LHR approach; muffled audio?
Wasn't helped by them using interpreters who had no aviation knowledge. The interpreter couldn't speak loudly in case he was heard over the RTF, he would just tell the pilot what to say and the pilot would repeat it parrot fashion. I've actually heard an interpreter shout at the pilot when the latter said the wrong thing.
With a pre-flying background in broadcast quality comms engineering, my two pence worth:
Please everybody use a windshield on your microphone. If you don't, the receive station hears a breathy/scratchy sound accompanying your speech, along with the 'plosive'sounds: 'B' 'P' etc, which distort your transmissions and makes them less intelligible to the receiver. This will mean you have to repeat yourself more often.
If you don't use a windshield, the microphone will gradually fill up with spit and dust etc which will cause it to reduce and distort the electrical output.
A noise cancelling microphone needs to be close to and directly in front of the mouth to work properly - so that if you pursed your lips, they would touch the windshield. Even if the microphone is a only couple of inches away from the mouth, or below the mouth, the person receiving your transmission will hear mostly background noise - "say again?". Feel the microphone through the windshield to make sure it is facing your mouth and has not twisted to be edge on.
Speak normally but key the PTT a split second before speaking. The transmitter will not transmit instantly you key the switch, but takes a moment to check the transmit circuits and frequency are stable and correct before passing your speech. Unless you wait a split second your first word(s) will be clipped off: "station calling?".
I often get a hard time for saying these things, but it would improve the clarity of comms a lot if we could all follow these easy and simple steps.
Please everybody use a windshield on your microphone. If you don't, the receive station hears a breathy/scratchy sound accompanying your speech, along with the 'plosive'sounds: 'B' 'P' etc, which distort your transmissions and makes them less intelligible to the receiver. This will mean you have to repeat yourself more often.
If you don't use a windshield, the microphone will gradually fill up with spit and dust etc which will cause it to reduce and distort the electrical output.
A noise cancelling microphone needs to be close to and directly in front of the mouth to work properly - so that if you pursed your lips, they would touch the windshield. Even if the microphone is a only couple of inches away from the mouth, or below the mouth, the person receiving your transmission will hear mostly background noise - "say again?". Feel the microphone through the windshield to make sure it is facing your mouth and has not twisted to be edge on.
Speak normally but key the PTT a split second before speaking. The transmitter will not transmit instantly you key the switch, but takes a moment to check the transmit circuits and frequency are stable and correct before passing your speech. Unless you wait a split second your first word(s) will be clipped off: "station calling?".
I often get a hard time for saying these things, but it would improve the clarity of comms a lot if we could all follow these easy and simple steps.
Last edited by Uplinker; 6th Sep 2017 at 21:09.
Professional pilots and ATCOs should know how to use microphones
I'm grateful for people like Uplinker giving the occasional nudge on the basics
Another basic that pilots are sometime guilty of:- using a hand-mic in front of a loudspeaker. OUCH!
