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Author Topic: 11m Roger Beep audio  (Read 1195 times)

Offline vlf2hf

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11m Roger Beep audio
« on: January 26, 2023, 1634 UTC »
This is what happens to the rf spectrum when one does not properly adjust the level of their "Roger Beep" unkeying audio.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eci683506g1488h/beep.jpg?dl=0

I've seen this a hundred times on 11m. I just thought I'd capture it in a snapshot to point this out to others. Yes, I know, the ops that are guilty of this either don't care or have no clue as to what they're doing with their equipment, (or both).

While I'm at it, here's a few more easy to spot situations from mal-adjusted or just plain trashy radios (and there are plenty of them)...

Rigs that:

Have such poor opposite sideband rejection that they might as well be transmitting DSB supressed carrier.
Are so overdriven with audio that they take up mutiple channels on either side of the one they're supposed to be on.
Have so much RF feedback in the TX audio that the op can barely be understood as he speaks.
Are way off of channel frequency.

My favorite is the op on the "Superbowl" 11m channel with a huge wide signal that starts his transmission about 1 or 2 khz off frequency every time he keys up, then the rig drifts back to the assigned channel freq as he talks.  ::)

I'm sure their are others you may have observed that can be added to the list.


 



« Last Edit: January 27, 2023, 0058 UTC by vlf2hf »
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Offline ThaDood

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Re: 11m Roger Beep mal-adjustments? Limiters are the 1st to go.
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2023, 1857 UTC »
In many rigs, to make them sound loud & proud, instead of just cranking over the ALC POT's to 100% MOD, they'll just bypass, or rip-out, the ALC function, where the limits are the supply voltage fed to the rig itself and goes into Cut-Off. Yeah, most CB'ers, especially newer ones, don't care that they maybe putting out splatter from DC to light and harmonics that could be heard into the FM broadcast band, and worst, the AM Aviation Band. Ever set a scanner to CB CH19's 5th harmonic, 135.925MHz AM? It is interesting how many stations can be heard there, if you are near a busy 4-lane. In the 1980's, this was notorious.
I was asked, yet another weird question, of how I would like to be buried, when I finally bite the big one. The answer was actually pretty easy. Face-down, like a certain historical figure in the late 1980's, (I will not mention who, but some of you will get it, and that's enough.) Why??? It would be a burial that will satisfy everyone: (1) My enemies will say that it will show me where to go. (2) On the same point, I can have my enemies kiss my butt. (3) It will temporarily give someone a place to park a bicycle. See??? A WIN / WIN for everyone.

Offline vlf2hf

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Re: 11m Roger Beep mal-adjustments
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2023, 1949 UTC »
The ripping out/bypassing of the ALC circuitry you mention is most likely listed as a "mod" somewhere on some golden screwdriver websites. That's interesting about the 5th harmonic you mention in the Aviation band. I've never listened for that. I live in a rural area now, but may carry a scanner with me sometime in travels to the "Big City" and give a listen near a highway. Thanks for the tip.

« Last Edit: January 27, 2023, 0004 UTC by vlf2hf »
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Offline Pigmeat

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Re: 11m Roger Beep audio
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2023, 0543 UTC »
My Uncle was a TV and radio repairman. I used to go to his house and operate his "licensed" CB station under his sort of supervision, required in those days. Not long after that the "roger beeps", the opened up audio bleeding all over the band and the local "CB Doctors" geeking up their radios began to show up. The worst thing to me was the "Echo Mic's", you couldn't understand a damned thing they were saying.

I remember when the legal limit dropped from 5 watts to 4 watts. All the pinheads were scouring the shops for those "new" old stock 5 watt radio's. Like that extra watt was going to make a difference?

Offline vlf2hf

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Re: 11m Roger Beep audio
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2023, 1645 UTC »
I started out in CB in the mid-60's. It was a different world back then, both socially and, as you mentioned, how CB was structured . 11m was a nice friendly place with civilized people just talking about their interests... some were into techical talking... antennas, rigs, skip, etc... some just "socializing" with friends. In my location, the big change to the band came in '73 when the phoney gas crisis ramped up the price of gas. All of a sudden, the masses discovered CB and it became a "free-for-all" ... the former civilized folk were overrun with all the rudeness and anti-social behavior.

Of course, all the toys... "add-ons" like echo, beeps, and silly sound effects soon followed... anything that garnered attention and gave someone else grief was heard on the band.

That's interesting about the scouring for the 5 watt radios. After that, everyone was "tweaking" the 4 watters, trying to figure out how to squeeze just a few more milli-watts out of the rig... like it made any difference on the receiving end.  ::)
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Offline RobRich

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Re: 11m Roger Beep audio
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2023, 0623 UTC »
I used to often talk on 27025, 27085, and similar 11m AM DX hotspots many years ago in TN. I am sure my signal was somewhat wide due to my equipment, but otherwise no serious complaints from the locals, probably because I was not really an "all knobs to the right" operator. I also left ALC intact on my export radio.

Anyway, roger beeps were particulary annoying on SSB. I still occassionally hear it when monitoring 11m SSB for DX, usually right along with such an op's audio modulation being driven into hard clipping among other issues.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2023, 0625 UTC by RobRich »
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Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: 11m Roger Beep audio
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2023, 0701 UTC »
When I operated on 11m it was always with a stock Cobra 148, and within the legal limits, and on the sideband frequencies. Never really felt the urge to mod my radio. It worked fine as is.

That said, hearing roger beeps never bothered me that much. Sometimes it helped when monitoring DX, especially when monitoring the Outband sideband channels on my SWL rigs. When the beep went off, you could tell that one of the people in the QSO you were monitoring had unkeyed his or her mic. It could help in following the QSO, especially if there was fading or 'short skip' (E skip, which sometimes is more fickle than the F layer skip).

Never understood the appeal of the echo mics, or stations with the power mics cranked to the max, along with the extra processing.

But then, people in the radio hobby have as many odd and unique tendencies just as non-radio people do. I suppose some of it goes with the territory.
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