[CQ-Contest] Doctor DX clone (if you never used it, you just don't "get it")

Tue Sep 29 20:44:34 EDT 2020

So, the post I did earlier kind of summarizes what differentiate it from
VE3NEAs program.

KR2Q or N6GQ or anyone can fill in gaps.  This program is 30 years old.

First, as I and KR2Q mentioned, this was basically a CW trainer that
emulates the CQWW contest.

The program came from AEA and it worked with the Commodore 64 via a ROM
cartridge that plugged into the back of the C64.  As I noted what was very
novel was that you send CW not with function keys as you would with CT or
N1MM or Wintest, but with your own paddle and keyer which you plugged into
the back of the ROM cartridge through a RCA jack that was provided
internally in the cartridge.

The program itself - again - emulated the CQWW CW contest.  You entered
your call, your latitude and longitude, as well as the local time (which
controlled atmospheric conditions), and the contest started.

You picked a band that you wanted to start on (160 - 10) meters and then it
was up to you to contest.  You could S&P the band or you could try
running.  IIRC, the stations down low were speed demons (e.g., N6MJ and
CT1ILT), and the stations up high were guys who were novices or were lousy
with code (e.g., KL2A).

Your ability to running was affected by your power output and where you
were in the band.  Selecting between 200 watts, 20 watts, and 2 watts would
affect how big your pile up could be.  It also affected scoring.  Similar
to Field Day, you were rewarded with a multiplier factor for making low
power or QRP contacts.

Additionally, your location on the globe as well as the time of day
affected propagation.  So if you were in W3, you couldn't set up shop on
160 meters with 200 watts at noon local time and expect to work ZLs and
Z3s.  The propagation was appropriate for fall contesting: get on 20 meters
in the morning and work EU; get on 40 meters at dawn and maybe there are
some JAs there.  I do not remember what assumptions were made with respect
to solar flux so I do not remember how 10 and 15 meters acted.  I assume
both bands were "open" since having two or three virtual bands would be
boring.

I do NOT believe there were variable filter settings (1 KHz, 500 Hz, 250
Hz, etc.).  In addition, IIRC the callsign database was kind of random so
you would get oddball calls.  This program came out in the early stages of
CT and NA so check partial and callsign databases were very young.

Scoring followed the standard CQWW format .... QSO points (along with the
power weighting factor) x multipliers (zones + countries) gave you your
score.

A new version of Doctor DX would have the aforementioned features but with
the added wish list features of 1) variable receive bandwidth, 2) ability
to do SO2R or 2BSIQ, 3) interface with SCP databases, 4) adjustable SFI
which allows you to simulate operating when the SFI is 71 or when the SFI
is 171.

As Doug KR2Q mentioned, it was way ahead of its time.  The other programs
are basically pileup programs.  Not downing them, but they are different.

73 Rich NN3W

73 Rich NN3W

On Tue, Sep 29, 2020 at 7:27 PM David Gilbert <ab7echo at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> I don't understand why somebody couldn't come up with essentially the
> same thing for a current operating system.  I never owned a C-64, but as
> primitive as it was by today's standards replication of Doctor DX would
> seem possible if there were enough people interested in it.  I suspect
> that the issue is that there isn't.
>
> Does anyone have a comprehensive description of what it was capable of
> and how it worked?
>
> 73,
> Dave  AB7E
>
>
>
> On 9/29/2020 12:08 PM, Douglas Zwiebel wrote:
> > Dr Dx was like sitting down at a real radio and actually tuning the bands
> > during a contest and working guys.  Other have explained this here, but
> > seems that the "alternatives" being offered are not just miles, but light
> > years off the mark.
> >
> > If you never sat in front of Dr. DX, you will never appreciate what
> > everyone else is talking about.
> >
> > It was way ahead of it's time (at least compared to what is out there
> now).
> >
> > de Doug KR2Q
> > _______________________________________________
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