[RTTY] Station upgrade

[Robert Chudek]

Hello Ty,

Call me olde fashioned (I just got my AARP card the other week)... but for RTTY contesting, every radio built should have an FSK mode. One diode, one cap, and a piece of wire... pennies...

Regarding NET/Autotune... well okay, if you must... :-) My solution is to buy a radio that tunes 1KHz per revolution so you can easily zero the signal in the first place... At 5 KHz per revolution, it IS a challenge to get right on top of a 170 Hz signal.

But overall, I think we're pretty much in agreement... 

"How about PSK?"  ...what's that???  (just kidding...)

<soapbox=on>
With the enormous increase in RTTY contesting (and other digital modes), I think manufacturers will need to address these features, even in their entry level radios...

Talk digital up at the manufacturers booths at Dayton Hamvention, or any other chance you get... They need to hear everyone doesn't have $3K to $10K to spend on one radio for their hobby.

And I think that's where this whole thread started... If you have a limited budget... what does experience tell you...
<soapbox=off>

Now all we need to do is get Tom to whip out that checkbook and throw some of his money around! And then let us know what he decided to do!

Microphone back to you...

73 de Bob - K0RC



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tyler Stewart 
  To: 'Robert Chudek' ; rtty at contesting.com 
  Cc: w7why at verizon.net 
  Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 1:08 PM
  Subject: RE: [RTTY] Station upgrade


  Outlaw AFSK?  Maybe dirty AFSK, but it's the only way to fly AFAIC.  S&P in NET/Autotune TX mode saves a lot of time and you are on exactly the right frequency when you answer.

  How about PSK?  You cant run FSK there...  One of the big pluses with the Yaesu's over most of the Kenwoods is that they are set up for proper AFSK/PSK operation in PACKET mode and that passband, etc., is easily programmed.  With the older Kenwoods, you have to run in SSB mode and you have to play manual games with the passbands to get it up above 2 khz center freq.  If you run AFSK at lower audio frequencies, you are asking for trouble with audio harmonics trashing the band for others.

  AFSK when done properly works just fine, and in fact, a lot of modern rigs just have an internal AFSK generator so it's really still AFSK without the tracking advantages of a sound card.

  Ty K3MM




------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  From: Robert Chudek [mailto:k0rc at citlink.net] 
  Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 11:16 PM
  To: rtty at contesting.com
  Cc: k3mm at verizon.net; w7why at verizon.net
  Subject: Re: [RTTY] Station upgrade


  Okay, a second shot at this...

  I agree, the TS-850SAT is definitely a better radio. They're selling in the $700 ~ $800 price range for a sharp used unit. Then you can filter them up for another couple hundred bucks. And the TS-870 is even better.

  If Tom can suppress his desire to run High Power, and he sells both the FT-840 and the TS-450, and he throws that Grand on the table, he could end up with a nice pair of TS-850's with good filters.

  But don't sell the TS-450 too short. It actually runs true FSK and you can filter it up with 250 Hz filters that work on CW and RTTY. But a $3 Kilo-buck radio it's not! It's a compact, portable, entry-level radio.

  As far as I'm concerned, AFSK should be outlawed. I was chasing a phantom signal on 15m in NAQP this afternoon. Another overdriven AFSK operator.

  Come to think about it, my old Drake T4XB had FSK in it. That's what, 30 year old tube technology? I don't understand why FSK isn't a standard feature in all radios. You know, like a microphone.

  73 de Bob - K0RC


  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
  Message: 9
  Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2006 20:05:35 -0500
  From: "Tyler Stewart" <k3mm at verizon.net>
  Subject: Re: [RTTY] Station upgrade
  To: "'Robert Chudek'" <k0rc at pclink.com>, <rtty at contesting.com>
  Cc: w7why at verizon.net
  Message-ID: <008801c63a70$c02116e0$8900a8c0 at basement>
  Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

  I don't know about the FT840, but the TS4x0 is really a lousy contest radio.
  The worst part is the noisy synthesizer, and if you overdrive in
  AFSK...gawd!  Instead of running high power, get a couple of TS850's...much
  better radios.

  Ty K3MM



------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  This message scanned for viruses by CoreComm