My clock puts on about 1 minute or more a day, so WSPR is only working for a few hours at most, and then only works with those who also have their timing way off...
Is there any way to correct this, would be good if the firmware had a way to compensate, but I see no such option?
Sorry for the ignorance about how the clock works... all I know is it gains time quite rapidly.
Interestingly I have a very cheap second or third hand old radio clock with digital time display that I use as my station UTC clock and it doesn't lose or gain a second a week!!! Not sure how it does that other than sheer luck. I check it against WWVH, and it is accurate within half a second. Digital progress is not all it is cut out to be!?
Of course some of the parts need to be cheap to keep this rig under $50, and the GPS module would fix this, but it'd be nice if I can try to improve the built in clock timing.

开云体育

see Menu item 8.6

Thank you, any idea how I can calculate the approximate change needed? E.g. if it runs 60 seconds fast in 24 hours... by roughly how much to increase or decrease the 20 MHz frequency?

开云体育

Best way is to measure the 20 MHz clock xtal frequency Lou.? Then that figure is simply inputted into menu 8.6.? If you have another RX that is reasonably accurate then listen for stray leakage from the 20 MHz xtal (maybe using a 'clip lead antenna' draped near the QCX) and look for a zero beat in USB mode or (often) 600Hz tone in CW mode and read off the dial frequency.? Seeing as your time clock is fast, the 20 MHz xtal frequency will be a few kHz above 20 MHz.

The 20 MHz xtal will still wander about a bit with temperature changes, but the time clock reading will be far more accurate than the 60 seconds a day error you currently have.? I've heard of guys doing the same thing on the U3S and being able to run WSPR mode for a month or more without GPS time correction or resetting the time clock.

GL, Bob? ZL1RS

Thank you, any idea how I can calculate the approximate change needed? E.g. if it runs 60 seconds fast in 24 hours... by roughly how much to increase or decrease the 20 MHz frequency?

If you cannot measure the frequency then do it by proportion,
As Bob says you are gaining so the 20MHz is high.
Using your example then in 24 hours, 86400 seconds your QCX gains 60 seconds. (It actually counts 86400 + 60 = 86460)

20MHz x 86460/86400 = 20.013889MHz.

This averages and carefully done can be more accurate than a single frequency measurement if your QCX goes through a regular temperature cycle over the 24 hours.

73 Alan G4ZFQ

Thank you both,

If as in this example it reads 20.000000 MHz but is actually 20.013889 MHz, do I change the entry to 20.013889 or do I change it to 20 minus .013889? e.g. 19.986111?

If as in this example it reads 20.000000 MHz but is actually 20.013889 MHz, do I change the entry to 20.013889

Yes, you tell it the true frequency, as near as you can.

73 Alan G4ZFQ

Thanks Bob ZL1RS and Alan G4ZFQ,

I had hunted for the signal but not far enough from 20 MHz :-)

I accurately calibrated my main rig against WWVH, then against the weak signal from QCX which was at 20.00722 MHz.
Then a fun calculation how many minutes fast in 24 h = ( 20.00722 X 86400 ) / 20 = 86431.2 - 86400 = 31.2 seconds. A bit less than I thought but now I set it even after a few hours, I don't see even half a second has been gained or lost, so that is certainly the easy way to do it, measure the frequency being emitted by the Xtal.

All so fun and educational, especially for those of us who got our ham ticket not because of electronics, and who think it is about time that maybe we learned a little ;-)

Thanks to everyone for their patience and great friendly advice, it'll be nice to hear the air waves full of QCX signals, hopefully many of them on CW!

Now the mystery of the power readings "without power" has been cleared up, I'll try to measure my power, seeing as I have no clue what it is, on 30m.

Still, plenty of WSPR receptions around VK, ZL, now JA... and even when it was just around 1W got through to EA8 across Indian Ocean and Africa, fun... but looking forward to more CW DX QSO once I've cleaned things up and dare to move it around the table without shorting anything ;-)