Using Stereo-CW When Running Pile-UPs

Due to the franticness and volume of calling stations, navigating a pile-up can be a perplexing affair, whether you are a calling station, or the station being sought after.  Judicious use of the RiT/XiT controls can certainly make a difference.  However, when the different stations are barely 25-Hz
apart, they can sound like more-or-less unintelligent jumble - enter Stereo-CW.

SEARCH the WQ6X contest Blog and you will discover much has been written about the subject.  While the concept of running pileups using Stereo-CW is hardly a new idea, the nuances behind
making it al work could use further clarification.

Essentially, the idea is to split a single receive audio stream into Left/Right channels tuned above/below a more-or-less center frequency.  Depending on the individual filter settings, lower-pitched signals can favor one ear while higher-pitched signals favor the other.  Because I favor using CW-reverse (tuning from low-frequency to high), the correct setting is for the left ear set to favor high frequencies and the right ear to favor low frequencies.

Properly done, tuning a signal towards zero-beat shifts the signal from the left side to the right side
of the listening experience.  With weak signals, using RiT can reposition that signal in the listening experience to match the Stereo-CW filter frequency settings for that moment in time.

The FREQUENCY knob in each filter determines WHERE in the listening experience a specific signal will appear.  The SELECTIVITY knob in each filter enables balancing the LOUDNESS between the two ears.  Using QF-1 filters brings an additional NOTCH filter to remove carriers or other junk in the passband, while leaving the Stereo-CW effect intact.

If the idea of running a pile-up by way of Stereo-CW seems a bit intimidating, get some practice first.  Tune the bands looking for a semi-rare station running a sizeable pile-up.  Put VFO-B on the DX stations' run frequency.  Set VFO-A to the MIDDLE of the calling frequency area.  Using RIT or the tuning knob tune thru the calling-window and notice where the different stations appear and how
they shift position in your listening experience as you tune thru the window.  At some point you
should encounter an "AHA!" experience.  Now is the time to try things with YOU as the run station.

Stereo-CW is being shown to have a dozen different applications, most specifically in radiosport contests.  Isn't it time for YOU to put a pair of adjustable filters in YOUR audio line?