[bars] RIT Boom!

[Scott Ginsburg]

Chris,

Adding to Jim’s excellent CW pileup advice I would also recommend using the second VFO if you have one in your radio and enabling split mode. The typical setup is to listen to the DX station on VFO A and use VFO B for your transmit frequency. Some splits are large enough to be beyond the range of XIT.

The ideal configuration is to mix the audio from both VFOs in your headphones so you can simultaneously hear when the DX is listening for a call and monitor the pileup while you tune VFO B for your next transmission.

A popular pileup technique is to continually tune just beyond the last caller’s frequency, especially if you’re not running high power. I’ve also had success going 5 or even 10 kHz above the pileup where nobody is transmitting. Call there for a while and if you don’t have success move down 1 kHz at a time toward the edge of the pileup. If you have a spectrum display this can help you find the clear frequencies high up in the pileup.

It’s a lot of listening and learning the DX station’s pattern as Jim points out. Low power DXing is a real challenge but VERY rewarding when you get ‘em in the log!

gl and 73,
Scott K1OA


> On Sep 27, 2025, at 10:14 AM, Christopher Lennon via bars <bars at w1hh.org> wrote:
> 
> My rig is just 20W to a piece of wet string, so I struggle to break through pileups when operating CW.  This morning I was struggling as usual when I decided to try the Receiver Incremental Tuning (RIT) feature.  I tuned off the CQer by 30 Hz and then used the RIT to make it up on receive.  So I was transmitting high to him by 30 Hz.  Boom I got right in!  
> 
> I used the RIT trick with 30 to 50 Hz a few more times this morning.  It didn't always work first time, but it was much better than my average rate of breaking in.
> 
> I've known about RIT all along, but I didn't think it was worth the fiddling around.  Definitely worth a try.
> 
> Chris 
> W2BPL
> 
> Sent from my phone.
> _______________________________________________
> bars mailing list
> bars at w1hh.org
> http://mail.w1hh.org/mailman/listinfo/bars_w1hh.org