Art Harding wrote:
> Howdy all,
>
> After many moons my OMNI VI+ drifted out of spec. What I did about it may
> not get me a Thank You card from Servierville, but as a ham I wanted to
> share it with you.
>
> If you are having any off frequency problems drop by
>
> http://www.k5yef.com/FreqDrift/freqdrift.html
>
> 73 Art K5YEF
Art,
I just did some adjusting of my Omni VI as well, a few months ago, without a
counter. I used Zakanakal Here is how:
* Bring up Zakanaka.
* Tune in WWV so you can see a bit above or below 10.000 on the display
* Adjust so the bright line is in line with the 10.000 mHz. mark.
You can do the same thing with DigiPan, but you have to do the radio
frequency +/- audio calculation yourself. That is, set your rig at 9.999 mHz
and align with a 1000 Hz. audio tone. I just now tried both programs. I am
lined up in Zakanaka, but DigiPan is a bit off. I will not say which one is
right or wrong, but it is only a matter of a few Hz. You can get pretty
close. You do this in receive mode, not transmit.
With these magic programs, and ham requirements (+/-10 Hz. is pretty good)
the counter is of little importance. The real problem is the coarseness of
the Ten-Tec Omni VI slugs. For the faint of heart, I did not know what I was
doing when I began (and I still don't). All it takes is turning on the
program and going to WWV. Clearly, the big fat line is probably the right
one, and lo and behold, if you look near 10.000 mHz in Zakanaka, there is the
big fat line. Or if you tune your USB radio to 9.999 in Digipan, there is
the line, near 1000 Hz. If it had not hit me on the head like this, I would
never have figured it out. In fact, anyone with a radio can at least check
frequency alignment this way. Then all you do is take that screwdriver or
alignment tool, slip it onto the slug, hold your breath, and bump it. If the
line moves, then you are doing the right thing and you now know how big a
jump to expect. Whathehell, a factory Ten-Tec realignment can't be more'n a
hunnert bux, live dangerously. It's less tension-producing than the first
time you slipped that arm around a date.
Zakanaka is still in Beta test, but if you sign up for the Zakanaka reflector
at egroups.com, you can grab the next version when it comes out (Beta
versions are only available for 24 hours). If you are using it for
alignment, you need only do this once. However, Art, I see by your page that
you are now into PSK31, and I think that Zakanaka will cause you to abandon
your socks. Remember, though, this is Beta software. No bitchin', comments
only.
73,
Jan, KX2A
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/tentec
Submissions: tentec@contesting.com
Administrative requests: tentec-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-tentec@contesting.com
|