[RTTY] FD 2005 RTTY/PSK Observations

[Gert - K5WW]

Hi Dick.

You could've just worked the 1D stations. I had a couple of those too.

The rules say those QSOs won't give you any points; but the rules don't say 
you can't work them.

73,

Gert - K5WW

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dick Kriss, AA5VU" <aa5vu at arrl.net>
To: "rtty-contesting" <rtty at contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2005 2:13 PM
Subject: [RTTY] FD 2005 RTTY/PSK Observations


> Due to a conflict with a wedding I had to pass on Field Day this year. 
> When
> we finally got home from the wedding, I decided to give out a few 1D STX
> contacts to FD stations.
>
> The cocoaModem software I use for RTTY and PSK does not currently support
> logging the FD exchange so I just used the RTTY Roundup template. It let 
> me
> keep track of call signs worked by band but only logged them as states
> rather the normal FD exchange.  This was not a big deal as I will not be
> submitting a formal long.  The software, including the FB built-in dupe
> checker, worked great considering I was using for something it was not
> designed to support.
>
> I worked a number of QSO's in the CQ mode using slightly modified standard
> contest macros.  The first problem I encountered was other 1D home 
> stations
> responding to my CQ.  I was sending
>
> CQ FD DE AA5VU AA5VU CQ
>
> Rather than taking the time to say 1D stations should not work 1D stations
> in FD I just logged the QSO and moved on to the next QSO. I finally got
> around the problem by changing my CQ Macro to say
>
> CQ FD DE AA5VU AA5VU 1D CQ
>
> This simple tweak of the macro helped in RTTY but the PKS 1D stations 
> still
> responded.  Many probably did not read or forgot the rule (4.6) about 
> Class
> D Home stations.
>
> The second problem I ran into was many of the FD users (mostly PSK
> operators) are not used to the standard contest RTTY exchange format and 
> got
> confused.  While in the CQ mode I would end an exchange with
>
> N1ABC QSL ES TNX
> QRZ de AA5VU
>
> and the next station would send his call. My standard report macro would
> send
>
> K1ABC 1D STX 1D STX K1ABC
>
> and many did not seem to understand I had acknowledged their call, sent
> their report (twice) and had turned it back to them to send my report. 
> This
> got so confusing on 40 meter PSK I finally changed the macro to say
>
>  K1ABC 1D STX 1D STX K1ABC de AA5VU
>
> and it helped. I tried to avoid using the old "K" but that may have 
> helped.
> What RTTY contesters are used to must be a foreign concept to many of the 
> FD
> digital participants.
>
> The only problem I had in the S&P mode was responding to a long strong CQ 
> FD
> and discovering after he responded that he was alos a 1D.  The same 
> problem
> I had in the CQ mode.  The 1D home stations need to put something in their
> CQ macro to let other home stations know they are home stations. The 
> purpose
> of the contest is to work the stations in the field, not normal home 
> station
> to home station QSOs.
>
> It was fun and good to hear the digital activity from FD participants. 
> Maybe
> some of the FD people will get hooked and participate in some of the RTTY
> contests. This was my first experience trying to run PSK in the contest
> mode.  It was fun but some standard exchange examples should be included 
> the
> ARRL FD blurb for next year. Many of the user defined PSK macros were set 
> up
> to sound like a FD SSB exchange.
>
> TNX to all for the exchanges.  I learn something new in each contest.
>
> 73 de Dick, AA5VU
>
>
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