[Elecraft] PSK WORKS..WOW

[George, W5YR]

Ron and all,

I fully agree with the inadvisability of running with a wide IF filter
setting in order to obtain the convenience of no-tune operating.

I have found what I think is an excellent compromise approach to PSK31
operation - sort of a have your cake and eat it too.

My normal operating bandwidth with the Icom PRo is 3600 Hz. Using the MixW
program with its excellent macros, when I see a track that I want to print,
I invoke a macro that (1) changes the radio tuning to move the desired
track to an audio offset frequency of 1500 Hz which is the center of the
PRO SSB filters and then (2) selects a 50 Hz IF DSP filter. The effect can
be astounding. The speaker almost immediately goes silent except for the
selected station. Since the other, usually stronger stations in the
passband can no longer affect the PRO AGC , the effective signal strength
of the chosen signal frequently goes from bare visible on the screen to the
color denoting an average to strong signal.

At the conclusion of such operation, I invoke another macro which retunes
the radio to restore the chosen signal to its original offset frequency and
selects the original 3600 Hz USB filter.

All this is done with pushing either of two macro "radio buttons" on the
MixW display.

I use a comparable pairof macros for CW operation, the only difference
being translation to a 700 Hz offset and the selection of a 100 Hz CW
bandpass filter with extremely steep sides.

All these capabilities are probably present in other programs that I am
unaware of, but the point I want to make is that we can enjoy the luxury of
viewing a wide passband in the interests of signal selection and yet very
quickly and conveniently restrict the bandwidth the minimum required for
PSK31 operation.

We have come a long way since those early days when we had to tune so
carefully with Peter's original program to center a station in that 500 Hz
waterfall! But, that is what started it all . . .

72/73/oo, George W5YR - the Yellow Rose of Texas         
Fairview, TX 30 mi NE of Dallas in Collin county EM13qe   
Amateur Radio W5YR, in the 56th year and it just keeps getting better!
QRP-L 1373 NETXQRP 6 SOC 262 COG 8 FPQRP 404 TEN-X 11771
Icom IC-756PRO #02121  Kachina #91900556  IC-765 #02437

All outgoing email virus-checked by Norton Anti-Virus 2002


Ron D' Eau Claire wrote:

> One of the things I find unfortunate about most PSK 31 is that it seems to
> advocate running your receiver selectivity "wide open" to use the panoramic
> display. That's okay as long as you have a darn near 'bulletproof' receiver
> (like the K2) and there isn't some really strong signal pushing your AGC
> down so the weak signals drop out.
> 
> In ANY mode, the best way to run your receiver is will all the selectivity
> as close to the antenna as possible. In PSK-31 that means using the proper
> i-f filter and using the front panel knob to tune in the signal instead of
> letting the software do it.
> 
> Still, thanks to a very robust dynamic range in rigs like the K2, many ops
> can get away with the less desirable practice of clicking on the sig in the
> panoramic display and letting the computer provide the selectivity.