First Voice Setup

First Voice Setup (SSB · AM · FM)

New to the radio and just want to talk? This is the short, no-jargon path to your first voice contact. It covers the phone modes — SSB (USB/LSB), AM, and FM. The audio wiring is the same for all three — you just pick the mode you're operating. (Digital modes like FT8 use a different path — see the User Guide.)

Start with one question — where are your microphone and headphones/speaker plugged in?

• Into the radio (it has a MIC jack and a PHONES jack on the box) → Path A
• Into your computer (USB headset, a PC mic, PC speakers) → Path B

Follow only your path.

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🟢 Path A — mic & headphones plugged into the radio ✅ simplest

This needs an HL2+ / AK4951 — the version with audio jacks on the box. Nothing touches Windows sound settings.

1. Plug your headphones or speaker into the radio's PHONES jack.
2. Plug your microphone into the radio's MIC jack.
3. Settings → Audio → Out = "HL2 audio jack (AK4951)".
4. Settings → TX → Mic source = "Mic In". If people say you're quiet, tick Mic Boost (+20 dB).
5. Pick your mode and frequency — SSB (USB above 10 MHz, LSB below), or AM / FM as the band or net calls for.
6. Hold your mic PTT (or a foot switch, or click MOX) and talk — watch the MIC meter move as you speak. That means it's hearing you.

That's it — no Windows sound settings needed.

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🔵 Path B — mic & headphones plugged into the computer

Works on any HL2 or HL2+.

Hearing the radio (RX):

1. Settings → Audio → Out = your PC speakers/headset (pick your Windows playback device from the list).

Talking (TX) — through a computer microphone:

2. Know which kind of mic you have — both appear in Windows as an input device:
   • a USB microphone or USB headset shows up as its own device;
   • an analog mic in the PC's pink MIC jack, or into a sound-card / USB interface input, shows up as that card's Microphone / line-in.
3. Set the mic up in Windows first — Lyra can't fix a mic Windows can't hear. In Windows → Settings → Sound → Input, choose that microphone and set its mic level to a usable value (not muted, not maxed). Many mics ship muted or at 0; some USB mics/headsets also have their own manufacturer app or a hardware volume/mute — check it. Speak and confirm the Windows input bar moves.
4. Point Lyra at it — Settings → TX → Mic source = "PC Soundcard (VAC1)", then Settings → Audio → VAC1 and set the Input device to that same Windows microphone.
5. Pick your mode and frequency (as in Path A step 5), hold MOX (or your PTT), and talk — watch Lyra's MIC meter move. No movement → go back to step 3 (Windows).

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See also: Quick Start · User Guide · FAQ & Troubleshooting