I just got a brand new 510 for $15 without the mic, which I thought would be great since I didn't care for the small one it comes with. However, I didn't realize there was a difference in it being a high impedance mic with electret cartridge (?). Basically, I have no clue what mic to pair with my new CB lol. Can anyone offer up their preference with this CB? It seems like a fairly popular radio.
Best mic for Uniden Pro 510XL
- Thread starter JRenna
- Start date
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
The Uniden 510 uses a standard 4-pin dynamic mic.
The radio isn't built to use an electret element so if you used one the audio would be very low. You could use one if it was self-powered but with CB the effort of doing that (primarily higher fidelity audio) isn't worth the trouble. Just get a plain, inexpensive dynamic one.
The stock one is fine but I found the ergonomics poor, it's like holding a thick saltine cracker. I have one branded Super Star (you'll see all sorts of names on the same mic) that a local radio shop had for $10. It works fine, too.
The radio isn't built to use an electret element so if you used one the audio would be very low. You could use one if it was self-powered but with CB the effort of doing that (primarily higher fidelity audio) isn't worth the trouble. Just get a plain, inexpensive dynamic one.
The stock one is fine but I found the ergonomics poor, it's like holding a thick saltine cracker. I have one branded Super Star (you'll see all sorts of names on the same mic) that a local radio shop had for $10. It works fine, too.
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I called a CB shop and they said the only other option is really a power mic, which I really didn't want, or else it won't be loud enough with a regular dynamic mic. Have you noticed this Dave? The mic pictured below specifically says it works with the 510 and appears to be more ergonomic. It's cheap so I think I might go with it. I wish I knew it only worked with certain mics before I bought it. Oh well. I can't really find any pics online or in the forums that show people using much other than the stock mic. Thanks for the replies.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
The CB shop is confusing you. They may be confused themselves. A fair number of CB'er also think louder is better, so take their recommendations with a grain of salt. You want to sound clear without overdriving the radio, causing interference, distortion, splattering on neighboring channels. The circuit in the mics they are pushing probably are only for sound effects, the echo and all that junk you hear.
Your Uniden will work with any dynamic microphone.
Caveat this by saying that there is a chance some mics will work a little better than others, but the difference won't be enough to matter and you should not worry to any great extent. By "better" I mean clearer audio mainly due to the quality of the element and the acoustics of the case. Some mics sound muddy or exceptionally thin. But as near as I can tell there's no real strong correlation with price. That $10 Super Star I have sounds absolutely fine with my Pro 520.
Your Uniden will not work with a condenser or electret mic out of the box. Some radios (usually -not- CB radios) work with them, ham radios for example. They have a pin dedicated to giving power to the microphone for it to work and there may be a menu selection or switch to tell the radio what type of mic you have.
If a radio does not offer this option (e.g. most CB radios do not) then to use that type (active, condenser, electret) of mic if you must build a stand-alone way to power it, perhaps batteries, maybe a little 12V-based converter. But this is the realm of hams and tinkers, so it's not something you need to worry about.
Any dynamic mic will more than likely work just fine, don't get too wrapped around the axle on this. If the mic has a 4-pin round connector that fits the radio and does NOT require batteries the likelihood is it will work just fine with your Uniden.
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I think I'll order the super star. Different websites list contradictory information about the compact unidens. One says it comes with a 4 pin dynamic mic and all the other sites say it's a high impedance electret condenser mic lol. I much prefer first hand information. I appreciate the helpful info Dave.