[CQ-Contest] Skimmer for Propagation Analysis

[Guy Molinari]

I believe this could be implemented without requiring that grid square be embedded within the transmission.   Also, in the process, busted calls could be eliminated.   
 
By looking up the call in a DB.   I think packet cluster software does this as well to support spot filtering.
 
73 - Guy, N7ZG



> Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 11:27:37 -0700> From: xdavid at cis-broadband.com> To: k1ttt at arrl.net> CC: CADXA at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV; CQ-Contest at contesting.com> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Skimmer for Propagation Analysis> > > Yes, I do that of course, although it is pretty obvious that a lot of > stations are calling DX they can't hear either.> > That wasn't my point, though. I wouldn't care whether the station was > CQ'ing or not. I'd only care about the grid square they gave as a > report. Skimmer looks for a "CQ" or" QRZ" because it is designed to > populate a bandmap of stations that would actually be there for more > than one QSO, but Skimmer already captures both ends of the contact. It > just filters out the ones without a "CQ" or "QRZ" or similar phrase > before it adds a callsign to the bandmap (local or global). My thought > was that Skimmer could be written to capture the grid square of ALL of > the stations it heard if that were part of the report. If Skimmer > running at my station knows my grid square as well as those of the ones > it hears from my station, whether they are calling CQ or not, it could > capture propagation information from my QTH. If it did that for > everyone running Skimmer and the results were telneted to a central > server for aggregation and processing, you'd get a global view of > propagation, both instantaneous and over time.> > So to address your comment, if the contest exchange included grid square > information and everyone used Skimmer (at least for propagation > information), those folks who were calling DX that I couldn't hear would > be telneting that reception report to the global propagation map because > Skimmer running at their station would (presumably) be hearing the DX > station's grid square.> > Skimmer could populate a global callsign bandmap for cluster-type users, > and a separate global propagation map without callsigns for those so > inclined. Aside from buying the program, I'd personally be willing to > pay a reasonable subscription fee to support a server that provided real > time (and time-lapse) propagation maps based upon actual receptions if > it was populated by enough inputs to make it worthwhile.> > 73,> Dave AB7E> > > David Robbins K1TTT wrote:> > For pure propagation analysis you shouldn't care if the station is cqing or> > not. Lots of information can be gleaned from listening to pileups for dx> > that you can't hear, but you can hear who is calling them.> >> >> > David Robbins K1TTT> > e-mail: mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net> > web: http://www.k1ttt.net> > AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://dxc.k1ttt.net> > > >> > > >> -----Original Message-----> >> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:cq-contest-> >> bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of David Gilbert> >> Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2008 16:23> >> To: CQ-Contest at contesting. com; CADXA> >> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Skimmer for Propagation Analysis> >>> >>> >> It occurred to me that a possible use of a Skimmer-type application> >> might be for propagation analysis.> >>> >> Given that:> >>> >> a. Skimmer and a wideband IF to feed it (either from an outboard> >> Softrock or the rig itself) can monitor an entire ham band and,> >> apparently with a fair amount of intelligence, decode and analyze the> >> signals it finds there. Skimmer is able to grasp simple phrases like> >> "CQ" and "QRZ" to figure out whether a station is running or not.> >>> >> b. Skimmer can display its results on a bandmap for the user, but it> >> can (or will be able to) also telnet the components of that bandmap to a> >> server where presumably they could be aggregated, crunched to filter> >> dupes and busted calls, and displayed as a master global bandmap.> >>> >> So ... what if a contest used grid squares for the exchange, and Skimmer> >> not only captured the callsign but also its report? Callsigns are not a> >> reliable indicator of location, but grid squares are. That information> >> could be used to generate a global propagation map for either real time> >> use or analysis later. Ideally Skimmer would capture signal strength> >> information as well (it certainly would be technically possible to pull> >> that off the A/D feeding the computer) but such readings would be> >> unreliable due to many reasons (i.e., directional antennas). However,> >> Skimmer might be able to derive some intensity information from the> >> number of reports over essentially the same path and create, for> >> example, a color overlay on the propagation map to identify stronger> >> openings.> >>> >> Basically, once you have a program like Skimmer that is capable of> >> analyzing and decoding an entire band, the uses are limited only by the> >> data you feed it ... the rest is simply database crunching. So why not> >> feed it with something useful like location or (heaven forbid) actual> >> signal reports?> >>> >> Just some thoughts ...> >>> >> 73,> >> Dave AB7E> >>> >> _______________________________________________> >> CQ-Contest mailing list> >> CQ-Contest at contesting.com> >> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest> >> > >> >> >> >> > > _______________________________________________> CQ-Contest mailing list> CQ-Contest at contesting.com> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
_________________________________________________________________
Connect and share in new ways with Windows Live.
http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008