How far from desk mic?

[secret squirrel]

I got my Super Sidekick back from a shop. It’s not in final form yet. The tech got it working. Still going to clean it up more and get a new longer cord put on. Question is how far away should you be when you transmit if it adjusted properly?

 

[TIN_CAN]

That would be depending on what you have the mic gain settings set on radio and Turner setting, I am one of the odd ducks that hold my Turner +3 in my hands while sitting comfy in my chair for my settings I am maybe 5-6" away from mic if that really means anything? good luck they are great mics.

 

[loosecannon]

Over the years i have inquired about this when talking to stations that seemed to have an audio advantage over the rest of the crowd.

The main commonality that i found was that they ALL close talked their mics.

sure, keying the D104 with your foot while talking and rocking in your chair is cool, but everyone can hear your dishwasher in the background as well.

The way i do it with a D104 or a Turner +3 type mic is to hold the mic about 2 inches from my face and turn it at a bit of an angle so you're talking past the mic element a bit instead of directly into it.

this will reduce popped "P's" and slurred "S's".

I set all my radios up so that i can leave the mic gain on the radio all the way up, and then i turn the mic gain on the mic up just enough to develop full audio peaks.

this makes sure that i have maximum voice power and minimum ambient noise pickup.
LC

 

[sp5it]

To avoid unwanted noise and sound good I would say 2 inches.
I usually talk almost touching pop-filter with my nose

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I agree with all of the above. Close-talking a mic will allow for the best signal/noise ratio from an audio point of view. It eliminates the background npise etc. 99.99% of the time an amplified mic is not required to fully modulate a radio and extra gain is almost never NEEDED if you talk close to the mic.

 

[BJ radionut]

I also close talk mics. (Carry over from old broadcast years!)
I only have one pre-amplified mic, that is a Heil (ICM1a) on my IC-9100.
I use a "pop" filter (foam tube) on my HF/Rag-chew rig.
(Heil PR-781) (#2 FTdx3000 or FT-950)
6m SSB has filter in head (Heil GOLD ELITE) and wide studio element is used.
I also have bandwidth set on the FTdx3000D (6m dedicated rig) set at 2400Hz wide.
I sharp cut-off all freq's below 700Hz (-20db) and add 10db gain above 1700Hz to 2800Hz.
This gives a really good punch, to the audio chain. Plus, it makes it very intelligible in marginal conditions on scatter and low signal levels.
I remove the +5db compression and drop mic gain down from level 10 to level 7 or 8 when rag-chewing .
This also relives a little pressure on the amplifier, by several hundred watts (from KW+ to about 700w).
Most generally, no one notices the difference with-in the 200/300-mile range.
I agree, nothing is more annoying to hear somebody operating where you can hear the fan(s) running on their amp or power supply. Hearing the "Kids" or TV in the background!!!!
If you key your mic and the wattmeter shows power with no modulation (SSB), you sound like crap IMHO
HNY to All
All the Best
Gary/W9FNB

 

[Greg T]

I agree with all of the above. Close-talking a mic will allow for the best signal/noise ratio from an audio point of view. It eliminates the background npise etc. 99.99% of the time an amplified mic is not required to fully modulate a radio and extra gain is almost never NEEDED if you talk close to the mic.

What are you talking about!?? If you don't sound like a kazoo you ain't talkin'!

 

[secret squirrel]

Thanks all, I was doing some on air checks and determined that the 2-3 inches is getting best results. When we use them on a vhf high band radio at work for the dispatchers normally just leave them on the desk and key them at arms length. Again, you are correct the you will here everything going on in them at arms length.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

The best way to figure out mic level and distance is to listen to yourself through a monitor radio. I use a Cobra 148 with no antenna and headphones to check out radios with different mics. I also use it to check my station when I first power up for the day. Makes it so much easier than trying to get a radio check. If you have a second radio, this is the way to go.

 

[ForestRunner98]

The best way to figure out mic level and distance is to listen to yourself through a monitor radio. I use a Cobra 148 with no antenna and headphones to check out radios with different mics. I also use it to check my station when I first power up for the day. Makes it so much easier than trying to get a radio check. If you have a second radio, this is the way to go.

I use a HH uniden without the antenna too check how my radio sounds. I get feedback sometimes but turn down the volume on the HH. I mean an on air would be better but not that easy sometimes.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I use a HH uniden without the antenna too check how my radio sounds. I get feedback sometimes but turn down the volume on the HH. I mean an on air would be better but not that easy sometimes.

If you could plug in some headphones, it would be perfect. Usually talking close to the mic will increase the bass response. This works great for a D104. I like to run a hot mic, so I can dial it into the sweet spot while listening to myself. I adjust it for "Loud without the Crunch". Also, I find that a lot of times the perfect settings for AM and SSB are different. SSB can often take more audio, but that level would be too much for AM. I just do a quick check when switching between modes, and then off I go into DX land.

 

[secret squirrel]

I have a second antenna I set up just to monitor my transmit. Then I discovered that the 39inch Workman Saturn B100 makes a great scanner receiver only antenna for local counties VHF high band 155mhz dispatch channels. Its now my scanner antenna for police, EMS, fire. I took the radio off the mount that used to be hooked to it. I should just put is back as a monitor radio with no coax. I had an old JcPenney 6218 was hooked to it that I normally left on Channel 19 to monitor all day. The fancy simulated wood grain coating on the case covers caught my attention when I pick up the 6218. It was mounted far enough away from the other radios that I should not have a problem with squeal.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I have a second antenna I set up just to monitor my transmit. Then I discovered that the 39inch Workman Saturn B100 makes a great scanner receiver only antenna for local counties VHF high band 155mhz dispatch channels. Its now my scanner antenna for police, EMS, fire. I took the radio off the mount that used to be hooked to it. I should just put is back as a monitor radio with no coax. I had an old JcPenney 6218 was hooked to it that I normally left on Channel 19 to monitor all day. The fancy simulated wood grain coating on the case covers caught my attention when I pick up the 6218. It was mounted far enough away from the other radios that I should not have a problem with squeal.

Plug an old set of headphones into the speaker jack on the monitor radio, makes it even easier to stay away from crunchy audio. I have tried it without the headphones and it kind of works ok, try some headphones and see what you think.

 

[ForestRunner98]

If you could plug in some headphones, it would be perfect. Usually talking close to the mic will increase the bass response. This works great for a D104. I like to run a hot mic, so I can dial it into the sweet spot while listening to myself. I adjust it for "Loud without the Crunch". Also, I find that a lot of times the perfect settings for AM and SSB are different. SSB can often take more audio, but that level would be too much for AM. I just do a quick check when switching between modes, and then off I go into DX land.

Holy mackerel i just tried this!!!! It works great!!! I was able to raise the volume in the monitor radio without that nasty squeal.

What I thought what sounded good wasn’t the case. I tried my modded cobra m75 and the stock President mic and the President sounds better than the m75. The cobra is louder but the President was very clear with no distortion or sibilance when speaking. This was me speaking across it sideways.

Thanks Shadetree!!!! I really appreciate it!!!

 

[loosecannon]

and don't forget about SDR radio checks!

they are the real deal.

just find out where the skip is rolling at that time, and choose an SDR receiver in that area.

find an unused channel and key up the radio while listening on the computer.

there is a one or two second delay and you will hear yourself exactly like you sound in DX land.
LC