I find the use of "the beep" very annoying when it is used on every over when stations are reading each other loud and clear. Its a bit like the guys who repeat all their info when they are 599. On the other hand, it is very helpful when signals are marginal to avoid doubling.
So my take home message message is "use when required, not all the time."
same here sorry i can see their uses if your struggling
but not when making full copy qso's please use a switch to turn them off when signals are good.
Good grief. If you're concerned about roger-beeps, you want to try a pile-up of EUs in CW on HF! Roger-beeps pale into insignificance in comparison with those who repeatedly call over the DX you have given a report to and those who insist on sending their call multiple times! If you're concerned about roger-beeps, then don't ever call CQ when the path to EU when the path is open! Cheers, Paul
On VHF DX they do come in handy - long haul that is using SSB.
One example a few years back on 144.1 MHz, Colin VK5DK at just a tad under 3000 km with straight tropo. Colin at the time had a high noise floor on the band but we had a sniff of each other and we were both determined to make the Q.
The VK3's keep quite while Colin and I keep throwing SSB overs to each other - he could hear me doing that with my K tone and only 150 watts to him and in the end we made the contact finally.
The 1296 band to VK is similar - very weak signal (more than often into VK2) up into VK4 is better...but when the chips are down and your thinking your hearing SSB that little K tone is easily heard.
I think we could all agree that SSB is is an inefficent transmission mode.
And that K tone is an added tool with SSB operation long haul.
The three TS2000 rigs we use during the V/H f-days all have K-beeps. And they all have buttons to switch them off.
I wouldn't be without one. Typically, my operating procedure is to put it on when searching for weak signals up North or out West, and then to switch them off when they are not needed, such as when I'm trying to work someone closer, say in Melbourne.
When the signals are way down is the mud, as is often the case when trying to work a distant VK1 or VK2, then the K-beep will almost always ensure we do not "double".
Have made extensive use of rogger beeps in handing large volumes of results traffic on car rallies and boat races. Saved a lot of air time as there was no need to say over - took up too much air time!
It also had another use, the low tone at the start of the transmission forced the audio mute on HF to open and the high tone at the end forced the audio mute to close.
