SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/ham-rit-clarifier

An SSB voice answering your CQ sounds too high or too low in pitch. Which control can fix it?

The RIT or clarifier.

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  1. The RIT or clarifier ✔
  2. The AGC or limiter
  3. The tone squelch

Why: RIT, receiver incremental tuning, shifts only your receive frequency a little. That brings the other voice back to a natural pitch without moving your transmit frequency.

Huh, didn't know that: On SSB, a voice that sounds like a chipmunk or a bear can mean you are off frequency.

The dad joke
The station sounded like a chipmunk, so I used RIT. Now he's a slightly bigger chipmunk.
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References

Answer: The RIT or clarifier. RIT, receiver incremental tuning, shifts only your receive frequency a little. That brings the other voice back to a natural pitch without moving your transmit frequency.

  1. HamStudy 2026 Technician pool, T4B06 hamstudy.org/browse/E2_2026/T4B
    The RIT or Clarifier
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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Test yourself in the game

Ham RadioWhich of these can you use to enter a transceiver's operating frequency?Ham RadioWhat does the squelch function on a receiver do?Ham RadioHow should squelch be set so you can hear a weak FM signal?

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