[RTTY] Tinyfsk, 2Tone and USOS

[Kok Chen]

On Sep 29, 2015, at 9:52 AM, V. Sidarau wrote:

> Another guy has just sent me a part of his MixW decoding log. In a string of
> QSOs a BIG contester sends like, 599 05 .- .- (that's <dit><dot>) instead of
> the state of MA. 

In LTRS shift, a full stop (.) is an M.  Similarly, a dash (-) is an A.   So, ".-" in FIGS is "MA" in LTRS.

The encoder (transmitter) was probably in USOS state, so it, properly, does not send an explicit LTRS character before the "MA."  The decoder was probably in "non-USOS" state, and did not shift to LTRS mode after it saw the space.

If the sender had sent 599-MA, it would have transmitted an explicit FIGS after the "-", and the receiver would receive 599-MA.  

That said, don't ever send MA-MA.  You only slow things down, and more characters mean more potential for errors.

When I used to participate in contests, my preferred state exchange was "599-OR OR."  

The dash makes the transmission compatible with both USOS and non-USOS receivers since the transmitter always transmits a LTRS after the dash.  The space between two "OR" adds the robustness to USOS systems, while not screwing up non-USOS printers.

The only disadvantage is an extra LTRS that is transmitted right after the dash when compared to "599 OR OR" in USOS.

73
Chen, W7AY