I own the 4 pin front mic version of this radio. I also own a side mic Phillippine version. I have run them back to back, and cannot honestly tell the difference between the two, other than it's Galaxy like slightly off frequency on SSB until it warms up when it is below 40 degrees outside. After that, it sounds great with a Telex/Turner RK56 noise cancelling mic. Despite a lot of people saying that the radio is junk, I cannot prove it to myself, so I'll just hang onto it and use it. I believe this one was manufactured in 2000, and was just serviced and aligned. My side mic Cobra was built in 1993.