Speech Projection and Reception Systems—Developments, Characteristics, Prospects

Abstract

The search for transducers which would permit reduction in the encumbrance of communication equipment for use in high-altitude long-range missions has led to the discovery of new techniques for the projection and reception of voice communication. Absolute and quantitative measurements have been made of the relative performance of speech projection methods—conventional and radical—to define speech spectral sensitivity, noise spectral sensitivity, speech articulation capability, and noise tolerance as a function of speaking effort. Similarly, speech reception techniques have been studied quantitatively to find promising new approaches to eliminate head contact or discomfort while maintaining adequate noise tolerance. The performance of two new approaches, the forehead contact transmitter and the horn-coupled receiver, are described in detail.