Again,
IN UNDERLINE AND RED
Because some wont listen
Well, then, calm down and LISTEN. :evil:
Everything in my post below is germane to your original question. Learn something.
SDR# has 12 digits. HDSDR has 10 digits they all mean the same. cuSDR and powerSDR has 10 digits as well. Many many SDR software has virtually the same meaning in frequency.
No.
You're mistaking accuracy with resolution. They are not the same thing. Unless your receiver is GPS/Cesium locked, I will guaran-damn-tee you that it's not "accurate". Even rubidium will be off slightly, as it's only a secondary standard.
Depending on the accuracy of the time base in your receiver, it could be bad enough that ALL the digits are wrong (unlikely). A more likely scenario is that all the digits beyond 3 or 4 to the right of the decimal place are wrong, and therefore useless.
I think it's safe to assume that you're not locked to a good reference source, therefore, your 12 digit display IS WRONG. PERIOD. END OF ARGUMENT.
And so is everyone else.
A station on the maritime mobile net is NOT to be considered a "good" reference.
So, with everyone being off frequency slightly (or more than slightly), it stands to reason that when everyone says they're listening or transmitting on 14.255, there will be some error in frequency between every transmitter, and every receiver. How much error depends on the accuracy of the station's frequency reference. Some can actually be pretty close, others will be high or low by some random amount. The end result is, you will hear the frequency error in the demodulated SSB.
The human ear/brain combination will detect a frequency error in demodulated SSB within a couple of cycles. When it starts to be a 20 or 30 Hz error between the transmitting station and the receiver, then the "donald duck" sound starts to become quite noticeable.
Now once my RTL warms up it is fine and on frequency. My USB dongle is fine you are powerless to convince me that it is off.
Translation: we are powerless to pull your head out of your ***, and make you understand the laws of physics that guide the principles of electronics and radio.
:roll:
...these amateurs already done replied that there are many variables and the main one being operator error. this is not to say all amateurs are in error It is only when the error happens.
The biggest operator error hams make, in terms of frequency determination, is making the assumption that THEY ARE RIGHT.
I sit here daily and make the corrections when I move up or down far enough in frequency. My topic was to see if I was correct in making a happy medium tuning in ssb transmissions because it was admitted there is no 'on frequency' for ssb by a radio amateur. There is no 5 or 0.
The determination of a given frequency being a multiple of 5 KHz or not is purely operator preference. Some people are neurotic that way. In other cases, it's by rule, and you MUST abide by that, within a certain tolerance. In the 60 meter band, and the SSB channels, for example, the frequency given is intended to be quite precise. In the "normal" amateur bands, "correct" is merely staying within the band and sub-band edges. Anything else goes.
So, the real answer boils down to three things:
1. Stay legal, and within the band edge. Nothing else really matters.
2. Tune received SSB signals to your preference. If you want zero error, learn to use RIT, and set YOUR receiver to where it sounds good.
3. Your USB dongle frequency readout is probably useless beyond 1 KHz resolution. Really. Want to find out for sure? Tune in WWV on 2.5, 5, 10, or 15 MHz and see what the beat note is. THEY (WWV) are "accurate". Everyone else just thinks they are. And even WWV and NIST will state what THEIR margin of error is. I think their hydrogen fountain frequency standard is accurate to within a few parts in 10e-15.
BTW, I know from what I talk about... My home lab and parts of my ham station is referenced to a frequency standard that is measured accurate to within 1 part in 10e-13.
If you'd like to learn more, ask me. I'll steer you in the right direction.