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Would it be possible to use a studio microphone on a CB radio


It has become much more popular to run studio audio gear on the CB band in recent years. Although, you will not get good performance just connecting the mic to the radio.

It requires an outboard preamp and some equalization at the bare minimum to provide good audio quality. There are no adaptors for studio equipment. You will have to make your own keying switch to turn the transmitter on too.

There is aftermarket equipment for two way radio that appears to be studio grade but it is tailored for communications grade audio and will not be truly Hi-Fi.
 
to add to what shockwave said, you can use a studio type mic, or any mic you choose to, as long as its a low impedance mic (around 600-1000 ohms).

you will not find any adapters for this.

your "studio" mic will have three wires coming out of it.
you want the "hot/ audio" wire, and the shield thats wrapped around it.

that will be your new audio and ground wires.
you will need to make a switch that connects the RX and TX pins of the mic connector on the radio to the ground pin in order to switch the radio over from receive to transmit.

the "hot" wire from the mic goes to the switch so that when you switch the radio over to TX, it will connect to the audio pin on the mic connector, and the ground wire goes to the ground pin.

its one of those things where if you have done stuff like this before, its no big deal, but if you havent, it can be confusing.

and like shockwave said, you are not going to notice much improvement, because the radio has components in it that tailor the audio for 300-3000hz.

to enjoy any increased fidelity from the mic, you will have to modify the radio also.

do some searching on this forum for "hi fi cb radio" and you should find some threads and pictures of people who have done this type of thing before.
LC
 
My current setup (for a long time) is a President Madison with a Shure SM58 studio microphone on a boom. I use (2) foot pedals to key up the radio, one pedal sits on the floor by my computer desk, and the other one sits in the middle of my radio workbench on the floor. I've had MANY operators in DX ask me what I'm using for a radio, most think I am running a fancy HF rig with hi-fidelity equipment. My Madison is the MB8719 version with the analog clock, and the mic audio circuit has been modified to have increased frequency response.

The output impedance on the Shure SM58 is 300 ohms. Most dynamic hand mics range 500-600 ohms impedance. The Shure is a little quieter on audio than a standard dynamic mic on my Madison, but by changing one resistor value in the mic audio circuit, that fixes the issue without losing audio clarity. Locals tell me I have FM quality audio on SSB without sounding too flat or bassy.

It certainly can be done, but it does require some reworking of the mic audio circuit. :)


~Cheers~
 
This is on Amazon. The Art tube MP studio preamp. The Presonus tube preamp model has a cheap Chinese tube in it and requires changing out for a better quality tube. The Art model is the best bang for the buck.
 

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Shockwave said:
It has become much more popular to run studio audio gear on the CB band in recent years. Although, you will not get good performance just connecting the mic to the radio.

It requires an outboard preamp and some equalization at the bare minimum to provide good audio quality. There are no adaptors for studio equipment. You will have to make your own keying switch to turn the transmitter on too.

There is aftermarket equipment for two way radio that appears to be studio grade but it is tailored for communications grade audio and will not be truly Hi-Fi.
Click to expand...

Can you recommend a good outboard pre-amp for me with a link to it.
thanks in advance
 
Why not a stock mic like mine? Mine is loud as HELL and a stock coffin mic. This mic world be an awesome addition to that co phased ground plane/Beam you want us to test.



 
Grinch D104

I have a very good looking (NO scratches, dents etc...Like NEW) D104 I bought in the 70's. I had stopped using it due to the contacts, head and most of the other parts were "Shot". I found out about "Grinch Radio" through Google search. I wanted to use the old D104 as it was almost perfect cosmetically. Dave and Catherine at Grinch guaranteed me that the mic would sound very close to the "Studio/Hi-Fi sound that I wanted. They took a sample of my voice, the type/brand radio I am using it on (A Ranger RCI 2980 old model) So, after a lot of work n it they got it right and sent it back to me. The radio did not have any mods to it other than frequency expansion and tuning and alignment when I first acquired it. This Mic is AWESOME guys!!! I normally do not recommend different companies to people but I personally recommend that anyone with a D104 let Dave and Catherine re-build and update their D104!
You know it is impossible to buy a new Base Desk Mic that lives up to the old astatic's and Turners. This is the only way we can get one of these and the thing will have awesome modulation when updated by Grinch. These guys are extremely knowledgeable and will help you in any way possible...even tell you everything they've done to it and even tell you about the condition of all the parts etc when they've finished it up. This is RARE nowadays to find someone who takes this amount of pride in what they do!
I am going to send them my Radio and Turner +3 when the "Green Stamps" allow me too...hopefully in the next 2-3 months. I trust them totally to do the right thing or I would be "Cussing" them like I do Redman's CB Stop" Sorry no warranty follow up from Redman!!!
Give them a call for anything I know they will be happy to help.
 
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