[1000mp] Re: MP Clicks

[Tom Rauch]

> look equally heinous." ========== I hope that the ARRL's new equipment
> review editor is following this thread.  It's about time that the QST
> reviews include CW keying bandwidth (clicks) specs as well as envelope
> photos.  Maybe that will cause the manufacturers do something about
> the problem.

Excellent suggestion!

That would have the end-effect of everyone complaining with their 
wallets.

Certainly everything is inside the rigs already to make them click-
free, for the most part they just aren't using the parts correctly. The 
cost would be virtually zero to build the things correctly in the first 
place, so it has to be because either they don't understand the 
problem or they don't care.

A good first step would be to let Mike Tracy know we WANT an 
actual meaningful click and thump test...not some barely important 
first dot or multiple dot waveform. 

He responded to the request for a meaningful narrow frequency 
blocking and IM test.....and now we can see how good (bad) most 
rigs are at spacings within roofing filter bandwidth! That was a 
positive test.

For steady repeating clicks a hundred-sweep peak storage with a 
narrow spectrum analyzer or a good selective level meter with peak-
holding capability to measure actual bandwidth would work.

A spectrum analyzer would miss things like the infamous IC-
775DSP "thump", so they'd need a sample and hold selective level 
meter or to use zero-sweep dispersion setting on an analyzer to 
determine levels of "bumps" when VCO's switch.

Let's hope we can get them to include REAL click tests.
73, Tom W8JI
W8JI@contesting.com