From: "Lyle Koehler" <lyle@mlecmn.net> To: <lowfer@mailman.qth.

net> Subject: Re: [Lowfer] rx setup Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2003 10:49:24 -0600 Reply-To: lowfer@mailman.qth.net Regarding how the Argo display relates to the signal frequency, it's a long story, but here is a shortened version with a couple of examples for Argo build 132. Argo *always* displays the audio frequency output of the receiver. However, under the Argo "setup" menu, there is a calibration feature that lets you correct for sound card errors, and which can also be used to adjust the displayed frequency scale so that it's easier to relate to the RF signal frequency. In all of the examples, I will assume that the receiver and sound card are precisely calibrated. That's a whole art in itself, but John Andrews' article on the LWCA web site provides a very good procedure. Let's also assume that we want to monitor the 185.300 "watering hole", and that the receiver has a digital frequency readout and a choice of CW, USB and LSB modes. CW mode is optional, but the receiver *must* at least have "SSB" capability. Example 1: The receiver has CW mode, and a known "BFO pitch" setting, either digitally displayed or at a known fixed value like 700 Hz. This is the preferred mode of operation, but if the BFO pitch is unknown, you probably should skip to example 2 or 3! The reason I prefer CW mode is that the receiver display agrees (usually) with the signal frequency, and on many receivers, the narrow IF filters are only available in CW mode. On most modern receivers, if you're in CW mode, with a BFO pitch of nnn Hz (the exact value doesn't matter as long as we know what it is), when the frequency display set to 185.300 kHz, a signal on 185.300 will produce an audio output of nnn Hz. Suppose the pitch is set to 700 Hz. I would start with Argo in "full band" display, and then click on 700 Hz, to center that frequency in the horizontal display. It might require a few additional clicks within the Argo screen to get the frequency scale centered exactly where you want it. Now "WA", which is very close to 185.300, will appear at approximately 700 Hz on the screen. What about "WE" on 185.3026? Here is where it gets confusing. If your receiver uses the equivalent of USB mode for CW reception, "WE" will show up at 702.6 Hz. But if the receiver uses "lower sideband" CW reception, he will be at 697.4 Hz. On Icom receivers and transceivers, the default CW mode is lower sideband, so you will have to learn to stand on your head to read the display. Newer Icoms, including the R75, have a "CW-reverse" mode that puts things right side up, but Mike Staines has another sneaky way of doing this. He posted his technique to the Lowfer reflector, and I have attached it to the end of this message. Kenwood and Yaesu receivers (to my knowledge) use upper sideband CW reception as the default, so this isn't a concern. Suppose you would like to have the Argo display show the frequencies centered on 185.300, or wherever the receiver happens to be tuned? Go into the Setup menu, under Calibration, and type in the BFO pitch as a negative offset (-700 in the example we've given). Then WA will show up at 0 Hz, and WE will be at either +2.6 or -2.6 Hz, depending on whether the receiver is using the upper or lower sideband. Example 2: The receiver BFO pitch is unknown, so we use USB mode. But if you tune to 185.300 kHz in USB mode, the audio output frequency of the receiver will be 0 Hz if the signal is at 185.300. In fact, any signal close to 185.300 will produce an audio output that is below the frequency response of the receiver's filters and audio system (and the sound card). No problem; you just tune *below* the signal frequency until the audio output is at a

convenient frequency. I would pick something like 184.300, so that the audio output would be at 1000 Hz. That makes the arithmetic easy, and 1000 Hz is well within the passband of the system. WA will now show up at 1000 Hz; WE at 1002.6. Same procedure for "tuning" Argo, as in CW mode, except that we now center on 1000 Hz rather than on the BFO pitch. And if you want the display centered on zero, you can type in a -1000 Hz offset under the setup calibration menu. Example 3: For some reason you want to use LSB mode. Now you need to set the receiver *above* the desired signal frequency, for example at 186.300 kHz to receive 185.300. The audio output frequencies will be inverted, so that WA will appear at 1000 Hz on the Argo display but WE will appear at 997.4 Hz. Maybe these examples will clarify what the QST articles are trying to say about how USB, LSB and CW reception works on modern receivers... And by the way, if you don't see anything on the Argo screen, it's perfectly normal. I ran two receivers (IC-706 and IC-756PRO) all last night on two separate frequencies with two computers, and got nothing but a couple of spurious signals. LowFER reception is not for the impatient! Lyle, K0LR _________________________________ Mike Staines' procedure for producing a "right side up" display with an Icom receiver: "Here's what I do for my 706... When setting up the calibration I subtract the appropriate number to get the display to show "negative numbers". A simple (but real) example: When I want to RX on 185.3 I set the radio to WWVB, CW, and Argo to 30 second dots. Then I go to "full band view" click on the trace for WWVB. The 30 sec/dot trace now gives me a frequency to calibrate against. Just now the frequency was 645.00 Hz. Normally, I could go into "Calibrate" and enter -45. This would show the carrier at 600 Hz but still inverted. So what I enter is 945.00. this is the 645 of the carrier PLUS an offset that would put the display at -300.00. Now the number *IS* negative. But the scale is "upright". Lower freq carriers show up lower on the scale. A carrier on 185.299 will show up on -299, etc. Sounds complicated until you actually step through it. Mike wa1ptc"

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