Mic gain use

[Eldorado828]

I'm not picking on this guy but I've heard this topic beat to death before and would like to hear the opinions from the knowledgeable world of wwdx.

I can see that in his environment with the talk-back on, of course it's going to squeal due to the proximity.

Now I've always had my radios set up correctly with mic gain wide open and never had an issue with squeal. It's different when toying with different mics and listening through a monitor but with that aside....

I see some of the tube shops set up the mic gain all sorts of ways and all believe they are correct.

Opinions?

 

[9C1Driver]

Probably depends on what mic you are using as well. With say a RK56 I could run the magnum radio’s mic gain wide open. On SSB with a Turner plus 3b I set the radio at 2/3’s and the Turner at maybe 30-40%.

The last few years on the base I run an Icom 718and now a Yeasu 991a. I don’t ever run those wide open mic gain. My current mobile is a Magnum 1 with the stock mic and mic gain set at a 60. Works great on ssb.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I believe that the best way to set the mic gain is by talking in a normal voice and listening to myself on another radio with headphones and no antenna. This way you can hear what your transmit audio truly sounds like. Start with it low and slowly turn it up while talking. When you hear the sound change or start to get raspy, you have gone too far. I also used to set my modulation limiter this way too. Now that I have a scope, I can watch and listen at the same time. But just listening will get you to where you need to be.

 

[unit_399]

I run my mike gain wide open 100%. My 139 has a built-in speech clipper that holds my audio output at the best fixed level no matter how much audio I jam into it.

- J.J. 399

 

[BC Coyote]

I run my Q5N2 mic gain at 34 out of 36, and my Kenwood TS140S at about 70%. On my Cobra 148GTL I run it wide open if I'm using the stock mic, and at 50% if I'm running my Turner CS-1 on it.