MFJ has  boxes in the hundred dollar range to either switch 2 mics to 
1 radio, or 2 radios to 1 mic, depending on  which box you get.


The 1251 I mentioned in the other post is a microphone conversion box. 
  You can input either an 8 pin modular, or 8 pin round mic.   Output is 
a single modular jack.  The unit comes with 2 cables:  modular at both 
ends, and modular at 1 end and 8 pin round at the other end.   So you 
can input your mic of choice and output to  a radio with either modular 
or round mic input, using one of the supplied cables.  Internal jumpers 
need to be set to match the  radio and mic pin outs.


I had built my PF key box using an old MFJ TNC to radio switch box. 
Just thinking that this mic conversion box could be the basis for a 
similar home brew project.    You would still need to  break out the 2 
pins needed from the jumper header.   I also don't know how large the 
actual box is.    It  would need to be large enough to mount at least 4 
and possibly 6  push buttons.   The 4   buttons would equal the 4 extra 
pf keys, and the other 2 would be up/down, which can be remapped as pf 
keys in 590 menus.

It would still be a project, but at least the mic in and out is  taken 
care of.

73, Steve KW3A

On 9/30/2015 10:41 AM, Butch Bussen wrote:
> Is this a box for switching microphones or switching radios?  I always
> wanted a switch box or a box with function buttons on it, but I just
> can't build that sort of thing.  You are right, voices and radios are
> different.  The eq stuff talks reasonably well on the 590 control
> program, but not at all on the 990  program.  THe microphone, that is
> the one we're discussing, does have a level pot and does not require
> batteries when run on the Kenwood radios.
> 73
> Butch
> WA0VJR
> Node 3148
> Wallace, ks.
>
>
> On Wed, 30 Sep 2015, Steve
> Forst wrote:
>
>> Ron,
>>
>> As has been said, the 590  has  several EQ choices in the radio, as well
>> as  the ability in the ARCP-590 software to tweak it even more.
>> Everyone's voice is different, and what works for you might not work for me.
>>
>> If more money and additional complexity are no problem, you  could add a
>> microphone switch box.   This would let you use your desired mic, and
>> let you switch to the  MFJ mic with the 4 pf keys  when you need to push
>> a button.    Not sure I would go this route, but it's an option.
>>
>> On a sort of semi-related note,  I see the MFJ-1251 is a microphone
>> conversion box with internal jumpers to  match different microphones to
>> different radios.
>>
>> I don't know how large the enclosure is, but it could possibly be the
>> basis for a homebrew pf key box.  I know it uses small internal
>> horseshoe   jumpers, and someone would need to lay their hands on a
>> couple of  jumpers with wires  to break out the 2 pins needed to go to
>> the buttons/resistors that would be the new pf keys.
>>
>> 73, Steve KW3A
>>
>>
>