Custom Voice Announcements

[RadioGuy3007]

Good Evening,

I maintain radio communications for Fixed Wing and Helicopter EMS and I've been asked to create custom voice announcements for channels within the air crafts and portables. The radios they will be running are capable of voice announcement. I was doing some research on YouTube and came across a video with South Metro Fire Rescue and the radios had custom channel announcements. Any idea where they made these? I've reached out to SMFR but nothing. I should mention all of the online text to speech websites I've tried sound too robotic.

 

[RocketNJ]

What are the make and models of the mobiles and portables? That will help with the answer to your question.

 

[RadioGuy3007]

APX 8000

 

[RocketNJ]

In the APX programming software help file it outlines the specs for the files before conversion. There are online sites where you can create custom voice files. They need to be in WAV format. Then in APX CPS use the voice fie conversion utility to convert them to MVA format. Then they can be loaded to a radio (assign them in CPS for channels and zones).

APX CPS Online Help Voice Announcement Converter Utility
The Voice Announcement Converter Utility allows you to convert audio files from the *.WAV format to Motorola Solutions *.WVA Voice Announcement audio file format. The audio file can be loaded to the current codeplug from the Voice Announcement List page.

The audio file must be prerecorded in *.WAV format.

Note

• Only *.WVA format is compatible with the radio codeplug.
• The *.WAV file format parameters must be 8000 samples per second, 16 bits per sample, Monochannel PCM, and less than 3 seconds.
• The Site Selectable Alerts (SSAs) are voice announcement that repeats periodically. The SSAs may occur when receiving voice transmission. When mixing SSAs with received voice audio, the SSAs are reduced in volume to ensure that the voice message is heard. It is important that the SSAs audio files are created with clear loud audio to ensure that they can be heard clearly when played at reduced levels

 

[VOXScanningYT]

Minitor VI (6) custom audio instructions

This is a guide to program the Motorola Minitor VI (6) pager custom audio.

www.pwservice.com

 

[RadioGuy3007]

In the APX programming software help file it outlines the specs for the files before conversion. There are online sites where you can create custom voice files. They need to be in WAV format. Then in APX CPS use the voice fie conversion utility to convert them to MVA format. Then they can be loaded to a radio (assign them in CPS for channels and zones).

APX CPS Online Help Voice Announcement Converter Utility
The Voice Announcement Converter Utility allows you to convert audio files from the *.WAV format to Motorola Solutions *.WVA Voice Announcement audio file format. The audio file can be loaded to the current codeplug from the Voice Announcement List page.

The audio file must be prerecorded in *.WAV format.

Note

• Only *.WVA format is compatible with the radio codeplug.
• The *.WAV file format parameters must be 8000 samples per second, 16 bits per sample, Monochannel PCM, and less than 3 seconds.
• The Site Selectable Alerts (SSAs) are voice announcement that repeats periodically. The SSAs may occur when receiving voice transmission. When mixing SSAs with received voice audio, the SSAs are reduced in volume to ensure that the voice message is heard. It is important that the SSAs audio files are created with clear loud audio to ensure that they can be heard clearly when played at reduced levels

Thanks but not what I was asking. I am aware of how to.make them work for APX I'm trying to find a site that works well for custom voice announcements. All of the sites I've tried are way to robotic and don't pronounce things properly.

 

[RocketNJ]

Try this site. Try the (US) Alisha Howard
Free Text to Speech Software (TTS) - by Wideo

 

[fire_master_21]

Wideo and Alisha Howard is also what I use. You can also have someone with a voice that you like record the voice files, then edit them for you application. My thoughts though the end user is listening to that voice all the time, just during a channel change or assigned function.

 

[alcahuete]

Fiverr. Find someone with exactly the voice you're looking for. Usually the voiceover/broadcast folks aren't the cheapest, but they'll do a great job.

 

[Deziel0495]

When we were going through the process of replacing our radio system, we wanted voice announcements. Radio shop could only provide a generic text to speech option. So I took it on myself to record them all using my own voice, using Audacity and saving them to the correct parameters. Sent them via email to the radio shop during programming and it was simple for them to put in. Although, now listening to my voice when you have 28 radios turning on/changing channels/zones is a bit hard on the head.

Example: SndUp | Post info

 

[BMDaug]

When we were going through the process of replacing our radio system, we wanted voice announcements. Radio shop could only provide a generic text to speech option. So I took it on myself to record them all using my own voice, using Audacity and saving them to the correct parameters. Sent them via email to the radio shop during programming and it was simple for them to put in. Although, now listening to my voice when you have 28 radios turning on/changing channels/zones is a bit hard on the head.

Example: SndUp | Post info

I just set this up for my Harris XG100M! Recorded, processed, and exported all of the files and then loaded them in to RPM. It’s great because I can see the channel name on the display and now I can hear the location of the repeater and frequency of each channel without going to the channel edit menu.

 

[18bravo]

Minitor VI (6) custom audio instructions

This is a guide to program the Motorola Minitor VI (6) pager custom audio.

www.pwservice.com

Seems not to be working.

 

[Firebuff66]

I have used eSpeak for years and I find it works very well

eSpeak: Speech Synthesizer