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

Tue Nov 4 06:42:44 EST 2008

Skimmer doesn't assign a yellow dot to SSB signals anyhow - just a bunch of 
them on the audio.

73, Pete

At 04:40 PM 11/3/2008, David Robbins K1TTT wrote:
>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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>
>
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