Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Icom SM-6

Category: Microphones for ham radio

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Icom SM-6
Reviews: 28MSRP: 119.95
Description:
Base microphone used on Icom radios.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/index.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
12284.5
KF5OK Rating: 2008-05-09
i really got one! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
i first use this mic bak in the early 90s with an ic-735 aboard the CG Cutter i was stationed on. I was the MARS op then. i really enjoyed that mic and many land ops said i had a nice sounding station. here in the last six month i purchased a 746pro. i wanted a desk mic but didn't didn't want to spend the money on a sm-20 after i learned the sm6 was no longer available.

Now here is a real kicker for you. as i was walking out the door with my new 746pro a fine lady walked in with a 746 that she was trading in. SHE had an sm6 with her. I Ask her if she would sale me the mic. She handed me the mic and said "Have fun" she wouldn't take any money for it. it looked brand new also. i couldn't believe it.

anyway, the mic works great with my radio and i have got some good reports with it on 2m SSB. I haven't got to try it on HFSSB yet.

i wish icom would sale this mic again.
W1BKZ Rating: 2007-01-29
Great audio at a reasonable price. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Works really well with my IC-761. The locking PTT is an added feature, if you are a serious rag-chewer. I haven't tried it on my IC706-MkII-G, but I'll bet it would work just as well. The bass falls off at low levels on the gain adjustment, and this can easily be overcome by appropriate coupling mods on the preamp pcb, and/or external equalization, if you are into "hi-fi" SSB. Needless to say, I don't use it on AM, simply because rice-boxes do not make good AM!!!
That being said, the SM-6 is a nice, compact, and completely adequate microphone for its intended purpose.
K7PWR Rating: 2006-12-03
Its a great lil mic!! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Works great with my icom 7000!! It is tiny, but very sturdy.
KC4CP Rating: 2006-04-09
GREAT AUDIO REPORTS Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I use this mic with my 746pro. The rx audio reports I get are great (and most often ... I do not ask for comments).

For rag chew, I set up the 746pro on TBW - with -1 bass & +3 treble - and compression at 1 (barely on). Results are tremendous. For DX, I set 746pro on TBW - with -3 bass & +5 treble - and compression at 3. Really breaks through the QRM.

Great mic ... super price.
N1GXC Rating: 2005-07-22
Very Sensitive Mic Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm running a very basic station. An IC-746 (non-pro) into a W3FF Buddipole portable antenna. I wanted to take advantage of the VOX feature as well as have the convenience of a desk mike. The supplied HM-36 hand mike does a great job, infact 2/3 of all IC-746 owners prefer to use it. (according to a recent poll) I think that ANY $100 mike should be outstanding. This one is. It might look like a little tinker-toy but it does have great audio and is super sensitive. I picked mine up on the cheap from a fellow ham but would pay full price for a new one in a heartbeat. I set the mic gain switch on the bottom to 1/3 and then adjusted the mic gain to the proper ALC and have been getting wonderful audio reports. If you don't need a freq. up/down switch on your mic then this should do a great job. It might be small but the construction is very solid. It also has a top quality 'gooseneck' that you would expect to find on more expensive mic's. 73 to my fellow Icom owners. Dan.
KC9GUZ Rating: 2005-05-06
what a great little mike!!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got this to replace the stock mike thats on my Icom V 8000 that i use as a fixed station. Im one of those guys that hates to use a hand mike on a fixed station ( or base station however you call it) and i decided to go with the SM 6 after all the psoitives ive read on it.. Not knowing how it would sound on an FM only rig I got it from R&L taking some what of a risk. The salesman at R&L said it might not sound good on my rig because it is a power mike (i apologise for my CB term here Hi Hi) but i got it anyways. I had to get the adapter that hooks to the front of the rig and to the round mike connector on my SM6. Me and the G/F(shes also a ham!:-)) tried it out one night while I was out in the mobile and wow, it make a 100% difference from the standard hand mike!!!! The audio of the V 8000 is good but it is awesome now with the SM6. I set it on the factory setting on the bottom of the mike and it sounded good. I then tweaked it up a hair and now it sounds wonderful!! Ive had 5 other on the air reports with my locals on the repeater we use and everyone says it sounds MUCH Much better than the hand mike. Overall i like the SM 6, but im giving it a 4 instead of a 5 because of the silly straight cord instead of a coily cord. It must just be me, because of my past experience on CB using D-104s and Turners with the coly cord that makes it convenient.. 73's
KC9GUZ
IW2CZG Rating: 2005-01-10
Good but RF sensitive ! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Ciao !
I'm using this nice mic with IC-706MKIIG and IC-7400 (european version of IC-746PRO) and I'm pretty satisfied.

The only cons I've found is that this mike it's
really RF sensitive and for this reason I can't use it in all the situation where the antenna is close to the rig, like field-day.

73 de Luca IW2CZG
KG4ZMC Rating: 2004-12-04
Great LITTLE Mike for Icom Rigs Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this mike to enhance my auido on my Icom 718. It did that and also seems to drive the radio better, always getting good audio reports.
This mike is so small you keep thinking it's some kind of toy, till you use it, and works well with vox.
Bought an Icom 746pro and the little mike now gets me GREAT audio reports and also drives the rig well, and NOT out of the ALC zone.
If you have an Icom H.F rig and dont want to spend alot of money for a mike, this is the one. Great Product. 73's KG4ZMC
NG0F Rating: 2004-11-26
Works for me Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This mike looks like a toy mike. I keep thinking I should buy a better one with my Icom 746 - but why? Audio reports are always excellent and it is very well constructed.

Like my Icom-746 ....it just does the job and keeps working and working. Great microphone.
N3RQL Rating: 2003-12-11
A good choice Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After much consideration I went with the SM-6 and am very satisfied with my choice. I've received a number of unsolicited compliments on my audio ...and this being without any "tinkering" with the mike setting whatsoever... just left it as it came out of the box (which was set a little below half), adjusted the mike gain on my 718 for the proper ALC meter readout, and voila! Contributing to my decision between the SM-6 and the Heil icM was when I asked the salesperson at the place of purchase if he'd had any experience with the SM-6, and he told me this is the mike he personally uses. He also voiced my identical sentiments about the SM-6 being complete & all you need to buy, as opposed to optional stands/booms, handswitch/footswitch etc.(which at very least will run $20 or more than SM-6), as well as being a much "cleaner" looking connection to the rig. So in addition to the good performance, it makes an attractive and compact addition to my station, and overall I'm quite pleased with it!