[UK-CONTEST] W6EL

[Mike Harris]

G'day,

| VK4OQ/G3HCT is a long-time W6EL user, and recommended HamCap as another
| one to look at. HamCap is a program that runs the broadcast industry
| standard propagation program VOACAP for you, and displays the results in
| a very readable way.
|
| http://www.dxatlas.com/HamCap/
|
| The HamCap page tells you how to download VOACAP as well. Both programs
| are freeware, although HamCap with its small display window is 'bait'
| for the author's shareware program DXatlas.
|
| Not something to run during the contest on your logging PC, because each
| time HamCap launches a VOACAP calculation, it eats up all your CPU time.

I also use W6ELProp and HamCap.

W6ELProp is very useful for point to point and I find it sufficiently 
accurate given we are dealing with the ionosphere.

HamCap gives a very nice area coverage display, I like the pseudo map 
style, nice colours and it sure shows just how much water and little else 
we illuminate down here at times.  Along with DX Atlas it also integrates 
with Ionoprobe which is a tool for gathering space weather data.  One 
thing to note is that the VOACAP engine gives signal to noise ratios in a 
1Hz bandwidth so you need to adjust to suit your operating bandwidth.  I 
mentally correct by -27dB for 500Hz CW and -33dB for 2300Hz SSB.  You can 
pre compute the coverage for any band/all hours or all bands/all hours so 
it doesn't necessarily have to compete with the logging for clock cycles. 
I ran it on my 700MHz P3 PC along with SDC without any problems, however, 
I don't send CW from the PC.  Something I will have to have a go at 'cos 
going from pencil to keyboard to key, sometimes in the wrong sequence is a 
bit like a one armed paperhanger if things get busy.  DX Atlas and 
Ionoprobe are available as a 30 day trial after which functionality fails, 
at least it did with me.  I liked 'em so I paid up.

If you have time to kill you can play with native VOACAP, download the 
manuals, heavy.  www.voacap.com is the place to check out.

WinCap Wizard also has a free version now, looks interesting, uses VOACAP 
engine but I've never come to terms with it.

Sometimes after some apparently weird propagation I run HamCap to see what 
was supporting it, surprising how often it matches.

Regards,

Mike VP8NO