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Reviews For: AB5N - Icom HM-151 - IC-7000 mic. modification

Category: Microphones for ham radio

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Review Summary For : AB5N - Icom HM-151 - IC-7000 mic. modification
Reviews: 161MSRP: 39.50
Description:
Modification to the Icom HM-151 hand microphone that comes with the Icom IC-7000. This mod fixes the poor FM audio that this microphone and radio combination has from the factory. The modification replaces the mic element and a capacitor, adds a shaped acoustic foam shell, widens the mic opening, adds a wind screen (pop filter) and a 1oz weight to the microphone shell.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.7000mic.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001615
W7TKO Rating: 2015-08-08
Outstanding work! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had issues with the PTT switch so off the mic went to Bob for a full upgrade and PTT repair. Turn around time was phenomenally quick (less than 6 days door to door from NV). Had a spare HM-151 for comparison against Bob's handy work. The on air results are nothing short of amazing. If you have the HM-151 mic and haven't had it worked on by AB5N, please don't wait!
M0OIC Rating: 2015-07-03
Excellent with IC7100 Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
On receiving my IC7100 some months ago and chatting to stations I was given early advice on the hand mic "put it in its box and throw it in the back of cupboard" There it has lain until reading reports on eHam.net. Contact was made with Bob AB5N.

From the UK to USA a 10 day turn around which was not expected. I found Bob to be very helpful in answering questions asked. Best of all is the microphone HM-151 which I used for the first time this morning during a RSARS net. Yes, they can be critical at times which is what we need when testing out an upgraded Mike. The first two comments were "have you bought a linear you nearly took my ears off hi!"

I hadn't initially informed members that I was using a different rig, the Icom IC-7100 with upgraded HM-151 microphone but all came back to me with excellent reports. One visitor to our net also gave a 59 plus report with excellent quality audio. Much better than expected I was tempted to say but on reading other reports, I will simply say as expected.

Shipping to and from the UK to USA was a bit eye watering, isn't it always. However I think Bob's charges were very fair and have totally transformed audio from the IC-7100. Money well spent.

It all depends on voice of course but for me settings are: Gain 60%, Comp ON, TBW Mid which produced 7 excellent reports from other net members on 40m. Best comment was "sounds very solid, clean and cutting through the noise 59+10" I don't have a linear so it was 100 watts into an inverted V 40/80m trapped dipole.

Thanks Bob, great job.
N7WI Rating: 2015-03-19
Why did I wait? Time Owned: more than 12 months.
After Four years of owning my ICOM IC-7000 I finally sent my HM-151 to Bob to get his modification. He's VERY FAST with the turn around ! I adjusted my settings per his note he sends back with your mic then did a few more from there just using my meter. Without asking how my audio was with my first contact the first thing I was told was, "man your audio sounds great!" The same went for the second and third... I never got the chance to ask how it was. Thank you Bob I should have done this years ago! :-)
KC6RCM Rating: 2015-02-10
Superb audio. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bob, at AB5N Microphone Upgrades will take your stock, anemic HM-151 and transform it into a microphone powerhouse, offering superb sounding transmit audio. Quick turn around time as well.

Bravo, Five Star Bob!
KR6J Rating: 2015-01-29
Awesome Audio!!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Well. Not sure I can add any more to the great feedback that's already here, but I'll try. I ordered the parts and did the modification myself back about a year ago and man-oh-man what a difference this modification makes! In addition to that, I spoke with Bob over the telephone and he provided some great technical support. Great support and a great modification. Thank you Bob!!
KK4YMB Rating: 2015-01-11
Worth four times what I paid Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
AB5N HM151 Mic upgrade is an absolute requirement for any IC7000 user. This upgrade really brings out the max potential of the IC7K Transmitting ability. Their are many sites across the net that have before and after audio but hearing is believing. For a mere $50 this is the best money you could spend on your ic7k.
N2VU Rating: 2014-11-17
Mod also applies to HM-133, HM-133V and HM-207 mic's Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
For as much as anyone can assume modifying their mic's themselves, what Bob Nagy does with these hand mic's makes any of these associated ICOM radios sound so, so much better … and also makes them FEEL better too.

What he does to the mic's - or at least to mine was;

- Change the capsule for one that has far better dynamic range and overall sound
- Swap out the high-pass filter capacitor, allowing for the qualities of the capsule to be appreciated
- Swap out the factory pop-filter (foam at the mic hole in the mic case) to one that's less dense and more acoustically transparent yet still affective.
- Subtly opens/widens that microphone hole just a bit without affecting the aesthetics in any way
- And a detail that I really appreciate a lot is the one once weight that Bob adds to the inside of the case which gives the mic a far better, solid, dense feel.

I first had Bob do the mod to my HM-207 which is the mic that comes with the ICOM ID-5100 D-Star Radio. The results exceeded my expectations. Having two 5100's I compared the modified and unmodified mic's on the air and the reports were all the same. Everyone said that the modified mic sounded louder, clearer, fuller, warmer … as for detail, it was as if toggling between being many miles away from the repeater to being at the repeater … simply far better than stock.

Suffice it to say that my second shipment to Bob was a box that had the other HM-207 and the HM-133's for my other ICOM radios! Well worth the price now that all my ICOM's sound so much better. I literally get unsolicited remarks about my audio very often. By the way, his turnaround time is pretty impressive too. Each time he worked on the mic's the day he got them and shipped them right back.

Great guy, very impressive and affective mod with stellar results. The AB5n mod is a must!!
2E1RDX Rating: 2014-06-10
Stunning Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought a IC-7000 and my mate said it sounds poor, you need to get the AB5N mod done on the mic,
So off went the mic to Bob it took 11 working days from the day I sent it till the day it was returned that was from the UK to USA and back including the work,
Now the part that matters I went on 10m with Jim M0HDX as He is the person I trust to set my audio up how I like it crisp and punchy, 5 minutes later He says perfect leave everything there it sounds superb Thats the best money you have ever spent in Amateur radio ??? Jims words not mine but I have to agree
The service from Bob is 2nd to none and can't say more other than if you have a IC-7000 get your Mic off to Bob and get superb audio reports
Thanks Bob a happy customer or should I say another happy customer
rgds Ian
KG6ANT Rating: 2014-06-07
30 day Follow-up Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
WOW, MANY HF contacts and sterling reports. FM I finally got the rig in my car; HF withstanding, I have had MANY good reports on local repeaters (2 meters and 70 cm), HOWEVER, since I was mobile I had to turn the mic gain down to 20% but everyone LOVES the overall sound quality. Folks you will NOT be disappointed!
KG1F Rating: 2014-05-26
Great service - Fast turnaround! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just moved to a new QTH and before setting up my new IC-7100 thought I'd upgrade the microphone to improve the audio.

I mailed the HM-151 to Bob on Tuesday - Bob did the upgrade and I had it back on Saturday, just four days later. The extra weight he added improves the heft and balance of the mic, and the audio reports I'm getting are great!

I'd now much rather use this mic with great sound, and the handy DTMF keypad and controls built into it - the Heil's can stay in the drawer.