[RTTY] K1US re 2003 JARTS

[Jeff Stai WK6I]

At 07:57 AM 10/20/2003, Bill Turner wrote:
>On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 14:21:05 -0000, "Jon Harder" <jon at praxisworks.org>
>wrote:
>
>>-- several callers were way off freq, one nearly 500Hz low. I use split when
>>CQing in order to ue the main VFO to fine-tune callers, but some are really
>>just too far off the mark.
>
>_________________________________________________________
>
>I wonder how this happens?  Perhaps it's from having AFC turned on?
>Or NET?  Or both?
>
>It would seem to me that the best approach would be to:
>
>1. Never have NET on at all.
>
>2. Leave AFC off when S&P'ing.
>
>3. Have AFC on only when CQ'ing.
>
>With all the other things going on in a contest perhaps this is too
>much to ask, but it should go a long way toward alleviating the
>off-frequency response problem.
>
>Comments? 

yeah... I am relatively new at this, but I have developed the impression 
that AFC and NET are in the category of "things that are possible, therefore 
we should do them" - or as Douglas Adams roughly put it: "it seemed like a 
good idea at the time - kind of like digital watches". I leave them both off 
all the time.

With the three indicators in MMTTY (an actual good idea!), plus whatever 
sense of pitch you may possess, it is so easy to quickly tune in a signal 
there is no reason to use NET on S&P - you ought to be there halfway thru 
"CQ TEST" - if you catch the trailing "CQ" (*) you can use the waterfall to 
estimate where to be on the next call. 

And if no one used AFC on S&P, there would be even less reason to use it 
CQing - and with a little practice with all of your indicators you should be 
able to zap them in with your split VFO or RIT within one callsign.

(*) Still way too few CQers using the trailing CQ - got to the point where I 
would drop a call after tuning in "...ZZ9ZZZ K" in case it was a CQ and 
often be right! Also noticed some people calling me when I was not the CQer, 
probably for the same reason.

next! - jeff wk6i



--
Jeff Stai               jds at twistedoak.com
Twisted Oak Winery      http://www.twistedoak.com/
Rocketry Org. of CA     http://www.rocstock.org/
Amateur Radio           WK6I