so ive been on HF for about two years now mostly running digital but ive been trying to get more into SSB phone and the reports i get back are all over the place. some guys say im pretty readable, others say i sound like im in a tin can or that theres a kind of hollow echo thing going on. im running an IC-7300 into a shockmount mic, nothing fancy, and i set the audio levels by ear mostly. i did play with the TX equalizer a bit but honestly i dont really know what im doing in there.

the thing that bugs me is i can hear myself on a SDR i have set up nearby and i think i sound fine but obviously im not the best judge. is there some systematic way to actually dial this in or is it just one of those things where you have to get a patient friend to give you honest reports while you tweak. also wondering if the compression settings matter as much as people say or if thats overrated

the compression thing is definitely not overrated, it matters a lot actually. most people either have it cranked way too hard which gives that pumping, processed sound, or they have none at all and they're getting walked over when band conditions get rough. on the 7300 i'd start with the mic gain so you're hitting maybe 50-60% ALC deflection on voice peaks, then bring the compression in gradually until you start hearing artifacts and back off from there. somewhere around 4-8 on the compressor level depending on your mic and voice is usually where i land.

the hollow/tin can thing you're describing honestly sounds like a mic placement or room acoustics issue as much as anything in the radio. are you in a small room with hard surfaces. i had that exact complaint until i moved my operating position and put some foam behind the monitor. also double check that you dont have any of the noise reduction stuff accidentally engaged on transmit, ive seen that do weird things to audio on the 7300.

yeah what he said about ALC is the big one. i spent like three weeks convinced my audio was trash before someone finally told me i was overdriving the mic input and the ALC was going crazy trying to compensate. once i got that sorted the difference was pretty immediate. the TX equalizer on that radio is actually pretty decent once you learn it, i boosted a little around 2-3k for presence and rolled off some of the low end because my voice is kind of muddy and it helped a lot with reports on 40m especially.