[Elecraft] Not so "Quick Split" please

[Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy]

JOHN LAWRENCE <jsl at hughes.net> wrote on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 2:32 AM

>  May I suggest to the Elecraft staff that a Human engineering change be 
> offered for the >60 yo as a reward for being licensed over half a century. 
> This special feature requires a K3 with a frequency
>  TX inhibit feature that can be set for the DX operation frequency before 
> the tap dance begins.  Or should it be called "Safe Split" rather than 
> "Quick Split"?

John,

A true version of  multiple frequency transmitter offset, or "Quick Split", 
can have this feature and usually did.  The problem as I see it is that when 
the manufacturers of ham equipment got to hear about "Quick Split", they 
came up with this strange idea that transmitting "up one or up five" , and 
not at any other "up" frequency is the way to work DX.

The original version of what we now call "Quick Split" for use in 
non-amateur equipment was in effect a form of bandspread to fine tune the 
transmitter to some frequency close to but not on the receive frequency, 
hence the name multiple frequency Tx offset. Back in the early 1950's, VFOs 
were difficult to tune to an exact frequency, and two VFOs in one rig was 
not typical. Commercial systems tended to use crystal control.

By using a front panel mounted toggle switch to switch between "Normal" i.e. 
no split and "Tx Offset" i.e. Split, and a knob to fine tune the transmit 
frequency over a range that did *not* include the receive frequency but 
close to it, when in the "Tx Offset" mode, the idea of true "Quick Split" 
was born for use in the commercial systems market. These days with good and 
easy to tune VFOs available, there are other ways to achieve the same result 
as people on the list have suggested.

73,
Geoff
GM4ESD  (VQ8AK 1946  etc)