A really wide setting is useful when scanning a "dead" CW band. Rather than tune very slowly, it tune at a moderate pace with a very wide setting. When the signal is weak, it's the changing tone as I tune that alerts me someone is "in there".
Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- Don, I still use a fairly wide filter (1 KHz to 1.5 KHz) on my K3 when I am hunting for CW signals or listening to broad activity. I have the P3 also that helps out a bit but I usually do not close down my filter until I establish contact and have narrowed down to the other operator. Then I will typically narrow down to about 350 Hz unless there is heavy activity causing QRM and then I will go even further. If I do my hunt activity with a narrow filter I sometimes go over stations without even hearing them at all. Although the P3 does help here, often there are stations that do not really register that high on the P3 to be easily visible with just a glance. I agree that 2.4 KHz is too wide for CW but then I am not that familiar with the filters that are available and I so I am not sure whether the SSB is necessary or not. I only pointed out that it was something that I had heard someone else doing. phil, K7PEH On Feb 8, 2011, at 8:44 AM, Don Wilhelm wrote: > Phil, > > For me, that is an awfully wide filter for CW. I normally tune CW with a filter set to 700 Hz. a 2.4kHz wide filter hears a lot more of the band - too much for me. > > OTOH, there are some operators who like to use a wide filter to hear a lot of what is going on around their frequency. If you are in that class and have a good "filter between the ears", then by all means use it that way. > > I might point out one other disadvantage of using the wide filter for CW. If a strong signal is on the band say 1500 Hz away from the weaker signal you are trying to copy, your mind may be able to easily separate the two, but that strong signal is also activating the AGC and all signals in the passband will be reduced in strength because of it. That is why narrow "roofing filters" are offered for the K3 - even though the DSP can create a narrow filter, the hardware AGC is still responding to the strongest signal in the passband. The same argument applies to the K2. > > 73, > Don W3FPR > > On 2/8/2011 10:39 AM, Phil Hystad wrote: >> A possible follow-up question --- one recommendation I received (indirectly out of band from this group) was that the SSB option was useful for the wider filter even if you do not plan to do SSB. I have yet to read through all of the K2 manual (my next project) so I don't know much about the filters on the K2 so far. >> >> 73, phil, K7PEH >> ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
