A humble suggestion for ops that use synthesized voices for IDs

[ChrisSmolinski]

I understand why ops use synthesized voices for IDs, for anonymity. But it can sometimes make it difficult to decipher what is being said, especially for email addresses.

One suggestion: put spaces between the words. if your address is somepiratestation@anotherreallylongdomain.com don't just have the synthesizer say that as one entire word. Instead, have it say
some pirate station at another really long domain dot com

Maybe this would work even better?
some. pirate. station. at. another. really. long. domain. dot. com

Play around with it, and maybe try different voices or settings. Then play it while mixing in a whole bunch of noise, and see if you can figure it out. Better yet, ask someone else to listen, and see if they can figure it out. It's easy to decipher an ID when you know what is being said. It is much harder when you don't.  Or get a real person to speak the ID for you, if you don't want to yourself. I'm also a big fan of CW and PSK31 IDs 

(This is not meant in any way as criticism, just a humble suggestion that might produce more reception reports)

[Pigmeat]

I got a kids software program from a pirate in Europe years ago. It was great for that sort of thing. You had several voice settings and you could type in the id/email with any spacing you wanted. I used it for side projects. It would do both English and Spanish.

I've been looking for but to no avail. If I find it I'll make it available.

[ka1iic]

I've played around with some vox software over the years and to make some words even close to understandable one must, as Chris said, play a bit with the words using spacing changes etc.

Using double vowels on some words helps a lot and double or even triple spacing between words can help.  Remember English, as a language, is a bit funky at times an 'o' doesn't always sound like 'oh'... long and soft sounding vowels can be problematic. An 'a' doesn't always sound like 'a' but like an 'ah' etc etc.

True voice changers do work better if not taken to extremes, don't use echo or reverb, phasing etc because it just muddies the water...

As for remaining 'anonymous'... heh... don't kid yourself.  A transmitter signal has a 'fingerprint'...

I remember the old days of SWLing...  I could tune a receiver in the dark and listen to a dead carrier and know what SW station it was before they even sent the ID signal...  I think some of you folks remember doing that yourself.  Of course Radio Moscow had a dead give away sound to their carrier...  yep... that awful hum on their signal gave them away every time...

Or Radio Habana's unique sound on certain transmitters they used... sounded kinda sorta like talking into a douche bag filled with wet cotton PLUS that Radio Moscow hum from those military surplus transmitters complete with a dynomotor whine that could be heard 50khz up and down the band...

Can you say carbon microphone? 
 

[Pigmeat]

Can I say it? I've got two upstairs in a box.

[ka1iic]

Can I say it? I've got two upstairs in a box.

HEH Pigmeat I figured you might say something to that...

Now go up and grab one of those carbon wonders, hook it up to ur xmitter and when someone comes back to a CQ bet they will tell you ur audio is great and ask what kind of audio prossesor ur using.  But don't forget to press the button so the carbon bits will shake around...  I've done it... but then I'd re-connect my D-104 because... well... I could 

Have a good day and a better tomorrow! 

[Terry]

Wack the carbon mic on the desk.

What really gets me with the voice synthesizers is the DX stations use it to call CQ and then when they come back after you call them they sound totally different. I always think it is someone else.

[Pigmeat]

Wack the carbon mic on the desk.

What really gets me with the voice synthesizers is the DX stations use it to call CQ and then when they come back after you call them they sound totally different. I always think it is someone else.

Like Andy Griffith in the airplane in "No Time For Sargents?" I pulled that one 15 years ago complete with the "Haylo, Haylo, kin ennybody hyer me?" thrown in. As I sound that way normally it wasn't much of stretch.

When I first started pirating late in the last century, several people were convinced I was the dreaded Radio Bob under another on air name due to the mic I used favoring higher frequencies that made me sound a bit like him? I got late night calls from some of Bob's stalkers who tracked me down IRL for a good year before they figured out we weren't the same guy?

One of them became convinced I was Al Fansome, which formed the basis of mine and Al's odd friendship. The guy would call all the time, sometimes cussing me out, other times just asking if I was Al, but he would have his number blocked. He screwed up one evening and I got it on caller id.

I waited until about 3 am in the middle of the week on a night when the guy had left another message earlier when I'd been out. I then called the guy. His wife or his girlfriend, answered pissed, asking me what I wanted? I said I'd got a call for Al Fansome and I was returning it. She goes "Who?" I told her it was a pirate radio alias. She put down the phone and starts reaming the guy out six ways from Sunday all the way from bed to the receiver about him and "That damned pirate radio." He picks up and starts this bit about Al Fansome being an old Army buddy he was looking for. I think I said something along the lines, "Uh-huh", followed by "Horsesh!t" and hung up.The woman was blasting him in the background throughout the entire conversation.

I never heard from him again. I hope she didn't kill him.

[ka1iic]

Good one Pigmeat!!!

Luv ur stories from the past, they are so much better than mine...

Kudos Sir!