Several stations report that your FM transmission is loud and distorted, but on frequency. Which of the following is the most probable cause of the distortion?

In an FM (Frequency Modulation) transmitter, the loudness of the audio input directly controls the amount of frequency deviation. When you speak too loudly into the microphone, the signal's deviation exceeds the receiver's filter bandwidth, causing a condition known as 'overdeviation' or 'clipping.' This overdeviation is heard by the receiving station as a loud, highly distorted, or 'scratchy' voice. Adjusting your distance from the microphone or speaking more softly will bring the deviation back within normal limits, restoring clear audio. Excessive transmit power would only make your RF signal stronger, not distort your audio. A wrong CTCSS tone would prevent the receiver's squelch from opening at all, and a cross-polarized antenna would simply result in a weaker received signal, not a strong but distorted one.