OFF FREQUENCY ON SSB ALSO OFF ON AM?

[Robb]

I'm so confused! I think my frequency counter is showing the sixth digit off by 200 hz. If I'm incorrect please explain. The chart someone posted is great but my a.d.d makes comprehending certain things difficult. Thanks. 73

Can you still tune in and receive stations on SSB with accuracy, and do they tell you that you are on freq when you transmit?

If so; then your freq counter is off.

AM is different. One can be a long way off the center freq and hardly notice it. It may start to sound fuzzy when it is way off freq.

If you are so concerned about what your freq counter says or your radio is off; then it is time to bundle it up and send it off to get it aligned.

You need to understand that just because your freq counter may not be reading correctly, it does not necessarily mean that your radio is transmitting or receiving incorrectly. You may need to determine that with another station that you talk to with some regularity and that you can trust their judgement. You need to get off this merry-go-round - my friend. By doing this, you can determine if your radio is off freq, or that your counter is off freq. They are not the same thing. The counter may/may not be reading correctly.

 

[fourstringburn]

I'm so confused! I think my frequency counter is showing the sixth digit off by 200 hz. If I'm incorrect please explain. The chart someone posted is great but my a.d.d makes comprehending certain things difficult. Thanks. 73

Glad you got it now. I posted the chart so you and others reading can learn for themselves how to read a frequency counter.

The chart isn't really a frequency readout, but rather the standard decimal system but it is relevant to frequencies, just replace the 2 commas with decimal points.

looking at the chart again,

the 1 is the Mhz (millions)
the 342 is the KHz (thousands)
the 365 is Hz (hundreds)

So if this example was your receivers radio frequency displayed after being clarified to match another radios transmission, it would be off 365 Hz if the other radio shown an reasonably accurate transmit frequency of 1.342.000 MHz.

Below the 3rd decimal (1427) gets into fractions of a Hz and too minuscule to be concerned about. Most HF radios have 7 digit counters for the HF band and some give the option to add the 8th digit since after the 8th digit isn't really necessary for tuning. For VHF and UHF and beyond, the counters can have up to 10 digits to the left of the scale to cover the GHz which is in the billions.

I believe you have it now!

class adjourned.

 

[fourstringburn]

I should note that in the example I just gave, you would be transmitting in the AM commercial broadcast area at 1.342 MHz and wouldn't be a good idea to do so, Right?

Here is something to consider, Take a look at your AM/FM radio. Notice that FM is in Mhz and AM is KHz?

Since the commercial AM band goes below the MHz region, (540 KHz to 1700 Khz) it borders the HF spectrum on the high side and enters the MF spectrum (medium frequency) on the low side. Therefore you could just say 1.7 MHz for 1700 KHz but at 540 KHz now you are within 1/2 of a MHz. So that's why the AM commercial band is in KHz.

So 1.7 Mhz is the same as 1700 Khz