[RTTY] microHAM & Kenwood TS-450s

[Kok Chen]

VE3VID asked

> ... how would I know if I was transmitting in REVERSE?

If you do not have a spare receiver to listen to your own transmission, you might be able to find a Web controlled radio that can hear you.

An example is this one in VA:

http://www.chilton.com/scripts/radio/R8-receiver

By using the Tuning Controls page, you can set the remote receiver to LSB and its frequency to where you intend to transmit.  You should hear the familiar RTTY cadence when you transmit idle diddles.  If your signal is inverted, the sound will be distinctly different than the RTTY signals that you are used to hearing.

If you are not sure what a "proper" signal sounds like, just use Joe's suggestion.  All you need to do is make sure that when you transmit a Mark tone, that it is the higher of the two FSK frequencies on the RF spectrum.  E.g., tune the remote receiver until you hear a constant pitch.  Then change between Mark and Space transmission and go retune the remote receiver (or retune your transmitter) until you hear the same exact pitch again (will either be 170 Hz higher or 170 Hz lower).  The Mark transmission should be the one that is higher on the receiver's VFO dial.

Another other way (much quicker) is to note that if the remote receiver is set to use LSB, the correct setting is for Mark to be a lower pitched than Space.  If the remote receiver is set to use USB, the correct setting is for Mark to be higher pitched than Space.  If you start by tuning for a tone that is about 1 kHz, it is very easy to judge if the tone has changed to a higher pitched one or a lower pitched one.

However, the easiest way and surest way is to arrange a sked with someone.  Plenty of folks on this reflector who are willing to help, I'm sure.

73
Chen, W7AY