[Skimmertalk] RE: The New Radio - an audio and visual approach to contesting

Mon Nov 3 16:40:11 EST 2008

To be useful on ssb it would have to have a wider bandwidth display, ssb
signals are just too wide and you couldn't see enough of them to be
worthwhile I think.  Rtty it may be good for though, but I would rather see
a real rtty skimmer.

David Robbins K1TTT
e-mail: mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net
web: http://www.k1ttt.net
AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://dxc.k1ttt.net

> -----Original Message-----
> From: skimmertalk-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:skimmertalk-
> bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Steve Lott
> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 20:27
> To: skimmertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [Skimmertalk]The New Radio – an audio and visual approach to
> contesting
> 
> Jose
> 
> very well stated !!!!!
> 
> I had not envisioned use of skimmer for SSB but it is as you say a very
> valuable point and click tool, versus other tools that allow you to see
> the
> band but point and click must be followed by fine tuning which waste time
> and time is lost qso rate
> 
> One thing I miss now that I am using FT-1000MP's in my SO2R shack is the
> band scope which I had on my old 756-Pro2
> 
> Now I can have the best of both worlds with a simple SDR rcvr and software
> that ties the two together
> 
> There is much happening in our world of Ham Radio
> and many are helping push the state of the art in operating
> from Contest loging tools, to interfacing skimmer spots to contest logger
> band charts
> with applications like that of RigSync from W2RF
> 
> And Dave yes your right we can use skimmer now for SSB, most RTTY software
> looks at things as a band scope per se but the point and click accuracy of
> the skimmer software is, much more "accurate" so one point and click and
> we
> are zero beat
> 
> cheers !
> steve
> KG5VK
> 
> http//:sdxa.blogspot.com <http://www.sdxa.blogspot.com>
> 
> 
> On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 1:07 PM, José Nunes CT1BOH <ct1boh at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > >>>>The New Radio – an audio and visual approach to contesting
> >
> >
> > There is a trend in the new SDR radios that incorporates spectrum scopes
> > (panadapter, waterfall, etc). This trend will change the way we operate
> and
> > will impact the way we do Contesting.
> >
> > The new way of operating is:
> >
> > completely eliminate the VFO knob and tune with a mouse and keyboard
> keys
> > use both ears and eyes to identify stations
> > have visual information of the totality of the signals on a band
> >
> > "The new radio" offers the visual element, along side the audio element
> and
> > the ability to tune from one signal into the next signal without having
> to
> > listen to the empty band space in between stations.
> >
> > This will have a tremendous impact in the way we Contest, and will
> > accelerate activity, i.e. more QSOs in the time frame of the contest,
> > because tuning is many orders of magnitude faster. In a way we can say
> that
> > with the "new radio" there is no more Search&Pounce but only Pounce.
> >
> > >>>>Contesting with "the old radio"
> >
> > Before starting a run, the operator dials the band up and down, turning
> the
> > VFO knob, in a continuous way, looking for a clear frequency. Once he
> finds
> > and holds the frequency he is able to start a Run. While on the
> frequency
> > he
> > is only aware of a few Khz, depending on his passband filter (500Hz in a
> CW
> > contest). He has no information whatsoever of what is adjacent to his
> > frequency and up and down the band.
> >
> > If the operator stops the Run and goes into S&P mode, he has to dial the
> > VFO
> > knob in a continuous way, going from one station into the other station.
> > While doing this, he will listen to the bands (empty space) in between
> the
> > stations.
> >
> > >>>>Contesting with "the new radio"
> >
> > Before starting a Run, the operator looks at a spectrum scope that shows
> > him
> > the entire band at once. He visually identifies an empty spot and with a
> > mouse click is taken right to the frequency of choice. Once he finds and
> > holds the frequency he is able to start a Run. While on the frequency he
> is
> > aware of a few Khz, depending on his passband filter (500Hz in a CW
> > contest), AND to the all the signals present on the band. He not only
> has
> > an
> > audio element (the passband of the radio) but a visual element (all the
> > signals on the band).
> >
> > If the operator stops the run and goes into "S&P" mode, he can click and
> go
> > zero beat with each signal present on the band. There is no tuning
> anymore,
> > there in no more listening to the empty band space in between each
> station.
> > The visual element of the new radio will provide the operator the
> > information to go directly zero beat to each signal.
> >
> > Sprectrum scopes have been around for more than 20 years. Radios like
> ICOM
> > 781 have sprectrum scopes that have been used by Single Operators in the
> > Non
> > Assisted categories. All the ICOM PRO series and ICOM 7800 radios have
> > scopes, as well as Yaesu FT2000 and FT9000 (with DMU units). We can say
> > that
> > these scopes are very crude, but they already provide the visual
> element.
> >
> > >>>>Blind Skimmer
> >
> > When Alex, VE3NEA released CW Skimmer I sent him an e-mail and told him
> > that
> > CW Contesting would be very different in the future.
> >
> > CW Skimmer attracted my attention not because of the decoding element of
> > call signs, but for the very powerful and fast waterfall display, with a
> > resolution sufficient for reading Morse Code dots and dashes visually.
> >
> > Note that CQWW Rules prohibit CW decoding of call signs in the Single
> > Operator Non Assisted categories, but it does not prohibit scopes.
> >
> > With this in mind, I contacted again Alex, VE3NEA, and asked him if he
> > could
> > release a version of his waterfall display, that provide a visual
> > representation of the dots and dashes, with the CW decoding disabled,
> > therefore suitable for the Single Operator Non Assisted class. He was
> very
> > receptive and we came up with Blind Skimmer.
> >
> > In "Blind Mode", no call sign list is produced, none of the waterfall
> dots
> > and dashes are annotated with the text of the call sign and the up/down
> > arrows of the keyboard enable the operator to move the frequency of the
> > radio from one signal into the next (once again Alex was very receptive
> to
> > my suggestion of implementing this very efficient way of "zero beat
> > tuning").
> >
> > >>>>What's next?
> >
> > Contesting is a technological game, and because of this an evolving
> game.
> > The new generation scopes, with enough resolution to separate one signal
> > from the other will indeed accelerate the way we contest and this means
> > more
> > QSOs
> >
> > In the end its still one guy, his ability to make QSOs and winning the
> > Contest
> >
> > 73
> > José Nunes
> > CT1BOH
> >
> > --
> > --
> > José Nunes
> > CONTEST CT1BOH - http://www.qsl.net/ct1boh
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