Topband: Zero Beat

[James Rodenkirch]

Jim and Rick - SPOT ON with being off just slightly....that can make the difference (well, in these contests that doesn't help, necessarily, for my QRP peanut whistle)!

I think this whole zero beat discussion is interesting ('specially for those who have to crank the receiver bandwidth down 'cuz of the QRM - I WISH I had that problem out here in s/w Utah, the 160 meter black hole of the U.S.!) but --- I find myself, if not heard after a couple of calls, varying my send frequency up and down at least 100 hz if not more and, not just once in a while, that makes the difference!

Rick: I see I have you in the log for the ARRL event...thanks for pulling my peanut sized signal out of the mud and QRM

72, see y'all in the Stew with my QRP signal..if you can barely hear the calling station it might be me!  Jim Rodenkirch, K9JWV QRP ARCI Contest Manager

 


> Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2011 15:44:46 -0800
> From: richard at karlquist.com
> To: w6jhb at mac.com
> CC: topband at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: Topband: Zero Beat
> 
> Jim Bennett wrote:
> > Just my two cents worth on the zero beat issue. My station is one of the
> > little guns / squirt guns. I operated in the weekend's contest with a
> 
> I'm not a little gun, but you are absolutely correct.  The thing to
> do is answer about 50 Hz above or below zero beat.  I have been
> doing this for years.  Just enough to allow the running station to
> distinguish the callers, but within a 200 Hz filter bandwidth (remember
> that means +/- 100 Hz.  "Just off zero beat".
> 
> It isn't easy to get this right.  You have to accurately zero beat
> your receiver, but select XIT = +/- 50.  My FT1000 have a "CW tune"
> light for zero beating.  I don't know what people with other rigs
> do.
> 
> The worst case is where you have a guy sending at 10 WPM with a
> straight key who is way off frequency.  Obviously, not an experienced
> contest operator, he is quite capable of being way off frequency.
> Or maybe he's not off frequency, just isn't good at CW.
> 
> Rick N6RK
> 
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