[SCCC] separating zero beated pileups?

Fri Jun 28 10:35:19 EDT 2024

I was thinking about the case of stations using assistance.  A lot of
the newer rigs have TCXOs or other highly stable frequency references,
so their absolute frequency error isn't very much on HF.  How many
digits of resolution of the frequency does the spotting network offer?
 With RBN, I believe it's 100 Hz.  How many digits of resolution of
frequency do the various logging programs and CAT use?  Can I park my
frequency halfway between two steps and at least get the ones zero
beating my signal and the ones using assistance to be separated?

I very rarely park at something kilohertz point zero, but did for a
good chunk of time while running this past contest.  A bad idea?

I definitely did the wait and let someone send a second time.
Sometimes with chaotic results as more than one would repeat, but
often easier to separate anyway.  Then there were the ones who'd send
their call when I asked for a partial and their call didn't resemble
the partial at all.  :-)

All in all, it was quite fun.  I'm a very bad CW op, because I only
practice during contests or SOTA activations.  (I swear I'm going to
get an antenna put back up at home any day now.  lol)  I do think my
CW copying has gone up a bit between WPX last month and FD this month.
Also feels like much less failure to copy a callsign or exchange info
when that isn't faded out or covered by some noise.  Copying correctly
the first time does help a bit with rate.  :-)  Also a bit less
trouble with a couple of my frequently confused characters.  However,
daily CW use or practice is what I really should do (and have never
done.)

Drew
n7da

On Fri, Jun 28, 2024 at 1:30 PM Clayton Nall <clayton.nall at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I’ve noticed this is a lot more common now, a product of relying on Skimmer spots
>
> Another trick is to just sit and wait until someone drops their call a second time out of the usual sequence.
>
> 73,
> NF1R
> Clayton Nall
> http://www.nallresearch.com
> Cell: (617) 850-2062
>
>
> SpotsOn Fri, Jun 28, 2024 at 6:27 AM Tree <tree at kkn.net> wrote:
>>
>> A good problem to have.
>>
>> One thing to do is reward those guys who are smart enough (or perhaps inept
>> enough) to call you off frequency.  The savvy ops will notice this and also
>> call you off frequency.
>>
>> Tree N6TR
>>
>> On Thu, Jun 27, 2024 at 9:45 PM Drew Arnett <arnett.drew at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > "15 meters -- using 100 watts to a six element yagi"
>> >
>> > Being on the receiving end of this, seems like a lot of folks tx zero
>> > beated.  A solid 5 seconds of zero beated cw is hard to pull out a
>> > letter at times.  I was wondering if there are any good tips or tricks
>> > stations?  Do I just learn to hear the subtle amplitude variations?
>> > The vast majority of the time wasn't a problem at all, but this
>> > happened enough for this CW beginner to have to ask.
>> >
>> > Best regards,
>> >
>> > Drew
>> > n7da
>> >
>> > > Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2024 05:16:14 +0000
>> > > From: "J. Scott Bovitz <bovitz at bovitz.com>" <bovitz at bovitz.com>
>> > > To: southern california contest club <sccc at contesting.com>
>> > > Subject: [SCCC] N6MI Field Day report
>> > > Message-ID: <D3837DA1-29EB-48C1-ACE4-12298EC77768 at bovitz.com>
>> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > For Field Day 2024, Tom's Garage ARC (N6MI) set up camp at Tecuya
>> > Mountain (Kern County, DM04, in the Los Padres National Forest).
>> > >
>> > > Our 2A SJV team included: Tom, K6VCR; Drew, N7DA; Larry, NB6E; Chef,
>> > KN6OGP; Greg, KI6RXX; Shane, K1BTW; Broden (17 years old and promises to
>> > get his license soon); and Scott, N6MI.
>> > >
>> > > We set up right next to a smooth dirt road about 1.5 miles from the
>> > nearest pizza joint. (Thanks for the pizza, Drew.) Many folks drove by our
>> > operation. We were visited by a few strangers, one SOTA ham, two park
>> > rangers, and (by invitation) a senior officer of the California Department
>> > of Fish and Wildlife. We always had off-duty hams to chat with the visitors.
>> > >
>> > > One primary station was set up in Tom's trailer (40/15).
>> > >
>> > > The other primary station was set up in N6MI's converted television news
>> > van (80/20/10). See n6mi.com for photos of the van.
>> > >
>> > > Six meters was operated from KN6OGP's trailer.
>> > >
>> > > Two meters was operated from KI6RXX's truck.
>> > >
>> > > We did not put up an antenna on 160.
>> > >
>> > > We worked 5 hams on 80 CW, using 100 watts to an inverted vee.
>> > >
>> > > We worked 203 CW and 66 LSB contacts on 40 meters -- using 100 watts to
>> > an inverted vee. Tom said that he missed the two element 40 meter yagi we
>> > have used in prior years.
>> > >
>> > > We worked 641 CW, 1 FT8, and 341 USB contacts on 20 meters -- using 100
>> > watts to a JK C3S triband yagi at 60 feet (two elements per band). This
>> > easy to assemble antenna was mounted on the pneumatic mast of N6MI's van.
>> > >
>> > > We worked 415 CW and 589 USB contacts on 15 meters -- using 100 watts to
>> > a six element yagi at about 50 feet (on an AB-577 mast). Yep, six elements.
>> > Sweet.
>> > >
>> > > We worked 26 CW and 47 USB contacts on 10 meters -- using 100 watts to
>> > the JK C3S triband yagi at 60 feet. Ten meters was tough going.
>> > >
>> > > We worked 43 FT8 contacts on 6 meters -- up to 100 watts to a five
>> > element yagi at about 20 feet. Six meters never opened up.
>> > >
>> > > We worked three FM stations on 2 meters.
>> > >
>> > > We ran a GOTA station (N7DA). Shane and Drew made 389 contacts -- using
>> > 100 watts and a mutli-band Alpha Delta dipole. Their station was set up on
>> > a card table under a pop-up canopy.  N7DA served as the coach. Next year,
>> > Shane is moving over to a big station and Broden is going to (he says) get
>> > his ham radio license. Broden is 17 and has other commitments, but we want
>> > him to be ready to serve as the officer of the radio club at his college.
>> > >
>> > > Did I mention the food? Chef set up a great spread for Friday's lunch
>> > and dinner. Then he cooked waffles on Saturday morning -- apples,
>> > strawberries, authentic maple syrup, and whipped cream were available.
>> > (Next year, how about fresh squeezed orange juice?)
>> > >
>> > > And about that chatter on Field Day...
>> > >
>> > > I don't recommend yet another change to the Field Day rules. There are
>> > plenty of folks to work during the contest. If a ham is happier working
>> > from home, I'm glad to encourage that ham to get on the air and work us
>> > all. But there more adventure in the field.
>> > >
>> > > Thank you for the contacts.
>> > >
>> > > 73,
>> > >
>> > > N6MI
>> > > J. Scott Bovitz
>> > > bovitz at bovitz.com
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > ------------------------------
>> > >
>> > > Subject: Digest Footer
>> > >
>> > > _______________________________________________
>> > > SCCC mailing list
>> > > SCCC at contesting.com
>> > > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/sccc
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > ------------------------------
>> > >
>> > > End of SCCC Digest, Vol 258, Issue 33
>> > > *************************************
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > SCCC mailing list
>> > SCCC at contesting.com
>> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/sccc
>> >
>> _______________________________________________
>> SCCC mailing list
>> SCCC at contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/sccc