TenTec
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TenTec] In praise of older technology

To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] In praise of older technology
From: Brian Carling <bcarling@cfl.rr.com>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2014 21:07:26 -0500
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
All listeners with an RIT control can just decide how girly or manly they want 
the other person's voice to sound :)
Another reason why I love CW so much...

Best regards - Bry Carling



> On Feb 22, 2014, at 7:03 PM, k6jek <k6jek@comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> My experience is that with modern equipment, when people say they are on 3895 
> they actually are, +/- not much and they actually stay there. Land yourself 
> on that number and you've got it. With older equipment not so. Without a 
> leader that we all tune to, say in an informal gathering, we wander all over 
> the band. Somebody is a little high, I tune to him, maybe miss by a little. 
> Somebody else tunes to me, misses a little etc. And, of course, we all drift 
> like mad. 
> 
> Even with a leader, it can be pretty amusing. I participate in a vintage 
> sideband roundtable most Tuesdays. We all tune to the roundtable leader. 
> Depending on what he's running we can end up 5 kHz from where we started if 
> somebody doesn't jump in and drag the whole conglomeration back. And many of 
> the people who have tuned to net control haven't really succeeded. Maybe the 
> tuned to where he used to be. Maybe they just couldn't hear what's right.
> 
> And no, people aren't very good at hitting it dead on when they are tuning to 
> natural speech. You can prove this to yourself. Using a dummy load and a 
> recording of a voice that isn't you, tune with another receiver until the 
> speech sounds right.  Analog only. Now play some music through the 
> transmitter. Chances are it will sound like hell. You've missed the mark.
> 
> I've invited other people to do this. They can't hit it either. I have 
> theories on why this is but that's another story.
> 
> Jon, K6JEK 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Feb 22, 2014, at 3:14 PM, Brian Carling wrote:
>> 
>> How does a digital readout help you to get on the same frequency any better 
>> than an analog one ? If you can't hear when a human voice sounds natural 
>> then a digital won't help.
>> 
>> Best regards - Bry Carling
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Feb 22, 2014, at 6:01 PM, k6jek <k6jek@comcast.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I know. As an aficionado of vintage equipment I agree in spirt. But on SSB 
>>> it really is delightful to talk with people who are actually on frequency, 
>>> a rarity with vintage gear but the norm now with new equipment. People just 
>>> sound so much more human when their speech isn't shifted 30 Hz or 20 or 
>>> even 10. 
>>> 
>>> I have a Corsair (I) and have not considered replacing the PTO with a DDS 
>>> unit but might just find a way to get a better read of my actual frequency. 
>>> Shouldn't be hard. That way I can talk with my buddies on their Flex Radios 
>>> (*), ICOM 7600's and such without annoying them while still enjoying my 
>>> fine old stuff.
>>> 
>>> Jon, K6JEK
>>> 
>>> * I have all that modern stuff too, an SDR, OMNI VII etc. I just don't like 
>>> it much. Heck, I think my favorites are the tube pieces from '50's.
>>> 
>>>> On Feb 22, 2014, at 2:44 PM, Ken Brown wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> I remember when digital frequency readouts (the kind using an electronic 
>>>> counter, not the kind on a R-390) started appearing on ham gear. Most 
>>>> people (myself included) just had to have it. We never needed it before. 
>>>> There were easy enough reliable methods to make sure we stayed inside our 
>>>> band (or sub-band) limits, but for some reason it seemed like a digital 
>>>> display of our frequency became a necessity.
>>>> 
>>>> DE N6KB
>>>> 
>>>>> On 2/22/2014 11:14 AM, Mike Bryce wrote:
>>>>> I guess it was a year ago I put in a DDS replacement for the PTO. Rock 
>>>>> solid. Dual VFOs, speed sensitive tuning, all kinds of goodies.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I took it out and the analog PTO back in.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Yep, it didn’t have the same feel. It (the DDS) made all kinds of noise 
>>>>> when no antenna was connected.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Sometimes, and this was one of them, older really is better
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Mike, WB8VGE
>>>>> SunLight Energy Systems
>>>>> The Heathkit Shop
>>>>> http://www.theheathkitshop.com/
>>>>> J e e p
>>>>> o|||||||o
>>>>> 
>>>>> A man with one clock knows what time it is. A man with two clocks is 
>>>>> never sure.
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> TenTec mailing list
>>>> TenTec@contesting.com
>>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> TenTec mailing list
>>> TenTec@contesting.com
>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>> _______________________________________________
>> TenTec mailing list
>> TenTec@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
> 
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
_______________________________________________
TenTec mailing list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>