[CQ-Contest] wrtc pileup

[Jamie Tolbert]

Anyone know the origin of the SSB pileup used in WRTC 2000? Is this an
actual pileup or just a compiled one?

73 Jamie WW3S



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>From Leigh S. Jones" <kr6x at adsl-63-194-227-234.dsl.lsan03.pacbell.net  Wed Jul 26 03:32:56 2000
From: Leigh S. Jones" <kr6x at adsl-63-194-227-234.dsl.lsan03.pacbell.net (Leigh S. Jones)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 19:32:56 -0700
Subject: [CQ-Contest] SO2R Sound Mixer
Message-ID: <062701bff6a9$ced8bdc0$ede3c23f at kr6x.org>


While operating W6HX in the early and mid 70's, I used twin rigs with a 6
position switch in lieu of a 3 position switch.  The outside positions of
the switch connected through to one headphone or the other through a filter
of my own design that was used not to provide selectivity, but instead to
provide a spatial effect with low frequencies seeming to come from the left
side and high frequencies seeming to come from the right side.  The two
center positions were used for stereo reception, and the two midway
positions sitting astride the two center positions were used for
single-receiver listening without the spatial filters.  With a moderately
wide IF filter in use, signals of different tones could be distinguished by
the direction from which they seemed to come and it became easier to focus
to and differentiate between the signals.

The filter I used connected one ear through a capacitor and the other
through an inductor, and the values were selected experimentally to create
the spatial effect.  The values didn't really seem to cause very much
attenuation of the affected tones through either ear when a single cup of
the headset was pressed against one ear, but the spatial effect was obvious
with both ears.  Switching between a wide and a narrow CW filter, it was
easy to hear that the background hiss seemed to come from one direction
slightly to the right of center in the narrow filter, while my sidetone came
from farther to the right of center (the sidetone didn't come from the
frequency where the transmitted signal would have been found, although the
transmitted tone could be "spotted").  On the transceivers being used, the
signals seemed to come generally from the direction that the tuning knob had
to be turned to center the signal.  I'd have turned the headphones around on
my head if the signals came in backwards, placing the low frequencies on the
right instead of the left, but with the transceivers that I used (with upper
sideband CW reception on all bands) this was only needed on the low bands on
phone.  Yes, the filters were useful on phone, too.  On CW I tended to look
in the apparent direction of the signal that I was listening to, as if I
could tune the band with my eyes, and I remember that sometimes I'd dodge my
head and shoulders as if it could help me hear through interference.

Why two center positions?  One connected the keyer to the left rig, and one
connected the keyer to the right rig.  On phone, W6HX was equipped with two
microphones, and two footswitches were always used.  The big 6 position
wafer switch was purchased from Henry Radio, and I think I remember that it
was a replacement bandswitch for an old Collins receiver like a 75A4, but
I'm not quite sure these many decades later.

After a couple of years of contesting with the switch, the wafers were
beginning to wear out or get dirty, and I'd gotten completely into the habit
of listening with one rig in each ear all of the time anyway, so I stopped
bringing the big switch to the contests at Ted's.


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>From Leigh S. Jones" <kr6x at adsl-63-194-227-234.dsl.lsan03.pacbell.net  Wed Jul 26 02:21:24 2000
From: Leigh S. Jones" <kr6x at adsl-63-194-227-234.dsl.lsan03.pacbell.net (Leigh S. Jones)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 18:21:24 -0700
Subject: [CQ-Contest] didit dit
Message-ID: <061a01bff69f$d0c38250$ede3c23f at kr6x.org>


I don't mean to be contrary, but the description of the use of "didit dit"
expressed in the e-mail below is incorrect.below.  Although the "didit dit"
is somewhat archaic, its use should be clarified to prevent any new
contesters from picking up bad habits.  An example if a properly used "didit
dit" is shown below.

Imagine that the cw traffic net meets each evening at 6:30 on 3650 kHz.
K4BAI and N9JF check in, and net control sends them up 5 kHz to exchange
traffic.  They meet on 3655 kHz, exchange traffic, and return to 3650 kHz.
Upon returning to 3650 kHz each hears a long silence.  Net control is not
sending.  Each is unsure whether the net has been closed ("QNF").  If they
transmit their callsigns to net control, they may interfere with a long
transmission from a weak station that they are not receiving.  The shorter
"didit dit" is used in this situation.  If net control responds "dit", he's
asking for silence.  If net control responds "didit", he's inviting
transmission.

In contests, the use of "didit dit" probably began with the creation of the
old ARRL CD parties.  These were contests that were heavily populated by CW
traffic handlers that have been eliminated for decades.  Sending "didit dit"
on an apparently unused frequency in the CD parties was the equivalent of
sending "QRL?", except that the response "dit" could be used in lieu of
"dahdidahdit" with some hope that the other party would understand.  In this
case, the response "didit" held no meaning except for the unlikely scenario
that the previous holder of the frequency wanted to invite you to take over,
so any transmission such as "didit" or an echoed "didit dit" meant that the
frequency was in use.

The "didit dit" signal was an efficient way to poll for occupancy, but it's
so archaic that I'd no longer suggest its use.  However, awareness of the
meaning of the signal is useful.  In the rare instances that an experienced
contester sends "didit dit" while you're copying an SS exchange, you may be
able to maintain his silence by sending back a "dit" without missing any of
the exchange.

----- Original Message -----
From: "James Funk" <jfunk at adams.net>
To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2000 7:20 AM
Subject: [CQ-Contest] di-dit dit


>
> My understanding:  "di-dit  dit" is an American Morse "C", shorthand for
> "yes".  Appropriate reply to "?" or "QRL?" but not appropriate as a
> substitute for them.  Anyhow, I use "?" to check for frequency use and
> "di-dit  dit" to respond if I'm already there.  FWIW,  73, Jim N9JF
>
>
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>



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