CP200 Speaker Mic Question......

radio230 · Post by **radio230** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 6:53 pm

I have a CP-200 portable and am having trouble with the speaker mic. I original bought the radio new and bought a used OEM speaker mic. This mic lasted about 9 months and a short devolped in the cord right at the connector to the readio. I jerry-riged it to work for a couple / few weeks until i bought a new mic off ebay. It was supposedly OEM, but after I got it I had my doubts. Anyway I have only been using that mic for about 2-3 months now and it has devolped a shjort in the same place.

Does anyone know if this is some kind of design flaw / defect in the radio and/or mics? I do use it for PS work, as I am an auxilary police officer and a voulenteer firefighter. I do not use it odften on the fire department and have NEVER taken it inside a burning structure. Used mostly there for outside ground activites. I do use it on the streets and an auxilary PO but it has not seen rough or harsh service when I have used it.

If anyone has any thoughts, or could recommend a speaker mic (preferably Motorola) that would hold upo better it would be greatly appreciated.

RFguy · Post by **RFguy** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 8:59 pm

Yes on the design flaw. The speaker mic jack is not well supported on the radios main circuit board. We no longer recommend using speaker mics with CP200 portables.

PS Motorola says that they have never heard of the problem.

Anyone else experiencing this non-existent problem?

Post by **escomm** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:13 pm

Most of the CP150s we get in for service have this problem, luckily we push the ESP so the repairs and parts are free. It does not happen so often that I would call it a design flaw, but then again my customers may not be as hard on their radios as others.

Post by **wavetar** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:29 am

RFguy wrote:Yes on the design flaw. The speaker mic jack is not well supported on the radios main circuit board. We no longer recommend using speaker mics with CP200 portables.

PS Motorola says that they have never heard of the problem.

Anyone else experiencing this non-existent problem?

I think you're referring to the actual speaker mic jack within the radio, whereas the original poster is talking about the speaker mic cord.

radio230, what is the part# of the speaker mic? The HMN9030 has been around since the introduction of the GP300 line (although it had a different part# for the first several years) which is close to 15 years now, and I haven't seen any large amount of failures. Some yes, because it's a mechanical movement point & it takes most of the strain during use. Nothing that would lead me to call it a 'flaw'.

Don't get me wrong though, I've never been a fan of the 2-prong speaker/mic configuration, be it Motorola, Kenwood, Midland, etc. They are all prone to mechanical failure compared to others like the Jedi/Waris type configurations.

Todd

radio230 · Post by **radio230** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:53 am

Wavetar, you are correct. It is the actual speaker / mic cord AT the radio connetor. My first mic, the one I bought used was an HMN9030(i think actually 9030a). The second one (that is possibly countrfeit) is an HMN9026. I noticied right away with the 2nd that the cord was thinner (and much longer), and the mic head itself was larger and did not feel right. Hard to explain, but it felt "cheap", did not feel solid like a true motorola mic.

Anyway, I have learned that the 9030 is the recommended mic, but I am growing tired of replacing these things. That is why I asked if there was some kind of flaw in the design. But from what I am reading I guess I am just having bad luck (plus possible cheated with a knock-off mic). As I said, my radio does not really see any hard action. Being an auxiallry I only work occasionally, but I do tend to carry it around town with me, but still no hard action seen.

But if the HMN9030(a or whatever) is generally a good quality mic I will try to find a TRUE Motorola one and hope for the best.

P.S. I agree, I hate the 2 prong mic but this was the most afforable radio for my purposes at the time.

arlojanis · Post by **arlojanis** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:02 am

There is a new mic with part number PMMN4013A. Cable and plug look the same, but it might last longer.

Post by **wavetar** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 3:34 pm

radio230 wrote: My first mic, the one I bought used was an HMN9030(i think actually 9030a). The second one (that is possibly countrfeit) is an HMN9026.

Ah, that compounded your problem. Your first one was used, the second was the 'retail' version for the cheapie FRS model radios. Small wonder you had issues. You should get many years use out of a brand-new HMN9030, judging by your level of use.

Todd

radio230 · Post by **radio230** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 3:59 pm

Thanks for the info. I now understand why the 9026 I bought felt "chep" because as you said it is the "cheap" version, but I guess it is actually Motorola prooduct. I actually just e-mailed to guy I bought the 9026 from, since his ebay auction said he gives a 1 year replacement warranty, and he is going to send me out another 9026 for no charge. But I think I may still invest money (when I have a little extra laying around) and buy a true 9030 so I (hopefully) won't have anymore problems.

Thanks again for all the info.

Bat2way · Post by **Bat2way** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:48 pm

RFguy wrote:Yes on the design flaw. The speaker mic jack is not well supported on the radios main circuit board. We no longer recommend using speaker mics with CP200 portables.

Don't know why not. You're just missing an accessory sale. If you are into repairing 2-way radios, resoldering the CP200 speaker-mic jack (cold-soldered) contacts are easy money. Hourly paid techs might want to twiddle their thumbs at the bench, but as a business owner, the repair is as good and easy as replacing SP50 speaker-mic jacks. Looks like the same simple cold-soldering problems on this version radio too like the antenna jack and on-off volume pot contacts.

Crimestopper · Post by **Crimestopper** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:12 pm

The 9026 is a probably a FAKE, that mic is no longer in production and no way would Motorola warranty that mic. I wont go into names of sellers on Ebay that are selling fakes, but the 9026 is a common fake, and it is easy for a seller to replace the mic since they are counterfit and only cost $7-9 bucks. Does this seller also sell chargers on Ebay? Is there a date code on the back of the 9026 speaker mic? I doubt it, if there is no date code on the clip of the mic then it is a fake 100%.

radio230 · Post by **radio230** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 2:20 pm

Well crimestopper, I checked the back of the HMN9026 mic and it does NOT have a date code. So, from your post I take it this IS a fake mic. Also, I will not post the ebay username (not yet at least) but the seller I bought it from does sell a few chargers, and other radio accesories, but mostly sells batteries. Most of those he lists as OEM. If this seller is indeed peddling counterfeit merchandise I would like to warn the other members, but (mods come in here) I am not sure that would be in accordance with the board policies(if it is I will post his info).

Crimestopper, I have sent you a PM wiht his name. It sounds like you may have had dealings with him before.