Kenwood MC-60A
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| Frequency | N/A - desk microphone (audio ~300-3000 Hz) |
| Bands | N/A - microphone |
| Power | Desktop microphone; the switchable preamp is powered either by the transceiver (via the mic jack, on most Kenwood HF rigs) or by 2x AA batteries in the base. |
| Modes | works with SSB/AM/FM per host radio |
| Year | 1982 |
| output | 8-pin round chrome locking (DIN-style) mic plug, wired for Kenwood; on a ~6 ft coiled cord |
| adapter | MJ-88 (8-pin round to 8-pin modular) for Kenwood modular-jack rigs (TS-480, TM-271/281, TM-V71, etc.); Icom or Yaesu need rewiring or a brand-specific cable |
| power req | Preamp: 5-10 V from the transceiver mic jack, or 2x AA batteries |
Estimated (unverified): Weight (~795 g base) and dimensions (~90 x 170 x 160 mm) are taken from the near-identical MC-60 - Kenwood does not separately publish them for the MC-60A. Preamp gain is not specified by Kenwood.
The classic Kenwood desk mic, built to last and instantly recognizable. The single dynamic element gives a rich, smooth voice, and many operators run it with the preamp off on modern radios for the wider 150 Hz-10 kHz response. A dual-impedance switch (500/50k ohm) suits both modern and vintage transceivers, and the preamp can draw power from the radio so the batteries are optional. Heavy die-cast base, feather-touch PTT with lock, UP/DOWN buttons, and a detachable capsule add versatility; the 8-pin round plug is standard Kenwood, with the MJ-88 adapter for modular-jack rigs.
A single element with no audio shaping beyond the impedance and preamp switches - for tailored audio a Heil element on the right cable offers more. The preamp narrows the response (200 Hz-7 kHz vs 150 Hz-10 kHz bypassed). Older units can pick up RF at high power, usually fixed with a ferrite. It is wired for Kenwood, so Icom or Yaesu use needs rewiring, and Kenwood modular-jack rigs need the MJ-88. It is now discontinued, so it is a used-market buy.
A long-standing Kenwood desk mic whose smooth audio is part of the 'Kenwood sound,' and a natural match for a TS-590, TS-890, or TS-2000. Run with the preamp off on a modern radio, its 150 Hz-10 kHz response is wide and clean, and the dual-impedance switch lets it work with almost anything given the right wiring. Now discontinued, it is increasingly a secondhand find - still a solid, good-looking microphone, with the older units' occasional RF sensitivity the main thing to check.
The MC-60A is the desk microphone people picture when they picture a Kenwood station - the chrome-and-cream base that has sat in front of TS-series radios since the early 1980s. Introduced in 1982 (the "A" marks the built-in amplifier), it stayed in production essentially unchanged for more than forty years, which is part of why it is so recognizable: the same shape turns up in shack photos across four decades.
Under the grille is a single dynamic, moving-coil element - one capsule, despite the persistent myth of a dual-element design. The "dual" in its description refers instead to impedance: a switch on the head selects 500 ohms or 50 k-ohms, so it can feed a modern low-impedance radio or an older high-impedance one. A switchable preamp in the base adds gain; it runs from two AA cells, or, on most Kenwood HF rigs, straight off the voltage the radio sends up the mic cable, in which case the batteries can stay out. With the preamp bypassed the response runs 150 Hz to 10 kHz; switch it in and the passband narrows to 200 Hz-7 kHz.
The base carries a feather-touch PTT bar with a lock for nets, UP and DOWN buttons that step the frequency on compatible Kenwood radios, and little else - no tone control, no compressor, because the shaping is expected to happen in the radio. A neat touch: the capsule lifts off the stand and can be plugged straight into a rig on its own, though you lose the preamp, the PTT bar, and the UP/DOWN buttons when you do.
It ends in the eight-pin round locking plug wired for Kenwood, so it drops into the round-jack TS radios directly; newer modular-jack sets like the TS-480 need Kenwood's MJ-88 adapter, and using it on an Icom or Yaesu means rewiring or a brand-specific cable. Kenwood has now discontinued it, with last retail around $170, so it is increasingly a used-market find. Some early units were prone to RF pickup at high power, usually cured with a ferrite on the cable; later ones are generally clean. For a TS-890 or TS-2000 owner who wants the classic Kenwood look and sound, it remains the obvious desk mic - and for tailored, broadcast-style audio, a Heil element on the right cable is the alternative.