Opening Clarifiers

[Windwalker]

My opinion is that you need to clarify a radio more due to operating temps. A cold radio is stable but cold wont do it since the radio will get hot. As the radio warms up the frequency will drift causing the need to clarify. When the radio reaches operating temps the drifting stops or is minimal. If all radios were directly on frequency and didnt drift then there would be no need for a clarifier SSB or otherwise unless you want to split the channels. The proper way to tune a radio is to put it in an oven to make it at operating temps. Then do all the tuning work like the clarifier, modulation, power output and more. They used to have special ovens just for this purpose. Due to the fact that crystals and tubes are not common anymore radio techs dont use ovens or even have one. Things aint like they used to be !!!

[TNT1450]

What everyone else said here, but with "clarification:" A stock SSB radio straight from the factory has a "locked" or "closed" clarifier. That is, it only works on receive. In the ham world, this is what you'd call an RIT, or Receive Independent Tuning. The reason for this is because the FCC in its infinite "wisdom" decided that since CB frequencies are channelized, the radios are not allowed to have a VFO, or Variable Frequency Oscillator. In other words, you're not allowed to vary the frequency of the transmitter and it's supposed to remain on the channel frequency.

However, things aren't always perfect. Radios come from the factory operating slightly off the assigned frequency (though within tolerance). On AM, this doesn't matter one bit since AM signals are wide, and as long as your radio is hearing the carrier you can still hear the demodulated audio just fine. On SSB, however, if your receive frequency is off the slightest bit, it will make the other station sound funny. Hence the clarifier, which allows you to tune in the other station so their voice sounds normal.

Here's where having an unlocked clarifier, or VFO, makes sense. If you have a group of SSB CBers on one channel having a roundtable discussion, if everyone's clarifier was locked then you'd constantly be fiddling with the clarifier to tune in everyone's slightly off frequency signal. It would be a pain to have to keep doing that. So with everyone having an unlocked clarifier everyone can get on the same frequency so that everyone's voice sounds right and you don't have to keep tuning everyone in.

So "unlocking" a clarifier means performing a mod which not only adjusts the receive frequency, but the transmitted frequency too. And the trick is to make sure that both the transmitter and receiver are on the same frequency, since if they're off then you'll constantly have people tell you that you're off frequency.

[Windwalker]

What everyone else said here, but with "clarification:" A stock SSB radio straight from the factory has a "locked" or "closed" clarifier. That is, it only works on receive. In the ham world, this is what you'd call an RIT, or Receive Independent Tuning. The reason for this is because the FCC in its infinite "wisdom" decided that since CB frequencies are channelized, the radios are not allowed to have a VFO, or Variable Frequency Oscillator. In other words, you're not allowed to vary the frequency of the transmitter and it's supposed to remain on the channel frequency.

However, things aren't always perfect. Radios come from the factory operating slightly off the assigned frequency (though within tolerance). On AM, this doesn't matter one bit since AM signals are wide, and as long as your radio is hearing the carrier you can still hear the demodulated audio just fine. On SSB, however, if your receive frequency is off the slightest bit, it will make the other station sound funny. Hence the clarifier, which allows you to tune in the other station so their voice sounds normal.

Here's where having an unlocked clarifier, or VFO, makes sense. If you have a group of SSB CBers on one channel having a roundtable discussion, if everyone's clarifier was locked then you'd constantly be fiddling with the clarifier to tune in everyone's slightly off frequency signal. It would be a pain to have to keep doing that. So with everyone having an unlocked clarifier everyone can get on the same frequency so that everyone's voice sounds right and you don't have to keep tuning everyone in.

So "unlocking" a clarifier means performing a mod which not only adjusts the receive frequency, but the transmitted frequency too. And the trick is to make sure that both the transmitter and receiver are on the same frequency, since if they're off then you'll constantly have people tell you that you're off frequency.

Yes I do agree !!

[TNT1450]

Oh, and aside from a clarifier, a "slider" is basically the same thing on an AM-only rig, allowing the user to "slide" between AM channels. On older AM CB's which have a fine tune control, that can be used as the slider, or else any other knob which isn't used much can be turned into one.

[Windwalker]

TNT on my new 10-12 meter radio the clarifier is software controlled. It has an 8 digit frequency counter and can clarify any mode. AM,FM,SSB etc. It can take an am or fm signal and zero in or move away.
I remember a shoot out I had back in the day on am with a Galaxy DX88HL
I shifted the am frequency a bit to be far enough away but still heard.
I beat the pants off the other guy in part because of doing that. I also had a 12 pack so that helped.

WW1