2-Pin Speaker Mic Suggestions?

[Datawraith]

Hi all.

So I know there are a few HAM radio enthusiasts here and that there are a lot of people who have Baofengs. So, I was hoping someone has experience with some 2-Pin Speaker Mics and if they could recommend one that works with Baofengs and where I could get them (amazon.ca has quite a few, but they seem to be extremely hit or miss and of lower quality).

Thanks!

[DuffMan]

Have you checked out CanCom?

[Mikeylikes]

Just acquired a Boefang myself so interested in recommendations as well

Tagging along ....

[Ricochet]

Pryme makes a good one that isn't an arm and a leg. Get a Motorola if you want higher quality.

[KN1IGHT]

If you're looking for good quality & have a bit of money to spend, check out Code Red Headsets' industrial grade speaker mic section, or BuyTwoWayRadios.com's accessories section.
I have one Kenwood 2 pin mic from each & they're good quality


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ricochet]

Our team had two or three Code Red headsets (not speaker mics to be fair) and had issues with all of them. Our guys got theirs from 911 Supply in Calgary. Although I like the store, I wouldn't recommend Code Red products.

[Cheesepie]

I got the Impact comms GRSM-HD1 from SRStactical for 55 bucks, dont know where else to buy them aside from impacts own website however. As for the quality ive ran them for a few games so far and had no problems with them at all. The cord and body feel high quality, heavy and tough. The cord in particular i stretched out all over the place went setting up my gear and it seems to hold just fine with no problems on either end. I got the one with the kenwood 2 pin plug which works perfectly with my baofeng uv-r5.
No complaints on audio quality either.

Though i am not a ham radio or speaker mic expert so take that into account as well.

[Ricochet]

I was at Norquip the other day and looked at a speaker-mic called "stone-mountain?" That was water proof. I think it's about $100 - $130, but it'll take the beating airsoft'll hand out.

[AnthonyG]

Originally Posted by Ricochet

Our team had two or three Code Red headsets (not speaker mics to be fair) and had issues with all of them. Our guys got theirs from 911 Supply in Calgary. Although I like the store, I wouldn't recommend Code Red products.

I own one of their signal 21 speaker mics. Used it solid for a year without any problems. It's effectively identical to the Motorola speaker mics. The signal 21 apparently has milage with a handful of youtubers if that sort of thing means anything to you.

Your other option is to literally buy a bunch of Baofeng branded speaker mics for $5 a pop, and use em until they break. I recently picked up a pair of speaker mics that have both the A and B PTT channels in one. It works with my UV82 so I can dual-monitor. So far it's held up well. My only complaint would be that the transmit audio quality is not as good on the cheaper mics.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Datawraith]

Originally Posted by AnthonyG

I own one of their signal 21 speaker mics. Used it solid for a year without any problems. It's effectively identical to the Motorola speaker mics. The signal 21 apparently has milage with a handful of youtubers if that sort of thing means anything to you.

Your other option is to literally buy a bunch of Baofeng branded speaker mics for $5 a pop, and use em until they break. I recently picked up a pair of speaker mics that have both the A and B PTT channels in one. It works with my UV82 so I can dual-monitor. So far it's held up well. My only complaint would be that the transmit audio quality is not as good on the cheaper mics.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

This is what I ended up doing with another buddy of mine. We grabbed the Retevis dual pin speaker mic (one channel only) off amazon, and although it was cheap, it worked pretty well for our purposes. Survived a milsim with constant mud and rain and slamming into plywood, so we'll see if it can survive multiple

Thanks for the suggestions Ricochet, but uhhhh... I can't justify spending more on the speaker mic than the radio itself XD. Maybe in the future when I get a better radio I'll look into some of their nice offerings.

[Ricochet]

I had a few of the clone speaker-mics and was mired by constant issues, one of which was the mic staying keyed, or picking up the incoming signal but not getting the voice with it. Just headaches.

Datawraith I hear what you're saying, but I'll lay it out for you. Real-steel grade radios, at least the ones that are functional for airsoft, are very expensive, some in upwards of a $1,000. Also unless you find one used that has a still solid battery you will likely need a license to purchase them. The low-end, hand-programmable radios, such as Baofeng, Wouxun, etc, are actually pretty solid, they're also cheap and will normally last years and years. I think my Wouxun is about six now.

Headsets are different however. Sure the high end ones can be hundred and hundreds of dollars, but there's a much larger array of options out there. The unfortunate part is that the vast majority of clones, repros, airsoft level, etc, are complete shit or just plain unreliable. The truth is you don't just need it to work, but it has to work well, clear communication, etc. Luckily of you buy a quality product you won't have to ever replace it (probably).

So to sum up, you can get low-end radios safely, but don't get low-end headsets. You certainly don't have to spend $130 on a speaker-mic, there are cheaper ones that'll do, but it certainly wouldn't be a waste of money, also, that's not that expensive for reliable and clear comms. Expect to spend over $60 at any rate, and if you're going for a speaker-mic that won't include the earpiece.

[AnthonyG]

^ Second'd. There are very few cheap options that will stand the test of time. Ive been lucky with the cheap Baofeng speaker mics, but I never expect them to last, which is why I own the code red. Unfortunately I learned the hard way and went through butt-loads of airsoft repros when I could have spent the same on a good quality PTT to begin with.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Datawraith]

Originally Posted by AnthonyG

^ Second'd. There are very few cheap options that will stand the test of time. Ive been lucky with the cheap Baofeng speaker mics, but I never expect them to last, which is why I own the code red. Unfortunately I learned the hard way and went through butt-loads of airsoft repros when I could have spent the same on a good quality PTT to begin with.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Funny thing that... Our FTL during that milsim had real MSA Sordins and a real PTT (I don't recall the brand) running off his Baofeng, and he had SO MUCH trouble getting his radio to transmit and receive compared to us with our cheap speaker mics (we think it might have been the PTT's pins not quite fitting right into the Baofeng).

Ricochet, I totally understand what you're saying. I was thinking of trying out my friend's Sordins and seeing how I like them, whereupon I won't go down the speaker mic route. However, if I find they aren't right for me, I'll definitely look into the real units (and let them know you sent me).

[Ricochet]

Sordins are great, but expensive as you need a version with noice attenuation, a mic and you'll need the Avenger PTT to make them work for airsoft. Peltors are also good. We went through some issues awhile back with our radios too, but it turned out to be the way they were programmed. After we reset them the issues stopped. Gotta be careful programming and cloning radios.