[Moon-net] An important step forward or backward?

[Scott Tilley]

My two cents on working JT65 (or any mode for that matter) random and 
loggers...

I'll stay out of the call3.txt debate.

I worked the Dubus digital contest back in February without any 
assistance and managed to work the following randomly with 400W and a 
4x7 array:

VE7TIL,144
2007-Feb-24 03:12, KB8RQ,O,O,100, KB8
2007-Feb-24 04:08, RA0FU,O,O,100, RA0
2007-Feb-24 04:48, RV9JD,O,O,100, RV9
2007-Feb-24 05:15, WQ5S,O,O,100,WQ5
2007-Feb-24 06:58, W5UWB,O,O100,W5
2007-Feb-24 19:34, S52LM,O,O,100,S52
2007-Feb-24 20:00, DK3EE,O,O,100,DK3
2007-Feb-24 20:30, K6MYC,O,O,100,K6
2007-Feb-24 20:40, OK1UGA,O,O,100,OK1
2007-Feb-24 21:25, YU1CF,O,O,100,YU1
2007-Feb-24 23:18, IK7EZN,O,O,100,IK7
2007-Feb-25 00:25, SM5CUI,O,O,100,SM5
2007-Feb-25 00:35, RU1AA,O,O,100,RU1
2007-Feb-25 01:15, KE7NR,O,O,100,KE7
2007-Feb-25 04:46, 8N1EME,O,O,100,8N1
2007-Feb-25 20:42, UA4AQL,O,O,100,UA4
2007-Feb-25 21:35, W5UN,EM23mg,O,O,100,W5
2007-Feb-25 22:32, RA6DA,KN96sa,O,O,100,RA6
2007-Feb-25 23:17, YO9FRJ,KN34aw,O,O,100,YO9
2007-Feb-25 23:48, UR5LX,KO70wk,O,O,100,UR5
#QSO = 20,Mult = 19,Total = 38000

My point is not to say I'm great or really suck, but to point out it is 
possible for small stations to roam the band using their operating skill 
to find stations and work them with JT65 and no assistance. What I did 
find after was a number of operators where trying to tell me that I 
should QRX and what not as others where calling them etc (This was after 
the contest and reviewing past loggings)  They didn't know I was 
operating unassisted and blindly responding to CQs  and tail ending QSOs 
without logger assistance to co-ordinate my calls...

Having said that I feel the loggers are very important and provide a 
place to allow the senior operators to elmer us new guys no matter the 
mode.  It improves the on air skills of everyone and as the technology 
develops there will be certainly provide a gathering place for everyone 
to learn, exchange ideas and standardize practices for modes that have 
very low data rates.

If anyone has been on the JT65 terrestrial logger they may have noted 
the exponential increase in the number of operators using JT65 on HF and 
this has lead to alot of confusion by alot of new users about operating 
practice.  The logger has been a great learning and teaching tool to get 
the word out...

I feel any judgment about a mode or operating practice ultimately falls 
back on the individual as after all this is a hobby, if the mode or 
practice is unacceptable their peers will correct them.

73 Scott
VE7TIL


jimmyv at hol.gr wrote:
> Hi Ed
>
> something you wrote in the beginning of your mail has been most interesting to
> me and i would like to briefly share my views on the subject by making an
> analogy. 
> You wrote:
>
>   
>> It seams that all the contest are fighting about CW, PHONE verses DIGITAL. In
>> the OLD DAYS the term "if you hear them you can work them" was the theme for
>> all contest. Now in the 21 century we have to change the rules as computers
>> are where things are happing. 
>>     
>
> I do agree with the 1st part. I think that still, in any mode, the same analogy
> applies. Why should it be any different? In fact in JT65 it is about 300 times
> easier, sensitivity wise, to work a station!
> In cw: "if you hear them you can work them"
> In JT65: ''if you see them you can work them''
>
> This is true for both modes, regardless of QRP or not. 
>
> Joe K1JT has written a good operating guide for random digital EME work,
> published last year in DUBUS magazine.
> It is certain that either by those having the visual aids to see a wide range of
> band spectrum at all times, or by those who turn the dial and tune in the band,
> it is perfectly possible to work UNassisted and Random in digital EME.
>
> Therefore, why have loggers and clusters during a Contest, being the main
> ''meeting place'' for the stations working digital? And turning a RADIO Contest
> into an Internet party?
>
> Those wanting to ''have fun'' as you well point out can do so for the remaining
> 350 days/year. If they still want to do so during an EME Contest, they still
> can, only at the expense that they no longer would be able to participate. 
> The rest, regardless of mode, can work on random, as should be the case in a
> RADIO Competition.
>
> 73,
> Jimmy SV1BTR
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Moon-Net posting and subscription instructions are at http://www.nlsa.com/nets/moon-net-help.html
>
>
>