[Elecraft] K3 and the ARRL DX contest - A conundrum

[Gary Smith]

I've got the K3 and even the precision txco. When I am in most normal 
qsos 1:1 I have no issues bring the digital filter to 50Hz and having 
a delightful QSO. I do not believe my tx/rx frequency is off.

However during the contest I would narrow the DX to within 200Hz and 
call them and so often I was never heard. I started experimenting 
around and found the stations they (They meaning a very high % of DX 
stations being called) were going back to stations transmitting lower 
in frequency than I was.

I played a game and used my narrow filter to 200Hz, found them where 
they were coming in the most clear and then used the XIT to transmit 
down by -30 and I started snagging them left and right. I left it 
this way in the pigpile and then did very well.

If I have normal QSOs say with another elecraft I am dead on, But 
till I did this in the the contest, my Q's were suffering.

Any ideas this might bring up?

P.S. did well anyway, 794 Qs 830,2171 points It was my first time 
logging with N1MM, a most interesting program. I was learning it on 
the fly during the contest. Definitely was a fun time.

73,
Gary
KA1J