Help with microphone configuration.

[Eran Granola]

Hello, I have headset Logitech G231 when I use vPilot with the settings and calibrate the microphone everything was good and I can hear very good. When I connect to VATSIM the ATC told me that they can hear me 1 or 2 by 5. Please help I tried to reinstall windows driver and checked the volume level of the microphone and all that in the maximum.

[Romano Lara]

Some things to try:

 

A. Check sound settings, there should be an option to add a few dB to your mic.

 

B. If you're using a USB sound card, enable AGC.

[Simon Kelsey]

checked the volume level of the microphone and all that in the maximum.

 

More is not always good! It may be that your input level is too high and therefore your voice is distorting. Remember that the readability scale is not a 'loudness' scale, it is about intelligibility, and a heavily clipped/distorted sound is going to be just as difficult to make out as a very weak signal. Have the controllers given any further feedback regarding what exactly is wrong with your audio?

 

If you open up the 'Sounds' dialogue in Windows (right click on the speaker icon in the taskbar and click 'Sounds' [Mod - Happy Thoughts]uming you are on Windows 10), then select the Recording tab, you should see something like this:

 

 

Am I right in thinking that the Logitech G231 has analogue 3.5mm jack plugs that you plug in to your main soundcard ports, rather than being a USB device? If so, then when you talk in to the microphone at a normal volume you should see the green bars to the right of the 'Microphone' entry bouncing up and down. The meters in Windows are not very good so this is not an exact science, but essentially you want the meters mostly bouncing up to just below the top. If it's constantly solid green when you're talking with very little 'bounce' at all then the levels are too high and you are probably distorting; if you are only getting one or two bars then the levels are much too low. In either case, adjust by clicking on the device, selecting 'Properties at the bottom, then the 'levels' tab and adjusting the slider.

 

If the slider is at 100 and the levels are still very low, there will usually be an option there for 'Mic Boost' or similar which will add what we would term in the industry 'analogue' or 'co[Mod - Happy Thoughts]' gain to the mic (turning up the pre-amp a bit) -- bringing up the slider here should help (conversely, if the levels are very high then it is worth knocking a bit of gain out here too as you may be distorting the pre-amp). Be gentle with this slider and go up in stages as it is quite co[Mod - Happy Thoughts] and the effects are large.

 

One final thing to check here -- on the 'Advanced' tab, make sure that the default format is set to something like 16 bit/44100Hz like so:

 

 

On a brand new Windows 10 install yesterday I was perplexed as to why all my recordings sounded like they were through a tin can... closer examination revealed that Windows had decided to set all my audio devices to 8 bit/8000 Hz, essentially telephone quality!

 

Finally, do make sure that the correct input device is selected in vPilot as it wouldn't be the first time that somone thought they were talking in to their headset but the software was actually set to use, say, a built-in microphone on the PC!

 

As a general rule for headset microphone technique -- position the mic itself about 1cm below and 1cm to the side of the lips. Talk clearly and slowly in a nice even voice, and make sure you push and hold the PTT fully before starting to speak (and ensure you have finished speaking before releasing the PTT) to avoid clipping the start or end of your transmissions.

[Robert Shearman Jr]

Remember that the readability scale is not a 'loudness' scale, it is about intelligibility,

I hate to contradict you, Simon, but it's both. That's why we respond "five by five." The question is "how loud am I and how clear am I." He's saying loudness of 1 or 2 and clearness of 5. I agree with what you said about the possibility of volume being too high and causing distortion (and in fact have posted the same tip on VATSIM-related forums before, myself!) -- but if we're to take the original poster (and the controller who gave him this mic check) at their face value, he's coming through clearly but too quietly.

[Eran Granola]

Thank you all, I solved the problem.

[Mike Lehkamp]

Remember that the readability scale is not a 'loudness' scale, it is about intelligibility,

I hate to contradict you, Simon, but it's both. That's why we respond "five by five." The question is "how loud am I and how clear am I." He's saying loudness of 1 or 2 and clearness of 5. I agree with what you said about the possibility of volume being too high and causing distortion (and in fact have posted the same tip on VATSIM-related forums before, myself!) -- but if we're to take the original poster (and the controller who gave him this mic check) at their face value, he's coming through clearly but too quietly.

 

Robert spot on. It is both. We actually run our David Clark's through an amplifier which really cleans up intelligibility aspect you reference. One night I was actually asked if I was testing out the new codec.

[Simon Kelsey]

Remember that the readability scale is not a 'loudness' scale, it is about intelligibility,

I hate to contradict you, Simon, but it's both. That's why we respond "five by five." The question is "how loud am I and how clear am I." He's saying loudness of 1 or 2 and clearness of 5. I agree with what you said about the possibility of volume being too high and causing distortion (and in fact have posted the same tip on VATSIM-related forums before, myself!) -- but if we're to take the original poster (and the controller who gave him this mic check) at their face value, he's coming through clearly but too quietly.

 

Robert spot on. It is both. We actually run our David Clark's through an amplifier which really cleans up intelligibility aspect you reference. One night I was actually asked if I was testing out the new codec.

 

An FAA thing perhaps? Can't find any reference to volume in ICAO Annex 10 or the UK Radiotelephony Guide:

 

5.2.1.8.4 PANS.— When the tests are made, the

following readability scale should be used:

Readability Scale

1 Unreadable

2 Readable now and then

3 Readable but with difficulty

4 Readable

5 Perfectly readable

 

The operator of the aeronautical radio station being called will

[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ess the transmission and will advise the aircraft making the test

transmission in terms of the readability scale (Table 12), together with a

comment on the nature of any abnormality noted (i.e. excessive noise)

using the following format:

- ‘the aircraft identification’;

- the callsign’ of the aeronautical station replying;

- ‘READABILITY x’ (where ‘x’ is a number taken from Table 12);

- ‘additional information’ with respect to any noted abnormality;

NOTE: For practical reasons it may be necessary for the operator of an

aeronautical station to reply with ‘STATION CALLING (frequency or 8.33 channel)

UNREADABLE’

 

1 Unreadable

2 Readable now and then

3 Readable but with difficulty

4 Readable

5 Perfectly readable.

 

I had a quick look in the FAA 7110.65 but couldn't find any reference at all there (though I am not an expert on US regulations so please do point me to the reference if you can find it!).

 

Cheers,

 

Simon

[Don Desfosse]

The x by x usage is not grounded in US/FAA aviation circles. Long-ago military and amateur radio use in radiotelegraphy (e.g. transmitting using morse code). I am nearly 100% certain you won't find an official FAA reference for that usage.