Enthusiastic FreeDV RADE V1 operator José Donnari – LU5DKI, has developed a system he uses to have high quality radio contacts between him speaking Spanish and other amateurs who speak only English or Japanese.
José explains how he operates.
I would like to share a system that I developed to make international communication easier using FreeDV, the digital voice system for amateur radio.
The operator simply speaks in Spanish. An older Samsung Android smartphone running Google Translate in Conversation Mode automatically translates the speech and generates a natural synthesized voice in the selected target language.
The key innovation is that only the translated audio is taken from the phone’s headphone output. Using a modified audio cable and a simple USB audio interface, this signal is fed directly into the microphone input of the FreeDV software.
As a result, only the translated speech is transmitted, without phone notifications or any unwanted system sounds.
Main Features
✅ Near real-time voice translation.
✅ Approximately 2 seconds of latency.
✅ No programming required.
✅ No complicated setup.
✅ Works with an older Android smartphone.
✅ Uses inexpensive, readily available hardware.
✅ Direct integration with FreeDV.
✅ Makes international QSOs in different languages feel natural.
✅ Uses widely available Google Translate rather than advanced AI translation services.
In my own tests, this system proved to be simpler to set up, lower in latency, and virtually cost-free compared with the real-time translation solutions I evaluated using Gemini AI Studio for this specific amateur radio application.
This project demonstrates that, with creativity and technical knowledge, it is possible to build a practical, low-cost, and efficient solution that helps overcome language barriers in amateur radio communications.
Configuration
FreeDV RADE Software
TOOLS
AUDIO CONFIGURATION
TRANSMIT – Input From Microphone To Computer: select “PC microphone input where the audio cable is connected”
Apply
OK
Google Translate Conversation Mode Workflow
START
│
▼
Open Google Translate
│
▼
Select input language
(e.g., Spanish)
│
▼
Select output language
(e.g., Japanese)
│
▼
Enter “Conversation” mode
│
▼
Enable the option:
“Listen only on headphones”
│
▼
Press the microphone button
│
▼
Speak normally
(voice does not play through the speaker)
│
▼
Google translates the message
│
▼
Only the translated voice plays
through the headphones or Bluetooth speaker
│
▼
END
Summary
Open Google Translate, select the input and output languages, enter Conversation mode, enable the “Listen only on headphones” option, press the microphone, and speak. This way, my voice does not play through the speaker and only the translation is heard, preventing feedback and echoes.
Conclusion
I hope this idea inspires other amateur radio operators to experiment and further improve real-time multilingual communication over the air.
73 and good DX!
José Donnari – LU5DKI
