[RTTY] RTTY Pileup Management

[Ktfrog007 at aol.com]

Here's a good guide to managing RTTY pileups by P49X (W0YK), who has some  
considerable experience.
 
I myself never have this problem.  In all the years I've used N1MM I  have 
had only one "run" according to it (more than 10 consecutive running QSOs)  
from my home QTH. 
 
I've actually had longer runs on JT65A, although eleven QSOs  would 
probably take more than an hour.  It's a relaxed mode.
 
73,
Ken, AB1J
 
 
 
In a message dated 2/8/2012 14:40:22 GMT Standard Time, ed at w0yk.com  writes:

I am  often asked how I handle the horrendous RTTY pileups that develop here
in  Aruba in and out of contests.  Here is my  response:



1.  I use very narrow filtering in my receiver  so that I only see the
smallest part of the pileup.  I use 250 Hz and  sometimes even 200 Hz.  I 
use
dual-tone filtering although I can't  prove that it helps a lot.

2.  I stay zero-beat with my TX  frequency and only use the RIT to pick up
off-frequency callers when no one  is calling inside my narrow passband.

3.  I back off the RF gain  so that I work the strongest stations first, 
then
increase the RF Gain a  bit as I work down into the weaker signals.

4.  I use two  directional antennas, one on EU and one on NA and can
instantly switch  between either or phase both.  On the high bands, these 
are
Yagis and  on the low bands these are Beverages.  This way I can cut out 
part
of  the pile-up.

5.  I use multiple parallel decoders such as several  MMTTY decoders, each
with a different profile, as well as the Hal DXP38  hardware decoder.

6.  I exercise painful patience by waiting until  I get a call sign.  That
is, when the pileup finally stands by, if I  don't yet have a call, I DO NOT
send "AGN" or "QRZ".

7.  Even  after I get a call sign, I wait a half second and try to get
another one or  two.  I stack the second, third, etc. calls in my call queue
and work  them all in succession without calling CQ.  Instead of TU CQ, I
send  CALL 1 TU, NOW C2 599 1234.

8.  I am prepared to grab a tail-ender  who drops his call sign in at the 
end
of the prior station's exchange to  me.  Then I stack the tail-ender call
sign and work it immediately  without a CQ, like 3. above.

9.  I keep my messages as short as  possible to maximize rate.  The faster
you work stations, the smaller  you make the pileup.

10.  I insist on completing a QSO once I get  a call or partial call, so as
not to reward rude callers that don't  standby.

11.  If the pileup escalates faster than I can work it  down for an extended
period, I QSY and start a new run.  I've only  done this once in 7 years 
when
a EU pileup got excessively unruly.  I  didn't announce anything or admonish
the rude callers, but simply went to a  new frequency.



Ed -  P49X



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