[SECC] So2R assistance

Tue Jul 23 14:10:48 EDT 2019

 I appreciate the feedback. I do have an amp. I also understand gain
attributed to directional antennas but being a a suburban neighborhood I am
limited to what I can use (i do have an idea in the back of my head for a
temporary hexbeam install). My vertical and OCF serves me pretty well. I
have thought of doing multi-op but i dont have any friends (lol,
kidding...sorta)  :)

Sounds like something I just need to try it and see what happens!

On Tue, Jul 23, 2019 at 1:54 PM Rick Dougherty <rick at nq4i.com> wrote:

> I would not even consider so2r with a pair of verticals. Save the money.
> Do you gave an amp? If not that will increase your transmit signal strength
> by 13 db. Better yet a small tower and rotable antenna will provide 6 db or
> so increase on rx an tx. You will be plagued with interstation interference
> that could likely reduce your possible score. Participate in qso parties to
> sharpen your skills. Can you do 100 q’s per hour on ssb? How about cw.
> Operate with a friend as multi single. Great way to improve your score.
> There are numerous publications rooted in Contest University. In fact try
> to attend CU at Dayton. SO2R is difficult at best to master. You will need
> decent audio handling capability to separate the audio into each ear. Some
> of the best can do over 250 per hr on ssb and 150+ on cw. Its hard to
> master. My $.02 worth.
> Rick
>  NQ4I
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Jul 23, 2019, at 1:13 PM, Bill Coleman <aa4lr at arrl.net> wrote:
> >
> > I’m not an expert in SO2R operation, having only dabbled. But, I have
> some comments:
> >
> >> On Jul 23, 2019, at 10:55 AM, RJ Hubbard <rj.wf4w at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> I've begun to notice that many of the reported scores on 3830 have the
> SO2R checked so it seems to be an earmark of the top scorers. My operating
> time is often limited so the only way to get that score higher is to work
> more Q's and get more Multis. . . SO2R seems to be the way to do that.
> >
> > Spending more time in the chair operating is probably easier. SO2R might
> add 10-20% to your score, depending on the contest. Spending twice as much
> time might add 30-50% to your score….
> >
> >> I currently have a 7610, ALS-600, 6BTV, & OCF Dipole. I use n1mm for
> contesting. My assumption is that I will buy another Icom due to
> familiarity, ease of integration into N1MM, and  I already have RSBA-1 so I
> can control both rigs from the desktop. I also assume I'll need to buy a
> couple bandpass filters and perhaps some switches. I also have another 6BTV
> I could install... I'm not too concerned about the hardware & software side
> of it. . .
> >
> > Having good antenna choices is key to quality SO2R operation. That’s
> difficult to do with your typical city lot amateur installation.
> >
> >> My lack of knowledge is around SO2R operation... let's take last
> weekend's NAQP RTTY contest as an example...  I assume SO2R ops are on a
> run freq. on Rig1 Band A and using Rig2 Band B to S&P. Given spotting is
> not permitted in SO category.  the proper way to do that is decode and only
> work needed multipliers?
> >
> > RTTY is kind of a special case when it comes to SO2R. Because you don’t
> actually have to be paying attention to a RTTY signal to decode it, like
> you do with Phone or CW. Because of this, there are some SO2R and even SO3R
> operators.
> >
> > There’s no prohibition on working non-multipliers on the second rig. If
> Rig1 is calling CQ and getting few callers, you can work anyone on Rig2.
> The key is to only have one transmitted signal at any one time.
> >
> >> What about in contests , like the IARU HF Championships, where you can
> only change bands every 10 mins or so? I assume that negates SO2R operation
> (aside from monitoring 2nd band)?
> >
> > That rule ONLY applies to multi-operator stations. Single-operator
> stations can change bands as many times as they like.
> >
> >> So help me out here... help me understand the benefit of SO2R, how best
> to use it, and WHEN to use it. Perhaps my assumptions are wrong?
> >
> > The key advantage of SO2R is you can keep CQing on one band while S &
> Ping on another band. When the call rate goes up when CQing, you’re not
> going to have a lot of time to use the second radio.
> >
> > The challenge of SO2R is 1) having an interference-free installation
> that permits you to transmit on one band while receiving on another and 2)
> being able to effectively interleave the operation of both radios.
> >
> > I’ve done SO2R in the ARRL 160m contest, where I CQed on one radio, and
> used the second radio with an RX-only antenna to populate the band map.
> When I would take a break from CQing, I’d run through my “spots” and work
> them. This at least kept me from wondering if there was something else
> going on on the band I was missing when the Q rate was slow.
> >
> >
> > Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
> > Web: http://boringhamradiopart.blogspot.com
> > Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
> >            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > SECC mailing list
> > SECC at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/secc
>
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