RF Gain and Mic Gain

RF refers to the wireless communication of signals from one device to another. RF (Radio Frequency) is synonymous with radio. Since the transmission is wireless, there may be interference from the atmosphere or other overlapping channels. The best way to fix this is to increase the signal strength to overwhelm the noise. This is achieved by increasing the RF gain to increase the filter sensitivity. RF gain will reduce the noise picked up by the receiver without reducing received power like radio squelch does.

How does RF gain work?
Essentially, you can use RF gain to capture distant transmissions or nearby calls. Turn it up to tune for weak transmission, and gradually turn it down as the transmitter gets closer and stronger.

The squelch control determines the signal range your radio locks to. Turning the squelch up will allow you to receive a stronger signal. Turning it down allows your radio to focus on weaker signals.

You can use squelch in conjunction with RF gain to help you get the highest clarity reception from varying signal strengths.

Microphone gain is another way to increase transmission strength. It works by boosting your voice so that it's loud enough to travel far. However, if your voice is naturally loud, it's not necessary as it will be fine on its own.

Think of mic gain as a feature that allows you to use a soft voice without anyone complaining that you can't hear and should say it out loud.

The only problem is that too much mic gain can introduce a lot of background noise and distort your transmission.