[Boatanchors] A short Vent

[KA4INM radio]

   On 12/16/14 16:30, David C. Hallam wrote:

> Has the art of using the tuning knob been lost?  Being a boat anchor
> operator occasionally I may not be exactly zero beat when I return a
> call to another station.  I try my best but sometimes.  I realize that
> for net operation or part of a group you need to be on frequency.  But
> in a one on one QSO can't the other operator touch the tuning slightly
> to tune my transmitted signal?  I will retune my receiver if he comes
> back slightly off of mine.  Can a few 10s of Hz make that much
> difference.  I started in the rock bound CW era where you never knew
> where the other signal would be.

   It's a double edged sword.  My club cw net control station was always 
within a Hz* for years until he died.  His replacement with hundreds of 
times more experence than I, and in the physical center of the HAM area 
used a Drake pair, he was usually + or -  1,000 Hz, sometimes double that.
His response to complaints was "everybody operates on the net control's 
frequency, find me."  Half the time I couldn't, a quarter of the time no 
one could.  I had a crystal for that frequency, I offered to build him a 
small box that would locate the advertized frequency (21,165,000. Hz) 
for him with a button push with no charge to anyone.  He refused, I 
think "he wanted to do it himself."
Under his hand the 20+ year old net lasted less than two months.
   We are friends.

* I went to memory position #1 and he called CQ where I was waiting, he 
was ALWAYS right there!
-- 
   Ron  KA4INM - Youvan's corollary:
                 Every action results in unwanted side effects.