Clg QSOs via Packet and others...

Sun Feb 25 15:22:53 EST 1996

N4ZR wrote about packet use to call people band to band.
This isn't the only problem with packet use and other bad tips, specially in my
area.
I  can't accept packet use to spot myself. Even if rules avoid this way, people
wiil try to get other person spotting his call to get multipliers on the bands.
All problems related by N4ZR had no easy solutions... Rules isn't the matter HI
HI. I know that many hams here are fighting like Single Operator no-assistance,
but  I  can  see them on DX CLuster. Many other trying low power (like me), but
with 1 KW (not like me...) ! ! !
Packet has conditions to be under our eyes, and we need to relate bad operators
to  Contest  Organizations.  Power and antennas (let's wait new WPX categories)
isn't easy to get under rules, but only for ethical condition of each operator.
Sorry,  I  don't know to write well in English... 73 and hope to see many of mu
contest  friends  in  Dayton  Hamvention  (my  wife  and  me are thinking to be
present) ! ! ! 73 73 from Vitor,  PY2NY  -  PW2N in contests...

>From ronklein at ix.netcom.com (Ron Klein )  Sun Feb 25 19:22:17 1996
From: ronklein at ix.netcom.com (Ron Klein ) (Ron Klein )
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 11:22:17 -0800
Subject: CT database updates for ARRL DX?
Message-ID: <199602251922.LAA29786 at ix8.ix.netcom.com>

Could someone point me to the place to get the latest version of the 
country database for ARRL DX?

I'd appreciate e-mail to this account... I'm again behind in reading 
the reflector mail..... excuses due to 60 hour work weeks :(

Thanks in advance.

73,
-- 
Ron Klein - W0OSK
-----------------
ronklein at ix.netcom.com

>From jrouse at dc.infi.net (John L. Rouse)  Sun Feb 25 20:03:23 1996
From: jrouse at dc.infi.net (John L. Rouse) (John L. Rouse)
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 15:03:23 -0500
Subject: Clg QSOs via Packet and others...
Message-ID: <199602252006.PAA17321 at mh004.infi.net>

 N4ZR raises some very valid questions for the Great Ponderers to ponder....
 I found it interesting that during the recent big cw test our local cluster
node turned off the "show users" command. Hmmmmmm. Surely a quick peek at who's 
using the node during a contest isn't about to slow doing the ever-flowing 
duplicate spots....The logic of that dubious decision completely eludes me..

73, John KA3DBN

John L. Rouse                      Packet: ka3dbn at ka3rfe.md.usa
Capital-Gazette Communications     FAX: 301-464-7027
jrouse at dc.infi.net                 Voice Mail tracker: 1-500-346-0440
 ==========================CQ Delta X-Ray!!==========================

>From john.devoldere at innet.be (John Devoldere)  Sun Feb 25 22:23:42 1996
From: john.devoldere at innet.be (John Devoldere) (John Devoldere)
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 22:23:42 +0000
Subject: ON4UN CQ WW SSB SCORE AND STORY
Message-ID: <199602252224.XAA01668 at nic.inbe.net>

CALL: ON4UN
OPERATOR: ON4AFZ
CLASS: SINGLE OP

QSO: 724
QSO POINTS: 4171
STATES: 31
COUNTRIES: 61

SCORE: 396,245 POINTS

THE STORY:
----------

Freddy, ON4AFZ who was also part of the "young" crew for the CQ WW Phone
last Oc-tober was to operate the phone 160 m con-test.

The QRM from the chemical was still there, and of course it is much more
noticeable on SSB with the wider bandwidth. But of course, the QRM level is
generally much higher in the phone contest as well.

The first two hours of the contest were extremely difficult. The QRM was
incredible, the rate very low. Then it started calming down, and in the
middle of the night Freddy man-aged to settle somewhere in the DX window.
The first North American station was KA1BQ/VE1 at 23:42 GMT, but the band
re-mained very flat with only 6 US contacts until 05:30. Then at 05:30
someone threw the switch, and suddenly the band popped wide open until
sunrise(06:30). In total 60 W's were worked in 24 States during the first
night. he station furthest West was AA0RS in Colorado.

on Saturday evening the band remained very poor to North America. The first
USA station was K2WI at 01:00 GMT. In the mean time Freddy has worked TT8BP
at 00:08GMT. I was in bed when this happened, but we have everything on
tape, and I checked the record-ing which was very clear: Italian accent etc.
Hopefully nobody was pulling our leg. This is a new country for me! The band
was apparently suffering from a magnetic disturbance as nothing at all was
hear from Northerly regions while the Caribbean and Central America did
pretty well with P40V, XE1RCS, VP5/K0KX, TI4CF, YS1X, TG9NX, YS1RRD, and
YV1RF. One hour before local sunrise the band started peaking somewhat, and
some of the more Northerly regions came in, yielding new mul-tipliers such
as VE2, VE3 and VE1 (NB). The furthest West we got on the second night was
Texas (KE5FI, K5HT). All together, the second night was much worse than the
first one with only 36 North American station worked. All in all 31
states/provinces were worked.

Three African stations were worked (5N0MVE, EA8PP and TT8BP. The Middle East
was very absent with no 4X4 (where were 4X4NJ and 4X4DK?), and only A92BE.
Four South American stations were worked (YV1IF, PY0FF, PY7CB and P40V).
Asia was very poor as well, with only 14 stations, and not a single exotic
station (only UA9's and other ex USRR republics). A good deal of the
Euro-pean "rare" ones were worked , such as EA6ARM, GD4WBY, GJ3YHU, GM0ILB
(Shetlands), HV3SJ, IS0QDV, OY9JD (of course), T70A, SV2BFN, T93M, TK5KP
YO5ODE and ZA1AJ.

In total 724 QSO's were made (755 last year when ON4WW operated my station),
with 95 multipliers (64 countries and 31 states/provinces), vs. 93 last year
(69/24). The final score is 396,245 points, vs. 398.084 last year. We came 4
European QSO's short for beating our last year's record!

Freddy was able to stay on 1833.5 (in the middle of the DX window) all night
long, and I guess it paid off. The DX window is a good idea. He got insulted
twice by an OK station who said that "he had to move out of the DX window",
though... What if the US and the DX stay out? Who will we be calling then???
Maybe the rules should make clear to the newcomers who is the DX and what
the DX window means. 

Freddy enjoyed it, and I enjoyed observing and coaching him. At least I got
a few hours of sleep on both nights.

See you all next year!

John, ON4UN

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
john.devoldere at innet.be  
Call us in all major 1996 contests: ON4UN (OT6T in WPX)
John Devoldere (ON4UN-AA4OI)
POBOX 41
B-9000 Ghent (Belgium)

>From w7ni at teleport.com (Stan Griffiths)  Sun Feb 25 22:59:10 1996
From: w7ni at teleport.com (Stan Griffiths) (Stan Griffiths)
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 14:59:10 -0800
Subject: mla2500 help!
Message-ID: <199602252259.OAA10210 at desiree.teleport.com>

>In a message dated 96-02-23 04:03:36 EST, you write:
>
>>
>>Hi contest gang!
>>Anyone know the values of the two resistors
>>used in the parasitic chokes on top of the two
>>8875's in the 2500b?  Cooked mine. . . 
>>Contest tonight!
>>Mike
>>
>>
>
>They are 80- 100 ohm Mike.  That is a faitly non-critical amp because the
>grid leads are short. But be careful about one thing. MOST 1 watt or larger
>resistors are inductive, and that includes carbon and metal film types. Be
>sure to : 1.) Cut a resistor open and look at the insides to be sure the
>element is not wound in a spiral  2.) Measure the resistor at VHF on an
>antenna or resistance bridge.
>
>There are VERY few sources of non-inductive resistors left, Allen Bradley is
>one. I have some here if you get in a pinch. But again, that is a real stable
>amp. You may get away without anything there.
>
>73 Tom

Alternatively, you could see if Richard Measures, AG6K, has a kit to replace
those resistors with nichrome materials.

Stan  W7NI at teleport.com

>From barry at w2up.wells.com (Barry Kutner)  Sun Feb 25 23:00:15 1996
From: barry at w2up.wells.com (Barry Kutner) (Barry Kutner)
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 96 23:00:15 GMT
Subject: TIC Ringrotor problem
Message-ID: <53mVJD1w165w at w2up.wells.com>

All of a sudden my TIC Ring wouldn't rotate. Noticed that as I turn the 
preset knob, the indicator moves with it (shorted together somehow?), so 
pushing the start button does nothing, as it thinks it's already where it 
has to be. Any ideas what happened? what to look for?
Tnx/Barry

--

Barry N. Kutner, W2UP       Internet: barry at w2up.wells.com
Newtown, PA                 Packet Radio: W2UP @ WB3JOE.#EPA.PA.USA.NA
                            Packet Cluster: W2UP >WB2R (FRC)
.......................................................................

>From oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills)  Sun Feb 25 23:30:08 1996
From: oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills) (Derek Wills)
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 17:30:08 -0600
Subject: Clg QSOs via Packet and others...

	>during the recent big cw test our local cluster
	>node turned off the "show users" command. Hmmmmmm. 
	>The logic of that dubious decision completely eludes me..

Especially as on most of the clusters I know of, you don't even have
to use your own call to accesss them...   One such cluster recently
had an announcement something like "will whoever spotted ZL9GD using
my callsign let me know next time?"

Derek AA5BT, G3NMX
oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu