SAT Pitch Raise to Lower Pitch

[Farrell]

Dear SAT Wizzes:

I am having trouble with use of the SAT pitch raise and pitch offset feature
(I am using a SAT III). I know how to, and use, both independantly without
problem. However, take the case where a poor neglected piano :-( is 100
cents flat in bass, 125 cents flat in tenor, and 150 cents flat in upper
treble. If the goal is to get the thing up to standard pitch - no problem.
But lets say that we choose (or are directed to by piano owner) to only
bring the piano up to a pitch 50 cents below A440 (i.e., do the final tuning
50 cents flat).

In this situation, I set a pitch offset for 50 cents flat. My plan would be
to to a pitch raise (using the pitch raise overpull feature of the SAT)
starting in the bass section (I want to pitch raise, with appropriate
overpull, to a final pitch of 50 cents below A440). So starting on A0, I
strike the key and press the measure button and see that the SAT indicates
that A0 is 50 cents flat (it is 100 cents flat of A440, but because I have
the pitch offset set at 50 cents flat, it only indicates that A0 is 50 cents
flat of the target pitch offset). Then the next step is to have the SAT
calculate an appropriate pitch compensation to overshoot the 50 cent flat
target pitch and would presumably result in an overshoot of about 10 cents
above the 50 cent flat target for a resultant value of about 40 cents flat
(then of course, by the time I am done pitch raising, A0 has fallen back to
the targeted 50 cent flat pitch offset).

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. When I use the pitch raise feature,
it completely ZAPS any reference to the original targeted 50 cent flat
offset and simply calculates an appropriate pitch raise overpull for pitch
of A440, i.e., if I were to then tune A0 after using the pitch raise
feature, it would indicate that I need to raise A0 about 125 cents (the
original 100 cents it was below A440, plus the 25% overpull for the pitch
raise that the SAT throws in).

Is this a limitation of the SAT :-(?  I find it hard to imagine that I am
the only one that needs to do such an undesirable procedure. Please tell me
I am overlooking something :-) (and then be specific as to what)! If it is a
limitation (I can't believe Dr. Sanderson missed this situation), does
anyone know of a slick way around it?

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com