[1000mp] Filters options

[Bill Tippett]

K2AV wrote:
"I have a friend who uses a 1000 Hz filter for all three of the uses 
above and somehow manages toseparate it all in his head and only 
listen to what he wants to hear."

        That sounds like K3ZO!  He turns both Shift and Width fully 
CCW (for USB CW) or fully CW (for LSB CW) using SSB filters in his MP.  
I used to do something similar with my old TS-930S by turning VBT down 
when using SSB filters on CW.  This makes a VERY wide skirted 500 Hz 
filter which is great for hearing folks who call off frequency.  For 
about the past year, I've been using Yaesu 2.0's in this mode in my MP 
for CW contests.

        This may be a little wide in extremely crowded conditions but
with a little practice, you can get accustomed to it.  Now I find going
back to dual 400/500 filters feels too narrow and I feel I'm missing both
off-frequency callers as well as a good feel for what is going on 
around me.  The Inrad 400 is definitely too sharp for my taste in 
most contests and I prefer switching the 455 filter to 2 kHz with the 8.2
filter set to the stock 500 Hz Yaesu filter.  One of the main reasons 
I did not consider a Mark V is the lack of flexibility to select the 
filters separately from the front panel as you can with the old MP.

        Here is how I find myself using filters on CW:

   Filter
8125    455 (y is Yaesu and i is Inrad)

250y     250y     Only when chasing very weak DX in QRN on 160.
500y     400i     Most DX pile-ups or very tight contest mode.
500y    2000y     Tight contest mode...if necessary I can quickly
                  narrow the 455 to 400 Hz for weak stations in heavy QRM.
2000y   2000y     Preferred contest mode with Shift/Width per above.

        The only problem with the last mode is that you have to quickly
reset the Shift/Width back to normal to drop back to a narrower mode.  If
you don't do this, you will hear nothing if you select narrower filters.
There are a few other tricks to using this mode such as offseting your
RX frequency about 200-250 Hz and also adjusting the pitch up a little
higher than normal (normal for me is 300 Hz and I usually adjust this
to 400-450 Hz for contests).  You may have to experiment with both the 
pitch and offset to optimize hearing stations that call off-frequency
above and below your TX frequency.

                                                73,  Bill  W4ZV