[TenTec] Re; Adding 2.8 kHz filters to OMNI VI

[Ken Brown]

> Question: what are the practical effects of an "unbalanced" SSB 
> signal? As Barry has noted, there is an enclosure with the 2.8 kHz 
> filter that says the carrier "may have to be balanced." I haven't done 
> anything to balance the carrier and cannot notice any problem when 
> listening to the OMNI in another receiver. What should I be looking for? 

Perhaps "modulator balance" or "carrier null" would have been a better 
lable for Ten-Tec or other SSB radio manufacturers to use. A carrier 
balance control is used to null the carrier in a balanced modulator. If 
not properly nulled, you will be transmitting AM (perhaps with only one 
sideband) instead of SSB, which should transmit no carrier. This will 
waste your transmit power in the unnecessary carrier and annoy others on 
the band. If the amount of carrier is significant you will have to 
reduce your TX audio level so that the combined carrier and sideband 
power does not drive any stage of your transmitter in to nonlinearity. 
Also the carrier will increase the duty cycle of that your amplifiers 
and power supplies have to provide.

DE N6KB