[UK-CONTEST] RTT Y tones

[Clive Whelan]

Thanks Ivan

Before reading your post I discovered a menu item for the PRO3 to change the
mark tone to 1275Hz, but there seems to be no mention of this in the main
text afaics.

Clearly we musn't expect 500Hz to be viable for RTTY, but as you find,
that's where my ears are comfy these days.

I remember many ( like many) years ago, doing NFD with Neil/GW3OAY, when we
were probably in out late teens/early twenties. In a pile up ( such as it
was in those days!), he would copy one caller, and I would hear a completely
different one. It transpired that he was copying way down at 500Hz or even
lower, even at such an early age, but I was copying 800Hz or even higher.
Led to some difficulties of course, but was also useful in lining up the
next caller without a "QRZ". I think that possibly my HF hearing is still
reasonably good-well at least for a "war baby" ( predates baby boomers for
the uninitiated)- but I definitely prefer ca 500Hz pitch these days.

Some years ago I had to take an AEP ( Audio Evoked Potential) test, which
involved being "wired for sound", with  tones at various levels and at
various keyed waveforms being played at you through cans. The automatic
detection of that era ( perhaps twenty years ago) was clearly limited,
because they finished the test, by playing a fixed tone at reducing levels.
I could still copy the tone ( which was at about 750Hz if I remember) at the
very lowest level, and at first the tester thought I was cheating somehow by
watching her out of the corner of my eye. When I explained about copying
weak CW signals however all was explained. So CW IS good for something you
see!

73


Clive



On my very rare forays into RTTY I too find the tones very high, and signals
difficult to tune without some aid ( now usually incorporated). Also as ones
ears (etc) become aged then the preferred tone drops, I now like 500Hz for
CW. I think most modern black boxes with an RTTY facility provide a method
of varying the transmitted tones in the menu for FSK, always my preferred
method.
            Ivan G3IZD

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