Nothing is ever perfect. If I can't get em with the vernier tuning, I can get them with the Beat Frequency Oscillator.
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OPEN CLARIFIER / SLIDERS / "SUPER DIODES"
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You do realize that essentially ALL amateur HF rigs operating with VFO are basically operating with a BIG unlocked clarifier aka VFO don't you? This COMPLETELY nullifies your reason for not unlocking a clarifier.
Some thoughts . . .
Well, if someone needed to keep a CB radio crippled so that SSB doesn't seem useful due to wildly different out of tune radios encountered on the air, then they have accomplished their task. Best to trust only a Ham operator with an unlocked clarifier. Guess it isn't right for CBers to ask for things they should already have. I'm sorry; this sarcasm wasn't directed at you. But you did raise a sore spot that I couldn't help but address.
Unlocking a clarifier makes it easier for a group of operators to tune to exactly the same freq - within reason. You cannot do that if you have four people with locked clarifiers talk, since most of these radios will be out of tune with one another to some degree and the locked clarifier can only clarify one of the radios in that group adequately. See the problem? So if a radio has an unlocked clarifier and is with its own state of tune; then adjusting the unlocked clarifier will always hit the group's actual talking freq.
Used to be in a SSB club and all of our radios had unlocked clarifiers. Never had an issue until someone tried to join the discussion/rag chew with a locked clarifier. Just plain awkward - in general. Especially if that radio was still cold or had drifting issues. To the newbie that tries to talk to others on SSB, it can be daunting for them to lock on to a station and that operator tells them: 'hey buddy, you are off freq'.
Then they realize: Uh oh; it's another newbie.
The official gripe of the FCC is that they don't want unlocked clarifiers because they don't want operators to slide between channels. Well, that would only be true if the clarifier mod had extended the range of the slide (+/- 5khz) as well. Which isn't the case with a simple clarifier mod; talking about two different animals here. A 148GTL with a standard clarifier mod can only move 600hz from center either way. Hardly an offending amount. Since there is only 135 degrees of sweep from center either way, the change in freq is small per degree and attaining near perfect/perfect tune can easily be accomplished.
It is easy to extend the range of a clarifier. Simply add a 5uh choke between the varactor diode and ground. But I wouldn't advise doing that, for the aforementioned reason of too much slide and not enough gradual resistance from the clarifier control - it becomes far too sensitive to small control changes and you cannot adequately dial another station with a degree of accuracy.
In essence - locked clarifiers are awkward for the seasoned CBer and confusing to the newbie . . .
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Yeah them ICOM export cb's are the best
Rob - I totally agree with what you said. In my 11meter day I could never understand why they left them locked.
One thing I will say is that it seems the people that speak out against unlocking clarifiers are mostly those that came on to the radio scene in since 1980 or so. Prior to that all clarifiers were unlocked from the factory and NOBODY ever had a problem. I started in radio back in the mid-late 70's just before all clarifiers were locked and my first radio was a Midland 13-898B base SSB with the clarifier UNLOCKED from the factory. Many nights we would have anywhere from three or four guys to as many as a dozen all on the same channel having a chat and the only times we would have to shift our clarifiers was when someone with a new locked clarifier would jump in.
You know if you guys would just use a carrier it would eliminate all these clarifier problems.
Yeah, add another side band and put the carrier right in the middle........You know if you guys would just use a carrier it would eliminate all these clarifier problems.
You know if you guys would just use a carrier it would eliminate all these clarifier problems.
What is this "carrier" thing that you speak of?
Sounds like something that harbours a disease yet is unaffected by it itself.