Mar 10, 2026 – Speak into your Microphone
Good Evening. This is John Lloyd, K7JL, and tonight's training is about why it is important to speak up
into your microphone so that you can be heard.
I hear a lot of Ham talking to each other that sound like they are whispering into their microphones
because I have turned up my receiver volume control up all the way and I can barely hear them. Then the
other Ham that is talking to them speaks it sounds like my speaker is going to launch out of my radio. I
reach for my radio and quickly turn down the volume. Then when the conversation turns around and the
soft-spoken Ham speaks, I can't hear him at all.
This is a scenario that I hear that is becoming more to common.
Please speak closely and directly into your microphone with your lips touching the microphone. This
includes those using Handheld radios. If you back off the microphone only a few inches then your voice
level will drop significantly on the receiving end.
Your transmit power does not make any difference in this case. Once you are solid into the repeater then
no increase in power will make any difference in the FM Mode.
Here is a quick demonstration.
This is what my voice sounds like with my microphone up close to my mouth and my lips touching the
microphone. I am speaking in a normal voice. Now I will increase the distance from the microphone to
my mouth by a couple of inches. Now listen to my voice with the microphone two inches away. It is much
quieter. Now I will increase the distance even further. Now listen to my voice 6 inches away from the
microphone. You can barely hear me. This is how some are using their radios and this is the purpose of
this training to make you aware of this problem.
Now back close to the microphone. Again, please speak directly into your microphone with your lips
touching it. Speak in a normal voice so that we can hear what you are saying.
That is all for this week. I will turn the time back to the net control station from K7JL.