Talkback / TBack / Mon | |
---|---|
Full Name | Talkback, aka Monitor |
What it does | Allows you to hear your voice through your CB speaker. |
Where to set it | Optional / Variable. Turn it on to hear your voice. |
While there are a lot of names for this control, the talkback function is a useful tool for you to monitor your own transmissions. In radios that do not have talkback, you are unable to hear your voice through your speaker. Which means if your radio isn't transmitting, you may not know it. Talkback allows you to hear yourself, which tells you that your radio is probably transmitting.
This control is very similar (hence the sometimes used name of Monitor) to the monitor systems that professional singers use, by monitoring their voices, they can make sure they're singing correctly. While you may not be singing on your CB, it's still useful to know that your radio is modulating to some degree. The other reason you'll find talkback on any radio is due to an effect known as echo. Echo boards are an add-on modification for CB radios, and thus will not be found inside a radio unless it's been added to it. Some CB microphones will provide an echo effect as well. Having talkback on your radio (or T Back as cobra calls it) will allow you to hear the echo yourself, so you can get the echo set where you think it sounds best.
The benefits of talkback are almost entirely limited to a) monitoring your radio to make sure it's working and b) adjusting your echo board (if it's present). If your talkback is squealing / screaming / screaching -- generally making not good sounds, refer to this chart for common ways to resolve it:
Upgrade your microphone | Ditch your stock microphone! You've got a good radio, make sure to pair it with a good microphone. Noise canceling microphones work significantly better with talkback, use a mic like the Astatic 636L or Ranger SRA198 to provide for clear, loud, and no-squeal transmissions. |
Move your speaker | Talkback feedback is often associated with an external speaker. If your speaker and microphone are facing each other when you transmit, you may get feedback. Moving your external speaker away from you, or unplugging it entirely may stop your feedback. |
Check your controls | There are two controls that may affect your talkback, and chances of getting unwanted squealing. If your radio has a talkback control, turn that down. If your radio does not have a talkback knob, or if turning down your talkback knob didn't work, turn down your Mic Gain / Dynamike. If it won't stop, just turn off your talkback. |
Still squealing? | There are a number of reasons a radio may have a transmit squeal. You may have a low voltage problem, antenna system problem, or a modification in your radio may be producing a squeal. These issues may take a professional to resolve, but if it seems like the above 3 options didn't fix your problem, then you've got more to worry about than talkback. |
© Walcott Radio 2017 - 2020. All Rights Reserved.