• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
  • Click here to find out how to win free radios from Retevis!

148 5 to 4 pin mic?

Cheech

Active Member
Apr 6, 2005
717
6
28
35
Medina county Ohio
Wondering if its possible to convert the mic jack in a 148 to 4 pin. Reason being all the rest of my radios are 4 pin and my D104 is to. Talked to another guy about it but he said it would not work. I was hoping someone here has made the change successfully.
 

I know you can buy a adapter plug that will do what you want. I have one for my 148. I think I got mine on ebay, for less than $10.00 if I remember correctly.
73
 
A 4 pin mic jack has the same thing a 5 pinn does.
There is a TX wire... RX wire... Audio Wire... Ground wire... and Sheild.
The difference between a Cobra 4 pin jack and a cobra 5 pin jack is on a 5 pin jack there is a separate pin for sheild wire and ground wire..... On a 4 pin Jack the sheild and ground wire are both on one pin.
You can change the jack on the 148 without problem.... the sheild and ground wire will just be sharing the same pin.
Thats all the adaptor will do... connect the ground and sheild to the same pin.

Or a cobra 4 pin to 5 pin adaptor will work too...... just keep in mind that adaptor won't work on all radios... its meant for cobra 4 pin to cobra 5 pin... not all 5 pin jacks are wired the same.
The adaptor is easier and gives you more options.
 
bushwacker said:
A 4 pin mic jack has the same thing a 5 pinn does.
There is a TX wire... RX wire... Audio Wire... Ground wire... and Sheild.
The difference between a Cobra 4 pin jack and a cobra 5 pin jack is on a 5 pin jack there is a separate pin for sheild wire and ground wire..... On a 4 pin Jack the sheild and ground wire are both on one pin.
You can change the jack on the 148 without problem.... the sheild and ground wire will just be sharing the same pin.
Thats all the adaptor will do... connect the ground and sheild to the same pin.

Or a cobra 4 pin to 5 pin adaptor will work too...... just keep in mind that adaptor won't work on all radios... its meant for cobra 4 pin to cobra 5 pin... not all 5 pin jacks are wired the same.
The adaptor is easier and gives you more options.

Amen :)
 
Cheech said:
Wondering if its possible to convert the mic jack in a 148 to 4 pin. Reason being all the rest of my radios are 4 pin and my D104 is to. Talked to another guy about it but he said it would not work. I was hoping someone here has made the change successfully.

There are 5 to 4 pin adaptors.
Butchering a 148 is not smart because they aren't made anymore. The new 4 pin 148s are commie made crap.
 
Yeah the new ones are crap for sure! just wanted to switch the mic jack though to make things simpler. Also would seem I need to replace some capacitors in the radio becouse the old ones tend to go becouse they are a lower voltage or so I was told. Another thing and it may be becouse of a cap gone bad but the audio seems to clip when it hit about %100 modulation. Not sure the exact couse of this problem but any help is greatly apreciated!
 
butcher it if you want, theres nothing special about them in the first place. sure they recieve great for a cb, other radios can be made to do it to.

if it were a 148f i would say dont do it, they were only made for a few years. the 148gtl was made for many years and released countless units.

rewire the jack like posted above, it works well. i make most of my cb's 4 pin for the same reason you want to. although an adaptor is much easier these days.
 
Bushwacker is spot on with what he had posted on this conversion. I have a few of those adapter but do yourself a favor and just change the mic socket. Those damn adaptors hang out of the mic socket about 3 inches and no need for me to explain the cons of this Im sure. I have a few that dont seem to work rright either they seem loose and do weird things like cut out ETC I am also against adding extra detours for your audio to travel through. My first Cobra 2000 had the 4 pin mic socket I liked it seeings how the 4 pin seems to be the most common with 5 pin following I have a box of 4 pin mics.
 
Those damn adaptors hang out of the mic socket about 3 inches and no need for me to explain the cons of this Im sure.

I have to agree with that Tony.
I have a few adpt`s here, and for a quick check they are fine, but to run the radio in a mobile set-up full time with the thing plugged into the radio is not for me. I have changed the Mic Jack on several radios and if you plan to keep it, Why not?


73
Jeff
 
Make a converter yourself.... get an old mic cord and cut a small piece of it...a 5 pin mic jack... a 4 pin mic plug... a little heat shrink and the pinouts for a 4 and 5 pin mic.. solder away.

Or if you really want to get creative..... you could put BOTH a 4 pin mic plug AND a 5 pin mic plug on the same mic.

Have some fun...and build it yourself. That way.. if you have a Midland 5 pin radio at home you can make an adapter made for 4 pin cobra to 5 pin midland.
Thats one thing these converters are not good for... 4 pin to 5 pin is ONLY good for 4 pin Cobra to 5 pin Cobra... Not any 4 pin radio to any 5 pin radio. They are specific.. you can make them yourself.

Converters are a pain... easier to rewire a mic. I would'nt buy one.... but to make one is cool.


Take care
 
lots of great information here guys! The only thing i worry about is one of the guys i talked to said crossing the switch common with the audio ground would couse problems.
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • dxBot:
    Greg T has left the room.
  • @ BJ radionut:
    EVAN/Crawdad :love: ...runna pile-up on 6m SSB(y) W4AXW in the air
    +1
  • @ Crawdad:
    One of the few times my tiny station gets heard on 6m!:D
  • @ Galanary:
    anyone out here familiar with the Icom IC-7300 mods