[CQ-Contest] Receiver adjustments in CW contest conditions

[K9MA]

I generally set the bandwidth to 400 Hz, and pitch to 500. If bad QRM captures the AGC, I'll reduce the bandwidth to 250. However, if AGC capture isn't the issue, I find that reducing the bandwidth really doesn't help. Some operators just turn off the AGC, but I'm convinced that can lead to (further) hearing damage.

I've also noticed that in the presence of just noise, not strong QRM, reducing bandwidth doesn't help at all; I can copy just as well with a 2 kHz bandwidth as 250 Hz. I presume that's because the effective bandwidth of the filter in my head is much less than that of the radio. For example, I can usually copy signals that are just barely visible on a spectrum display with an effective bandwidth of 22 Hz. If that's 0 dB, it's about -12 dB at 400 Hz. And I'm not even particularly good at it.

73,
Scott K9MA 

----------

Scott Ellington

 --- via iPad

> On Dec 15, 2021, at 3:00 PM, Pete Smith N4ZR <pete.n4zr at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I'm curious to know - except maybe on 160 or VHF, most of my receiving problems in CW contests seem to come from QRM. When I'm contesting, I find that the only RX controls I use on my K-3 are the main tuning or (when running) RIT - this despite having DSP control to shift and narrow my passband.  I just go with my 500-Hz filter and my ears.
> 
> So what do you do?  What have you found useful - again, not in weak-signal situations, but in QRM.
> 
> 73, Pete N4ZR
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