[Boatanchors] A short Vent

[Bill Cromwell]

Hi Rob,

Some of the radios can resolve milliHerz and filter at that level too. 
Apparently the super slow QRSS and the WSPR modes *require* it. I use 
some of that software with my radios and there are benefits. I can use 
the spectrum analyzer on the computer screen to get netted right on 
another station. Yes Rodger, I know it's only a pan adapter <evil grin>. 
I can't tolerate bandwidths much tighter than about 90 Hz and some sound 
card DSP software can do that with little to no ringing. Since those 
things include a waterfall - aka panadapter - I can see where others are 
operating eben if they dodge around a little. In many cases I can see 
them when they are weak enough I can't hear them. Helps avoid QRM. Even 
with DSP, the signals sound better (to me) and we will notice other 
stations more easily if the band width is wider.

As for netting the NCS.. well the NCS transmitter frequency *IS* by 
definition the net frequency. Be there or be square as they say (or used 
to say). The net frequencies are given along with the "+/-" qrm caveat. 
Transmitters are more easily identified (copied in qrm) if they have a 
little bit "character" and some small amount of drift can be part of 
that character. Much of the week a drifty transmitter probably won't 
trash some other QSO but on busy weekends it's pretty thoughtless to use 
one that we know drifts more than a few 10s of cycles. The guys who 
don't know any better than to use 'inappropriate' setting will just keep 
trying until they get it right.

I have very few xtals here. VFOs are pretty much trivial compared to 
"back in the day" but I have used those xtals sometimes. Using Xtals is 
just for fun. The same as using tubes.

Trying to elmer new hams (the ones who actually want to understand 
things) over the internet is a lot more unproductive than some face time 
in front of the bench. If we have to elmer that way we might find 
something like YouTube can be a good friend. Or Skype.




On 12/16/2014 08:09 PM, Rob Atkinson wrote:
> I like how my Johnson 122 drifts for 20 or 30 seconds when I come back
> to someone on CW.
>
> This is one of those things for which there is a happy medium.  What's
> a few kc between friends.  But 5 kc or more?  Probably not good for
> spectrum use.  It can get to be a nuisance when you have a big group
> and everyone is here and there.  I have a homebrew ceramic filter in
> my 75A-3 that is kind of peaky so I retune a lot and worse, if I am
> using a sync. detector it has to re-lock all the time.  But I don't
> get all that worked up about it.  I do try to zero beat the other guy
> but sometimes forget.
>
> I bet some of this has to do with the modern rigs and their TCXOs and
> dial resolution down to 1 cps and an assumption everyone is running
> something similar.
>
>
> Rob
> K5UJ
> ______________________________________________________________
>