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Re: [CQ-Contest] Malicious Interference during SS

To: CQ-Contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Malicious Interference during SS
From: Pete Smith <n4zr@contesting.com>
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:50:33 -0500
List-post: <cq-contest@contesting.com">mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
The important part of this is the SDR - Skimmer and other software that 
work with SDRs (such as Rocky, Spectravue, etc.) all have the capability to 
record 96 or even 192-khz slices of spectrum, all at once.  You then use 
the same software to play back the recording and you can tune across the 
band over and over again for the same period of time that the recording was 
made.  All the copiable signals will be there, in their original time and 
frequency relationships.  In other words, if some guy on 14275 says to his 
buddies, "Watch me chase off that contester up 5", someone "listening" to 
the recording could hear that and then tune up 5 and listen to the whole 
thing, while at the same time looking at the whole slice of spectrum on a 
bandscope-like display or a waterfall.

It's very much like the "time machine" gadget that has been shown at Dayton 
for several years, but evolved into a much more powerful and flexible 
form.  With the single-band SoftRock Lite receivers available for ~$12 in 
kit form, anyone who wants this capability to try out can have it for a song.

If anyone wants to see how this works, download Rocky (freeware from 
www.dxatlas.com) and drop me a note. I'll send you an I/Q file to play with 
- it will be very brief, because recording a big slice (in either time or 
frequency) takes a lot of disk space, but you can hear enough to understand 
the potential.

73, Pete

At 11:35 AM 11/22/2008, Chris wrote:
>What would the Skimmer output of that segment of the phone band look like?
>
>There have apparently been recordings made and forwarded to the FCC
>with little effect, but more certainly won't hurt. The other FL ham I
>mentioned said he has his confrontation with KZ8O on tape also.
>
>73,
>Chris WF3C
>Orlando, FL
>
>On Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 4:59 PM, Pete Smith <n4zr@contesting.com> wrote:
> > I wonder if anyone had a Skimmer or other SDR-enabled program running ,
> > covering that frequency slice during the period in question and 
> recording an
> > I/Q file.  If so, it might be worth burning a DVD and sending it along to
> > the FCC, because it would give incontrovertible proof of exactly what was
> > going on.
> >
> > 73, Pete N4ZR
> >
> > At 03:16 PM 11/21/2008, nx5m@txcyber.com wrote:
> >>
> >> I guess I will jump in here.
> >> He has given me a headache more times that I care to remember, even in a
> >> casual event such as the Texas QP.
> >> I have tried to avoid this area of 20m but I remember one time last year
> >> where I was followed no matter where I went.
> >> Will flooding the FCC office with emailed recordings do any good?
> >> What if suddenly they are hit with a few hundred emails/recordings?
> >>
> >>
> >> > I experienced blessedly little intentional interference this year in
> >> > phone SS. W4QG and I split the op time about down the middle but found
> >> > ourselves in the extra-class portion of 20m most of the time. I don't
> >> > know if it impacted the interference we would have received, but we
> >> > did run most of the contest with no speech processor on Paul's MP. I
> >> > tried turning it on for a while, but I think it needed some contact
> >> > cleaner as the control was very touchy and erratic.
> >> >
> >> > I'm well aware of KZ8O and his propensity for intentional
> >> > interference, particularly toward contesters. K4XS has had problems
> >> > with him during phone SS for a number of years now. This year another
> >> > FL station mentioned to me in a private phone call that KZ8O tried to
> >> > jam him near the beginning of the contest but he was able to run him
> >> > off.
> >> >
> >> > The critical step we should take (in my experience) is to ignore the
> >> > intentional interference as completely as possible and move if rate is
> >> > impacted. Part of what KZ8O and other jammers want is to engage the
> >> > contester in a battle of words on the band, resulting in both stations
> >> > looking pretty foolish. Of course, the jammer is already intentionally
> >> > interfering with ongoing QSOs, so they've got a little bit less to
> >> > lose in that regard.
> >> >
> >> > 73,
> >> > Chris WF3C
> >> > Orlando, FL
> >> >
> >> > Op @ W4QG
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Message: 1
> >> > Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:02:43 -0700
> >> > From: "Tod -ID" <tod@k0to.us>
> >> > Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Malicious Interference during SS
> >> > To: <KI9A@aol.com>,     <rmthorne@suddenlink.net>
> >> > Cc: cq-contest@contesting.com
> >> > Message-ID: <A8BE359DB88E42A8A6DE69B6D9F13B5B@CHEM>
> >> > Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="us-ascii"
> >> >
> >> > I had this happen when operating in the vicinity of 14.275 MHz. The
> >> > station
> >> > who declared he was hearing splatter said his call was KZ8O and he was
> >> > in
> >> > Michigan. I checked with a number of other stations in OH and MI after
> >> > that
> >> > and got assured that there was no problem. Later NX7TT called me to tell
> >> > me
> >> > that this station is famous for making such claims and for recording and
> >> > replaying a person's transmissions on the air -- horribly over
> >> > modulated.
> >> > He
> >> > did that using my signal and operated about 500 Hz off of my frequency.
> >> > The
> >> > splatter was appalling.
> >> >
> >> > In the end I switched to 40 meters rather than have him hassle me and
> >> > crud
> >> > up the band with splatter [supposedly caused by me] and ruin things for
> >> > other folks. I hope no one was significantly affected by his efforts. I
> >> > assure you it was not me generating that 'bad stuff'.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > After the SS had ended I checked his entry in QRZ. There were more than
> >> > 21,000 hits. Then I did a Google search and found he has been sent
> >> > warnings
> >> > by the FCC that go back to 2000. I suspect there are other stations who
> >> > operate in the segment of the band --- the one he patrols -- who can
> >> > give
> >> > us
> >> > more information.
> >> >
> >> > Tod, K0TO
> >> >
> >> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> >> From: cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com
> >> >> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of KI9A@aol.com
> >> >> Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2008 8:53 PM
> >> >> To: rmthorne@suddenlink.net
> >> >> Cc: cq-contest@contesting.com
> >> >> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Malicious Interference during SS
> >> >>
> >> >> Rich, I had this happen to me before on 20..the recorded CQ
> >> >> thing. I actually worked stations, and thanked the offender
> >> >> for giving me a break, and letting him do the work for me,
> >> >> while I logged the points. He stopped right  then.
> >> >>
> >> >> Best thing to do, if you have a 2nd rig, is keep on keeping
> >> >> on.  Use  the 2nd rig at that time to S&P, he will bet very bored.
> >> >>
> >> >> 73- Chuck KI9A
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> In a message dated 11/20/2008 9:32:37 P.M. Central Standard
> >> >> Time, rmthorne@suddenlink.net writes:
> >> >>
> >> >> I'm  curious how the malicious interference was this year.  I
> >> >> operated at
> >> >> K5NA this year.  I had a major problem around 14.281 this
> >> >> year.   I was
> >> >> sucked into a conversation with a station who would not use
> >> >> his call sign.  He told me that I was splattering so I
> >> >> adjusted my mic gain  and
> >> >> compression.  The ham thanked me and said it was fixed.
> >> >> After a few q's
> >> >> he said I was splattering again, I figured out he was
> >> >> playing games.
> >> >> Soon after he was transmitting recordings of my  cq's.  I was
> >> >> able to work through it for a while but my rate suffered  so
> >> >> I ended up moving.
> >> >>
> >> >> In this particular case it was at the beginning  of the
> >> >> contest.  I had made a few qso's about starting 15 minutes
> >> >> prior to the contest so I had established that the frequency
> >> >> was not  previously used and there were no frequency conflicts.
> >> >>
> >> >> So how did  it go for every one else this year?  I guess in
> >> >> the future I need to  add 14.280 to the list of  frequencies
> >> >> to avoid.  The sstv window has been on my list for quite some time.
> >> >>
> >> >> Rich -  N5ZC
> >> > _______________________________________________
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> >> > CQ-Contest@contesting.com
> >> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
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> >
> >

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