Sometime late last week I decided to upgrade Writelog ahead of the IOTA
contest., along with a firmware update for my Microham hardware and the
so-called uRouter that ties it all together. These went pretty smoothly so
I then decided to install and try the Contest Simulator - and this also
went smoothly and worked almost immediately. So, batting three for three I
decided to try the Duelling-CQ Run module which has been used by W2SC with
great results.
It was also a whole lot easier than I expected in terms of the install and
getting it going. After playing with it for a couple hours in the IOTA this
will definitely be a key part of my contest setup going forward. BUT this
is one of those situations where you do need to read the
manual/instructions.
I found it quite intuitive. It works on SSB, CW and RTTY (will try the RTTY
in the upcoming SARTG contest). I have had best success with SO2R in RTTY
often by running two bands. With SSB I have always found it easier to only
search for mults on the second radio while my CW uses so much brain-power
that I can just handle a single radio at a time - 2RS&P so to speak.
I also found that the way it takes control allows you to focus on copying
and spend less time using the up and down keys and generally being in the
right focus etc. The module also sends a "TU" message and interweaves your
call with it so I'd get a "TU 8P2K" every couple Q's. And this was on SSB.
(You do need to have the appropriate FKeys programmed with the right stuff)
It does have a few configurable options but I haven't adjusted them yet. I
also found the need to adjust to split phones ever so often but that is
just a button push on the MK2R (or maybe a hotkey if programmed?)
What I like most about it was how it kept "forcing" me to be CQing. So even
where I might have placed all my attention on say rig1, it carried on cqing
on rig 2 without my intervention so it really forces you into the
discipline. Often it takes a little while to get back into the rythm. With
the module it does the hard work - you just have to copy what you hear.
My only complaint was the fact that the F-key options are hardwired so CQ
is F11 whereas I currently use F2 for CQ but Wayne W5XD was quick to point
out that I could actually remap the F11 message to the F2 key - something I
will probably do so my finger memory built up over several years will still
be valid. He may also provide a bit more flexibility as well.
It's not for everyone but it's another way to improve scores if you are an
existing SO2R op with the right hardware and of course running the 2 rigs
on a single computer.
The fact that there were absolutely poor conditions for IOTA allowed me to
practice at a somewhat leisurely pace and get a good feel for what the
module was doing and the potential. I used only the 1runRadio and 2RunRadio
options but have to also experiment with "duellingCQ" - I'd like to compare
behaviors and figure ot when each might be more appropriate.
It is available for download at: https://github.com/w5xd/WriteLogRunMode
.
In RTTY this will be a not-so-secret weapon in my arsenal. Thanks Wayne.
73 - Dean 8P2K
.
*Dean St.Hill*
*Barbados.JustAskLocals.com <http://Barbados.JustAskLocals.com>*
*It's A Big World. Travel Smarter <http://barbados.justasklocals.com/>*
*17 Ocean City*
*St.Philip*
*Barbados*
*246-825-2039*
*246-416-5277*
*dmsthill@gmail.com <dmsthill@gmail.com>*
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