[TenTec] New technology

[Brian Carling]

Lee,

I can match tones audibly quite well to zero beat other stations with my equipment. However I really do appreciate the little blue light that flashes on my FT857d when I am on the right frequency. It just makes it faster and easier.

Best regards - Bry Carling



> On Apr 10, 2014, at 12:31 PM, "Lee  WA3FIY" <wa3fiy at radioadv.com> wrote:
> 
> On 10 Apr 2014 at 8:10, Wade Staggs wrote: (in part)
> 
>> I actually had a Newly Minted General Class last night, tell me that I
>> was 30 Hz. Low in Frequency. I WAS THE NET CONTROL! 30 Hz. my left
>> elbow! Looked at my Net Preamble again and sure enough .... it does
>> say on or about 3xxx KC. which causes more Grief when they ask what
>> the heck Kilocycles is supposed to be!     
> 
> It's not just "newly minted Generals".  As a former net control for our section cw traffic net I 
> often ran into old timers that apparently had no concept of "zero beat".  Our preamble 
> included QNZ yet often stations several hundred hertz off frequency (the frequency of net 
> control station..not published frequency :-) would attempt to check in.  In my case as NCS 
> that was a problem as I am nearly deaf and could not even hear them.   
> 
> Sooo......... perhaps Ten Tec could include a simple automatic zero beat indicator for use in 
> CW mode.  It's not hard...I made one for my own use since I cannot reliably get to zero beat 
> without help.  The circuit is a PIC processor which reads the incoming audio and matches it 
> to whatever CW offset one has programmed.  When within +/- 40 hz or so of ZB a led flashes 
> following the dits and dahs.  When within +/- 25 hz or so the led brightens (and still flashes).  
> I've been using this thing now for several years and it works well for me.  Very simple and 
> automatic.
> 
> I think this would be a good teaching moment for TT also.  In the early days they had a 
> section of the transceiver manual dedicated to teaching us about the differences between 
> tube and solid state finals.  That was interesting and informative.  In this case they could 
> teach us that net control (or the station calling CQ) sets the net frequency and the ZB 
> indicator helps us to get on that frequency.  
> 
> Of course not everyone is nearly deaf so most don't need the indicator.  I do wish more folks 
> would learn how to zero beat and do it though.   :-)    Not ranting.  Just pointing out that some 
> of us need a little help as we age.   :-)
> 
> 73,
> 
> -Lee-
> WA3FIY
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