Do you need 8KCs to have great Audio? NO!

Today, after monitoring a net of "audiophiles", I decided it was time to voice my opinion, along with reminding many of these "audiophiles" of bandwidth limitations. Any of you who frequent 20 meters know who these operators are. Their only concern is how good they sound. The problem is, many of them can be heard 10KC's wide.




The monitored conversation that prompted this essay was indicative of a problem that I have heard voiced by many HAMs. A station was receiving instructions on how to set up his new mic, mixer, and filters. A funny thing about it was I was mobile, heard the station receiving the tutorial and before Mr. Audio (a name I will use as I think it fits) started having him reset his radio, mixer and such, he was 5/9, great audio and about 2KC's wide. Great signal in my book.



By the time Mr Audio was done with him, he was still 5/9 but he was 5/3 at 14.201, 5/9 at 14.207 and 5/3 at 14.210.5. (Mr Audio had been 5/7 though the same bandwidth though out this QSO) During this QSO, another station broke in, and rudely I might add, let them know they were doing a good job training LIDS and had QRM'ed a contact he was trying to have on 14.202.50. He had tried previously to break in and ask them to QSY but was ignored. (Most likely because his audio wasn't up to their standards)



Several of the other Audiophiles chimed in and let him know it was HIS equipment that was the cause of his QRM problem. Interesting theory but I run several top line rigs and hear these Audiophiles 8KC's wide all the time. I have heard other HAMs very politely inform many of these WIDE stations to try to narrow their transmissions as they were QRMing QSOs they were in. The answers they receive are incredible. "You need to get a good rig." "You must have your NB on." "Good, I must be really getting out tonight!" Anyone who is told time and time again that they are splattering all over the band, are 3 times wider than allowed by regs and continue to do so because they think they need to sound like a FM broadcast station are LIDS.



A very alarming development of this WIDE problem is now finding its way on 17 meters. There isn't room on 17 meters for this type of operations.



Some of the finest sounding audio I hear on the bands stay well within the bandwidth regulations. So what is the problem? Ego? There is one station I have heard repeatedly that is located in the NE US has even rebroadcasted commercial media an interjected his commentary along with it just to hear himself! I tuned his splatter one day and he was splatering from 14.710 to 14.722. But as long as his other "Brother Audiophiles" continue to tell him his station sounds like a broadcast station, he will continue to make life miserable to anyone trying to operate anywhere near the frequency he is on.



We SHARE these frequencies and as good operators, need to insure our transmissions meet the regulations outlined by the FCC. If you want to run a broadcast station, buy a FM station and have at it!



73



Unsigned as I really do not want my email flooded with trash from so called experts. (I have a Masters in Engineering and have been a HAM since 1968 so I think I am a bit qualified)