[TenTec] 400 Hz CW (was: INRAD audio mod helps Omni 6 Low Pitch CW!)

[Bill Tippett]

NI0C:

 >And Keith (W7ZAC) , I'm an OT also-- age 61, first licensed in 1959.

         Me too Chuck!  Age 61, licensed in 1957.  But
Keith is 6 years older than us so we may be about to
lose our hearing.  I really pity these kids who shake
my car's rear view mirror with their ultra-loud bass
stereos.  Some day they will wonder why they can't hear.

         I don't think listening to low pitches has
much to do with hearing loss.  I've been doing this
for years simply because it seems to give my ear/brain
much better S/N for weak signals.  I have a recording
I made of a long path 160m QSO from Colorado with
JJ1VKL/4S7 in 1991.  I checked it recently and Pitch was
~240 Hz.  I used a Kenwood TS-930S then which was my
favorite for many years because you could continuously
adjust Pitch very low from the front panel.  In the
90's, most of the rigs would not allow you to adjust
Pitch below 400 Hz (one reason I never considered an
Omni BTW).  When the MP came out, it allowed you to go
down to 300 Hz albeit in 50 Hz steps but only with dip
switch settings internally.

         When Orion came out with a lower limit of 300 Hz,
I thought it might be possible in firmware to go lower.
Sure enough, about 6 weeks after I suggested it, Gary
made the lower limit 100 Hz which is much lower than I
would ever use.  I often change Pitch depending on the
conditions.  For contests, I often use 450 Hz because I
want to catch guys calling off-frequency.  For ultra
weak signals, I may go to 240 Hz.  For everyday DX-ing
on 160m I use 270 Hz normally.  One of the beauties of
Orion is that all filters (roofing and DSP) are auto-
centered on whatever Pitch you choose.  This also makes
PBT very effective if you have someone very close on
either side.

                                         73,  Bill  W4ZV