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should I be able to hear myself on a bench test?

blueflyer

blueflyer

Well Known Member
First question: Should I be able to hear myself when speaking into my headset while its sitting on my bench (in my garage at home) with no antenna installed?

Second question (again, no antenna is attached to the radio): When I push the PTT button, the "TX" button lights up on the radio face, but I can not hear myself in my headset. Should I be able to hear myself when I push the PTT button?
 
Don't transmit without an antenna connected!

All bets are off if you try to transmit without a properly matched antenna connected to the radio. In fact this could possibly damage the radio.
If you have access to a dummy load you could try this but the best thing to do is wait until you have the radio installed in the airplane.
 
Besides the issue with no antenna attached, the answer really is, it depends.

What is the headset plugged into?
Does it support side tone?
Is sidetone configurable?
Is it enabled and turned up?
 
blueflyer said:
Second question (again, no antenna is attached to the radio): When I push the PTT button,
Click to expand...

It is traditionally considered to be a really bad thing to try to transmit without an antenna-------------newer radios may be more tolerant of this, but you might want to check with the manufacture about doing so.
 
My experience is with the Dynon COM and intercom units

You need the sidetone set in order to hear the COM transmission in your headset without an intercom. You can only hear the sidetone on the pilot's side without the intercom turned on.
 
Stick a rubber duck antenna from a handheld on the bnc.
Even a VHF police band scanner would be ok for brief testing.
But, xmit is not what you hear.
Side tone is your voice fed back to you from the audio amp board.
It is good to read how yours is to be adjusted anyway. When properly set, you won't be shouting at your mic.
Then the rest of us will like you better.
 
As others have said, the side tone is what you set to hear yourself when pushing the PTT button. To hear yourself without the PTT button pressed is an intercom thing. If you aren't wired into an intercom, then you won't be able to hear yourself. Some radios have intercom functions built in, but I don't think they Dynon does, if that is what you are using.
 
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