An ideal SSB signal shows spectrum from about 70 Hz to 2700 Hz, relatively flat throughout the passband, with no energy outside this range for best readability. Most contest receivers use 2.4 to 1.8 kHz filtering, so energy above 2500 Hz is wasted and mainly disturbs others. I recommend setting high-pass to 100Hz to avoid puffing sounds - too much bass makes you muddy and wastes power. What bandwidth settings do others find optimal for different conditions? I'm curious about narrow vs wide for weak signal work.

The wider the bandwidth, the better it sounds, but limiting to frequencies that contribute to intelligibility helps impact. Reducing response to 300-500 Hz bottom and 2.7 kHz top can help. For DX work, I use 1.8 kHz on receive.

I run 2.4 kHz most of the time but switch to 1.8 kHz in contests when the bands are packed. Distortion should be at least -40 dB at 6 kHz separation - anything wider than 6 kHz at -40 dB is considered poor quality.

Can someone explain how to measure these parameters? I see mentions of spectrum analyzers and storage scopes in the literature but most of us don't have access to such equipment. Are there software solutions for monitoring our own signal quality?