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Re: [TenTec] Speech to Text

To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Speech to Text
From: Richards <jruing@ameritech.net>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:59:18 -0500
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
I agree with everything Bruce says, and I used it in my practice since 
1992 - and his experience mirrors mine exactly as he states.

I am worried, however, that in my haste, I may have missed John's 
essential purpose in asking about this software.   I re-read the post, 
and now see he MAY want to use it to interpret other operators' speech 
coming in on SSB, and not, say, perhaps, for use in dictating his 
message for digital mode transmission,  i.e., incoming vs outgoing 
messages.

As for over the air signals with other voices...  I predict it will be 
very poor, indeed.  While the new version 11 claims to be speaker 
independent (at least nominally- they do say, as Bruce indicates, it 
works better with even a short training session to tailor it to your 
voice)  but another voice, with all that static, and the inherent 
distortion on SSB... well, that is not going to work well at all.  In my 
estimation, it will not work as well as computer CW translator programs.

Also, while it learns your speech patterns, high accuracy is dependent 
on good speech habits, clear enunciation and completeness.  For example, 
if you slur your words together, like "thisanthat" it will not be as 
accurate as if you spoke each work completely and made sure you 
enunciate the "t" on the end of "that" and the "d" on the end of "and" 
and so forth. I doubt SSB audio input would be sufficiently clear, and 
well enunciated, to be used as a speech-to-text interpreter.   In court 
rooms they either record it and transcribe / re-dictate it later, or use 
a "steno-mask" and re-dictate it live in the court room.  This is 
because the program does not, as Bruce indicates, process many different 
voices at once.

I am surprised at how few writers are using this valuable tool - it is 
invaluable for dictating quick notes, email, office correspondence, and 
other stuff - especially where total accuracy is not always required, in 
addition to formal work, such as  contracts, deeds, pleadings, motions, 
briefs, and other legal documents where accuracy is essential.

Just MY take.   Happy days.

====================== James - K8JHR  =======================





On 12/6/2010 12:21 PM, Bruce McLaughlin wrote:
> I can second the recommendation for Dragon naturally speaking.  I have both
> the program for a PC and another version for the Macintosh.  Both of them
> work pretty much the same as far as recognition accuracy is concerned,
> although, I think the interface for the PC is better.  Version 11 which is
> the current version for the PC is extremely good.  I use it for legal
> writing and for ham radio I have used it to work PSK 31 as well as RTTY by
> dictating into various programs such as Mix W.  In fact, I am using it to
> write this message.  Earlier versions of the program required a fair amount
> of "training" in order to build up the so-called profile of your voice, that
> is, how you pronounce words and familiar contexts you use.  However, the
> current version requires hardly any training and will, in fact, work very
> well with no training at all.  It "learns" how you speak as you use it.  If
> it makes a mistake on a word you correct it.  It keeps track of those
> corrections and when you close down the program it will add those
> corrections to your profile so that it will not make that mistake again.
>
> However, as someone has mentioned, it is still rather dependent on your
> particular voice characteristics as well as a good clean audio input.  I
> don't know if it will work very well with over the air signals with static,
> interference, and fading, not to mention various accents, etc.  However, the
> program is not very expensive and is undoubtedly worth a try.  At the very
> least, it should be an interesting addition to your software library and
> could be quite helpful in ordinary writing.  It comes with a very nice
> headset mic which seems to work very well.  I note that the program has made
> absolutely no mistakes while I dictated this message.  Considering what it
> has to do I think that is amazing.  I began using speech recognition with a
> program put out by IBM called Via Voice about 10 years ago.  It was very
> expensive and very crude compared to NaturallySpeaking of today.  Not only
> is today's program much less expensive it is much, much better.  They have
> certainly made vast improvements in the technology during the past 10 years.
>
> Good luck.  Bruce-W8FU
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
> On Behalf Of John Chance-Read
> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 7:49 AM
> To: tentec@contesting.com
> Subject: [TenTec] Speech to Text
>
> Being deaf, I am trying to locate a 'Speech to Text' software package.
> All my attempts, despite careful choice of route, always lands up with a
> 'Text
> to Speech'.
> I use CW Skimmer to display the morse code ( I decode it visually) and have
> successfully made many CW contacts.  Now I want to try SSB.
> Does anyone know of such software.  SPEECH to Text - not text to speech!
> Your help appreciated
> John G4BOU
>
>
>
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