I've been working on some software over the last few months for visualizing *your* HF propagation using spots from the RBN, individual CW Skimmers, and cluster servers. The software is called ViewPro
In terms of *active* Skimmers that feed spots to the RBN, it depends a little on when you look. The closest at the moment (based on spots received over the last day or so) are those in JA (about 3900
If you think contesting into EU from Georgia is tough, you should try it from ZL! At least in GA you still have the benefit of being in a large population center and right next to a huge pool of DXCC
I agree with Zack's point wholeheartedly. Pitching radio just as a way to talk to others, which puts it in competition with cell phones, Skype and the Internet, is a mistake. For me, a better pitch w
What is currently the best contest-oriented RTTY decoder? I've been using MMTTY for a long time, and I've tried several of the usual alternatives that have been around for a while, such as fldigi, bu
New Zealand will be operating two sites for the upcoming IARU HF Contest: CW: ZL6HQ (op: Frank ZL2BR) SSB: ZL6HQ (op: Rick ZL2HAM) Exchange: NZART I will be active on 80 through 15 on SSB. If condx f
I want a raw feed because I would like to do my own filtering, possibly with different algorithms than the server uses. I think it's fine to have some filtering done at the server, but there are also
It's also worth mentioning that REC533, upon which Zoneprop is built, is intended to be used to estimate long-term averages, not to make short-term predictions. Using short-term Kp and running freque
The benefits of knowing which Skimmers have spotted you include know which bands are open, in which directions and how loud you are. This can help optimize band choice, beam heading and choosing betw
Using an SDR or a scope is the most reliable way. However, you can also check for a wide signal by ear. For example, for SSB, tune about 3 kHz above or below your transmit frequency, and listen. If y
I like the idea of letting the other party know their signal is wide. However, adding a suffix to the call seems likely to cause headaches when it comes to things like uploading to LoTW and so on --
I didn't mean to suggest adding WIDE in your log. Just include it as part of what you tell the other station. Advise, and then move on; no need to wait for a response (or denial, excuses, etc). Heari
With CQWW CW coming up next week, you might find ViewProp to be a useful tool. It's a freeware app I wrote that helps visualize propagation and past activity using live RBN spots, archived RBN data,
While I agree that using ViewProp in its current form would make someone assisted, I also think it would help everyone if the contest rules were less ambiguous. Exactly what is meant by "providing ca
I would like to add my support to those who are suggesting distance-based scoring. The way things are now, stations that are located in a different multiplier (DXCC/zone), close to a major population
I think it's a mistake to look at distance-based scoring strictly as a measure of effort to complete a QSO. Even though it's a much better measure than DXCC or Zone, that's not the real intent, IMO.
Ultimately, the word "assistance" should have a very specific meaning: being helped by another live human, whether local or distant. Most of our shacks are full of technical devices of all kinds, whi
For those who may not have looked at the geographical disparities in CQWW, you may want to check out the maps at the links below: World: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/48950365/cqww-cw-world-201
I agree that absolute fairness and an absolutely level playing field shouldn't be the goal. I do think the scoring system can be adjusted to *improve* fairness and to level the playing field *a littl
Easy: scores are all based on short-path only. Of course there are vagaries of propagation. This is just a scoring system, not a measurement system. The goal is to get the EU and US masses to point t