No! Don't Sound Like This on SSB!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

1,000 apologies for pointing these people out. If they watch this, they'll know to tun their compressor down, maybe it was just incorrectly set that day. I had good intentions.

[@stevenemert837]

Wow, they definitely need to be told!

[@pc4ad]

As long as they aren't told, they might not know.

[@kevinkc3onohelijeepworld953]

We should all strive to have the best audio, make it easier for the other operator. 9 times out of ten we have enough challenges with the band noise add in a weak muddy audio and you won’t be herd 😉

[@stargazer7644]

No worries, they sounded like crap.

[@anonhollmuller4032]

why at all in the world they gave (and give) anybody a 5/(5)/9 with this poorly understandable signal! thank you for this video +! sorry for my poor english!!!

[@ferdinandwp4rjl377]

Lord CALLUM, if we don't hear ourselves we would NOT notice. Thank you again for your time and experience. 👍🏼 73

[@temporarilyoffline]

I use that websdr trick all the time, amazing how much improvement there is in modern radios.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Hi Steve, sure!

[@spakkajack]

i think manufacturers should build radios with de-compressors for the italian market

[@claudiojosedesouzajunior2625]

ahahahahaha

[@jackK5FIT]

We have a daily ARRL Section net on 75M and usually have between 75 and 100 check-ins. In that group are a few that could take your advice from this video. Some are very very good, most are fine but there are those few who range from pretty bad to "What did he say?". It's much harder to point out a needed correction than to give a good report most times. Thanks for another educational video. Oh and the net is on 3.862 LSB at 5:30pm CST daily. Jack K5FIT

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Thanks for the info!

[@PotatoesMakeChips]

I've found a lot of transferable knowledge from music mixing tutorials. A lot of what they say is inapplicable, but I found them helpful for understanding the core function of the items in your audio chain and how to configure them properly.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Cool, thanks!

[@3dPrint_and_chill]

"Again again " "again again" "yes 5 9" 😂 I find myself doing the same thing in a pile up.

[@presidentspilot]

Callum, you are SO UNIQUE!! You take the time to literally review EVERY single comment, and share your experiences and wisdom with each! I look for EVERY subject that you record, and kindly share with us, because not only are you VERY INTERESTING to listen to, your empathy and kindness is all there to appreciate as well!! God Bless, Callum!!...and I thank you for all the above!! 73's,... K6PAM

[@DXCommanderHQ]

You're the best!

[@HowardKlein1958]

Good to hear someone explain compression. I swear most people can't hear heavy compression, whether it be HF or just radio tv.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yeah, Wendy can't hear it either!

[@grandpaandlucas7054]

i think you have a very good valid point here callum. bit all the m7 callsigns near got a free italian passport. all i hear is holaa and this is on 145. 500mhz but for some reason they never give there callsign.

[@piquat1]

I've noticed on the waterfall that bad over compressed audio frequently comes with a signal that's 6+Khz wide too.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yes, it can do that too :)

[@InvertedAV8R]

Using SDR's to sample your audio really is a great resource. One thing to note though, set the bandwidth of the SDR to equal or greater than that which you are transmitting or you will not hear a true representation of your audio. This is also one of the reasons some hams might say you sound "this way" while others say "that way", so to speak. Your bandwidth, EQ settings and uber expensive mic won't be well represented on receivers set to 300 hz low cut and a bandwidth of 2.4 kilohertz for an example.

[@davidportch8837]

Excellent advice as always callum ...

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Thanks 👍

[@applejacks971]

Growing up with CB since the 1970's and still using them as a truck driver, no one will ever tell you if your radio sounds bad...its always 'Yup, sounds good here", when they know its garbled or crap. If my radio has a problem, I want to know, otherwise I wouldn't be asking. Its so nice in the ham radio world other stations will actually give you real feedback, its refreshing!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Well.. we HOPE we get realistic feedback! LOL

[@CONFUCIUS-f2x]

"Back to the bench"

[@VK4HG]

Thanks for saying what needs to be said.

[@johnkemas7344]

I use a IC 7300 and set my mic gain up 1/3 of the way and put compression (ALC level) on level 3. I get great great comments about excellent audio quality all the time. Then tweeked the audio filters in the rig for best results with my voice. Most hams can't be bothered to do this and it sounds like it!! The desk mic I'm using is a custom built station mic I built from the standard IC-7300 hand held mic element. I cannabilized from one I got at a ham fest. This mic element is a hot electret mic and puts out a lot of audio gain. If you are setting your ALC level up more than just visible (1/3 scale) on the meter it is way too much. I built the desk mic and deep set the element into the mic body in medium firmness foam rubber which helps eliminate more background and side noise, deadens the higher frequencies, and gives the mic a smoother sounding quality. It took some playing with to get it perfect but was worth the effort.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Nice

[@BentConrod]

The IC-7300, and I assume it's siblings also, have a meter to assist with setting compression. The recommended setting at normal voice level is between 10 and 20dB. If the meter exceeds its upper indicator distortion may occur. Transmitted audio quality can be sampled directly using the Monitor function which is very helpful in achieving optimal performance and eliminates the need to use an remote receiver such as websdr or audio reports from other operators.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yes, that's how I broadcast my livestreams, right out the back of the rig on the soundcard USB line using the Mon function. Didn't know the 7300 could do that. Nice.

[@DominicMazoch]

The 746 pro and the QRP 703+ have it! So I would think the 706/7000 family have it.

[@johnkemas7344]

Built in monitor is far more effective than on air monitoring. you hear the signal undistorted before it leaves the rig. Once out in the wild airwaves all kinds of natural phenomena can mess up your audio. Get a good set of head phones and monitor your audio on the rig. That's primarily why they have that feature.

[@aeron-mw7ofs]

Great stuff 👍

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Thanks 👍

[@adam-g7crq]

Hi Callum, this is how I set up my radios for myself, main HF radio ic-7300 with dummy load inline looking at the ALC meter I adjust my mic gain and compression level to keep it within range, on the 7300's ALC meter there's a solid red line I try not to go beyond this red line whilst talking, seems to work for me. Mic gain set at around 36% compression around 2 or 3

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Sounds great!

[@johnkemas7344]

If you are running the standard IC-7300 mic, your ALC level is probably to hot. Icom mics have a lot of gain to begin with. Listen to your built in monitor through head phones and set ALC according to the best audio quality you hear without compression first. I think you'll find the ALC only needs to come up to about the 1/3 to 1/2 way mark between the bottom and the RED line max. Of course people with softer voices may need to adjust accordingly. I wouldn't adjust ALC with the compression turned on. Once you get an ALC level that sounds good, then turn on compression and readjust to you liking.

[@loughkb]

Understanding what the 'compressor' does helps people understand the potential problem. I think. The way I understand it is. A compressor is non-linear amplification of the audio. The amount of amplification depends on how low or high the source audio is in amplitude. If you simply amplify audio linearly, you bring everything up the same amount. So loud bits are made just as much louder as the quiet bits are. This can cause the loud parts to exceed the top of the amplifiers range, clipping them off. A compressor amplifies quiet parts more than it amplifies loud parts. So it can amplify something quiet much more without pushing the loud parts so high that they clip. This 'compresses' all of the audio up toward the top, giving the overall audio more of a punchy sound. The down side to this is that room noise, background, and the quieter parts of what you are saying are all amplified right up. Muddying up the overall sound. A little bit of compression can give your voice more loudness and make it easier to understand when your signal is weak on the receiving end. Too much just makes it hard to understand you. As you demonstrated so well Cal.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

That is another (similar) way of looking at it - yes Kevin..

[@g4lmn-ron]

Another good way to test your audio is call in to Callum's Friday live stream, then listen to yourself later.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Oh yes Ron!

[@ricsanders69]

I have a Kenwood TS-530SP and have done this test myself a few times, via websdr...such a powerful capability! Anyway...On this radio you it has a button to turn the processor on or off as well as a MIC gain knob and I so noticed this kind of distortion when the MIC gain was turned up so much that the ALC went past half-way on the ALC meter...even in the operating manual it tells you to only turn up the MIC gain until the needle approaches the end of the ALC range. Great video sir! 73

[@DXCommanderHQ]

The good news though Richard (as you probably discovered) is that there is certainly some magic that Kenwood uses to "assist" us stupid people.. I have very rarely heard a Kenwood sounding awful!

[@G0USL]

Hi Callum, Maybe a word or two about the use of ALC too, I have my Kenwoods set to about 10 to 15% compression with no ALC overshoot.

[@cliffyoung5712]

The first thing i did when i bought my FT450D is tune a remote sdr and adjust my audio. Never thought about it, just second nature. My first rig was a set of SB 300 Heathkit twins with a scope, you always tuned the rig to peak and then tweaked it for perfect modulation.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Nice!

[@alexr71]

I have some very bad antennas, but luckily the Icom IC-7300 can be set to have natural and strong modulation at the same time. What saves me is not the signal strength (no power and some sort of clothesline as antennas in my balcony) but the quality of the modulation itself. Kudos to Icom for that. 73 de IS0HNW Alex.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yes Alex, most (now all!) 7300s sound fine. Do you also Kenwoods also normally sound amazing?

[@alexr71]

@@DXCommanderHQ Yeah, I've also got an amazing TS-830S and a 180S. They're great old rigs, of course, but even if they pack a punch, the controls and the user experience of the 7300 with the stock mic it's terrific for the bucks. I would never going back.

[@super66craig]

Its a benefit of Kenwood that other systems don't do. The 590s ts the best radio on the used market. I hope to get a dual vfo like yours but I'm retired and it's not likely in the cards till I sell my work tools. I've heard the extended SSB and that's wildly good.

[@NebukedNezzer]

I run some rf compression on my hf transmitter. 10 db is fine. properly done its a help. the microphone/audio response is important also. on my kenwood ts-850 with the stock hand mike on ssb tx I run with the high boost on. with my voice its best that way. when I run am where the processor is not available. I sound better with the mike high boost off. as you say. most rigs work ok rite out of the box.yes, I have an electrovoice re-20 but the stock hand mike is just fine.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yes, RE20s etc are a complete overkill but lovely piece of engineering!

[@eknaap8800]

My Kenwood 850SAT gives a great audio indeed. With the MC90 mic, I only have to turn the 'proc' & mic gain just 1/4 to have enough readability. 73 PD0PSX

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Kenwoods.. Thay always make TX sound great anyway! :)

[@MedusalObligation]

I run mobile in a 34 year old diesel truck and the stock hand mic. I meticulously adjusted my audio and parametric EQ to get the best possible audio. I need ALL the help I can get over road and engine noise. (My radio lets me monitor my output through headphones with no latency. Really helps)

[@madcarew5168]

Yes,I've had to switch off my sotabeams unit on reports it was overwhelming,so I suppose being selective is the answer.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Oh!

[@TomA-qy6jz]

Greit video Cal. Many operators use average reading wattmeters and in some rigs the meter is averaging as well. My FTDX 1200 is an example and CB rigs as well. So if the operator need to see the needle peaking all the time even when catching breath , bad audio is the result. It may be from a crancked up powermic or comp all the way up. So on amateur HF rig the ALC is the best meter except if there is an overdriven stage before the comp. On my TS480 high comp IN is a bad idea as on most kenwoods with dual comp adjustment. On newer rigs it seems like they are tuned to work with full tone mics so on both my FTDX 1200 and IC7300 for my voice I had to lower low frequency gain and up with high frequency gain. This must be done seperate with comp on/off especially on yaesu radios. How much comp depends on mic and if you are the sort of operator that has to be stamped on to get a sound out ;-)

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Good advice. Thanks!

[@markramsay6399]

Excellent video Cal! Not done much music making of late, but the incorrect use of compressor in music (as you will know) totally destroys audio. I learned the hard way over a few years. My problems was using plugins and hardware - because I had them. I felt I needed to use everything I had (because I paid for it). Only later I realised that less is more. Cheers, Mark, 2E0MSR.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Haha.. Yes!

[@arconeagain]

One of the basics to always remember on sideband (obviously) is that needle has to fall back. Just with a decent meter, you can see it, set the gain (at least) so that it does and then a little under that. I found this to be a good rule of thumb if you can't hear yourself. The same may be employed with compression and processing, sure, it raises your average level, but this again is not necessarily desirable for SSB and clarity. I've found that only a small amount of compression is acceptable, in general. Of course processors vary by AGC attack time and the wave shape of those compressed, or often, clipped peaks. That's my limited knowledge on this as I do not have radios with these features, just have built and used external audio devices.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

You know, you have a point.. If you see the needle fall back, you know that at least it's not over-compressing.

[@arconeagain]

@@DXCommanderHQ I know of sounds very simple but people get in the habit of pegging the needle and think they're getting out better, no good if you can't understand them. That's what I saw here. Less is more.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

@@arconeagain yep

[@arconeagain]

@@DXCommanderHQ hey I know you think I'm a know it all, just to clear something up on this. I do some radio repairs but specialise in microphones. People send me mics from all over Australia, hams included, basically because I fix mics that others don't bother with or can't. I do modifications too like capsule replacement and electret upgrades, circuit improvements and relay upgrades for damaged switches. Entire new circuits from scratch even. I manufacture custom keying boxes too, including ones to adapt ham mics for CB use. I've recently got into the studio side of things too, vintage ribbon mics and I recently bought an EV RE20 from the late 60s. It's out of a New York recording studio. My background as a kid was tube audio, among other things. I built guitar distortion pedals, so have knowledge on that. It helps to understand how to achieve distortion so as to avoid it as well. I also built a rather sophisticated speech processor for CB radio when I was 15, and still use it today. I later went on to study electronic engineering, although radio has always been my passion, and I came back to it. In particular, antennas, including wire arrays.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Nice comment. Thanks for sticking with us.. Good luck with those mics!

[@migalito1955]

Neat topic. On my RS 918 I have compression set to almost off. I have been meaning to, once time is found, listen to myself on a webSDR. On the otherhand I was recently given, by a gal I know, a Behringer Autocom model MDX 1200 audio dynamics processor. This thing came from an East Village (NYC) night club sound system. It has a built in enhancer, compressor, limiter. I recently started playing around with the model 1200 by running audio from a USB mic into my computer, out thru the computer's front line level out jack to one of the two channels on the model 1200 which after processed ends up in a powered speaker. The jury is out here. Its a lot to add to the audio chain & until I actually hear my transmission my local audio testing is not really definitive. I suspect being a musician too gives you a better feel for whether I should even consider using the model 1200 in my rig's audio chain. Please feel free to add your thoughts, but right now I am leaning towards no.....

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Unless it's free - and you have time to play and frankly just have a bit of fun, I wouldn't bother.. BUT it's an interesting topic and teaches folks how eq / compression etc works..

[@richb.4374]

Great video Callum and right on point. I hear so many terrible sounding signals on the band and most of them sound bad from too much compression. Perhaps it may not be every hams fault. If you read the manual of the Icom radios for example, they recommend running anywhere from 10 to 15db of compression. In my opinion, this is way too much and sounds terrible. 15db of compression sounds like someone hollering in your face with a bullhorn. To make matters worse, many hams never check the ALC meter and are pinning the scale on every voice peak. Even without compression, you will sound awful peaking out of the ALC range and make people on nearby frequencies mad from your splatter. Keeping compression below 10 db sounds more natural and adds that little bit of extra "oomph" you need to boost average talk power. And whether the compressor is on or off, for heavens sake watch that ALC meter too! Many hams run average reading wattmeter's and think they need tons of compression because they don't see the needle slamming the corner on every voice peak, this sounds like crap on the air, use a good peak reading wattmeter! I can hit full power voice peaks on my Yaesu FTDX101 with the mike gain at 15% and no compression. The radios power meter shows it peaking much less because it's not peak reading.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Peak Reading.. Yes, that would solve a lot of problems :)

[@johnkemas7344]

Most hams never open the manual, let alone read it or try to understand it!!

[@don_n5skt]

Thanks Callum. I just got a new radio and I know when I first fired it up, it was awful. However, since this uses a PC for mic in, I had used one of my standby PCs with an unknown mic. Once I went to my other system with a quality USB microphone, the audio cleared right up. However, I still want to dial in my Audio.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yes, nothing like tidying up the audio!

[@poorman-trending]

I’m confused why you would tell them 5/9 if they sound so bad?

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Have you looked up "signal report"? I did a video on it..

[@sgs1262]

What is your main radio now?

[@eugenepohjola258]

Howdy. Good information. I am a 66 years geezer and my hearing has deteoriated. I haven't heard grasshoppers for tens of years. This is more for movie sound compression. Action movies today have so flippin' large dynamics. If I turn down the volume not to wake up my neighbours when cannons are fired I can't understand the mumble speaking. If I turn up the volume to make speaking intelligibile my neighbours start banging the walls when the battery starts firing. I found a nice application. Switch Sound File Converter. With that one can extract the audio and compress it. Then I use DivX Converter to replace the original audio with the compressed in the movie. I tried a compession function of -60dB to 0 oompressed to -20dB to 0 but this results in all kind of noise being amplifeid so much that speaking is barely discernable. A slope of -60dB to 0 compressed to -40dB to 0 seems to work. Regards.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Interesting!

[@jimiwills]

I have a 1974 ft-101 and im told my audio is amazing.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yeah, I sound good too without a mic!

[@yo2btw-hamradio]

Hello, I follow you with great interest, congratulations on what you do for Ham Radio. I'm curious how you record your modulation in the air, do you have an SDR somewhere and take the signal from there? How do you do it? Maybe you can make a video about this setup. 73 de YO2BTW

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Hey! I take the Monitor audio from the USB line. Just from back of rig.

[@imarat21]

A lot depends on the type of processing with time constants being the largest difference.. Some radios have such a long release that they don’t do much for improvement with the distortion coming from overloading the audio front end.. The second problem is voice type with a heavy bass voice overloading. Trying to talk a foot away from the microphone in a highly reverberate room is also another problem,, Couple this with a bassy voice and low frequency room modes will be the worst combination.. I prefer rf clipping with steep cutoff below 300 hz with light fast (100ms) rt timed compression before the clipper… talk closely to the microphone and a dead room.. Favorite microphone being a Rode nt1.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

You make a good point but release times and hold times are not programmable- as you point out..!

[@shawnchartrandva3gfy720]

been using online sdr's for years now . just mentioning these will get you hate mail. asking people what you sound like is always scary as well you know what most are like on ham . sdr are great to start off ur radio day hearing EXACTLY what you sound like to your ear and signal checks .

[@shawnchartrandva3gfy720]

"I" like what "I" sound like .

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Good point Shawn!

[@voiceovervandeen]

Processing aside, some would benefit from a simple lesson on mic technique, & room acoustics/reverb. Things like talking across the diaphragm to avoid popped plosives, or not using a desk mic at 2ft proximity in a reverberant room.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Good point Garry! PS - Took me a while to discover your name. It's on your About page on your website. But I got there in the end!

[@voiceovervandeen]

@@DXCommanderHQ I think more folks know me as Vandeen. You remember the 70's - with nicknames like Lugs, Gammy & Bandit for larger ears, bad legs or one arm. Well as soon as mates find out you have a "weird" middle name, calling me "Garry/Gaz" was soon forgotten 😁

[@gulfcoastlumbermonticello2827]

Hello, first off I really appreciate your informative videos! If you are familiar with the Icom 7300, on it's monitor function, as we know doesn't give the true 100% representation of the TX audio. With that said, while compression levels are set per the manual, even sometimes lower (5-10db on COMP meter), the monitor audio sounds tight and distorted...is this also inaccurate as far as hearing the raspy sound and distortion with only 5-10 db of compression? I haven't had a chance to listen to a web sdr as of yet, but want to make sure the audio doesn't sound like this on the receiving end. Thanks!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Oh I see.. I can't help you on that one - but I know the test you are trying to do.. I certainly needs to "sound right" on monitor regardless..?

[@YllaStar95970]

As a casual observer, l like to watch Steve, Green Mountain Maniac, he uses ESSB. It appears to me, you can spend a similar budget on a whole audio chain, and have infinite tweaking to offset QSB, or QRM conditions, instead of placing all your faith in just a microphone. Another way around the mountain, which appeals to me. 👍

[@DXCommanderHQ]

You can certainly spend a fortune if you like :) PS - Thanks for dropping by!

[@Roddy1965]

Working contests you hear a lot of operators, and some of the audio (< 3% say) is truly horrid, and I am sure they would get better results and have more CQ returns if they sorted out their sound. Once you start clipping waveforms, you introduce harmonics all over the place. Another audio problem (among many) is the transmission is way too bass, lacks definition on phonetics etc, so that's difficult in a crowded band. Great advice from Callum, here.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Agreed on that 3% contest ops!!

[@kojoe5635]

Great Info! Thanks You now got me wonder, how multi-pathing would sound like? Down an other rabbit whole I go lol

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Woah! :)

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

Along with internet SDR audio, I have a spare transceiver in the shack as well as an SDR hooked to the computer, so I have three means of listening to my own audio in the shack, which is one of the best means of determining your 'sound' on the air. And I also have a Heathkit HO-10 monitor scope to check the linearity of my power amp when I use it. The nice thing about it though, is I can see the effects of the different controls as I change them on the rig. I don't like the sound of an over processed transmission, and GOD knows how many people run their processor too high and blow their audio into a mushy garbled mess on the bands. Not only does it make the audio less intelligible, it also splatters the band, making it difficult to impossible to use the frequencies near their splatter box. Sadly, there are people who do this deliberately, and they do it because no one is there to cause them to stop. It used to be common for people to get warnings from the FCC about their signal quality, I know, as I was the receiver of such a warning from the FCC! Back in the 1980s, I had my shack set up and working in my new location, and I soon received complaints and 'THE WARNING', about my signal spewing harmonics all over the entire spectrum of radio frequencies up to 600 MHz and possibly higher, but their portable spectrum analyzer only went to 600 MHz! Fortunately for me, the local cable company had ham radio operators who helped me out, and after I found the 'electrician' who installed my new service used a band type hose clamp to ground the panel to the ground rod, which was also the TV antenna ground, I removed the hose clamp, cleaned off the rust on the ground rod, installed a new ground clamp for the service box, and all was well with the world again! After a week of using my new ham shack, I called the guys at the cable company and asked if they wanted to come by and test the station again, but they declined as they said all complaints had stopped and gave me an all clear on my station! So ever since that incident, I have always been a little sensitive to my stations signal, and I do everything to ensure it is the best I can make it!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Nice job

[@garyh8315]

A great vid again Cal. Could this also come from overworking an amp too? Pushing it too much? I find that it is always good to pass on advice on items. How else do we learn what our signal sounds like? Someone has to change the QSO's from 5n9 to actually having a chat, 73 🙂 Use of the Web SDR is spot on too

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Well, the amp is really amplifying what it receives.. I hnestly believe some of these very loud splater stations running amplifiers are actually driving their raqdio incorrectly.. But hey, who knows.

[@2E0RME]

Same with an electric guitar clean tone. Flatten the peaks and raise the troughs so every note can be heard more evenly, but not to the point that it strangles ALL of the dynamics and raises the noise floor. Funny how some hobbies cross paths!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yes Martin! I can sort of almost SEE compression...!

[@wb2dx717]

the FT991A has A feature that records your audio and allows you to listen to it build right into the radio, no need to transmit at all Quite simple to do actually .

[@DXCommanderHQ]

You can probably do that with most radios - inc the TS-990s. But for some reason (and I can't FULLY remember reason now) I discovered that it best to go remote. Also means you can check for RF on your audio, stuff like that. But very cool anyway.

[@dback4430]

Hi Cal, thanks for the comparison. I have an 890 just received and it has about 6 presets , I am sure yours does too. Which do find works as it is on that monster ?

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Oh heck. You know, I can't remember what I did.. Oh yes - I went to over to Heil SOund and found the graphic settings there for my radio - did the same (I think) with the 590..

[@johnkiljan7441]

Nice. But does one really need a websdr station? I've done the same by using my own SDRplay receiver listening on a short rx antenna while transmitting into a dummy load and while adjusting the controls for the optimum mic gain and processing level. While recording, I just read out the adjusting knob's mic level and/or the processing level settings as my test message. Then on playback, I write down the optimum settings for each microphone and put a sticker on them so I won't forget them. However, using a websdr station does have the advantage of telling one how well a weak, but processed, signal gets through with real-world interference

[@DXCommanderHQ]

SDRs are free but of course you can use a dummy load. I suggest though not that method. I tried it with not so good results. My radios were obviously too close together and rig #2 didn't like it.

[@johnkiljan7441]

@@DXCommanderHQ, yeah I had that problem too when first trying it -- too much overload. When I separated the SDR receiver by 50' from the transceiver's dummy load, the S-level dropped down to something reasonable and I could do the voice quality tests.

[@frankwc0o]

What's your log software that you are using?

[@DXCommanderHQ]

N1MM+

[@johnrees44..G4EIJ]

As always, great advice.. Many thanks, Cal..John..G4EIJ

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yeah tnx John!

[@K5YVY]

Great Cal…..✅

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Lovely!

[@chrismadog8004]

I wouldn't give them a 5 by 9 if it is hard to understand them. I'd be 2, 3 or 4 by 9 and I'd be giving feedback as to why and give the station a chance to rectify the problem. The voice amplitude can be fine but if the voice quality means you are having difficulty decyphering what they are saying, then it isn't a 5/5. 5c worth from me.

[@45auto]

So, no auuuuuuddddddiiiiiooooooo? 😀

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Erm..? Sorry non-comprendi! :)

[@hondabones]

Why did you give them 59 reading when they aren't?

[@DXCommanderHQ]

You would be surprised.. Check out the official Signal Report on wikipedia.. Nothing to do with the S meter..

[@kevinkc3onohelijeepworld953]

Oh so true Cal and I also want to say I can not believe how bad a rig can sound out of the box. Why does every rig need to have it mic EQ set way away from how it comes ?? My ftdx10 sound like a muddy Turd out of the box and once I took out 10db of lows and maxed the mids & highs and opened the bandwidth to 4K it sounds great 😊 if you own a Yaesu parametric EQ email me I’m good on qrz I can forward you my eq setting and you will be absolutely AMAZED ☺️

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Opened to 4k.. Yes, I've done that - but only on a quiet band! :)

[@kevinkc3onohelijeepworld953]

@@DXCommanderHQ absolutely when the width is available, on tight time I go narrow and even more with rx I hate hearing squirrels close in☺️

[@philipmaude]

hi i want to get back on the radio from the CB years and people say ssb is good. I dont have my amature licence and wanted your thoughts on what to buy and is it worth it

[@DXCommanderHQ]

OK.. firstly grab a foundation license and watch a couple of my Friday livestreams. SSB is busy. Then call Martin Lynch (dealer) and speak to sales regarding something in your price range..

[@Ei2iP]

Just look at the scope, some operators just haven't a clue!! Everything switched up to 11, and they think it will make them louder.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Oh yes!

[@geoffmcwiggan2814]

Remember when I said 4:1 ratio on your amp a few weeks ago on AM. The audio is the same… distorted and shitty. Softly jently does it yes. ? 90-95 % audio . 4:1 carrier to max rms .

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yes I do recall that Geoff.. I think we got my audio OK on AM that day though.. I had a problem getting as high as 4:1 - although not spent any more time on that. Looking forward to some 60m AM sometime..

[@petertate3436]

Hi Callum, Once again, as some one from the broadcasting industry, you see this all the time. The "untrained" gets it in their head that "wind it up & it goes further". This is true to a point with AM. FM doesn't really suffer this. But this is not where the issue is here. The smarter engineers - trained in the art of "less is more". Know the limits. These "limits" come from some very suss places when you employ "digital processing" or even digital links. Which is now common place in a just about everything - including lots of ham gear. In a broadcast chain you need to watch out for compounding artifacts. But thats not the main point here either. I'd suggest the first guy in the video has either popping on his end into his mic and it's causing drastic limiting on his end. Then I'd suggest his DSP chip is about to release the "magic smoke"... something is wrong there. Third, is more with the second sample, this sounds like some one playing mp3 audio files over an SSB shortwave service. That's just a big NO THANKS! As the wishy washy that we ignore still gets sent out. There is one final thing I'd like to suggest... I can't see DSP chips in Ham gear being made at the same cost level as ones used in a $20 000 limiter box for Broadcast. Some eyeballing of how the chip obtains the Hi and Low pass filtering is needed. Filter ringing is also your enemy. Cheers buddy, Great work! 73's

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Peter, first-class reply. Thanks!

[@petertate3436]

@@DXCommanderHQ cheers.... I'm one that giggles when the average person says.... sounds ok to me. Because its often not.... just like fellow musicians will cringe at stuff the average person doesn't notice. And I'm not talking about taste or preference. Just pure quality and how close it sounds to the real thing.

[@sondrayork6317]

I cannot make out what one guy is saying because his compression is so high.

[@TexasSon74]

Don't use country's or places in your call sign. Confusing!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Confusing it certainly is.. But you need to clutch at straws when a regular phonetic fails.

[@dm.2023]

Sounds better without processing

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Often does.. However, almost all audio in consumer products have processing and you just don't know it.

[@bassangler73]

👍

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Thumbs up!

[@bassangler73]

@@DXCommanderHQ yes sir!

[@mewrongwayKOCXF]

I like to listen to myself so I know that I dont sound like a Parakeet!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Haha yes!

[@seanjonas1993]

Not as bad as the guys on 40 meters running the echo and reverb crap.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yeah, we don't get that over hear... But I've heard US has some fun on 7.2..!

[@zaperfan]

The best way to use a processor is to leave it off

[@Nickforever-gw1sk]

Compressor at 15% is plenty

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yes, I suppose so. Depends on the rig I guess.. I can't actually make my Kenwood sound bad!

[@richards1163]

Has anybody ever used a standard fist mic, with default radio settings and had the guy on the other end comment on the poor quality of the audio? The correct answer is NO!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Good point!

[@KA4UPW]

Dont give them A 59 give them a 49 or 39

[@DXCommanderHQ]

And that.

[@Hermit-Of-Poverty-Point]

Good advice, Callum. Some hams should learn to use their ALC correctly. I use an IC-7300 with a hand mike, my TX audio is set at no more than 40% and my processor is only set to 2 (two), it does me well.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Sounds probably about right!

[@LewisQuikqui]

If this happens to me , i would be glad someone tell me about it Thank you for your work and dedication, very nice and interesting channel by the way All the best , hope to hear and work you on the air - 73 de Va2Pcv

[@DXCommanderHQ]

You are very welcome - thanks for joining in!

[@edcozart9916]

I’d say your all good Callum but I have broad shoulders you could tell me to piss off and I’d smile 😃 de W9US

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Keep smiling :)

[@mikestone9129]

Thanks for the tip. I really enjoy these kinds of instructional videos. I always go away learning something. Cheers. KZ5MLS

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@chrisreich40]

You sound good both with and without processing; you sound a bit *stronger* with processing. You've proven, in this video, the value of processing. Thank you, Callum. de WB2DYJ

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yes Chris!