Hi Dale,
> I wonder how many people ride their RF gain?
>
> I usually run along with my RF gain backed down to about 2:30 or 3:00
> o'clock position (5:00 o'clock being max). It's a lot less noisy, lot
> less 'thumpy' and I still can hear the really weak ones as I try to
> will them to hear my QRP signal.
>
> Would backing off on the RF gain help with the clicks that are being
> discussed at length?
Part of the reason people see this problem differently is because of
noise floor at their location. If the noise-floor is high, clicks and
splatter are masked by the noise. You can also use less receiver
gain, without losing contacts.
At quieter locations, transmitter defects from nearby signals are a
major issue. There can be many dB difference between urban and
rural locations for backnoise noise.
You'll find the people who are affected the mostly have quiet
locations, and often live where they have to "beam" through hords
of other stations to hear multipliers.
For example a station in New Hampshire with modest antennas in
a suburban location would be a lot less affected than a station in a
quiet rural location with large antennas pointed up through the
entire east coast when working Europe.
Bottom line, there is absolutely no reason for a CW signal to be
more than a couple hundred Hz wide except poor transmitter
design or maintenance.
73, Tom
(W8JI@akorn.net)
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