[Elecraft] K3 slightly off frequency

[Don Wilhelm]

Mel,

The answer depends on whether or not you define "zero beat" correctly - 
which is to tune in the signal to the same pitch as your SPOT tone.

In other words, your statement "match my K3 frequency to his" is not 
sufficiently informative.  It all depends on how you match his 
frequency.  What the dial says on his transceiver is not relevant, the 
only thing important is what you are hearing.

Would it not be better (and easier) for you to change the PITCH of your 
SPOT tone to the pitch you like to hear?
That means there is no need to use RIT most of the time - if you tune 
the incoming signal to that same tone, you will be on the same 
frequency.  The K3 then uses that pitch as the center of the filter 
passband (unless SHIFT is set somewhere other than default) and is the 
pitch used for zero beating.

The normal use of RIT is when you have called CQ and a station comes 
back to you not exactly on your transmit frequency - RIT can then be 
used to tune that station in and not create a situation where the QSO 
"walks up the band" with each transmission - your TX frequency stays put 
and the other station's TX frequency also stays put.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 4/9/2017 7:04 PM, Mel Farrer wrote:
> Good question Don,  Check out on this.  If the sending station is 
> tuned in to a zero beat that is I match my K3 frequency to his, then 
> turn on the RIT to get a pitch I like. Doesn't that make my Tx signal 
> the same as his?
>