sometimes seems like i can't tune in to a freq

[grueic8600]

hello. i have an r8600 and sometimes it seems like i can't tune into some stations talking. i am using a mag loop antenna indoors and it does a great job, just these one or 2 out of 20 or 30 frequencies i scan through and hear clearly. tonight it happened on 80m and 40m. one of them was 3995 or something.

now, what it sounds like is garbled voices. kind of like when you're 1 click above or 1 click below where the stations are talking. for example, if i am listening to 3810mhz and then click up to 3811. another thought is that it sounds like it's people talking on USB and i'm tuning using LSB or AM.

things i've tried is, switching between USB LSB Digital modes, FSK ,AM, AM with sync. i've tuned up and down for example going from 3810 to 3810.50 or 3809.45

is that a good description?

also, it seems like i always come across at least frequency where i have to do that 10hz tuning. and its always xxxx.50 mhz. is that because the stations transmitting are just a little off on how they are broadcasting?

thanks.

 

[Ubbe]

is that because the stations transmitting are just a little off on how they are broadcasting?

Yes. Me experiance are that one HAM out of 10 are off in frequency. Probably their rig that has drifted off frequency and they do not have the knowledge to calibrate it.

/Ubbe

 

[jwt873]

There is no "off frequency" when it comes to ham radio SSB. Unlike CB radios, amateur radios have continuous tuning. Many can resolve down to 1 hertz. There's no requirement to transmit at any specific multiple within a band. There are no channels.

In the beginning radios didn't have a digital frequency read out. You approximated your frequency by looking at marks on an analog dial. Some were prone to parallax error. When people met to chat, they each tuned about until the audio of the station transmitting sounded 'right'.

When tuning around the ham radio bands, I generally have the tuning speed at 100 kHz. But every now and then, when I come to someone I can't tune in properly, I choose a finer resolution. No big deal. Some people still use vintage rigs and may not be blessed with a precise digital frequency readout.

And.. Another point of interest... Lower Sideband is normally used on the 80 meters, but it's not a requirement. USB is allowed.

 

[N1FKO]

it seems like i always come across at least frequency where i have to do that 10hz tuning. and its always xxxx.50 mhz. is that because the stations transmitting are just a little off on how they are broadcasting?

Amateur HF bands are not channelized. There is no 'right' frequency.
(jwt873 beat me to it)

 

[grueic8600]

sure that makes perfect sense. and the fact there is no "right" frequency. thanks.

so as for the initial question about not being able to tune in to get a clear voice any thoughts on that?

 

[n2pqq]

Try tuning using tuning step 100

 

[grueic8600]

ok!

 

[majoco]

I find that net users don't know what "RIT" means, so they re-tune with that big knob with it's obvious problem - the whole net wanders all over the place.

 

[Ubbe]

The problem are that some HAM's rigs have drifted in the 1:st or 2:nd IF's oscillator, or he just might have manually tuned his IF off frequency. Then he tunes his VFO to get a good reception but when he transmits he is off the frequency that everybody else are using in the QSO. There's no excuse to not transmit on the same frequency as everybody else due to bad equipment or incorrect operation of the rig. Everybody in the shortwave band I have seen are always supposed to be on the correct KHz and sometimes at a 500Hz offset, never at random 100 or 200Hz offsets.

/Ubbe