes dead when making this temporary connection, your mike probably has the wires to pin 1 and 7 reversed internally. If this is the case, you will need to proceed with disassembly of the plug in the mike to make it work correctly.

A. If Pin 7 is shorted to the mike case and the audio does NOT short out, the mike is OK.

B. If pin 1 is shorted to the mike case and the #audio DOES short out, the mike is OK.

C. If pin 7 is shorted to the mike case and the audio QUITS, the mike is wired wrong.

D. If pin 1 is shorted to the mike case, and the audio does NOT quit, the mike is wired wrong.


The Male connector is screwed into the base. Unfortunately the threads are glued. Heat will soften the glue and permit removal. I use a soldering gun to heat this. I clean the tip of the gun with a wet cloth to remove any residual solder and heat the plug ring just below the mike case. Then I quickly use pliers to remove it.

A heat gun will also work but be careful not to cause the paint to bubble on the mike case.

Once inside be sure that the ground wire that connects to the mike shell is connected to pin 7.
Be sure that the live audio wire goes to pin 1. #The live audio wire will connect to a center contact on the switch and will be white in color.

Issue Two:

It has been reported that an MC-60 series microphone that is wired correctly, as above will still have RF problems. This has been an issue on TS-2000, FT-2000, and FT-950 among others.

Pin 7 on the plug that connects to the radio is the Mike audio ground (shield). Pin 8 is the PTT and UP/Down ground. #

It has been noted that placing a short jumper between pin 7 and 8 on the connector that is the output of the MC-60 stand will often correct this issue.

This jumper does not have to be right at the plug. It can go from any convenient place where the wire to pin 7 connects and any place where the wire to pin 8 connects inside of the stand.


Merry Xmas all

 

[WR0220]

I have never tried using the MC60a on an Omegaforce, so I don't know how it would sound. I have used one on a few different Galaxy radios though and always got stellar audio reports. I've never had a problem with RFI. I agree that making a seperate 8 pin to 4 pin cable is a good idea rather than modifying the original cable.

 

[Grogan]

I may buy this mic for the omega force thanks for all the info. I was going to conect it to the left side mic input for use with up and down buttons not the four pin side