Icom A200 transmit is too Loud

I recently had a icom A200 installed, the transmit seams very loud. When I am throttle up you really pick up a lot of cockpit noise. Is this normal? ATC says it sounds like I am in an open cockpit.
I have added a leather boot to my mic boom and it didn't help. Any ideas?
Thanks, Tim

You need to turn your "Side Tone" and "Mic Gain" down. Look in the A200 manual on how to do this, but if I remember right you need to pull the radio and there two dash pot adjustment screws on the top marked "Side Tone" & "Mic Gain". The holes should be covered up with a sticker or decal of some kind. Tape them back up when you are done to keep stuff out of there.

You should do this in the air to get the engine noise steady so you can adjust the mic gain, but it is tricky. Have someone fly with you. Adjust the "mic gain" first so people on the ground can hear you clearly without a lot of back ground noise. Keep the headphone mic close to your mouth, about 1/8", then adjust the side tone so you can comfortably hear yourself.

Seems the factory guys always leave the side tone turned up to annoy end users.

Try mic gain first. Turns out I had to send mine back to Icom. They warned me that the potentiometer is very fragile. I also had a loose antena jack on mine. Cost me just shipping cost and turn around was about a total of about 10 days.

Geico266 said:

Seems the factory guys always leave the side tone turned up to annoy end users.

Click to expand...

That must be so....

My A200 was too loud, but then I shorted it out once from reverse polarity, while still in the building process.

I now have an Icom A210 & Garmin SL40. The A210 is perfect at factory settings, and the SL40 needed the mic & sidetone adjustments.

While I often played with intercom squelch for perfection in regards to added noise; my new PS Engineering PMA 8000B audio panel with auto-squelch & leather mic boots from Oregan Aero have totally eliminated outside noise. And my RV only has floor insulation at this point.

L.Adamson --- RV6A

Ahhh

Yes I had the same issue for 5 years on an A200..the dealer told me it wasn't adjustable..Of course it was and Mel's post is correct.

I was flying around all that time blowing the eardrums of my passengers on transmit!..

Simple turn of the screwdriver and all was well.

Frank

frankh said:

..Of course it was and Mel's post is correct.

Frank

Click to expand...

While it is flattering to be mistaken for Mel, he isn't even out of bed yet!




Sorry Mel! Too much coffee this AM.

..........of course Mel could be.........flying.....in which case I'm the one sleeping in! I think I'll head out to the airport now!

Tim 8-A said:

I recently had a icom A200 installed, the transmit seams very loud. When I am throttle up you really pick up a lot of cockpit noise. Is this normal? ATC says it sounds like I am in an open cockpit.
I have added a leather boot to my mic boom and it didn't help. Any ideas?
Thanks, Tim

Click to expand...

Check your headset mike. Some brands allow the mike to rotate 180* so you can wear them left or right. If the mike is pointed away from you, it won't cancel sound.

Thanks for the reply's,
I tried the mic gain and it has helped, I will have to experiment with it to get it exactly where I need it, but I'm now on the right track.

side tone....?

I never got what exactly "side tone" is. I get the idea of turning down the mic gain (I turned it down on my headset). But what is side tone and what does it do ?

Thanks

John

I believe the side tone is what you hear in your headset when you are transmitting.

I have the same problem with background noise on transmission with the Icom A200.
I need to turn down the mic gain and sidetone.
Can anyone recall how many turns on the trimpots were necessary to get to the right levels? - a ballpark figure would help to minimise the number of times I will need to remove the radio, adjust the settings and flight test the result.

Thanks
Jim Talbot
New Zealand
RV7A ZK-JLT - first flight 5 days ago!

It's not a matter of turns, but fractions of a turn. A little bit goes a long way. I don't recall how much, but something like 1/4 turn sticks in my mind. It is definitely a trial and error process. You can do it in flight, but pick a smooth day.

Adjust the mic gain first, so that ATC hears you well. Adjust the sidetone second so that the noise in your ears is just enough.