KENWOOD Radio Communication Microphones

Kenwood Radio Microphones Purchasing Guide

Microphones serve various purposes, and there are hundreds of models with different features. Radio microphones, for instance, are good for communicating and recording sound. eBay has different types of reasonably priced Kenwood radio microphones and desktop microphones.

There are a couple of patterns that distinguish the directions from which a microphone picks up the sound. There are also, however, multi-pattern microphones that can alternate the different patterns by using a switch or interchangeable capsules. These types of microphones are more versatile in their purpose and can be used for different settings.

The polar pattern is the shape of the field of sensitivity of the microphone. This is the direction or directions from which the Kenwood microphone takes in sound. The different polar patterns available on eBay are:

• Omnidirectional: Takes sound coming from all directions.
• Bi-directional: Takes sounds from the east and west side of the microphone.
• Unidirectional: Takes sound that comes from one direction and does not hear the sounds from other directions. This type of pattern can be cardioid, super cardioid, and hyper-cardioid. The cardioid pattern is heart-shaped and is sensitive to sounds coming from the front and sides. Supercardioid accepts more sound from a 180-degree angle but shuts off some sound coming from both sides. Hyper-cardioid is even more sensitive to sound coming from the 180-degree but rejects some of the sounds from 90- or 270-degree angles.

The frequency response is the range of frequencies that a microphone can pick up. The range shows the lowest and highest frequencies that are available for the microphone. It is measured in Hertz. For example, a vocal microphone will do fine with a frequency response within 80 kHz and 15 kHz. For percussion, a microphone with a low range of as little as 50 Hz will be more appropriate.

Sensitivity is how sensitive a microphone is in picking up a sound. The sensitivity of these affordable microphones is measured with different systems, but the common indicator of a more sensitive microphone is the lower number. The sound pressure level is measured in decibels. This is the maximum volume that the microphone can process. A microphone with a high SPL capability can deal with louder sounds. The average value of SPL capacity is 100 dB with a high SPL considered 130 dB.