Is there a difference in the wiring between the regular mic and these? Looking for a mic for a 90s Cobra 18 Ultra (not the ST models).
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Grey key Cobra Mic?
- Thread starter Cutlass327
- Start date
The Cobra 4 pin wiring is the same, but you will need the Gray key mic (electret condenser cartridge). Other 4 pin cobra 500 ohm stock mics will work, but with low audio because of the impedance mismatch. I prefer the Uniden BC645 as a replacement for the Cobra Gray Key. The build quality is better IMO. Power mics will also work to help overcome that mismatch, but IMO that would only be my second choice. The China 18 ST models use a standard 500 ohm mic along with a 5 pin DIN plug. From your statement I assume you're not talking about those. In short, if you like natural sound quality, go with Cobra Gray or the Uniden BC645 as a better replacement.
Hmm I picked this up years back and had it saved for a possible future project. Years in the drawer and still not used.
Thank you everyone! I thought there was a wiring difference, as you need to have the mic plugged in to have RX audio, but I guess it is mainly the mic impedence is why they say you need the grey key unit.
The Radios it plugs into - doesn't have a "mic amp" setup in them - so to get enough boost for the mic - the Electret's audio level DRIVE is "loud enough" to make these radios talk, the Mic's handset uses Electret element to amplify the audio then the Audio Amp will amplify that.
So in a way, these radios are using "self powering" mics, they use very little power. But it (the Element) amplifies enough so the radio maker can cheapen up the radio even more to reduce parts inside and literally remove the Mic amp that you'd have in other more dedicated Dynamic mic element radios like the Cobra '25 or the '29 - Uniden's 66 or 78 too - I'd like to think of this as making it more affordable, but in the end, it still costs about as much as the other Dynamic units.
So in a way, these radios are using "self powering" mics, they use very little power. But it (the Element) amplifies enough so the radio maker can cheapen up the radio even more to reduce parts inside and literally remove the Mic amp that you'd have in other more dedicated Dynamic mic element radios like the Cobra '25 or the '29 - Uniden's 66 or 78 too - I'd like to think of this as making it more affordable, but in the end, it still costs about as much as the other Dynamic units.
