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Astatic 636L vs. stock Cobra Mic.

S

Steve H

Member
Oct 31, 2010
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I listened to myself talking on my Cobra 129 ltd with the stock mic. compared to the Astatic mic. I used a tape recorder, sitting next to a walkie-talkie at home while I drove around.

There is a noticeable difference. The stock Cobra mic. sounded loud and overmodulated, while the aftermarket Astatic was clear. I'm actually enjoying listening to the difference over and over.

I guess there is something to be said for good microphones. I'll keep the stock Cobra mic. for a spare, but it just doesn't compare to the Astatic.
 

If you liked the Astatic 636L...You'll love the Ranger SRA 198 Noise Canceling Mic! There about the same price range as the 636, and cheaper than a RK 56...

The first batch of Ranger SRA 198's that came out back first of the year were horrible to say the least. But after numerous complaints to Ranger about the Mic's, Ranger went in and did some modifications like adding a resister and Cap to the Mic element, and the second run of the SRA 198's are great.

Nice heavy Mic that feels like it should cost a small fortune, but cost around what a 636 will run you...
 
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I'll keep that in mind, jessejamesdallas. But I'm the kind of person that doesn't like to mess with success. This Astatic sure does sound good...but I have to admit it feels/looks a little plain. It's not a power mic, so it's not heavy.
 
Steve H. said:
I'll keep that in mind, jessejamesdallas. But I'm the kind of person that doesn't like to mess with success. This Astatic sure does sound good...but I have to admit it feels/looks a little plain. It's not a power mic, so it's not heavy.
Click to expand...

No, their not a Power Mic. And neither is the SRA 198. One thing that makes the Ranger Mic feel better to handle is it has weights inside that gives it that feel of the older Mics that were built back in the 70's.

And if you take the back off and look at the element on the SRA 198's theres allot more to it than what is on the 636's and Road Kings. They also look allot different than what your use to seeing...

Ranger SRA-198 Noise Cancelling Microphone Review
 
I have always thought that Astatic Should make a non-noise cancelling, non-power "stock" replacement microphone. One reason the 636L has "low mod" on AM is because of the way the microphone is made (duh), and it is a mechanical problem to solve. It is not an electrical problem, because the 636 has no circuitry inside for the "noise cancelling" part.

To make the 636 "noise cancelling", they simply put a plastic cover over the mic element to prevent "noise" being heard by the element except of spoken directly into the front/middle of the mic. Think of a small dome with a hole in the top. Now take that mini-dome and place it over the face of the mic element. Boom! You've got a 636L.

I have, with success, removed this dome and modified it to essentially be nothing more than a ring holding the mic element in place. This makes the 636's performance on AM outstanding for a non-power mic.

YMMV, but if you talk AM most times and don't want to fool with an expensive, battery-eating power mic, you may wish to give this a try.
 
I don't generally have that problem (low AM modulation) with the 636, with a very few exceptions (the new Uniden 680/880/980 radios). I find that if the radio is properly tuned, the 636 works well. I do run into the odd instance where teh customer's voice just doesn't go well with the 636 for one reason or another, but that's not the norm from my experience.
 
My experience has been all over the place. Some rigs sound great with a stock mic, others don't. I have tried just about all the newer hand mics out there. The Ranger SRA-158 has been the happiest with all the rigs I have tried it on. The 636L works great on some rigs, not so good on others. It can depend on the rig, the tune, and the individual's voice. If it works great for you, keep using it!

73,
Brett
 

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