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Whats the verdict on the Magnum 1?

On the optima mk3, if you can find an Icom HM36 mic that was made in Japan and not China, which will have to be done by looking around and also eBay. eBay is where I got lucky and got mine for like $25 shipped. It was used, but in excellent condition.
Also just turn the AM power down some on the Optima MK3 and see what happens when you do as far as audio quality goes. Might help. Might not. It will read about 60 watts pep on AM. But average power is weak. Not much if any forward swing. That or see if you can track down one of the mods that Yeticomm LTD. spoke of.
He is the dealer and I am sure knows the in's and out's of that radio. Hope you find a happy medium. One radio comes to mind as being a good one on both AM and SSB as well that I left out and maybe no one else posted about either. The Kenwood TS480hx or the sat. The HX model is 200 watts and they do sound pretty good on AM. Again, it's all in how you set the radio up. It has RX and TX EQ, processor, and many other things to make your audio sound good believe it or not. The 200 watt one if I remember from an old thread on another forum where itbwas spoken about. The HX model. 50w DK, and 200 watts pep. That is with RF power turned all the way up though. But just goes to show there are some HF radios that can and do work well on AM. And not real expensive at the moment, even brand new. Again, good luck messing about. The cobra 29 will sound better on AM. But like Yeticomm LTD said, they can make them swing machines. Just have to look for that mod somewhere.
Anyhow, have a good one, and God Bless.
 
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Honestly, I never really gave the optima a fair shake. I'm going to get my amp repaired, send off a 148 for repair, and I just ordered a better swr/pep meter. I just need to really experiment with what I have for now. That should be cheaper, and I might actually learn something.
 
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if the optima has the factory stock tiny phantom powered mic you are not giving it a chance
always hated that mic..and argued with the manufacturer for 6 years over it...the rest is history .

Honestly, one of your replies to a question I asked months ago really annoyed me. It still does actually.

Even after not being thrilled with the radio and being talked down to, I haven't badmouthed the radio or yeticom. While I may not have given the radio a real chance, I have politely kept my thoughts to myself. That should be worth something, right?
 
Put an RF limited 2018 extreme mic on one and see what it does. Audio definitely is louder!! And yes I agree Yeticomm LTD, the phantom mic is less than desirable for sure. Only thing I've found to help it some is to drill the mic hole out as large as the element. Seemed to help the audio. I've always used the Icom HM36 made in Japan mic on mine and never have gotten bad audio reports on neither AM or SSB. Always got good reports. Maybe I got lucky. But my radio has not had any issues since day one. Still rocks when I need it to!!
 
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The new ones come from China. Someone said the new Icom 7300 mics work well on the optima mk3 as well. Might want to try one of them as well. They might work better then the newer HM36 mics. Also, stay away from the clone mics. They aren't even close to the real HM36 mic in how they are built inside. JMO. Hope you find a mic you like. Any 8 pin Icom mic will work with the radio. This includes Heil and Shure mics as well, just some food for thought. Have a good one. And keep us posted as to what you end up doing. Thx.
73 and God Bless
Sean
 
I have a Magnum 1 and I'm getting great audio reports with a Turner Super Sidekick on AM. I have not heard it on the receiving side, though.

The front panel is beautiful and lit up nicely for good visibility, too.
 
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