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Parrott Frequently Asked Questions:



Sound Card Connection Headsets: Parrott TalkPro, TalkPro Xpress, Talkpro Max 1 & 2 etc.

  1. I have an older Parrott Headset with a rectangular Translator box. How do I open it?
  2. Do you need to add batteries to the Translator?
  3. How do I make sure that the my microphone is working properly?
  4. Where is my sound card?
  5. I am talking and the computer can't "hear" me. (nothing is happening)
  6. I am getting good sound, but unacceptable voice quality.
  7. I can hear people but they can't hear me.
  8. I don't hear anything in my headset.
  9. My headset doesn't work.
  10. My mic isn't working.
  11. I am hearing a lot of static.

I have an older Parrott Headset with a rectangular Translator box. How do I open it?

This is a common question.
Please click here for instruction on how to open the translator
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Do you need to add batteries to the Translator?

Adding batteries to the translator will be necessary if your microphone is not working. Basically, adding batteries will "turn on" the microphone. This is typically necessary for customers who have older computers with older style soundcards and for those using laptop computers. Also, please note that adding batteries to the Translator may enhance your speech recognition performance. We recommend trying the headset without batteries first, and then adding them to see if it makes a difference.
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"How do I make sure that the my microphone is working properly?"

Go to the PARROTT TalkPro Technical Support Section and follow the steps to test your microphone.
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"What is a computer headset?"

A "computer headset" is, quite simply, a headset that can plug into your computer. Headsets can be used with computers for a variety of purposes- from listening to CDs to playing games to full-blown speech recognition. It is important to understand that the term "computer headset" is very broad. Certain computer headsets might be great for listening to CDs, but not capable of allowing you to record voice files. This is due to the fact that computer headsets can have a variety of features. Some only have a speaker, so you can hear sounds (such as music) from your computer. Some have a speaker and a microphone, so that your computer can hear sounds from your computer and the computer can also "hear" you. Even within the group of computer headsets that have the same features, there are some that have higher quality components than others.
For example, VXI's PARROTT TalkPro series of microphones are available with a variety of comfort features, such as one ear, two ear, etc., and they all contain the ability to send information by voice to the computer, and hear sounds from the computer. VXI PARROTT TalkPro microphones were designed specifically for speech recognition, so they all contain the same extremely high quality microphone element. Many of VXI's other Parrott products can be used for many other computer related purposes such as gaming, Internet telephony, voice e-mail, and video conferencing.
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Where is my sound card?

The sound card is the area on the back of your computer, located towards the bottom, that is devised of 3 or 4 female stereo ports that a 3.5 mm plug could fit into. The red plug from our headset needs to go into the port that has a picture of a microphone, or a port that says "mic in". If you have the VXI PARROTT Translator, you can also try plugging the headset into the "line in" port.
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I am talking and the computer can't "hear" me. (nothing is happening)

Usually this is related to your microphone not being plugged in in the appropriate place. A good place to start is to make sure that you have everything installed properly. Instructions for how you can check your microphone settings and perform a microphone test are online here.
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I am getting good sound, but unacceptable voice quality.

Even though you are getting good sound it may still be possible that your microphone is set to "Mute" in volume control. Instructions for checking this setting are here.

Also, check to make sure that your microphone is facing your mouth and is about one fingers width away from your mouth, this can make quite a bit of difference. You can see this illustrated here.

Check also that you do not have "system noises" which may be causing problems with your sound quality. The best way to check this is to do a Sound Recorder session with your sound card. Instructions for doing a Sound Recording session are here, but instead of speaking into the microphone in Step 2, just let the sound recorder record for about 10 seconds, and then follow the rest of the steps. By doing this you are letting the sound recorder "record" any sounds that happen on your computer normally. If when you play back you hear noise from this recording session, you may indeed have system noises that are interfering with your speech recognition experience.
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I am using a Computer Telephone Switch, and I can hear people but they can't hear me.

This is something that might happen if you have the VXI PARROTT 60V, a Bahama, TuffSet CT Switch or TalkPro Switch . In this case you most likely need to adjust the transmit gain on the switch box. The transmit gain is located on the back of the switch box, in the lower right area. It is a small hole. If you look inside this hole, you can see a place where a small flat head screwdriver could fit. You should have a received a small plastic tool inside your PARROTT installation guide. If you did not receive this tool, usually a jeweler screwdriver will suffice. Place the flat edged end of the plastic screwdriver deep into the transmit gain adjustment area. Gently turn the plastic screwdriver clockwise to turn the transmit level up if the person you are calling is having a hard time hearing you, or gently turn counter-clockwise if the person you are calling says your voice is too loud (this will turn the transmit level down).  Please note that adjusting the transmit gain will only affect how the caller hears you, not how you hear the caller. If you are still experiencing problems, please call Customer Service at 800-742-8588. We are available Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5:30 PM, EST, or you can email us anytime.
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I don't hear anything in my headset.

Please check to make sure that your headset is equipped with both a red and a black plug. There are some models of headsets that only have a red plug on the end, which will only enable you to speak into the computer. You will not be able to hear through your headset without having both the red and black plug on the end of your headset. It is always a good idea to re-read the installation guide to make sure that you have properly installed your headset. Instructions for making sure you have properly installed your headset are here.
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My headset doesn't work.

It is always a good idea to verify proper installation of the headset prior to believing the headset is not in good working order. A common issue is that your microphone is muted.  It is very simple to "unmute" your microphone. By going through the online installation guide, you can make sure your microphone is setup properly and that it is not muted. If you continue to have problems, please call our Customer Service department at 800.742.8588.
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My mic isn't working.

It is always a good idea to verify proper installation of the microphone prior to believing that the microphone is not in good working order. A common issue is that your microphone is muted.  It is very simple to "unmute" your microphone. By going through the online installation guide, you can make sure your microphone is setup properly and that it is not muted. If you continue to have problems, please call our Customer Service department at 800.742.8588.
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I am using a VXI Computer Telephone Switch box and I am hearing a lot of static.

This is usually a sign that your AC Adapter is not plugged in all the way to your VXI PARROTT switch box. Check to make sure that the plug is flush with the box. Also, there could possibly be some system noise, which is no fault of the VXI PARROTT equipment. This noise would need to be found and eliminated. Some examples of common system noises can be excessive electrical sounds, generally in existence in laptop computers and older computers. Also, system noise could be defined as a "60 cycle hum" that can be caused by florescent lights. You can check for system noise by performing a microphone test, but instead of speaking into the microphone in Step 2, just let the sound recorder record for about 10 seconds, and then follow the rest of the steps. By doing this you are letting the sound recorder "record" any sounds that happen on your computer normally. If, when you play back, you hear noise from this recording session, you may indeed have system noises that are interfering with your speech recognition experience.
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What is the difference between a TalkPro CT 1 or 2 and a VXI CT Switch(TuffSet)?

The main difference is the type of quick disconnect (or QD) that the ystystems use. For more information, please select this PDF of illustrating the two different switch options and their compatibility.
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