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Reviews For: Kenwood SMC-34

Category: Microphones for ham radio

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Review Summary For : Kenwood SMC-34
Reviews: 22MSRP: 39.95
Description:
Speaker/mic with function keys and volume control
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.kenwood.net/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00223.4
KI4JUA Rating: 2007-01-20
Nice extra! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought my SMC-34 speaker/microphone to use with my Kenwood TH-F6. I like the radio, but it's volume control ring is a bit awkward to use quickly when skipping through frequencies. The SMC-34 is perfect as a lapel speaker and makes it much easier to adjust the volume quickly.

Once I figured out how to program it (p 38 in the TH-F6 manual, hold down the button while powering on the radio and making sure the lock is off) I really loved it. I set one to activate scan mode, one to toggle between A and B bands and one to check the battery. It is so easy to reprogram you can do it "on-the-fly" for whatever you are doing at the time. Really handy.

While it takes a bit of time to find the speakers "sweet spot" by adjusting the radio volume and the speaker/mic volume, once I found it, it sounds good for it's size. WFM commercial stations actually sound better through it than through the radio speaker.

In a perfect world I'd like the plastic to be a closer match to the radio, but it is certainly acceptable. Mine was just under $40 through my local Gigaparts store. I could have found it cheaper, but not by a whole lot and I believe it is important to support the local guys when it is possible. While you can get similar speaker/mics from other companies, I like have matched equipment and have never been disappointed with the Kenwood brand. Again, the difference in price was less that $20. And for something I now use every day, I felt it was worth it.

I give the SMC-34 a great rating (5) especially with the tiny TH-F6 rig. It is a really nice extra!
KI6AZD Rating: 2006-12-09
Awesome Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Sounds excellent and I get incredibly positive audio reports when using the microphone.

You just plug it in, set the volume on the HT, set the volume on the SMC-34 and you're good to go!

Programming the PF keys for anything you want is also incredibly easy.

Construction feels solid and fits in my hand well.

Great purchase for my TH-F6A HT. Recommended!

N9DEK Rating: 2006-02-22
My first microphone Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased this for my TH-G71. Receiving excellent audio reports and speaker is good. Only used at my desk so far but purchased it for mobile use also. Clip-on and chord seem sturdy and chord is long enough to attach to your waist either in the front or back. I would definitely purchase again. Got it at R&L for $29.95.
W2FPG Rating: 2006-01-23
terrible Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have one brand new with my thf6a and from the
git it was junk.U have to turn the radio all the way up to hear anything and then it's all trebly
and broken up.Avoid this mic they have another thats supposed to be heads and shoulders above this junker.Still new in box paid 24 dollars too much.My Radio shack mics work better than that
for & bucks to bad they don't fit kenwood.
Good Luck have fun
K0KAV Rating: 2003-12-21
Terrific Audio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had nothing but excellent audio reports on this mic. It works well, the volume control is convenient. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.
KD7UHR Rating: 2003-12-14
Solid Microphone Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I purhcased this microphone to accompany my F6A and have been very pleased. I consistently receive good audio reports from others and the microphone produces consistently readable output. Additionally, I have used it several times in inclement weather (rain, freezing temps) and it has continued to give me quality performance. Buttons ARE programmable in accordance with the instruction manual. I have no complaints and would purchase another.
AD5HD Rating: 2003-11-23
Not bad Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Must be a different mic being reviewed below. Consistently excellent audio reports on-air, decent spkr sound in receive as well being not substantially different from spkr in TH-G71A. Programming of function keys works and is covered in the HT manual, assuming the LOCK switch on the back of the mic isn't in the ON position. Lapel clip works just fine, the volume control is handy to work with your thumb, and the headphone jack works just fine with Sony MDR-G52 headphones. No problem using it mobile with the windows down at highway speeds. Seems like an acceptably good product to me, and with a cost on the order of 10% of the cost of an HT, more or less, it also doesn't seem overpriced. YMMV
KD7NDM Rating: 2003-11-21
Too expensive Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Well this mic is in need of modification. After many very poor reports on the air I investigated the problem. It appears that Kenwood did not want ANYTHING to get to the mic, including your voice. The area that the mic occupies has eight little dimples, no holes!!! So I took the mic apart and proceeded to use a heated needle and razorblade to open the holes to the mike. This made a small improvement but there is a thick foam pad stuck in the mike cavity along with a piece of clear plastic. Throw those away and put it all back together and it will work much better. My audio reports are now the same as the mic on my TH-F6. The other complaint I have is the speaker sound quality, for the cost of this unit it should have at least the same sound as the HT. Save your money unless you get a used one for a good price and modify it.
WA2AEL Rating: 2002-08-02
Virtually Unusable Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I concur with KC2ICOs comments. I bought this with a TH F6A. I use the radio constantly. I don't bother with this mike. Audio quality is so bad that I find this microphone to be useless. This speaker/mic has the sound quality I would expect from a $10 toy.

I expected better of Kenwwod.
KE4RWS Rating: 2002-08-02
Bordering Good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have a Kenwood TH-D7A H/T and wanted a matching speaker/mic, preferably Kenwood brand, that would allow the user to have limited control of the radio, yet have reasonably good sound. The SMC-34 seemed to be what I was looking for (on paper). I was able to pick one up brand new on Ebay for $27 including shipping. Once I attached it to the radio it was obvious the SMC-34 didn't meet my original expectations. The three buttons which control various functions on the radio can't be user programmed so your stuck with whatever it happens to control. Personally, I didn't find the stock control configuration useful at all. I did like the flat rotary volume control knob on the mic though. I found it to be a useful addition to the SMC-34. You must set the volume on the radio your using to an appropriate level first in order to have reasonably good audio control via the mic. Since the SMC-34 is rather small it doesn't produce an ear-busting amount of audio, but should be loud enough provided the user has reasonably good hearing. There is also an external speaker output jack on the bottom of the mic itself in case you want to use either an external speaker or earpiece. One word of caution though; Make certain the volume is set to a very low level on the radio AND the mic, as your ears will ring for a while if using the earpiece and the volume is set too high. I found the coiled cord to be long enough to have the H/T on your belt and clip the SMC-34 to your collar. On the rear of the mic is a plastic rotating spring-loaded clip which provides adequate pressure to remain in place (at least mine does). Overall construction appears good, but keep in mind the entire mic is made of plastic so it's very light (which is good in some instances, bad in others).

While the SMC-34 doesn't hold a candle to the my commercial Motorola speaker/mics, one really can't expect it to have the same quality as a $100 piece of commercial gear, but I'm glad I was able to shy away from the list price ($40 at the time of this writing), as I personally feel it's more in line of being a $25 model. In short, I'd be ticked if I paid $40 plus shipping for this thing! I recommend it if you can pick one up for under $30, but any more than that I feel your wasting your money.