[RTTY] Secrets of RTTY Sprinting

[Tim Richardson]

Thanks for the good information Ken for those of us new to the NA RTTY 
Sprint!

Tim W4IOU

On 3/11/2014 6:52 PM, Ken Keeler wrote:
> Fellow RTTY contest enthusiasts, especially first-time participants:
>
> First, thanks to all of you who participated in the NA RTTY Sprint 
> this past weekend.
> Sprint format is the most challenging and rewarding form of contesting 
> on any mode,
> but it takes some learning and practice.  We hope you join us in the 
> next Sprint in October.
>
> My following comments are from the perspective of a SERIOUS CONTESTER 
> for 62 years, 44 years as a sprinter on CW and SSB.
> I got into RTTY contesting three years ago, and  I am not an expert in 
> the technical aspects of RTTY,
> MMTTY, 2TONE, N1MM, WRITELOG, etc..  But, with coaching from experts, 
> I have learned to use what I can handle, and PRACTICE all I can.
> Sprinting is a different cat in contesting.  In the sprint, forget the 
> other conventions you may use in either casual RTTY or other RTTY 
> contests.
>
>  In the interest of helping you be more efficient and successful in 
> this contest, here are some observations and recommendations:
>
> 1.  OBSERVATIONS:
>
> The predominant 'problem' I encountered in the sprint last Saturday, 
> was stations sending their call at the wrong time:
>
>  Situation 1:  You have called CQ and you complete a QSO.  Your 
> message should end with only your
> QTH (state, province, NA country).  If you send your call, that will 
> trigger experienced contesters to call you,
> when you are required to vacate the frequency  (QSY), per sprint 
> rules.  If you send the call of the station you just
> worked, you will trigger calls to that station.  Chaos happens in 
> either event.  The only time you send your
> call at the end of an exchange is when you inherit the frequency after 
> responding to someone who CQ'd.
> See sample sequences down the page.
>
> Situation 2:  You have logged a station and have 'inherited' the 
> frequency.  You placed your callsign at the end
> of the exchange, and received a TU from the guy vacating the freq.  If 
> no one calls you then, you are entitled to
> CQ.  Hopefully someone will respond and you get what we call a 
> 'Couplet" of QSOs. (two for the price of one).
> When you complete this second QSO, you must now QSY to another freq. 
> to CQ, or tune for stations to call and get another couplet.
>
> Contest exchanges are meant to be efficient, with no un-needed nor 
> un-wanted information.
>  DO NOT send: "Thank you xxxxx for the QSO",  599 - not required by 
> the contest, PSE COPY....., PSE K, DE (your call).
> Most contesters would think you are in Delaware - OMIT "DE"....
> Save your courtesy or friendly chat for casual or non-contest QSOs.
>
> If you do not get a full exchange from a station the first time you 
> think you got him, do not hesitate to call him again later.
> Experienced contesters know that logging a station a second time will 
> most likely validate an earlier  QSO and prevent NOT-IN LOG penalty.
> I called an active contester (with an AA7 prefix) about a dozen times 
> because he was not in my log.  He evidently thought he
> had logged me before (NOT).  If he submits his log with a QSO with me, 
> he will loose the QSO, and incur a penalty.
> You DO NOT KNOW WHY  the other station attempts or refuses to dupe.
> Bottom line? LOG ALL DUPES!!!!! This applies to CW and SSB contesting 
> also.
>
> SUGGESTIONS:
> Sprint format suggests (not by rule, but efficient flow) that 
> exchanges be sent in different sequence.  Most logging programs allow
> you to set up macros for the two modes using the keyboard function 
> keys:  CQ (running),  and S&P (Search and pounce).
>
> Assuming you already are using a logging program which will send MACRO 
> messages,  below is a suggested sequence of QSOs:
> (If you are not using a logger in contests, please get one. I use 
> N1MM, as it is closely integrated with MMTTY and other decoders, as 
> are WRITELOG and maybe other loggers.)
>
> N6RO sends: CQ N6RO N6RO NA
> W0YK sends: W0YK
> N6RO sends: W0YK N6RO 123 KEN CA
> W0YK sends: N6RO 582 ED CA W0YK
> N6RO sends: TU
> (N6RO must now QSY)
> W6OAT sends: W6OAT
> W0YK sends: W6OAT W0YK 583 ED CA
> W6OAT sends: W0YK 115 RUSTY CA W6OAT
> W0YK sends: TU
> (W0YK must now QSY)
> W6OAT sends: CQ W6OAT W6OAT NA
> ...
>
> Several logging programs automate the sequence of exchanges, and 
> transfer exchange info received to the logging window, using mouse 
> clicks.
> If you are using N1MM, I would be glad to send you my F-key macros.  
> I'm sure W0YK would share his WRITELOG macros with you - just ask!
> A top scorer in any contest is usually willing to share his SECRETS 
> with you.   Why?  Because it may increase HIS SCORE and YOURS!
>
> Other tips:
> Put a space before and at the end of each macro message to separate it 
> from the noise prints.
> Use 'leading zeros' in your QSO number, so it is easier to click on 
> with the mouse.  (NEVER use leading zeros on CW)
>
> SO2R:  (single operator, two radios)
> If you wondered why some stations are sending very large QSO numbers, 
> they are probably
> using SO2R.  While copying an exchange on one band, they are CQing or 
> S&Ping
> on another.  This increases scores by 10 to 40%, depending on the 
> contest rules and activity in a given contest.
> Details on SO2R would be the subject of another discussion. First, 
> let's work on the basics of Sprint.
>
> Like any other activity you would like to become proficient in, 
> sprinting requires PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
> For this purpose, NCCC (Northern California Contest Club) sponsors a 
> weekly practice session.
> We invite you to practice the sprint format on Thursday evenings in 
> North America, 0200-0225Z Friday,
> on 15, 20, 40, 80m, the usual 80-90 khz up from bottom of band.
> We use the Sprint message format, but the rules/scoring is different:  
> mults count on each band, 100 watts max.
> Most loggers have formats for the NCCC Sprints, esp. N1MM.
>
> I have just scratched the surface of this most challenging art-form in 
> radio contesting.
> Please give me your feedback, recommendations for helping others to 
> learn how to SPRINT.
>
> Thanks for reading my long-winded rant.  I suspect that I am 
> "preaching to the choir",
> as most of the guys who I'm trying to address, do not subscribe to any 
> reflector discussing contesting.
> Please pass the word to those who might listen.
>
> We may make the substance of this thing available on the NCCC Sprint 
> web-page for future reference for Newbies.
> CU on Thursday nights...
>
> N6RO
> kenkeeler at jazznut.com
>
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