Ham Radio - New hams tips. Using I.F. Shift to reduce nearby interfering stations.

[@K7TDM_Tyler]

That is the first time I have heard IF shift explained correctly. I’m really enjoying the channel. Thanks!

[@g1jee]

IF shift is so useful to eliminate adjacent signals. I use it when I'm running PSK, it allows me to remove a very strong signal up/down/band when I'm trying to work a weaker one. The stronger signal will affect the AGC level and sometimes will actually mute the weaker signal. Removing that stronger signal in the passband lets you work that weaker one.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Fantastic demonstration and explanation. This has made a world of difference on my FT-818ND. Thank you! 73, KT1RUN

[@cejaybee]

Something else IF shifting is useful for-- removing the 'countertone' on differential CW (like as used for QRSS). My local 6m beacon (VK2RHV) was recently upgraded from a plain old carrier+morse ident, to cycling between the PI4 mode and DFCW. DFCW is a bit hard to follow by ear... however, doing this same IF shift can eliminate the second tone by moving it into the subaudible hertz range, leaving a good old OOK CW.

[@charlescompton4495]

Or use a cardboard or metal tube to "mechanically" adjust the shift of audio. I used to use one of those "PA" speakers we used to use under the car hood to show off our radios (usually CB) for folks standing around outside . I would hook up one of those loud speakers and set it on the edge of my radio desk and move it over the edge or away from the edge to change the "shift of the audio. Worked best for me on CW signals but voice, also! OK, so a pretty crude method but I'm the one who uses green bean and pea cans to make a trombone type tuning capacitor for my mag loop. Thanks for the great video, Greg.

[@R2AUK]

Thanks for the video! I was going to build a simple superhet transceiver and now I know I need IF shift :) Though I got an impression that the signal lost lower frequencies (not higher, as images show afterwards) when I.F. shift was enabled. This most likely because of frequency inversion on IF. 73s de R2AUK

[@loughkb]

Depending on which way you shift the I.F., you'll either nudge the lower or higher frequency part of the signal out of the filters passband.

[@RobPetty622]

Really could have used this over the weekend with the DX contest overloading the bands. Never heard it so crowded.

[@davidsradioroom9678]

1. This is a really good demonstration. Thanks for sharing. 2. I thought only the R-390 had mechanical filters. I stand corrected. 3. The way that guy was talking about his diabetes, you would have thought he was on 80 meters! 😁

[@loughkb]

Well, I may be slightly off in my use of terms. I consider crystal and ceramic filters to be mechanical in nature. There may be a specific type of filter where the term 'mechanical' has a deeper meaning. I probably should have just said "fixed" filter. :-)

[@brianumbrell5654]

Been using this method with my mobile FT900 for years. Thanks for putting it out to everyone.

[@thomaskilburn3111]

Thanks for the update. I now know how to use my Icom 7300 more efficiently.

[@gamlemann53]

Thank's a lot! I did not know my FT.817 had this filtering before now! (Ha ha...) The best from LB1NH Arild.

[@karnakknowsall]

My first rig was a Kenwood TS130, and it had this feature in 1982, maybe earlier. Nowadays DSP has me spoiled.

[@eduardopower5254]

Great Radio im still having one pristine. I love the sound. That's a real panzer Tank!

[@caulktel]

I have a TS-130S also, great radio still.

[@bahathir_]

Hope this simple explanation helps.. 73. "... The intermediate frequency is created by mixing the carrier signal with a local oscillator signal in a process called heterodyning , resulting in a signal at the difference or beat frequency..." Reference: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate_frequency

[@larrybomber83]

Thanks for clarifying that for me. It is annoying when you are on a frequency but you hear two conversations going on at the same time.

[@margaqrt]

Excellent illustration and explanation. Thanks Kevin and 73 de KE0RFZ.

[@danamarcy5414]

That was a very good video. I wasn't aware that you could do that. Excellent presentation and graphics. Thanks. Good Job Kevin. VE6KBI

[@normjacques6853]

Excellent explanation, Kevin! Thank you! 73 DE W1NLJ

[@JosephVE3GKT]

Very helpful! Thanks for the explanation de VE3GKT!

[@ErnestGWilsonII]

Great job on this video, thank you for taking the time to make it and share it with all of us! If you have access to an Icom 7300, could you consider doing a similar video? I am of course subscribed with notifications turned on and thumbs up!

[@loughkb]

I have a 7300. I have a few videos on using it's filters. Search my channel for 7300 to find them.

[@ErnestGWilsonII]

@@loughkb Will do

[@NICKGAR7]

Good demo Kevin. Given me a thought re one of my Older Yaesu radios. Hey, I occasionally re-read some parts of my manual and always find some new features. I bet many 817 users don’t know about the dual use of that clarifier button! 73, good weekend, Nick M1DDD

[@loughkb]

Many old radios have an I.F. shift control. Your older Yaesu might.

[@NICKGAR7]

@@loughkb indeed....I was out portable yesterday lightweight gear for a 6m contest here in the U.K..Took my Yaesu FT100D (has some dsp structure). I pressed the clarifier button for half a second and whatdeyaknow! IF SHIFT ON BOARD! Checked the manual and IF functionality / description easily missed. Cheers !

[@eduardopower5254]

Great great Video! Ive been using it on my 817/857 for a while.

[@pbaemedan]

Great video and informative technical discussion thank you.

[@tracerfacer6234]

Excellent explanation! Thx!

[@jeffreyeide7363]

Yo Kevin! Great video as usual & explanation! Didn't know that the 817 had that feature, good to know. Motor on guy! 73's de seeker Jeffrey WA7LFP

[@markg6jvy135]

Helpful as always Kevin, thanks 👌👏👏

[@alreadyghosts7727]

Wow you made that make perfect sense. Thanks!

[@BoB4jjjjs]

Excellent demo.

[@herrwabbaloo937]

Great demo, many thanks!

[@BoB4jjjjs]

Wish I had that is the CB days.

[@michaelmcghie]

Very helpful thank you Kevin

[@Locksnut]

Excellent demo Kevin. Is it set per band or universal on the 817/818? On my ft450 it’s universal. Very 73. de N4WLC, Bill

[@Russ-nf9tv]

What is the difference between if shift, and just tuning the vfo? Maybe a dumb question, but it seems the same to me. I run a really old radio and use the slope knobs to adjust the filter width.

[@loughkb]

Tuning the VFO will shift the incoming signals relative to the BFO, Beat Frequency Oscillator, which would shift the overall pitch of the demodulated audio and make it far less intelligible. Shifting the I.F. slightly doesn't change the relationship between the VFO and BFO and you still get proper demodulated audio. The filter just ends up shaving off the high or low end of it a bit.

[@Russ-nf9tv]

@@loughkb thank you

[@thestonerguy5276]

Good stuff - Thanks for sharing 👍

[@mytechnologytrail]

Do you have a link for that 3D printed bracket on the ft-817

[@loughkb]

It's on thingiverse. Search the site for ft817 and you'll find all kinds of goodies for the little radio, including that stand.

[@johnpeterson7264]

Is perhaps IF shift analogous to pass band tuning on an ICOM 7300 ?

[@loughkb]

They are similar, but different. The passband tuning shifts the filter's center but does not shift the actual IF frequency.

[@mikebohemia1947]

Great explanation, thanks. 73.

[@stridermt2k]

Good stuff! Thanks for this! 73 de N2NLQ

[@ronalddaub7965]

My older realistic 160 com receiver has a bfo

[@loughkb]

Any radio capable of demodulating SSB or CW will have a BFO. In the absence of a carrier, the beat frequency oscillator provides a signal for the demodulated signal to mix with and produce audio.