[RTTY] VK0EK

Wed Apr 6 13:47:02 EDT 2016

I needed Heard for an ATNO to reach 339 countries mixed.  I got them on 
40 RTTY on March 25th.  Alos, I got them on 40 and 30 CW, Haven't heard 
them on any of the other bands from here in Michigan's U.P.  Of course, 
I have been forced to use a tribander at 38 feet because my 4 element 
SteppIR is still out of commission.

I'm quite happy to have the one RTTY contact.  Now, hopefully Bouvet 
will be on sometime in the near future to get to 339.  With the deletion 
of Kingman Reef, 339 is now the top of the Honor Roll

Good luck to all that need VK0EK on RTTY.

73,

Tom W8JWN

On 4/6/2016 11:00 AM, rtty-request at contesting.com wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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>     1. Re: How I worked VK0EK from NA on 15M RTTY this morning
>        (Joe Subich, W4TV)
>     2. Re: How I worked VK0EK from NA on 15M RTTY this morning
>        (Al Kozakiewicz)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 10:57:00 -0400
> From: "Joe Subich, W4TV" <lists at subich.com>
> To: John Barber <john at bordertech.co.uk>, 'RTTY Reflector'
> 	<rtty at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [RTTY] How I worked VK0EK from NA on 15M RTTY this
> 	morning
> Message-ID: <570523BC.6040008 at subich.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>
>
>> Since the K5P operation, one UK amateur radio supplier has told me
>> that he will never sponsor another US-led dxpedition. 75K contacts,
>> only 11% with Europe, and just 864 of those on RTTY. Not good
>> enough!
> Bad idea to eliminate US lead DXpeditions ... many/most of the EU lead
> operations are just as bad (or worse) in the opposite direction.
>
> It would be better if sponsors required any expedition to agree to
> this policy as a condition for support:
>
>> The group or organization sponsoring the DXpedition must commit to
>> equality for voice, CW and data (RTTY) modes.  It is expected that at
>> each mode will receive equivalent amplifier/antenna and operator
>> resources, have equal access to prime bands and operating hours to
>> each of the world's major population centers, and will represent at
>> least 25% of total contacts.
> 73,
>
>     ... Joe, W4TV
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 15:02:53 +0000
> From: Al Kozakiewicz <akozak at hourglass.com>
> To: John Barber <john at bordertech.co.uk>, 'Don AA5AU'
> 	<aa5au at bellsouth.net>,	'RTTY Reflector' <rtty at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [RTTY] How I worked VK0EK from NA on 15M RTTY this
> 	morning
> Message-ID: <1459954973440.42659 at hourglass.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> I'm kind of inclined to agree.  If you're going to pitch something (and I know this will upset some people), don't operate on 160M. Antennas are a problem for a portable operation; hearing is a problem in the tropics all year and summers in the mid-latitudes; and propagation paths over the poles are iffy at best.  6M as well - it's called the "magic band" for a reason.  I'm not sure why you would commit resources to a propagation curiosity (sorry, being a bit hard here) during a DXpedition from any rare entity needed by many amateurs.
>
> RTTY is also not without it's problems as there is limited amount of spectrum space "up" and you can only spread the pileup out so much. The "cycle time" of a RTTY QSO when there is a pileup tends to be longer and the rates as a result may not be as even as good as phone. But IMO it's the best bet for a digital mode (N.B. can you imagine a DXpedition running JT65?).
>
> Al
> AB2ZY
>
> ________________________________________
> From: RTTY <rtty-bounces at contesting.com> on behalf of John Barber <john at bordertech.co.uk>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 6, 2016 10:36 AM
> To: 'Don AA5AU'; 'RTTY Reflector'
> Subject: Re: [RTTY] How I worked VK0EK from NA on 15M RTTY this morning
>
> It's not just USA that is struggling with VK0EK. They have been printable here twice on 15 and once on 40, with huge pile-ups, and soon faded down in the noise.
>
> RTTY seems to have been on just the 2 bands, if it's worked at all. I disagree with Mike NA5U who said 'it's their nickel'. Yes, they put a lot of money in, but with the wider support of the amateur radio community as well. Many of us feel that with 6 stations, they should run RTTY as much as CW and SSB. With the poor propagation that they have had recently, RTTY is a very effective mode. We should have some input to these guys on what is expected.
>
> Since the K5P operation, one UK amateur radio supplier has told me that he will never sponsor another US-led dxpedition. 75K contacts, only 11% with Europe, and just 864 of those on RTTY. Not good enough!
>
> John GW4SKA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: RTTY [mailto:rtty-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Don AA5AU
> Sent: 05 April 2016 20:44
> To: 'RTTY Reflector' <rtty at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [RTTY] How I worked VK0EK from NA on 15M RTTY this morning
>
> VK0EK has not been easy to work for many in the USA and it probably has to do with the 9000' volcano blocking the central US. Because the team elected not to set up a station on Spit Bay (or whatever it's called), the central part of the USA has a hard time working them on the higher bands.
> I have them confirmed on several bands from a previous trip, but I need them on 10, 12, 80 and 160. Although I concede 80 & 160, I thought it should have been possible to work them on 10 or 12 but it has not. In fact, I have not heard them on 30 yet at all either and I haven't listened for them on 20 yet. I think I did hear them on 40 but not when they were operating 40 RTTY that first night.
> I have one contact with them - 15 meter RTTY, on like the third morning they were there. I couldn't believe I was hearing them. After calling for an hour and watching them working all Europe I put out a spot saying they were "good but working EU" and a few minutes later they started asking for NA. I don't know if it was coincidence or if they saw the spot but I was able to make a contact right as they faded. I haven't heard them on 15 since (any mode).
> So it's been tough. You just have to spend a lot of time listening for them and hoping for a path and then get lucky and make the contact. It's part luck and part skill.
> 73, Don AA5AU
>
>
>        From: Al Kozakiewicz <akozak at hourglass.com>
>   To: G3YYD <g3yyd at btinternet.com>; 'RTTY Reflector' <rtty at contesting.com>
>   Sent: Tuesday, April 5, 2016 1:35 PM
>   Subject: Re: [RTTY] How I worked VK0EK from NA on 15M RTTY this morning
>
> Hearing them has been a nightmare from upstate NY with my little pistol antennas.  I managed to work them on 30m CW using lots of attenuation and a K9AY loop that's obviously not a 30M receive antenna in order to get enough SNR to copy them.  Used the amp to get that extra 3db @200 watts. I consider myself lucky.
>
> FT4JA on the other hand was a piece of cake on 30M both RTTY and CW.
>
> Both ATNOs for me.
>
> Al
> AB2ZY
> ________________________________________
> From: RTTY <rtty-bounces at contesting.com> on behalf of G3YYD <g3yyd at btinternet.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 5, 2016 2:24 PM
> To: 'RTTY Reflector'
> Subject: Re: [RTTY] How I worked VK0EK from NA on 15M RTTY this morning
>
> I managed to work them on RTTY 15m at 1154utc yesterday(4th April) 21094.10 QSX 21096.97
>
> 73 David G3YYD
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: RTTY [mailto:rtty-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of John Barber
> Sent: 05 April 2016 18:18
> To: 'Larry Gauthier (K8UT)'; rtty at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [RTTY] How I worked VK0EK from NA on 15M RTTY this morning
>
> That's very odd .. or maybe a typo? They have been running on 21097, not 21079, and working split down, not up, when I have seen them. Well done on making the QSO; I am still camping out!
>
> John GW4SKA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: RTTY [mailto:rtty-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Larry Gauthier
> (K8UT)
> Sent: 05 April 2016 17:26
> To: rtty at contesting.com
> Subject: [RTTY] How I worked VK0EK from NA on 15M RTTY this morning
>
> I don't want this to sound like a "brag tape," but with only 5 days left in this DXpedition there are probably lots of other RTTY ops out there who are getting as nervous as I was about working VK0EK.
>
> Heard Island is an ATNO for me, which puts it in the category equally important for both DXCC Mixed and DXCC RTTY.  I managed a few Qs on CW and phone in the early days of their deployment, but as we all know the bands collapsed around them and working them from NA has become very difficult.
> I've only seen RTTY spots on 40 meters - which is not gonna happen from MI, and on 15 meters - which looks limited to the times between 1200 and 1400 utc. RTTY operation has been split from 21.079 MHz working up. Several days ago a neighbor ham called (caught me in the shower!) to say he had just worked them on 15m RTTY. By the time I got down to the radio, they were gone. <frustration>
>
> This morning I decided to "camp out" on 21.079 from 12:00utc with vfoB set for a modest 3KHz up and just wait for them. At 12:35 an undecipherable signal was heard in my radio speakers. By 12:38 2Tone was printing legible character sequences confirming the sender as VK0EK and revealing they were working NA and SA stations (a PY2, K4, W4). Three minutes later VK0EK's signal was solid enough (but certainly not 100% copy) that I threw my call out there, and they replied. Yippee! I listened for another 5 minutes as other NA/SA stations worked them, and then they faded into the propagational ether.
>
> My station is no "big gun" by any measure: 2 element quad, 500 watt amplifier. But... go camping. At 12:00z pour yourself some coffee. Set the radio to 21.079. Split vfoB a few KHz up. Select the right antenna and turn the rotor. Adjust the amplifier. Be prepared, because when it happens it will be a very short opening. By the time the packet spots arrive it will be either too late or too crowded.
>
> -larry (K8UT)
>
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