tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91303418355153362172024-03-13T06:24:54.748-07:00GM0ELPGM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-59601333395637843272023-07-30T02:10:00.001-07:002023-07-30T03:50:37.914-07:00MM3T IOTA Contest 2023<p> I had heard that Gordon MM0GOR (MM1E) was off to the Isle of Man as part of MD1U effort, so I thought it would be nice to keep the Isle of Bute activated for the contest.</p><p>Unfortunately the RSGB has got involved with politics again, last time they thought they knew better than the CMO and felt they had to play about with the rules for COVID.</p><p>Now the RSGB wants to get involved directly with world affairs by disallowing Russian and Belarus radio hams to compete (check logs only). Maybe its just me, but I thought that politics was a no go subject for radio hams to discuss on the air and that an important part of amateur radio was to extend the hand of friendship and break down any perceived differences through communication. This stance seems to have been lost on the men and women that are currently running the show at RSGB HQ especially in the contest committee.</p><p>Lets just keep ham radio a friendly place for like minded people despite the crazy world around us.</p><p>Anyway, back to the IOTA contest. As I blogged earlier during COVID, I'm always at an alternative location other than my home address for the IOTA contest dates, the RSGB stopped me competing even from my own holiday house (EU5) during COVID. Personally speaking I'm now so disenchanted with the IOTA contest and the way it has been run, I missed last year completely and I was also going to boycott it this year due to its world affairs stance, but in the end I made a last minute decision to go across to Bute and air MM3T.</p><p>This year due to lack of enthusiasm, I went light with a QRP entry. This was a mistake. In past years the fun factor was definitely affected due to wire antennas, compromised setup, uncomfy operating positions (car/tent), poor condx and low power. The less effort I made the less fun I had. Over the last decade I have been looking for that perfect effort to fun ratio and I had learnt that the K2 with 100W and an aerial51 light weight off-centre fed dipole on a 12m spiderpole was the sweet point for me. Verticals are pointless from Bute as DX interest in IOTA is sparse compared to EU and there is hardly any clear sea path to anywhere from any point on Bute. High angle radiation takes advantage of being on EU123 and working back to EU5 for maximum point advantage. This year I forgot all those lessons and went QRP with 5w from an Elecraft KX3 to an EFHW in an inverted L format. The results were very predictable, lots of running with very few answers.</p><p>I have a contesting weakness in that I enjoy running and hate search and pounce. The reason for this is when I listen to some other operators whilst enduring S&P, their inefficiency is astounding. I get very impatient and end up shouting at the radio in frustration. These inefficiencies are well documented on this blog so I won't rake over that again. When I'm running, I take great pleasure in rattling through a pile-up in the most efficient manner possible. People in the past have commented on my operating style as "rude", no pleasantries, minimalistic and efficient. When a station goes into the noise, I don't ask for repeats I just drop them and carry on. When a station asks for my call I just call CQ again. When the pile-up intensifies my speed goes up to roll off the slow ops and as it becomes sporadic my speed goes down to aid copy. Its a joy to be in control. Listening to others they will hold a 10 deep pile up asking for repeats and struggling for minutes to complete a Q.... crazy, and I seem to always tune onto them just as they start to work someone playing QRP and running 1mw into a coat hanger.... "again again G8 again". I do understand that search and pounce is necessary for the score, but i find it an absolute chore. This maybe because I am not a dxer, I do not collect QSLs and I don't have a per band DXCC country interest. I'm therefore really poor at search and pounce. Also I hardly ever use the cluster as having someone else point you at the DX kind of makes it too easy, its like going fishing without a rod and someone else handing you their rod after hooking a big fish and letting you reel it in... pointless.</p><p>Anyway EU123 was on the air until I worked GM7M who had 5x my Q total after only 4 hours. I decided that EU123 was being well aired by that team and that QRP wasn't for me. I did notice an increase in stations asking for the report again and got the feeling they were expecting EU5 and when they got EU123 they needed to confirm....that's what I get for missing a few years IOTA.</p><p>There was an extra incentive to pack up, after struggling for 1.5 hours to get the antenna up on the beach, I slumped (sweating) into the shack/driver seat switched on the radio only to hear "brrr brrr brrr brrrrrrrrrrp" repeating over and over at S9 on every band. And no it wasn't all the clangers on .073 it was some other crappy data nonsense. I then noticed a roadside connection cabinet, so probably some kind of botched cable joint or termination. I seriously considered just accepting this bad luck and working round it, but after coffee I worked up enough energy to swing the top horizontal section of the inverted L round the beach to minimise the interference. I got it down to S3 and tied it off there just in time for the contest start.</p><p>Of course I started running first and got very little interest. Its always depressing when a caller comes in on 40m from EU5 (G4IRN) at well over S9 and then nothing.... How can this be, surely there are 1000s of keen EU5 stations searching for elusive IOTA multipliers.... the answer to this today was apparently: NO. If the Radcom "The Last Word" is to be believed and most 80m conversations, most UK operators are anti-contest. The opportunity is there to have a lot of fun collecting all the IOTA offerings round the UK and being extremely competitive, but it seems to be trendy right now to hate contesters and try to insist on have nets and chatting about tomatoes and illnesses through some really cool contest activities. Its frustrating when you go to a lot of effort to activate an island so find the band full of strong signals all disinterested in even giving contesting a chance. The amount of negativity and moaning I hear mostly on 80m SSB from the anti-contest brigade is astounding.... and nothing may I add is being done by the contesters back to this negativity (there exists a gentlemanly silence). It would be nice to hear one of these "all I heard was "CQ contest" and I just reached for the off switch" conversations on 80m and someone to stand up to them and say "well I don't agree, do you know becoming more informed in contesting could better your home station, do you know you can become a better operator, did you know your topics of conversation don't need to be about gardening".</p><p>With antenna and radio packed up I headed home through Bute Fest at Ettrick bay to catch an early ferry home. Note to self, never do QRP again with a poor wire antenna in a compromised location. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-425970858755860342023-05-07T13:41:00.001-07:002023-05-07T13:41:33.083-07:00No Test? Why?<p> Yet again I came across this strange behaviour. A special event station operating in cw during a major contest and taking the time to send "no test". Why do this? Surely the point of running a special event station is to make lots of contacts? Why not just add a 3 digit number to each QSO? You don't need to be interested in the contest and you don't need to register or buy a ticket to enter. You don't need to send in your log, or be super efficient with each qso, but you can make a lot of people happy, and who knows you may even have fun... god forbid? With all that said there will always be the type that feel they need to make a point... "no test".</p><p>I have listened and read a lot of real hate towards contesters in recent times and there is very little fight back from contesters. There seems to be no space in the hobby, frequency limited, band limited, weekend limited, it isn't enough for some. The trouble seems to stem from operators who think they "own" a frequency for a regular "net" or bandplans with recommended frequencies for centre of operation for a specific mode like SSTV. When a contest 'intrudes' on these frequencies, non-contest operators feel violated and deliberately QRM the offenders, hardly the ham spirit?</p><p>I could be cruel and say I've learned more from an episode of East Enders than I have heard on these "nets". Each to their own, I'm not interested in talking about tomatoes, my health or my audio or how to work my radio (RTFM), am I going to complain about the rubbish these "rag-chewers" talk, no, we are all hams together enjoying our own version of the hobby.</p><p><br /></p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-8107163826011851422022-12-11T05:06:00.004-08:002022-12-26T02:32:54.476-08:00MM3T in CQWW CW 2022<p> I soooo much wanted to use the Flexradio 6500 for this contest just to justify its purchase, but in practice sessions before the contest I could not get SO2V, semi SO2R or 2BSIQ to work with N1MM+. The problem was that there are so many guides written for old versions of both SSDR and N1MM+ and the wrong version of radio (ie 6700 or 6600) that only confusion and wasted time results. I tried setting up 2 slices on the same band but annoyingly if I clicked with the mouse on the screen N1MM+ would crazily swap the audio to the wrong VFO meaning I just couldn't use it. After a week of reading every available guide I finally gave in having never been beaten by anything radio/computer related in nearly 40 years.</p><p>I packed up the 6500 and instead switched to using my trusty FTDX101D. The difference was instantaneous, I was playing radio rather than fighting interacting software with different authors. The added benefit was that now I had a hope of dealing with ridiculously poor signal quality from the likes of Todor LZ4TX. Todor hasn't yet realised that with big antennas and big power comes the added responsibility of ensuring a CLEAN TX. On 10m Todor is around 599+30 here but the big problem is the width of his transmission which during the last YO contest reached 25KHz wide on the FTDX101D effectively wiping out 10m. A quick internet search revealed that he uses an Alpin 200 (2.5Kw) linear amplifier and a 7 element yagi on 10m. I guess he hasn't read the manual properly and doesn't know driving it full tilt will cause problems.</p><p>Anyway with the 6500 safely packed away , I finally got down to selecting my entry category. I'd have loved to do a 10m mono band entry as 10m was in great shape, but Todor could show up and with the resulting 25KHz of key clicks and QRM I would have just had to pack up. I've always dreamed about activating a rare island and experiencing handling big pile-ups and really enjoy short, snappy efficient Qs and trying to get the run rate up. I would be working right up to Christmas and was involved with trying to deliver a new product in a stressful environment so didn't want to completely knacker myself for Monday morning. The 'classic' category being only 24 hours would help and also would ensure high run rates. I wanted all bands to be able to move according to the conditions. No cluster was allowed, but I intended to RUN RUN RUN anyway to see how many Qs I could make. This doesn't make sense if I was trying to win the contest as you need to S&P to get multipliers, but this wasn't going to happen anyway as there are too many retired contesters who have invested in their properties and antenna farms and can therefore run with substantial pile ups for the full 24 hours no matter their skill level. I've listened in to some of my competition and the amount of inefficiency on show should really relegate them into obscurity, but their station always secures the result. With this is mind and my pip-squeak scaffold pole in the garden, I decided to have fun and train for pile-ups instead.</p><p>I would be using an Optibeam OB10-5w wire, 5 band yagi (2-3 element on 10m, 2 element on 15m. moxon on 20m) at 5m over the ground. I live in a residential area of a large town and have close neighbours who have been very patient with me over the years. I want a bigger station, but in reality I'd have to move to larger premises to achieve it. At 5m over the ground, if my antenna were to come down the wrong way it would still land in a neighbours garden, so I'm already pushing the envelope. My garden resembles a long strip of land with the house in the middle, so I can just about shoe horn in a straight 40m length from the back garden over the house roof to the front garden. The antenna used for this location was an 80m doublet fed with 300 ohm ribbon feeder but due to the centre proximity to the house bedrooms, I wouldn't be able to use it late at night.</p><p>The back garden support for a doublet leg is a 5m light weight aluminium pole. I decided that this could double as the initial vertical section for a centre loaded quarter wave inverted L for 160m. I designed a coil that would give me the correct inductance that when coupled to the top of the pole and then extended with a 10m wire section would be resonant on the 160m band. The resulting antenna was a real inefficient mess, but I hoped it would allow me some contacts with some of the bigger stations.</p><p>The stage was set for an all band effort and with my category picked and strategy decided for me, I got ready for the contest.</p><p>The contest started and Todor was no where to be seen (result!), but 10m wasn't in such good shape as it had been during the week lead up to the contest. I operated for 24 or the 48 hours and made 2430 Qs (around 0.6 Qs per minute), peak rate was around 130 Qs per hour on 20m.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgF9l3luJbhgMJowrD8YqljOR0uc34mDfLFausg8Kbv7T0g0qwsv-dW4tR6A8mtB38TEykl2aZjkl0rCiHBR7J-SlxRNgwGCfgNDRDU4mYRvODEYk_c-omamikOTwo4c52n5ZkVxNDUwOMBw9PFjAFD4pVKLdZkb6G_hJwe-4jfEi0i737X8614dvM1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="276" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgF9l3luJbhgMJowrD8YqljOR0uc34mDfLFausg8Kbv7T0g0qwsv-dW4tR6A8mtB38TEykl2aZjkl0rCiHBR7J-SlxRNgwGCfgNDRDU4mYRvODEYk_c-omamikOTwo4c52n5ZkVxNDUwOMBw9PFjAFD4pVKLdZkb6G_hJwe-4jfEi0i737X8614dvM1" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKMGPnoyBZGl4zqzmztGuujxZIWLas1qirkB3bWOSb9Yl9PL8iNYMgyvS-_jloSsBK_aXs3K7RH5jW62J7-XgGTYs5M8LsA5-KbDqX1qO8F0NcpWQ9aBZ1mBU1P24nIDgOVwwYpmumAG-37ds2m9AJ03xRuWKgQd_ifYuZKojdMP7yRroF0A4jQ2TY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="610" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKMGPnoyBZGl4zqzmztGuujxZIWLas1qirkB3bWOSb9Yl9PL8iNYMgyvS-_jloSsBK_aXs3K7RH5jW62J7-XgGTYs5M8LsA5-KbDqX1qO8F0NcpWQ9aBZ1mBU1P24nIDgOVwwYpmumAG-37ds2m9AJ03xRuWKgQd_ifYuZKojdMP7yRroF0A4jQ2TY" width="312" /></a></div><br />The dirtiest signal encountered belonged to DP9A. They moved onto 14.042 at 08:00 (1KHz above me) and instantly wiped me out. I QSY'd up and asked them to QSY (ignored) then later on I asked them to check their linear amp, but just got ignored again. With my run frequency smashed I had no alternative to give them my frequency. At 6KHz wide key clicks, my radio (FTDX101D) just couldn't do anything to allow me to continue on my fre<span>quency. A quick look up of the internet on their callsign (</span><a href="https://www.qrz.com/db/DP9A">DP9A - Callsign Lookup by QRZ Ham Radio</a>) revealed another superstation. Why oh why do they spend so much money on antennas and ignore their transmit IMD? I think we all know why... they are cheats, plain and simple. It is advantageous to make make your transmit signal as dirty as possible to punch a hole in the band where your receiver can survive all the other stations trying to compete. The result is a lovely clear frequency to pick up rare multipliers. It must be fantastic to operate during CQWW CW within a 6KHz window clear of QRM unheard of to most competitor actually playing by their license conditions. Maybe the Bavarian Contest Club can educate them before they do too much damage to the clubs reputation.<p></p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-8067720228497648292022-08-28T09:18:00.000-07:002022-08-28T09:18:50.580-07:00Cw contesting and sending /QRP at the end of your call... just don't do it!<p> There is no such thing as /QRP.</p><p>In a contest its all about efficiency, why in the world would a contest operator want to know you are running QRP? In my 30+ years of contesting I have never written /QRP into my contest log. When someone sends this, I always send back the proper callsign without /QRP. You would think this would be a good clue that he is regarded as a poor operator when no one ever acknowledges the /QRP he sends.</p><p>The type of person that normally does this is always sending slow and will repeat this nonsense twice to ensure you get his pip-squeek signal. The effect is normally to slow the contest operators Q-rate and maybe lose other waiting stations due to the length of time it takes him to complete the Q.</p><p>If you want to play games during a contest like turning your power down to mW level, please try to at least be efficient with the exchange:</p><p>a) Do not sign /QRP</p><p>b) Do not repeat your callsign twice ...ever</p><p>c) Do not stick in another TU because you want the other op to know you are very grateful, they will not thank you for it.</p><p><br /></p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-13470896616809185072022-08-03T11:33:00.003-07:002022-08-03T13:13:35.347-07:00IOTA 2022 experience using Flexradio 6300 and v3 SSDR (multiflex)<p> After previous years (since inception of IOTA) of hard effort (dxpedition to EU123) and then having the door slammed by the RSGB on any effort during COVID in 2021 (as I was on holiday in EU5 at my own holiday accommodation), I decided not to bother with the contest this year. Instead I would use it test out Flexradio SSDR multiflex capability. For the Flexradio 6300, this allows 2 ops to have apparently separate receivers (using the 2 available slices of the 6300) and also share the transmitter of the 6300.</p><p>I used a laptop running N1MM+ and connected to the 6300 using Smart CAT for frequency and mode for the log and also to emulate a winkey for CW transmission of N1MM+ macro messages. I also had a Flexradio Maestro, so I connected that to the 6300 so I didn't need to run SSDR on the laptop (to keep the load on the laptop to a minimum).</p><p>My fellow tester (MM0GBK) used a laptop running N1MM+, but this time used Smart CAT and SSDR software as his interface to the 6300.</p><p>Both stations were located in the same room and were connected to the 6300 via the same ethernet switch. I was using CW and MM0GBK/P was using SSB</p><p>Multiflex is automatically invoked by the 6300 when detecting multiple connections (6300 is capable of having 2 connections: in this case Maestro hardware and SSDR software running on a laptop). Transmission capability is allowed on a first come first served basis and the other connected user is 'locked out' whilst the transmission is in progress.</p><p>This type of operation is best suited to S&P which allows both users to search for unworked stations and then take turns at working them sharing the same transmitter. This worked perfectly during the contest and seemed to handle the occasional time we would both try to transmit at the same time (no power out indicated to the loser). Running leads to the other user having too little time between transmissions to find stations.</p><p>All in all zero lock ups were observed by both users however, cw generation via Smart CAT emulator wasn't well timed with occasional sidetone audio aberrations (not sure whether they were transmitted or not) even though an Intel i5 8 core was in charge without SSDR running (Maestro doing the heavy lifting). This led to me to think I'd be better off with a real winkey or some other keying method.</p><p>I would not recommend Flexradio, SSDR or multiflex to any serious contester due to rx latency, inaccurate cw generation, cost, hardware reliability, complexity, etc, etc, etc. However interesting the concept, it just took too long for the company to get it right and as a result has lost all momentum and user base (especially in CW contesting).</p><p>Currently the majority of Flexradio users are digital and SSB mode users. CW has never been implemented well, with the company mainly listening to the American full break-in casual ops instead of world wide serious contesters. Casual CW ops may like the Flexradio offering, but this should not be confused with serious contesting equipment.</p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-23311536250880266822022-02-12T04:15:00.006-08:002022-02-27T02:10:56.813-08:00FTDX10 headphone receive audio hiss problem and solution<p> The FTDX10 is a great radio, but the audio through the front headphones socket is awful. Listening through the headphones, if you turn the volume to minimum there is an annoying hiss within my hearing range (approx 200Hz -> 12KHz). When the volume is turned up slowly you start to hear the real receiver noise come up, but you can still hear the false hiss above the real audio. If you keep turning the volume up the receiver noise then completely overcomes the false hiss, but the volume is now too loud for comfortable listening.</p><p>My problem is that I am predominantly a CW operator and am therefore only interested in sound <1KHz in frequency coming from the headphones (normal specification 20Hz to 20KHz). Non music, communication headphones (20Hz to 10KHz) help with this problem, but I couldn't find a pair of communication headphones that would get rid of the annoying false hiss from the FTDX10, suggesting that the false hiss frequency content was below 10KHz.</p><p>I thought about audio filtering solutions out there like Timewave DSP-599ZX or MFJ-751B but the last thing I wanted to do was spend more money on another box after shelling out over a grand for the radio. I also wanted to use the radio portable and wanted to keep any solution as simple as possible. I therefore opted to make one myself. I wasn't completely sure what part of the audio spectrum was causing my discomfort, but it was likely that an annoying hiss would be caused by frequencies above 1KHz and as I only needed frequencies below this for CW this seemed like a good target frequency to begin attenuation from.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgRMmcJvGwsdogNGC1UWEwfdkc1NKkNSXLGCw7T2A-PmsoljoGgg3P-GV_7-xMaNE1H8RUcRWyn4aWc9w-P1RnDkTKxLcd4G82_IMbUShNjfdSgeD-smTj9Iy_kkYk-h1ZnMqimFWLdJpZql5FruPEZqmbDPYtGLagMbYRnEv6g0TXeRfA6HGncVhD=s1706" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1706" data-original-width="960" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgRMmcJvGwsdogNGC1UWEwfdkc1NKkNSXLGCw7T2A-PmsoljoGgg3P-GV_7-xMaNE1H8RUcRWyn4aWc9w-P1RnDkTKxLcd4G82_IMbUShNjfdSgeD-smTj9Iy_kkYk-h1ZnMqimFWLdJpZql5FruPEZqmbDPYtGLagMbYRnEv6g0TXeRfA6HGncVhD=w307-h546" width="307" /></a></div><br /><p>Remembering that headphone audio is stereo, I would need 2 identical low pass filter circuits, one for the left and one for the right audio channel. Most headphone leads consist of 2 wires for each channel audio (L&R) each of which has an individual screen, but the screen is common from the 'S' part of a TRS (TipRingScreen) audio jack.</p><p>I wanted to be able to swap headphones but the keep the low pass filter in line, so the solution was to create a 15cm stub of audio cable terminated at one end with a male TRS audio jack (3.5mm male TRS audio jack in the case of the FTDX10) to go into the radio. The other end of the stub would be open wire for connection into the twin low pass filter circuit, the output of which would then go to a female TRS audio socket which my headphones would plug into. The picture above shows my headphones jack plug on the left hand side, the twin low pass filter circuit in the centre and the open wire end of the stub going to the radio on the right hand side.</p><p>The picture has enough detail to get the component values, but the calculation for the cut off frequency goes as follows:</p><p>f = 1/2 x pi x R x C</p><p>therefore</p><p>1/2 x 3.14 x 1500 x 0.1uF</p><p>= 1061Hz</p><p>Its only a single stage audio filter so the roll off is gentle as the audio frequency goes up, but it achieves total attenuation of the annoying audio hiss without too much wanted audio drop.</p><p>Remember, avoid directly grounding either of the audio channels to the screen. Please test with a DVM to make sure you haven't made a mistake before connecting to your expensive radio.</p><p>Try it, however you do so at your own risk. I think you will like it! </p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-4188490763294679482021-12-29T06:17:00.001-08:002021-12-31T07:58:32.120-08:00FT8 and the death of ham radio as I knew it<p>If you are an FT8 troll then please just move on, this is not for you.</p><p>I've been a Ham radio operator since 1986 so you could say I'm an experienced ham radio operator in comparison to all 'FT8 only' operators. I know that I can get more contacts and get further using FT8.</p><p>Q) Why don't I use FT8 all the time then?</p><p>There is the potential for an exponential gain in pleasure and satisfaction through using other richer communication modes. I know 'FT8 only' operators will enjoy them more than FT8 because I have experienced FT8 and other modes with all types of setup ranging from simple to contest grade.</p><p>Q) Why do I hear other experienced hams using FT8?</p><p>They are using them only when conditions necessitate i.e. marginal conditions where you cannot properly hear any desired signals on the band. It's also tempting for an experienced operator to be lazy and switch off the brain and leave the computer to have fun whilst doing something more interesting instead. </p><p>Q) FT8 can hear signals that other modes cannot. I can get further on a very meagre setup due to power, antenna, noise problems. Why therefore wouldn't I use this all the time?</p><p>Firstly due to lack of experience 'FT8 only' operators do not understand that if you can hear an FT8 signal with your own ears, you are in the wrong mode. If you can hear FT8, then you will be able to make CW contacts and listen to SSB signals. What percentage of FT8 contacts did you make where you couldn't hear any signal coming back (10%??). Most operators would not use FT8 all the time because compared to other modes its NOT a proper communication mode. A simple report is NOT communication, but 'FT8 only' operators wouldn't know this because most are inexperienced. Believe me an exponential gain is to be had by trying out ANY real communication mode.</p><p>Q) When I listen to the SSB or CW portions of the 10m band they are dead, but I can always HEAR FT8.</p><p>Join the club. It's frustrating isn't it? If you can HEAR FT8 it means the band is open for all modes. The vast majority of those using FT8 don't know this and through lack of education or shear laziness continue to use a weak signal mode even when conditions are excellent. It's not unusual for me to tune an entire 10m band and hear nothing except a solid 3KHz window of S9 FT8 signals and the entire beacon section bursting S9 with every country in Europe....and for the FT8 smart asses - yes, I did call CQ in both CW and SSB to no avail. Between 1986-2010 this was unheard of. So again take it from experience, FT8 has killed ham radio as I knew it. </p><p>Q) It's a real challenge to get FT8 working correctly and there is a science behind getting good results</p><p>Bollocks. Most 'FT8 only' operators don't even understand how to improve the sensitivity/selectivity of their receiver. This is made painfully obvious by the majority of FT8 users who use SSB and 3KHz filters and inject tones into the transmit audio chain. Its odd that you strive for the best your meagre setup can achieve by using FT8, then use the general convenience of an audio based setup and ignore all the available facilities your receiver provides??? There is no way you should be using 3KHz SSB for these marginal contacts. DSP alone won't hack it when FT8 is being as misused as it is today (due to lack of strong signal handling performance). You should be using a mode that can select a narrow filter and the VFO to place the FT8 signal within the passband of the narrowest filter possible i.e. digital mode with 300Hz roofing filter, for increased signal to noise ratio. This is difficult to get right but yields better results in crowded misused FT8 band conditions. Which is it then? Just being lazy/uneducated or striving for the best for you meagre set up???</p><p>Q) Why don't you just get on with your hobby and not comment on mine?</p><p>Because we have a shared hobby (i.e. communication??? kind of infers more than one person???) and a lack of understanding by a majority of new operators therefore directly affects my hobby.</p><p>When a good skier chats to a novice skier and they tell you to stick with it because the hobby comes into its own if you persevere and get past the 'snow plough' technique, do you tell him to mind his own business, as you want to do the snow plough forever because its easier... no, probably because you've seen good skiers on the TV doing parallel turns and can see how awesome it looks you'll realise you would gain by making an effort to get better. Trouble is there is no equivalent in the ham radio world. The nearest we come is education (or elmering), so take it from me, if you are doing nothing but FT8 you are missing out on a lot of fun and also you are not contributing in a positive way to the rest of the hobby.</p><p>More and more lazy 'FT8 only' operators are joining the hobby and a lot of good 'all mode' operators are dying of old age. This is causing the death of ham radio as I knew it.</p><p>Please contribute to the continuation of ham radio by educating yourself in the use of your receiver and use other modes.</p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-14350657408912022542021-12-29T04:01:00.000-08:002021-12-29T04:01:14.580-08:00Yaesu FTDX101D FTDX10 Scope averaging solution<p>Before we start, anyone using the 3D feature of the above radios are beyond help, please just move along and continue to enjoy your radio.</p><p>For those who are sentient enough to realise 3D is just a gimmick and 2D is the only real display function, please read on... </p><p>Problem:</p><p>Frenetic spectrum-scope? Can't cope?</p><p>Solution:</p><p>Dead easy! Use the waterfall rather than the spectrum-scope. Tap the waterfall until it covers 3/4 of the screen. The spectrum-scope is now too small to see any frenetic activity, job done!</p><p>I now think of this top sliver of LCD panel as a touchscreen for QSY only. There is absolutely nothing gained by looking at the spectrum-scope that isn't reproduced on the waterfall.</p><p>Now think of the benefits of having the fastest, most capable, most sensitive waterfall ever produced by the big three!</p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-23110002699874393502021-12-05T02:18:00.002-08:002021-12-27T02:49:06.074-08:00MM3T in IOTA Contest 2021 <p> I entered the all band, low, 12hr, cw, dxpedition category again.</p><p>The thing I shouted at the radio most:</p><p>I ONLY NEED IT ONCE!!!!</p><p>Why oh why do people give their callsign and/or report twice without a break in between? Doing this is for data modes only...under no circumstance ever do this in a CW contest....</p><p>no you are wrong...UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE! EVER! OK?</p><p>In CW mode there is a human at the other side and not a dumb computer! Guess what? If the operator didn't get your call correct the first time, he will send back what he got, allowing you to correct it...simple! This process of handing the exchange back and forth to get your call 100% correct is quick, efficient and infallible....unless of course you weaken and decide to send it twice without a break!</p><p>another thing...</p><p>If you are trying to bust a CW pile-up and the operator gives your partial call, you do not need to give your callsign twice without a break.</p><p>no you are wrong...UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE! EVER! OK?</p><p>Why? </p><p>1) The partial call will cause the pile-up to abate and the operator will have a much better chance of getting your call correction first time.</p><p>2) You will lower the operators Q rate.</p><p>3) You may cause the operator to lose his frequency, due to having to pause longer than usual.</p><p>4) The operator may lose some of his pile-up as it now takes too long for satisfaction.</p><p>5) The pile-up starts to misbehave due to boredom as most cannot hear you.</p><p>Causing any of the above to happen to a contest operator will cause them to hate you and wish you had never called in....</p><p>You are confusing typical CW operator teachings of when to give your call twice like:</p><p>If his signal is weak..</p><p>If there is QRM</p><p>If there is QSB</p><p>If he didn't get it right the first time</p><p>ALL OF THESE ARE WRONG for contest operation as we now have to take time and efficiency into account.</p><p>another thing...</p><p>Please use a proper contest logger like N1MM+ and download SCP file and IOTA cross check file, this will save you from asking the operator to repeat the IOTA reference multiple times.</p><p>These are small asks compared to uplifting your entire station and temporarily setting it up on an island and doing without comfort and sleep for 24hrs. Please be willing to help that effort by being efficient in your exchange.</p><p>Remember, this is a CW contest...never, never, NEVER give your callsign twice without a break in between!</p><p><br /></p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-61151985766406505212021-02-06T02:48:00.003-08:002022-02-27T02:25:34.683-08:00PTT in CW mode for cw contesters (where did it all go wrong for Yaesu, FlexRadio and TenTec?)<p> At some point in the dim and distant past a radio designer who knows nothing about CW contesting decided that PTT via RTS over RS232 or a serial emulator cable was unnecessary. This decision was then used for all future radios, worst still other manufacturers then started to copy this mistake and soon a major problem was born.</p><p>There are so many usage factors for a ham radio that the manufacturers today have trouble knowing which groups to listen to i.e. casual ops, data ops, dx ops and contest ops.</p><p>Casual ops: If the radio kind of functions...what's there to moan about? Its fine.</p><p>Data ops: As long as FT8 mode works, and the rx/tx switching times are good, I'm fine.</p><p>DX ops: The rx performance needs to be good, I need all modes, as long as I can hear, I'm fine.</p><p>Contest ops: The rx performance needs to be good, the tx performance needs to be good, rx/tx switching times needs to be good, I need all modes, the ergonomics need to be good, interfacing needs to be spot on, filtering needs to be good etc etc etc.</p><p>In short if you want everyone to be happy, ask a contester as they are striving for the best.</p><p>However, serious contest ops are few and far between and there are all sorts of grades of contest ops out there from casual little pistol through to those who own super stations (big guns). Casual contest ops are not that interested in efficiency as they are not really competing, just having fun.</p><p>Anyway back to the point in hand PTT via RTS over RS232. Contest ops send macro cw exchange messages from contest logging software to the radio and also 'fill in' messages via the key. TX -> RX time is critical i.e. the release of PTT. The reason for this is that good contest ops are efficient and speed is of the essence, so very little time is wasted in a fast exchange between 2 stations, so much so, a casual listener may not be able to hear a perceivable break between the 2 stations. Serious contest ops use a computer to transmit their side of an exchange (now, now... if you don't agree, I am sorry you are not a serious contest op), this means the computer 'knows' exactly when the exchange message will end ahead of time. No other piece of equipment can know this information before the computer, so it can unkey immediately after sending the message. It therefore stands that the most efficient exchange can only be accomplished by the computer using RTS to signal PTT.</p><p>Now enter the radio manufacturer. They are ignorant to the above fact and decide that they will only provide PTT sourced from the radio. The PTT mode relied on here is called break-in which detects cw keying over DTR from the computer and then uses a controllable delay time after the last cw keying action to release the PTT automatically. Unfortunately this causes a delay after every part of the sent exchange where the radio remains in tx for the delay time despite no cw being sent over DTR. The result of this is a really inefficient exchange and many, many unhappy contesters.</p><p>It may seem like an little thing, but serious contesters are striving for the best and this kind of PTT implementation is unacceptable, especially when Elecraft, Icom and Kenwood seem capable of getting it right.</p><p>It doesn't seem like much to ask for from a £3000 radio and the inclusion of this basic expected functionality hurts no one else's usage case. Hopefully ham radio manufacturers want to be the best?</p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-22414846269259504952021-01-10T09:17:00.001-08:002021-01-10T10:48:48.743-08:00How to get Yaesu FTDX101, N1MM+ contest logging software and CW Skimmer software working together<p>My solution:</p><p>Hardware:</p><p>1) FTDX101D</p><p>2) AIRSPY HF+ Discovery</p><p>3) PC</p><p>Connect the AIRSPY up to a USB port on the PC and connect the antenna to the main IF out port on the rear of the FTDX101D. This will give the AIRSPY access to the 9.005MHz IF of the main receiver in the FTDX101D.</p><p>Connect RS232 serial com port of FTDX101D to PC (com 1 in my case).</p><p>Software:</p><p>1) N1MM+</p><p>2) SDR Console</p><p>3) CW Skimmer</p><p>4) VAC (Virtual Audio Channel, your choice of software)</p><p>5) Omnirig</p><p>6) Serial Port Splitter (www.fabulatech.com)</p><p>In the serial port splitter software, set up a "shared port" for com 1 (allows multiple software apps to connect to the FTDX101D for rig control and status information.</p><p>In the Omnirig software setup radio 1 as FTDX101D and use com1.</p><p>Setup a VAC for use between SDR Console and the CW Skimmer (ensure windows 10 doesn't grab it).</p><p>In the SDR Console software add the external radio feature and use com1 to get rig control from FTDX101D. You also need to add the CW Skimmer menu and select the appropriate VAC audio channel (no need to send on CAT info from SDR Console with this implementation as CW Skimmer will get it via Omnirig). Configure external radio feature by entering 9.005MHz IF details.</p><p>In CW Skimmer setup the audio to use the previously created VAC. Also set the CAT (Omnirig) to use radio 1 and com 1. Also setup network to enable telnet server telnet and port to 7300 to send out spot info.</p><p>In N1MM+ setup rig control to com 1 and telnet to 127.0.0.1 port 7300</p><p>This will allows both ways rig control between N1MM+, SDR Console and CW Skimmer to/from the FTDX101D. Happy skimming!</p><p><br /></p><p>Doug GM0ELP</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-43206277240679956002020-12-13T12:40:00.000-08:002020-12-13T12:40:22.464-08:00Your first HF CW contest<p> Here are some handy tips and hints to remember for your first CW contest:</p><p>Running (calling cq)</p><p>you:<span> </span>cq your call test</p><p>other:<span> his call</span></p><p><span>you:<span> his call 599 exchange</span></span></p><p><span><span>other:<span> 599 exchange</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>you: tu your call</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>S&P (search and pounce)</span></span></span></p><p>other:<span> </span>cq his call test</p><p>you:<span> your call</span></p><p><span>other:<span> your call 599 exchange</span></span></p><p><span><span>you:<span> 599 exchange</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>other: tu his call</span></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p>What could be simpler? Well it would seem the a certain country can't manage it. In S&P they like to do the following:</p><p>other: cq his call test</p><p>you: your call</p><p>other: your call 599 exchange</p><p>you: <span style="color: red;">cfm</span> 599 exchange</p><p>other: tu his call</p><p><span style="color: red;">you: tu</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p>The 'cfm' is implicit and unnecessary and wastes the other persons Qs/min rate. During QSB you are guaranteed to hear CFM 599 ......... and nothing else promting you to shout "just give me the exchange!". The final unnecessary "tu" however is the real kicker as this masks the next caller and causes the pile-up to stall, a real f**k you very much for the contact.</p><p>These extras are not in the default macros of any contest logger software, so this country operators actually go in and add them!</p><p>Some other strange habits, if you get their call wrong due to multiple callers in a pile-up, they are programmed to repeat their call twice, sometimes without even completing the exchange. What they don't realise is when you have called them (even with a slightly wrong callsign), the rest of the pile-up stalls and they are in the clear, the double repeat just hacks everyone off and stalls the pile-up unnecessarily.</p><p>Why so pedantic, you try doing many 24 hours straight contests over a period of 30+ years and having to deal with the same stupidity every year...it's about time they were told.</p><p>While I have your attention, never, never, never send a '?', just wait patiently for the operator to give their callsign. The reason they don't give their callsign is because they don't want you to call. Sending a '?' is just going to mask the other callers he does want to call and this will cause you to have to wait longer.</p><p>The height of stupidity is asking the running station for their call, please just listen for as long as it takes till you are sure you have it right BEFORE calling. Never, never, never expect a station to QRS for you, you have all the the time in the world to decode it BEFORE calling.</p><p>A lot of this guide is contrary to what you have been taught, this is because casual operating and dxing is NOT the same as contesting. Please reward contest operators for giving you a contact of a lifetime by being EFFICENT cfm? </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-51316981512752860472020-10-08T11:46:00.001-07:002020-10-08T11:46:23.899-07:00FTDX101D PC CW Keying with DTR<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Situation:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Rig FTDX101d. Using N1MM+ to send stored messages (F1 etc) using DTR of the USB port (standard port) to send CW. Setting the radio to CW Setting -> Mode CW -> PC Keying -> DTR to receive the hardware CW keying.</span></p><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Findings:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Surprisingly this direct method of sending CW from the PC doesn't seem to need PTT? With no transmit CAT command, nothing connected to the PTT input at the rear of the radio and without BK-IN engaged on the front of the radio, the messages from N1MM+ software are transmitted by the radio.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Looking into this a bit more...</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In N1MM+, RTS of the USB port (standard port) is set to 'Always Off'. PTT is therefore not being sent to the FTDX101D from N1MM+ on pressing one of the message keys (F1 etc).</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">How can the radio know when to enagage and disengage PTT at the right times for the message when no PTT signal is sent?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This led me to experiment with the following BK-IN menu setting despite BK-IN being disengaged on the front of the radio:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Changing CW Setting -> CW BK-IN TYPE -> SEMI to FULL</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Eureka! Yet more madness from Yaesu! Now when I sent the message from N1MM+, the radio is in Full break-in mode despite BK-IN being disengaged on the front of the radio!</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In summary, when using CW Setting -> Mode CW -> PC Keying -> DTR, the FTDX101D uses BK-IN irrespective of the front panel control. Bonkers!</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This fact is important to me for contesting as if BK-IN is used, it has an associated CW BK-IN DELAY after the message has completed. This means I will not hear the first CW element of fast return callers. Why Yaesu has done this instead of allowing the PC to control PTT through RTS like the K3 I'll never know. Oh well back to using a Winkey with fully controllable PTT and CW KEY. Buyer beware!</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Regards</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Doug GM0ELP</span></div>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-66150619723331314162020-08-08T02:00:00.000-07:002020-08-08T02:00:52.618-07:00Data modes invading cluster CW mode<p> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyU0XxdaJU8/Xy5mu-e6gdI/AAAAAAAADw0/UzdtWqR2FLkwYzdmf_GLBn9qvWTupsMfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s696/ft8_4_jt65.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="696" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyU0XxdaJU8/Xy5mu-e6gdI/AAAAAAAADw0/UzdtWqR2FLkwYzdmf_GLBn9qvWTupsMfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/ft8_4_jt65.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="display: inline; font-family: inherit; padding: 1em 0px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyU0XxdaJU8/Xy5mu-e6gdI/AAAAAAAADw0/UzdtWqR2FLkwYzdmf_GLBn9qvWTupsMfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s696/ft8_4_jt65.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;">What is happening here? Using the dxspider command</a> "</span><span style="display: inline; font-family: inherit; padding: 1em 0px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyU0XxdaJU8/Xy5mu-e6gdI/AAAAAAAADw0/UzdtWqR2FLkwYzdmf_GLBn9qvWTupsMfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s696/ft8_4_jt65.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;">accept/spots on hf/cw</a>" </span><span style="display: inline; font-family: inherit; padding: 1em 0px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyU0XxdaJU8/Xy5mu-e6gdI/AAAAAAAADw0/UzdtWqR2FLkwYzdmf_GLBn9qvWTupsMfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s696/ft8_4_jt65.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;">to filter my local cluster, I am getting all sorts of nonsense spots returned with JT65/FT8/FT4 in the comments??? Please can data ops respect </a>the cluster and spot correctly? This is not acceptable and ops doing this should be banned by the cluster sysop.</span></p><p></p>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-1011705913901729042020-07-27T02:15:00.002-07:002020-07-27T02:15:04.869-07:00RSGB IOTA Contest 2020 HFCCAs predicted this contest was a disaster.<br />
<br />
NOT DUE to the COVID19 pandemic, but due to the HFCC putting no effort into creating rules which would have allowed curtailed operations to continue.<br />
<br />
I listened in and the only saviour to many bored operators were stations that decided to take matters into their own hands and operate /P from the island that they happened to be on anyway (summer holidays...remember those...when you were young...going off with the kids....a distant memory for those in HFCC it would seem).<br />
<br />
I just hope that most of these /P operators knew about the ludicrous "home station only " rule imposed by the "Chief Medical Officer" of the RSGB HFCC. I can imagine that some operators would only find out that they had travelled to an island and spent many hours setting up and operating a /P station providing entertainment for RSGB members only to find out later that they have been disqualified.<br />
<br />
The only way this contest can now be judged is for all the points distributed by these cheating /P stations to be removed from the logs of home stations that wrongly decided to try to work them.GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-82616194229838685362020-07-04T06:49:00.001-07:002022-02-27T02:30:52.950-08:00RSGB Contest Committee IOTA contest 2020Does anyone else think the RSGB Contest Committee have got it wrong for the IOTA contest in 2020. Apparently the best they can do is suggest "single operator only" and "working from your home station" only?<br />
<br />
Hello?<br />
<br />
Most working people with kids will be on holiday on July 25/26 and will be away from their home stations.<br />
<br />
I recon this ruling makes sense if you are retired and live down south where you have to travel extensively to reach an island. You need to plan and book ahead to get comfy accommodation and you are used to winning your category through year round planning and letting a large group of people take the strain of setting up the station and antennas for you. You only need to operate for a couple hours before your buddy comes to release you as your bladder probably can't go longer than that anyway. A large scale event with a nice sociable side to meet your buddies.<br />
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It completely makes NO sense if you are still working and stuck with taking holidays when the kids are off. You live up north and you are right next to an island. You don't need to plan ahead as you just drive over and operate from the car, completely on your own and setting up light weight portable antennas that will never let you win anything. You operate for 12 straight hours in a herculean effort to work your way up the rankings.<br />
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You'll notice I haven't mentioned COVID19. This is because when trying to discuss this issue with the contest committee I feel their situation is predominately tending towards the latter 'retired' category (above) and as such are ruling to suit themselves rather than putting some real effort into making IOTA 2020 the best it can be, despite COVID19. It is all too easy for them to put on their politician hat and a grave face and say things like "we had to make a decision in plenty time" Why? Single ops living next to an island don't need plenty time? or "We don't want to encourage travel" Eh, that's not up to you, I'd rather listen to the CMO! or "It's only a game, whilst people are dying" How long are you going to keep this up 1, 2 , 3 years? or until a cure is found? At least make a decision which is sustainable for everyone (and not just the retired) like "single op only" and "no island hopping". Their decision is final and not up for discussion.<br />
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It's really very disappointing to me personally that after more than a decade of competing in a COVID19 compatible format i.e. Single OP totally self-sufficient DXPedition, that the contest committee fails to recognise this category by blanket ruling "home station" only. ***<b>Even if I weren't to travel to an island, I'm still technically excluded as I'm on holiday with the kids and not at my "home station"</b>**** ridiculous! All the /m /a /p stations excluded in one stupid spoiler rule. However this will suit a lot of slipper wearing, pipe smoking, coffin dodging retirees and help them still win their category (get their moneys worth out that STEPPIR someone else installed for them). Arguably the premier RSGB contest event of the year almost completely spoiled by self-indulgence, scaremongering and nanny state behaviour.<br />
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I feel that the RSGB Contest Committee fails to realise that Radio is one of the few things left that is safe to do during these hard times and that we should be doing more to promote it to the bumper crop of new hams that have entered the hobby because of COVID19. Instead they have erred on the safe, easy side and spoiled what could have been a more interesting contest result where the large groups are banned by putting in place a simple "single op" rule.<br />
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I have a mind to take part from EU123 together with all the other tourist crawling over the islands. Imagine the pile ups on the bands for EU123! Then I won't enter the contest or submit a log as a two fingered salute to RSGB Contest Committee.<br />
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Very, very disappointed that people who have got this country through COVID19 by continuing to work 'at risk' are being excluded from things like the Hope contests and now IOTA....nuts! Bring on retirement!<br />
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<br />GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-13570941121647965112020-07-04T05:21:00.000-07:002020-07-04T05:21:18.872-07:00Yaesu FTDX101 Spectrum Scope Mode : Cursor<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">After having played with other transceivers, I am disappointed in the implementation of CURSOR mode. I don't like having to push the spectrum scope along, as if you find a signal, you always have to back tune to find it. I would much prefer an auto scroll mode where (when the limit of the span has been reached) the scope jumps ahead by half the span leaving the tuning marker mid-screen. I know about the other modes and use FIX in CW and CENTER in DATA and feel CURSOR is most suitable in SSB. The implementation of CURSOR could do with a re-think though.</span>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-73242214663263541502020-07-04T05:19:00.003-07:002020-07-04T05:21:35.851-07:00Yaesu FTDX101 review<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I own an FTDX101D. Having owned and played with a lot of other transceivers, I am left with a sense of disappointment in the lack of ease of use (in particular) the lack of settings memories available on the 101. I feel that the designers of other transceivers have spent more time considering the owner experience and usability. After studying this, I have focussed down on several settings related to the scope on the 101 which are not remembered in the band-stack:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">1) Spectrum Scope operation mode FIX/CENTER/CURSOR</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">2) FIX frequency</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">3) SPEED</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">4) SPAN</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">5) LEVEL</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">For instance, I set up the triple band-stack for CW/Data/SSB for the 10m band.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I like the following scope setting on CW</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">1) Spectrum Scope operation mode: FIX</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">2) FIX frequency: 28.000</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">3) SPEED: FAST3 (as I like to decode by eye)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">4) SPAN: 50KHz</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">5) LEVEL: Effects of tight roofing filter (300Hz), and low span means high level gain required</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I like the following scope settings on Data</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">1) Spectrum Scope operation mode: CENTER</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">2) FIX frequency: 28.074</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">3) SPEED: SLOW1 (As I like a longer period of history visible)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">4) SPAN: 5KHz (In FT8 only 4KHz required)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">5) LEVEL: Effects of tight roofing filter (300Hz), and low span means high level gain required</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I like the following scope settings on SSB</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">1) Spectrum Scope operation mode: CURSOR</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">2) FIX frequency: 28.400 (If I change to FIX)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">3) SPEED: FAST1 (As I like a medium period of history visible)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">4) SPAN: 100KHz</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">5) LEVEL: Effects of wide roofing filter (3KHz), and high span means low level gain required</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Unfortunately none of the above settings are remembered in the band-stack. This means that on each change of band (with the exception of FIX frequency) or band-stack, the previous settings of these parameters just pass through, meaning I have to manually alter all the above settings every time...very very tiresome! You'll recognise this failing if you've been using FIX in CW and you change the band-stack to SSB...the cursors fly off the screen and the scope is looking at the CW FIX frequency and the VFO is up in the SSB portion of the band....crazy!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">By changing the band-stack to remember these extra parameters the ease of use factor will go through the roof (this will also work when changing band). </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Do you think remembering these parameters in the band-stack would be helpful to your usage case?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Doug GM0ELP/MM3T</span>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-70886360468250552952020-06-10T14:25:00.000-07:002020-06-10T14:25:01.613-07:00FTDX101 Tips and TricksTIP 1. If you have CW Auto Mode (CW Setting -> MODE CW -> CW AUTO MODE) set to ON, you can still turn your PROCessor on/off using the PROC button, the trick is that you have to engage PTT and then press the PROC button to get it to switch the Proc on/off rather than the Keyer on/off.<br />
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TIP 2. To get CW Auto Mode to work, you have to select CW mode turn on BK-IN then select SSB mode. From then on it will remember you want BK-IN when sending CW from SSB mode.<br />
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TIP 3. If you want to use the radio with a wireless mouse, all wireless mice are not the same, I finally found that a Logitech M310 works when connected to the top USB port on the front of the radio (it doesn't work in the bottom port).<br />
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TIP 4. Both the RS232 and the rear USB ports work for CAT control simultaneously.<br />
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TIP 5. When setting up the microphone equaliser bandwidth (Operation Setting -> Tx Audio -> PRMTRC EQx BWTH), bandwidth is a very misleading word, Yaesu actually mean 'Q' i.e. a setting of 10 means a response over a small bandwidth (say 100Hz) and a setting of 1 means a response over a large bandwidth say (1KHz).<br />
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TIP 6. When setting up the microphone audio and drive levels AMC is mega important. AMC is on all the time, but you can only control its level by selecting <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">(Operation Setting -> Tx Audio -> Proc Level -> AMC). The AMC level can then be adjusted using the Proc rotary control to dial in an AMC value. Note the value is counter intuitive, a setting of 100 means no AMC limiting, a setting of 1 is maximum AMC limiting. A setting of 100 will give you distorted modulation and cause the compression and mic gain to be impossible to set correctly. Starting from 100 work your way down until the you can set the compression and ALC level as stated in the manual. Most microphones work well at a setting of approx. 65, YMMV. To test a value of AMC you have to jump back into the same menu setting and select COMP before you can adjust compressor settings to see if you can get it to behave.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">TIP 7. If you have problems with the rig wanting to update the firmware when you switch on, this is caused by the equipment on the other end of your RS232 connection not being switched on. I have also heard that sometimes the RS232 connection causes sd card load problems, the solution being you have to disconnect the RS232 cable from the back of the rig before trying to load files.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">It's a great rig, but as you can see there are currently a few quirks.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-20809934026281714702020-05-15T04:17:00.005-07:002022-02-27T02:36:11.713-08:00FT8 is currently causing the death of my ham radio hobbyIt's a topic we've all heard before, but here is my perspective. In the 35 years I've been a radio ham this year has been the worst for the lack of activity on CW and SSB modes in all the HF and VHF bands (especially high HF i.e. 15/10m).<br />
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Is it that the bands are just in really poor condition you may ask? Well no is the short answer! I say this, because in my experience, 90% of the time whilst I've been calling CQ, I've been listening to multiple FT8 signals banging in and according to the cluster and my decode, its coming from all over Europe and beyond. However on CW and SSB modes there is silence despite my attempts at calling CQ.<br />
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Is it that FT8 is just way more capable of making QSOs compared to other modes you may ask? Well no is the short answer! I say this, because in my experience as a CW operator, 90% of the time if I can hear a signal I can work it and I can hear FT8 signal coming in at S9 and I am still not able to get a response to my CQ calls on CW.<br />
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My conclusion is therefore that FT8 has spoilt my fun on the 15/10m bands and VHF especially. Unfortunately this is where I am 90% of the time. Where I used to be able to call CQ and nearly always get a response, now I get nothing except a bandscope full of strong FT8 signals.<br />
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Should I consider moving to the FT8 mode? I already use FT8 where it is appropriate i.e. when 10m is just opening. As soon as I can see or hear FT8 signals, I switch to CW or SSB. Why do I do this? Because FT8 is a weak signal mode not a full communication mode and it's extremely limited info exchange mechanism is only suited to essential information pass under hard band conditions. When the bands open, there is no point in this in my opinion. I can therefore only surmise that those who do not change to a more suitable communications mode are not interested in communicating, are unable to use CW or prefer communicating from behind a keyboard rather than use their voice! These concepts are all unattractive to me as they directly affect my hobby as described above.<br />
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I do believe that everyone has the right to their own hobby, so I would never dream of trying to spoil their fun or force them to use other modes some of the time. I therefore just have to accept that FT8 is currently killing my hobby. YMMV.GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-31980486873257089652020-03-07T06:33:00.001-08:002022-02-27T02:40:48.589-08:00ARRL DX SSB contest Poor Education on Transmit audio and Transmission WidthThere seems to be a lot of SSB operators who don't understand why setting up your transmit audio as per the manual is important. Instead they ask a station on another continent to give them a transmit audio check. They will keep on increasing their mike gain on the basis they are told their audio is getting louder without detectable distortion. Radios like the Yaesu FT2000 and the FT1000MP were the worst, as you could keep winding up the mike gain to sound loud. However, the by-product of doing this is splatter, turning your 3KHz signal into a 6+KHz signal. Someone on another continent is unlikely to be able to hear or see your bandwidth growing as normally splatter is 30-60 dB down from the 3KHz main audio. The real effect will be apparent only to local stations or on bands where your signal is well over S9. For instance the ARRL DX SSB contest has most of Eastern Europe beaming directly over the UK, most of these signals heard on 20m in the UK are 6+KHz wide and trying to compete is pointless. Not adjusting your radios tx audio (as per the manual) is cheating, plain and simple, ignorance is not an excuse. I'm sure it isn't a matter of poverty as most QRZ page search results reveal modern equipment, I am convinced it is a matter of education. The ARRL DX SSB contest is currently in full swing and the biggest offender on 20m is:<div><br /></div><div><span style="color: red;"><b><u>HA8JV</u></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>who is 10KHz wide. I gave him a QRM report and his answer was "understand", he then asked a US station what is audio sounded like, the US operator replied "perfectly readable".... This is a perfect example of the problem.</div>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-86072400964649942292020-02-23T10:35:00.003-08:002022-02-27T02:44:13.572-08:00CW Contest for data operatorsI'm all for data operators having a go at cw contests using a computer, but please read this before the contest to save annoying every cw operator on the planet. I've had a go at a few data mode contests and it seems usual in RTTY or PSK31 to give your call sign and report twice. The logic (i think) behind this is that sometimes the computer gets it wrong and at least if given twice your attention is drawn to try and correct mistakes. However, in cw contests this practice is frowned upon and unnecessary.<br />
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Here is the expected behaviour for CW contests:<br />
1) CW contests are all about efficiency<br />
2) Always give your call sign and report exactly once<br />
3) If the station gets it wrong the first time, simply repeat the last exchange exactly once<br />
4) If no response leave a gap then repeat exactly once then leave a gap<br />
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CW is really cool and I like operators that are really efficient. If you get no response then simply repeat the last exchange exactly once. Leave a short gap for the operator to come back, then if not repeat again, he will come back when he gets it or gives up...simple!<br />
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There is nothing more annoying than someone who repeats things twice without a gap when you make a mistake. Sometimes when a pile up is large you only get a partial call. The idea is that when you give this partial call, everyone else stands by and allows the caller to complete the QSO. If this caller decides to repeat information more than once without a break, the pile up gets impatient and the QSO takes even longer to complete.<br />
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If you are one of these annoying people who believes "give my call twice without a break if you don't get it the first time" please remember by doing this in a contest, it singles you out as a "data operator" or a "LID" to everyone waiting, and the run station at the other end will be shouting "I only need it once!", whilst 3-4 stations waiting in the pile-up may tune away due to the length of time they are having to wait per Q. <div><br /></div><div>Worse than this, you may double with the run stations response on your second unnecessary callsign repeat and a stalemate occurs which is normally always broken by the run operator having to repeat your call to let you know the previous exchange was for you. Of course you probably don't remember the exchange as you are just playing and the operator has to give you the whole exchange again. By this point most of his Q rate will have vanished, together with the pile-up. At this point your Q will have been most unwelcome as it was at everyone else's expense....</div><div><br /></div><div>Why am I such an angry man for such a little thing? Out of an entire contest of say 2000Qs over 24hrs, roughly 1 in 5 S&P stations do this during a pile-up, that's 400Qs where I lose the will to live.</div><div><br /></div><div>REMEMBER... what is right for a normal cw qso is not correct for a cw contest!</div>GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-56090485666502418382019-12-08T05:02:00.000-08:002019-12-08T05:02:51.778-08:00CW for beginners, lesson 3Unfortunately most cw conversations don't use plain English as this would be laborious and tedious to send in full. If a word can be shortened it will be and if there is a Q code for the sentence it will be used. The results can sometimes be confusing for the first time listener. Here is an example of a two way standard (rubber stamp) cw conversation:<br />
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*************<br />
<b>CQ CQ CQ CQ (general call) DE (this is) GM0ELP GM0ELP K (over)</b><br />
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<i>GM0ELP DE M0GBK KN (prosign, back to you)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>M0GBK DE GM0ELP GM (good morning) DR OM (dear old man) UR (you are) RST (Radio Signal Tone) 599 599 BT (prosign, break) OP (operator) Doug Doug ES (and) QTH (location) is Hamilton Hamilton BT So hw (how copy)? AR (prosign, end of transmission) M0GBK DE GM0ELP KN</b><br />
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<i>GM0ELP DE M0GBK GM (good morning) DR OM Doug UR (you are) RST (Radio Signal Tone) 599 599 BT (prosign, break) OP (operator) Simon Simon ES (and) QTH (location) is Meltham Meltham BT Condx (working conditions) hr (here) rig Flex 6600 es pwr (power) 1KW es ant (antenna) OFCD 10m up BT Wx (weather) is wet es cloudy temp is 9 degrees BT so BTU (back to you) Doug AR </i><i>GM0ELP</i><i> DE </i><i>M0GBK</i><i> KN</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>BK (Break-in, now that calls have been established no need to repeat) OK Simon TNX (thanks) fer (for) condx (you conditions) hr rig is ftdx101d es pwr 10w es ant dipole 10m up BT Wx hr is sunny es temp is 15 degrees BT TNX fer FB (fine business) QSO (chat) es HPE (hope) CUAGN SN (see you again soon) 73 (good wishes) AR M0GBK de GM0ELP KN</b><br />
<br />
<i>BK es tnx fer INFO (information) dr om Doug es all CPY (copy) BT Hpe cuagn sn 73 TU (thank you) AR </i><i>GM0ELP</i><i> DE </i><i>M0GBK</i><i> KN</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>tu . .</b><br />
<br />
<i>..</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
*************<br />
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Don't worry about this as most conversations are rubber stamp and vary little from the above. Most constructs can be guessed and you will always get some sort of understanding.<br />
<br />
Some tips:<br />
1) When decoding don't write everything down, just the important things like name etc.<br />
2) Don't write down capitals, a lower case scrawl is faster (it's not a quality record!).<br />
3) When starting out listen to beacons (28.2 to 28.3) and slowly decode the repetitive message they send.<br />
4) Always tune to the higher end of the cw segment of the band as this is where QRS (slow speed) cw is always sent.<br />
5) Don't listen on cw contest days (weekend) as high speed cw is the norm and can be off putting for the beginner.<br />
6) Always wear headphones to cut out distractions and close your eyes to help concentrate.<br />
7) Don't be frightened to ask for a repeat "SRI (sorry) PSE (please) AGN (again) UR (your) name QSB QSB (fading) BK".<br />
<br />
Doug GM0ELP<br />
<br />GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-9347642793504849502019-12-07T14:23:00.001-08:002019-12-22T03:37:45.762-08:00CW for beginners, Lesson 2You will hear a lot of nonsense from old timers who have forgotten that there is one thing you have to do before anything else and that is.... simply learn the morse code alphabet!<br />
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This preceeds everything else...bar none!<br />
<br />
We have 26 letters to learn, ignore the old timers (prosigns, koch method, just recognise the tune blah blah blah) and lets just cut to the chase as fast as possible by using simple association and memory techniques to try and fast track the code into those "little grey cells" believe me this step is unavoidable.<br />
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Firstly lets do all the letters that only consist of di's or ( . )s, **remember the letter group "eish"**:<br />
<br />
e ( . )<br />
i ( . . )<br />
s ( . . . )<br />
h ( . . . . ) That's 4 out of 26!<br />
<br />
"Every Indian Shoots High" imagine the arrows coming towards you.<br />
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Second, lets do all the letters that only consist of dah's or ( _ )s, **remember the group letter "tmo"**:<br />
<br />
t ( _ )<br />
m ( _ _ )<br />
o ( _ _ _ ) That's 7 out of 26!<br />
<br />
"Totally Massive Ohms" imagine a PCB track circuit with small breaks, the ohms become massive with more breaks.<br />
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Third, lets do all the letters that start with di's and end with a dah, **remember the group letter "auv"**:<br />
<br />
a ( . _ )<br />
u ( . . _ )<br />
v ( . . . _ ) That's 10 out of 26!<br />
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"Autonomous Underwater Vehicle" imagine the di's are the rope with the dah being the vehicle slowing going up the alphabet.<br />
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Fourth, lets do all the letters that start with a di and end with dah's, **remember the group letter "awj"**:<br />
<br />
a ( . _ )<br />
w ( . _ _ )<br />
j ( . _ _ _ ) That's 12 out of 26!<br />
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"Awful Woolly Jumper" picture wool being pulled from a single point on a badly knitted woolly jumper, the dit being the single point on the jumper and the dah's being the wool.<br />
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Fifth, lets do all the letters that start with dah and end with di's, **remember the group letter "ndb"**:<br />
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n ( _ . )<br />
d ( _ . . )<br />
b ( _ . . . ) That's 15 out of 26!<br />
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"No Dust Bins" picture a bin lying on it side and the litter spilling out.<br />
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Sixth, lets face it if you've listened to any cw, you'll definitely hear this pattern all the time, **remember the group letter "cqdx"**:<br />
<br />
c ( _ . _ . )<br />
q ( _ _ . _ )<br />
d ( _ . . )<br />
x ( _ . . _ ) That's 18 out of 26!<br />
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"CQ DX" just listen to some cw on air.<br />
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Seventh, dah or dah's encapsulated with di or di's<br />
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r ( . _ . )<br />
l ( . _ . . )<br />
p ( . _ _ . ) That's 21 out of 26!<br />
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"Right Lazy Person"<br />
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Eighth, multiple dah's ending in di or di's<br />
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g ( _ _ . )<br />
z ( _ _ . . ) That's 23 out of 26!<br />
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"Giant Zebras"<br />
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Ninth, lets face it if you've listened to any cw, you'll definitely hear this pattern all the time, every general call ends in a 'k' and also a repeater sends it after you unkey.<br />
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k ( _ . _ ) That's 24 out of 26!<br />
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"CQ DX DE GM0ELP K"<br />
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Tenth, think of this as forming the letter 'f' with the first di being the tail of the letter and the dah being the strike through of the letter.<br />
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f ( . . _ . ) That's 25 out of 26!<br />
<br />
as follows:<br />
.<br />
_<br />
.<br />
.<br />
<br />
This leaves us with y, no help here<br />
<br />
y ( _ . _ _ ) That's 26 out of 26 and we are done!<br />
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Now we need to practice recalling the alphabet in cw, if you stumble, punish yourself by going back to the beginning. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
Doug GM0ELP<br />
<br />GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130341835515336217.post-52740559021781093362019-12-07T03:00:00.001-08:002019-12-07T03:32:49.248-08:00CW for beginners, lesson 1The following is an explanation of sending the word "paris" in cw to help the beginner understand the sending cadence required to allow someone to decode it properly at the other end. The word "paris" is used as the standard for determining the speed of sending in words per minute (wpm) i.e. if you send the word "paris" 12 times in a minute, you are sending at 12 WPM.<br />
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Definitions:<br />
1) Element : A length of time equivalent to the length of a "." (di or dit) in cw. The actual time used in sending a "." changes depending on words per minute being sent, so we just refer to this time duration as an element for this explanation.<br />
2) Dah Symbol: ( _ ) equivalent to 3 time elements.<br />
3) Di Symbol: ( . ) pronounced "di"(mid-letter) or "dit"(located at end of a letter), equivalent to 1 time element.<br />
4) Symbol space : (') duration equivalent to 1 element.<br />
5) Letter space : (,) duration equivalent to 3 elements.<br />
6) Word space : (/) duration equivalent to 7 elements.<br />
<br />
The word "paris" consists of the following letters (given with cw equivalents in symbols with time duration in elements):<br />
P (. _ _ .) = 2 Di symbols (2 elements), 2 Dah symbols (6 elements).<br />
A (. _) = 1 Di symbol (1 element), 1 Dah symbol (3 elements).<br />
R (. _ .) = 2 Di symbols (2 element), 1 Dah symbol (3 elements).<br />
I (. .) = 2 Di symbols (2 elements).<br />
S (. . .) = 3 Di symbols (3 elements).<br />
<br />
A total of 22 symbol elements, however we need to include symbol space elements:<br />
<br />
P (.'_'_'.) = symbols (8 elements) + symbol spaces (3 elements).<br />
A (.'_) = symbols (4 elements) + symbol space (1 element).<br />
R (.'_'.) = symbols (5 elements) + symbol spaces (2 elements).<br />
I (.'.) = symbols (2 elements) + symbol space (1 element).<br />
S (.'.'.) = symbols (3 elements) + symbol spaces (2 elements).<br />
<br />
A total of 31 time elements,however we must also include 4 letter spaces and 1 word space to complete the understanding that we are sending a 5 letter word:<br />
<br />
P (.'_'_'.), = symbols (8 elements) + symbol spaces (3 elements) + letter space (3 elements).<br />
A (.'_), = symbols (4 elements) + symbol space (1 element) + letter space (3 elements).<br />
R (.'_'.), = symbols (5 elements) + symbol spaces (2 elements) + letter space (3 elements).<br />
I (.'.), = symbols (2 elements) + symbol space (1 element) + letter space (3 elements).<br />
S (.'.'.)/ = symbols (3 elements) + symbol spaces (2 elements) + word space (7 elements).<br />
<br />
A total of exactly 50 time elements.
So to send the word "paris" takes exactly 50 time elements.
<br />
<br />
Example:
To define the time duration of 1 element when sending at 12WPM:<br />
12 words x 50 elements = 60,000 ms.<br />
element = 60,000ms/600 elements<br />
element = 100ms.<br />
<br />
The purpose of this exercise is that now you will understand why sending cadence is everything when sending cw successfully. You will also now appreciate that a computer will send perfect cw whereas a human will send cw with imperfections. This is why the majority of serious cw contesters use the computer to send cw 90% of the time.<br />
<br />
Doug (GM0ELP)
GM0ELPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598246354498717379noreply@blogger.com0