[Elecraft] [K3] Mic Experimentation with Kenwood MC-60

[Phil Hystad]

Yes, I may plan to do that if I decide to keep this mic.  The price is OK and I am leaning towards buying it because if I did not want to keep the mic I could probably recover my cost by selling it.

phil


On Mar 6, 2011, at 8:51 AM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:

> 
> Phil,
> 
> The K3 provides voltage on pin 6 but the MC-60 expects
> > voltage on pin 5.  What I don't understand is IF I were to rewire
> > this so that the voltage was placed on pin 5 (I assume I would do
> > this within the base itself and not rewire the actual connector) then
> > do I create a problem for the K3??  I am assuming that I would have
> > to make sure that pin 5 was NOT connected to anything but that I took
> > the pin 6 voltage offered by the K3 and route it to whatever pin 5
> > was hooked up to.
> 
> I have sent you separately the MC-60A manual.  In it is a schematic
> for the microphone/base.  The documentation shows that pin 5 is
> currently connected to the collector of the voltage regulator
> transistor and pin 6 is currently empty.   You should be able to
> move the wire from pin 5 to pin 6 without difficulty.
> 
> 73,
> 
>   ... Joe, W4TV
> 
> 
> On 3/6/2011 11:24 AM, Phil Hystad wrote:
>> Don,
>> 
>> Actually, I do have an MC-60A here I guess.  It definitely does have
>> the preamp, the battery pack underneath and so on but the mic label
>> on the base says "MC-60".  I read somewhere on the Internet that the
>> "A" model is not identified by the label on the base.
>> 
>> There is a part of your message that I would like to clarify.  I have
>> examined the relevant material in the K3 user guide and still I am
>> not sure.  The K3 provides voltage on pin 6 but the MC-60 expects
>> voltage on pin 5.  What I don't understand is IF I were to rewire
>> this so that the voltage was placed on pin 5 (I assume I would do
>> this within the base itself and not rewire the actual connector) then
>> do I create a problem for the K3??  I am assuming that I would have
>> to make sure that pin 5 was NOT connected to anything but that I took
>> the pin 6 voltage offered by the K3 and route it to whatever pin 5
>> was hooked up to.
>> 
>> 73, phil, K7PEH
>> 
>> 
>> On Mar 5, 2011, at 11:29 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
>> 
>>> Phil,
>>> 
>>> You have to get the K3 ALC meter to illuminate 5 to 7 bars with the
>>> compression set to zero.  That is true with any microphone.
>>> 
>>> According to the G4WPW microphone information, the MC60 mic has no
>>> preamp, but has a hi-Z, Lo-Z switch (it should be set to lo-Z for
>>> the K3).  The M60A has a preamp that needs voltage on pin 5, but
>>> unfortunately, that is the part that is not compatible with the K3
>>> which provides voltage in pin 6.
>>> 
>>> In other words, the MC60 will work with the K3, but the MC60A will
>>> not work unless you change the microphone plug.
>>> 
>>> 73, Don W3FPR
>>> 
>>> On 3/5/2011 11:02 PM, Phil Hystad wrote:
>>>> So, I asked a question late last night but no responses.  So,
>>>> either no one cares or maybe I got lost in the noise.  But, that
>>>> is OK -- I will try again.
>>>> 
>>>> I am confused and mystified by a mic that I borrowed from a
>>>> friend to try out with the K3.  It is a Kenwood MC-60 and I think
>>>> it is fairly new and I only have a day or two to play with this
>>>> so I want to make use of that time.
>>>> 
>>>> I am discovering that I don't understand all there is about
>>>> microphones and the K3.  For example, when you use the MENU to
>>>> set the Mic to something like FP.L or FP.H, what is the true
>>>> meaning of the L and H.  I know that the document says Low gain
>>>> and High gain but how am I to interpret this.  Does H mean that
>>>> the mic has high gain or does it mean that it needs high gain.
>>>> 
>>>> This MC-60 mic has a preamplifier on it and when this amp is off,
>>>> I have trouble getting the ALC meter to measure anything.  I do
>>>> the test of speaking normally into the mic but with the mic gain
>>>> set to 60 I have to either shout or speak VERY CLOSELY to the mic
>>>> to make the ALC meter move at all.  This does not seem right.  I
>>>> get the same behavior whether the mic setting is FP.L or FP.H.
>>>> By the way, Bias is set off as I believe it should be with a
>>>> dynamic mic.
>>>> 
>>>> Now, I have done some tests on-air with a few friends and they
>>>> say my audio sounds OK.  Right now, I have the compression either
>>>> zero or very low and I am forgetting which audio report I got
>>>> with which setting.  But, the compression setting didn't seem to
>>>> make a whole lot of difference.
>>>> 
>>>> Also, another question --- this mic has a preamp and I am
>>>> wondering if there is wisdom in using the preamp versus the mic
>>>> gain set to a high value on the K3.
>>>> 
>>>> And, lastly -- I checked the history of some discussion on
>>>> Kenwood mics and the K3 and I see there is some discussion about
>>>> the pin wiring of whether pin 5 is used or pin 6 for something or
>>>> other.  I was under the impression that the K3 was using the
>>>> Kenwood mic wiring so what is this question on pin 5 versus pin
>>>> 6?
>>>> 
>>>> Yes, when it comes to microphones I do not know very much.  I am
>>>> about 90 percent CW so I obviously do not care about audio too
>>>> much but I do want things to sound OK without over driving the
>>>> K3.
>>>> 
>>>> 73, phil, K7PEH
>>>> 
>>>> 
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