[1000mp] CW Tuning Meter Question
Art Searle W2NRA
[email protected]
Sun, 8 Feb 2004 00:51:02 -0500
Hi J,
I think we are talking about the same thing. But
I think you're missing out on a valuable tool to
quickly tune in a DX signal.
Let's see, you:
1) zero beat the signal to the spot tone.
2) write down the frequency
3) go to 250 Hz IF filter and rock the tuning
slightly to confirm approximate centering
4) rock the dial a few 10s of Hz to confirm
centering
5) if the QRM is real bad or the signal is very
weak, I start using
the audio BPFs.
6) rock the dial a few 10s of Hz to confirm
centering
And you apparently don't use the APF (or did you
mean both the APF and Contour filters when you
mentioned BPFs?).
What I do is, before I tune anything, I adjusted
the CW pitch pot on top of the radio exactly to
the offset pitch I have chosen (menu 3-5 allows me
to see what this pitch setting is). Now when I
tune I carefully tune the signal until the tuning
meter's center indicator lights. Now I don't have
to do any tuning to go to subsequent narrower
stages. I hit the narrow filter button and the
signal's still there. Hit the BPF and the
signal's still there. Hit the 60 Hz APF and the
signal's still there. No additional tuning
needed. Truthfully I don't use the spot because I
can't seem to match the tones of the spot to the
signal. Never could.
Anyway my steps go like this:
1) carefully tune signal 'til center arrow lights
2) push narrow filter button, APF button, BPF
button
73,
Art
W2NRA
----- Original Message -----
From: "J. Mc Laughlin" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2004 11:30 PM
Subject: Re: [1000mp] CW Tuning Meter Question
> Dear Art:
> It is possible that we are discussing
different things, but probably
> not. I am using a 1000MP Mark-V.
> The pot (under the top cover) that we are
discussing adjusts the
> center pitch (the pitch of a cw signal that is
in the center of a
> filter) and adjusts the pitch of the spot signal
to correspond. In
> other words, wherever one sets the pot, if you
zero beat an on-the-air
> CW signal to the spot signal, the on-the-air CW
signal will be in the
> middle of all of the filters (both the IF
filters and the audio filters,
> if the latter are used). If the signal-to-noise
ratio is high, a CW
> signal that has been adjusted to "zero beat,"
should cause the (so
> called) tuning meter to assert its middle LED.
>
> The next time that I tune a CW signal that
has a high SNR, I will
> look again at the tuning meter. Hitherto, I
have found no utility for
> the tuning meter.
>
> To expand on how a tune a weak, DX signal:
I zero beat the signal
> to the spot tone. I write down the frequency.
Then I go to 250 Hz IF
> filter and rock the tuning slightly to confirm
approximate centering.
> Then, if the QRM is real bad or the signal is
very weak, I start using
> the audio BPFs. At each narrowing, I rock the
dial a few 10s of Hz to
> confirm centering. (the only times when the
center frequency appears to
> be different from the first frequency written
down, are those times when
> I expect the station is drifting) Narrowing in
stages works for me.
>
> Thanks for the data point and comments. 73
Mac N8TT
>
> J. Mc Laughlin - Michigan USA
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Art Searle W2NRA"
<[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2004 10:51 AM
> Subject: Re: [1000mp] CW Tuning Meter Question
>
>
> > Mac,
> >
> > I've only had my 1000mp a little over a month
but
> > I find the tuning meter invaluable on cw
because
> > of poor band conditions we've been
experiencing
> > and the frequent need for the narrowest
filtering.
> > I find that it can be difficult to tune a
> > moderately weak signal in when I select the
250 Hz
> > narrow filters. This is further complicated
when
> > using the 60 Hz audio filter. However, if you
> > adjust your tuning meter as precisely as
possible,
> > I find that, with a wider filter setting, I
can
> > tune a signal, so that the meter indicates the
> > station is in tune and then switch in the
narrower
> > filter and/or the 60 Hz audio filter and can
still
> > copy the station without fine tuning.
> >
> > In your case I think what I would do is set
the
> > tuning meter to the extreme bottom and then
adjust
> > the pitch to match that.
> >
> > 73,
> > Art
> >
> > W2NRA
> >
> >
> >
> > > I too found this "feature" of the Mark V. I
> > just set the pot to the
> > > lowest setting and then backed it off a bit.
> > The tuning meter has
> > > essentially no value, at least on CW.
> > > Nevertheless, listen to the spot tone
and
> > tune to the same pitch.
> > > Great radio. Some poor engineering.
> > > 73 Mac N8TT
> > > J. Mc Laughlin - Michigan USA
> >
> >
> >
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