Clarifier, Locked or Un-locked. What does this mean?

Having the clarifier modified so you can talk where you are listening is a must on the old analog radios. The new Anytone radios and their variants are on frequency as soon as you power it on. I never have to use the clarifier, unless it's to get someone who is off frequency.

When I got into radio and had no idea what SSB was, or a clarifier, the old timer operators explained locked vs unlocked clarifier and it was easy to understand. Locked and unlocked seemed to be a universal standard all the locals knew. I personally don’t see a need for change, to me it makes sense the way it is with a little education on it if you are new to radios.

Locked means it is a stock CB and the transmitter frequency does not move at all when adjusting the clarifier. While unlocked means, the transmitter is now free to slide along with the receiver frequency. To me very easy to grasp and makes sense that way. Basically the transmitter is either locked on frequency or it isn’t. Not to mention all the books and publications on CB modifications, these have been universal standard words for a long time now, and should not take but a few minutes to learn and comprehend the meaning. I never ran into anybody that was confused about it unless they were brand new to CB radio and or SSB.

That said. Back then unlocking a clarifier was basically standard procedure and what nearly all locals said to do. I’ve ran both, radios locked, and radios unlocked, and I lean towards leaving them locked these days. If talking to a group of multiple people, doesn’t’ make a ton of difference either way, if you have say 10 people locally, all 10 radios are not 100% matched on frequency so it’s hard to get everyone tuned in perfectly, you get close enough to hear everybody and not worry too much about it. But it can be quite annoying when you tune them in, and you can constantly tell they keep messing with their clarifier as they slide off freq and you need to retune them in, then they tune you in again and they slide off a little again. But, can’t really escape needing to tune several people in on SSB, just is what it is, so I’m not really for or against either locked or unlocked, I think there is good and bad with either.

Many years later, I don’t find it needed for general chit chat or skip shooting. If you need to slide to a very specific frequency, then of course unlocking it would be required, otherwise I do not bother doing it.

Just my random take on it.

Stoner Pro-40 enters the chat.

Is the big knob a clarifier or a limited-range VFO?

Ten-Tec, Collins, Icom and Yaesu must have borrowed from that concept. KWM-380, Omni V/VI/Paragon, IC-7200, FT-980 (among many others) don't have a dedicated RIT (Receiver Incremental Tuning) knob. Instead, you press a button and the TX frequency becomes fixed while the Main Tuning knob acts as a RIT control.

Kenwood used a separate RIT/XIT knob on many of their transceivers. When using an amateur transceiver on the ham bands I rarely (if ever) need a Clarifier - but I certainly do with my CB rigs on SSB. I do make sure the TX frequency is as close to channel center as I can possibly get it so the other guy doesn't have to worry about tuning to me.

Its more important to understand the consequences of not having your clarifier unlocked,
when you unlock them tx/rx are never EXACTLY aligned but its close enough to not notice,
It allows multiple stations in a net to all be on the same ish frequency providing everybody in the net has the ears to tune in correctly,
unlocked means you don't have to worry about warm up, just tune & retune as the radio warms up,

locked means multiple people in a net can hardly ever ( never ) be on the same frequency = PITA,
CB radios are not stable on frequency so your tech cannot put it on frequency with his gps locked 52 digit frequency counter & it be on frequency when you get it home regardless of how & how long he warmed it up before alignment,
it won't be on frequency as you walk out of his shop door,

38lsb used to be a real mess with people on cb's all over the place on frequency each thinking they were on frequency cos their tech is the best out there,
nowadays far more people use HF sets with locked tx/rx & most are near enough on frequency = MUCH better to listen to.

midnight special said:

back mid 1970s i remember it called strapped,,, i had my radio strapped is what was said








Finding reliable sports betting resources requires looking for platforms with transparent odds, detailed event statistics, comprehensive coverage across both major and regional leagues, and clear bonus terms. Community threads that break down wagering requirements and platform usability help newcomers make more informed decisions when comparing different operators. When taking a break from analyzing sports betting markets, checking line movements, or exploring online gaming options, visiting platforms like dragon money provides a smooth, fast, and responsive space for quality online entertainment. It is always helpful to see forum members sharing practical advice and discussing the key features that define a trustworthy online sports resource!

Click to expand...

thanks for the information!

Spent most of my time on the ham bands rag chewing. Makes the most sense to have everyone's transmit frequency lined up together. Having to grab for the RIT knob every time a different station keys up gets old fast. CB radio clarifiers were originally tied to transmit and receive both. The FCC got wind of folks modifying the clarifier to travel beyond the 1.3 kHz legal limit and mandated that it should become a receive-only feature. Sams schematics for radios of the 1973-74 era will have dotted lines in the clarifier circuit to show the receive-only modification the factories were required to make until new designs were built as receive only. All to keep folks from cracking the rule that forbids sliding off the channel center.

I make one exception for radios like the RCI2950 and similar. Since you can tune it in 100 Hz steps once it's modded there is far less need for the clarifier knob to control the transmit side. Besides, once you control the transmit frequency with that radio's clarifier, the displayed frequency becomes a polite fiction.

Then again, for a simple two-station QSO the difference is moot. They'll hear each other just fine regardless of the clarifier's setup. Only when a third station joins in will he ask why each of the other two are transmitting on different frequencies.

73

Been my policy to "Always call a man by way he introduced himself to me" and I was introduced to it as a locked/unlocked clarifier by those greatly my senior. Even the hams referred to the RIT as the "clarifier" since most of them cut their teeth on CB radio.
Then we had the odd confirmed AM'er refer to it as "delta".