[Elecraft] running QRP in a major contest

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

 (It is also a good idea to adjust a kit or
> homebrew rig's transmit offset to be sure that it places your signal
> at the right frequency for the receiving station...
>
> Now the question.... how does one adjust the K1/K2 to meet this criteria?
>
> 73 de Jerry/k6iii
> San Jose, CA


The Elecraft rigs already do that if they are operated properly.

Many simple QRP transceiver designs use the same oscillator for both the
receiver local oscillator and the transmitter VFO with no provision for
adjusting the frequency automatically when switching between transmit and
receive. Since you must tune to one side of the received signal to get a
"beat note" to hear CW, that means that these simple transceivers transmit
on a frequency different from that on which the are listening.

Also, it appears that many ops with their big "full featured" Kenwoods,
Yaesus, Icoms, etc., don't know how to operate them to zero beat their
signal with the other station. Sometimes these ops are using a wide "phone"
bandwidth, so their signals may be as much as a one or two  kHz away!

In the K2, using SPOT to zero beat the incoming signal with the sidetone
means that you will transmit exactly on the other station's frequency.

Even if you can't seem to figure out where "zero beat" is, putting the K2 in
a narrow bandwidth (e.g. 100 Hz) and tuning in the signal so it is in that
passband means that you will be within 100 Hz of the other station.

Ron AC7AC
K2 # 1289