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Lots of background noise when transmitting

A pilot reported broken and difficult to understand radio transmissions from our RV-8. I reviewed on LiveATC and there is quite a bit of background/prop noise when we transmit, making it difficult to hear our radio calls.

Audio in the cockpit is crystal clear, and we have no difficulty receiving. Just apparently a lot of background noise when we transmit.

Radio is a GTN650. Do you know which config setting might help with this issue? Thanks in advance.
 
A pilot reported broken and difficult to understand radio transmissions from our RV-8. I reviewed on LiveATC and there is quite a bit of background/prop noise when we transmit, making it difficult to hear our radio calls.

Audio in the cockpit is crystal clear, and we have no difficulty receiving. Just apparently a lot of background noise when we transmit.

Radio is a GTN650. Do you know which config setting might help with this issue? Thanks in advance.
I'm not a sound engineer by any stretch of my imagination, but spend a lot of time using headsets at work.

What kind of headsets are you using? Do you have an intercom? What does it sound like in the other headset? Sounds like either the microphone is having a problem, or perhaps the sound is being picked up from a badly configured microphone. Some microphones need to be oriented towards your mouth, and with the wind cover on there, it might be oriented wrongly.
 
Mickey,
Is your aircraft wrapped, or painted/bare?
Vinyl wrap changes the airplane’s impedance and, thus, can impact your radios’ transmission or reception unless addressed. Happened to me.
 
What kind of headsets are you using? Do you have an intercom? What does it sound like in the other headset?

Lightspeed Zulu headsets and the intercom is a Garmin GMA245. All audio in the headset is crystal clear. The only way we know about it was a report from another pilot hearing our transmission, and then listening back over LiveATC.
 
Mickey,
Is your aircraft wrapped, or painted/bare?
Vinyl wrap changes the airplane’s impedance and, thus, can impact your radios’ transmission or reception unless addressed. Happened to me.

It's painted, no vinyl wrap on exterior. Interior has some vinyl wrap, but not extensive. Just a few areas.

How was the vinyl wrap problem manifesting for you? Was in noise in your headset? If so, we don't have any of that.
 
Are you saying that in-flight use of the intercom has low background noise? Or does it sound like your live-ATC transmissions?
As others have suggested, pull off the mike muffs and make sure you are using the correct side of the mike. Position the mike so it barely touches your lips.
 
If the intercom is good but the radio is noisy when transmitting, in addition to the above good suggestions on the mike itself, you may try turning down the mic gain in the 650.
 
If the intercom is good but the radio is noisy when transmitting, in addition to the above good suggestions on the mike itself, you may try turning down the mic gain in the 650.

OK, I will try that. Gain is currently at +12. Thanks.

And intercom and all that is fine, no noise coming through cockpit sound.
 
Are you saying that in-flight use of the intercom has low background noise? Or does it sound like your live-ATC transmissions?
As others have suggested, pull off the mike muffs and make sure you are using the correct side of the mike. Position the mike so it barely touches your lips.


No, in the airplane there is no indication of any issue. Intercom or receiving transmissions are very quiet. It's also quiet in the headset (other than own voice feedback) while transmitting. But other aircraft hearing us transmit can hear a lot of background noise when we are talking to them on the radio. I confirmed this by listening to LiveATC transmissions. It's more pronounced at high power settings.
 
Just to clarify

Just wanted to clarify, I'm not talking about electronic noise like static. I'm talking about noise like actual sound. The prop mostly, but wind too. It's overwhelming the voice noise at high power settings like climbing or just after takeoff.
 
No, in the airplane there is no indication of any issue. Intercom or receiving transmissions are very quiet. It's also quiet in the headset (other than own voice feedback) while transmitting. But other aircraft hearing us transmit can hear a lot of background noise when we are talking to them on the radio. I confirmed this by listening to LiveATC transmissions. It's more pronounced at high power settings.

Okay, if the intercom sounds okay in flight, it’s not likely the mike. Proceed with Walt’s suggestion to reduce the gain setting in the 650.
Listening to Live ATC, can you detect any distortion or ‘clipping’ in your voice? If so, turn down the gain until your voice has no distortion.
 
Kind of a long shot - is it possible the PTT button for the pilot is actually activating the microphone for the co-pilot?

Garmin GMA 254 mic audio inputs.png
 
Listening to Live ATC, can you detect any distortion or ‘clipping’ in your voice? If so, turn down the gain until your voice has no distortion.

I did not notice any clipping, just a lot of noise drowning out the voice, but I will try reducing the gain a bit and see what happens.

There's two of us who fly this plane and the other pilot transmissions are more difficult to hear. I am using Lightspeed headset and he has a Bose A20. Both seem like quality headsets, but that is one difference we are going to troubleshoot to rule out.
 
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