The spot button on the Paragon is really mislabled and the info in the
manual is misleading. It is not useful for zero beating. If you are
operating split, pushing the spot button will cause your receiver to
monitor your transmit frequency. It's useful to hear what's happening
on your transmit frequency.
The RX OFF and TX OFF buttons can be thought of as RIT and XIT or
receiver and transmitter incrimental or offset tuning. I must admit
they operate much like the vfo A and vfo B buttons. Here's how I use RX
OFF. I find a frequency to call CQ. I push the clear button (to make
sure the amount of offset is cleared) and then push the RX OFF. Now my
main tuning only changes my receive frequency and my transmit frequency
stays put. When I get a response I tune the station in. If he's not
zero beat that's no problem as my tx frequency doesn't change and we
don't go leap-frogging down the band. On SSB, especially in net
operations, tune in the net control to get on frequency and then push
the RX OFF button. You stay on the net control's frequency and can tune
in the other off frequency guys without moving your tx frequency. I'm
not sure what the limit to the offset is on a stock Paragon but with a
Giehl chip you get +/- 99 khz.
As to your question about zero beating, don't feel like the lone
ranger. From my experience, a high percentage of stations don't know
how to do that! Probably half of the stations I work call from 100 TO
300 HZ off frequency. That's why that RX OFF is so handy. To zero beat
on CW you must tune in a station so that it's tone matches the amount of
your CW offset. In the Paragon that's 700 HZ. There is no zero beat
aid in the Paragon so you need to be able to recognize that 700 hz
tone. My Delta II has a nice little audio tone that equals the CW
offset when you push the spot button and you just match the tones, but
the Paragon does not have that feature.
I have a DSP filter on my Paragon. I set it to a center freq of 700 hz,
narrow it down to 30 HZ and tune in a station. I can get as close as a
gnat's hair that way. Actually though, if you get within 100 or 200 HZ
it's probably close enough unless you are trying to work some operator
who has his RX glued to one spot and has his 250 HZ filter in line. He
won't hear you unless you get in the passband of his narrow filter.
I hope this was some help.
73,
Puck, W4PM
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