[UK-CONTEST] DUMP PSK use AMTOR

[Steve Knowles]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clive GM3POI" <gm3poi2 at btinternet.com>
To: <uk-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 8:58 AM
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] DUMP PSK use AMTOR


> Well here I find that the Microham doesn't help with PSK nothing does.
> It is without doubt the most contest unfriendly mode their is. If their
> is more than two stations calling on the same or near  frequency it
> collapses.
>     My view would be the CC should dump PSK and try the faster RTTY
> mode (75?) instead.
> 73 Clive GM3POI

One of the principal reasons why the 80mCC DATA rules were changed to make 
PSK participation a requirement in order to achieve a reasonable score was 
to relieve pressure on spectrum space.  Before the change the whole 
datamodes section was choc-a-bloc with strong, running RTTY stations - they 
overflowed at both upper and lower limits and the PSK segment was not 
respected.  Complaints were received from overseas (and from smaller UK 
stations who could not get in) and DQRM was becoming a problem.

Standard speed RTTY requires over ten times the bandwidth of a PSK31 signal 
for only about a twofold overall increase in speed.  The thinking was that 
if half the active stations were to be using PSK at any one time there would 
be plenty of room for all of them in the 5kHz PSK segment and there would 
then be ample space for the remaining RTTY stations ... and so it has 
proved - the additional RTTY space recently provided above 3600kHz is 
seldom, if ever, needed.  To consider replacing PSK with a mode requiring 
even more bandwidth than 45 Baud RTTY would be, IMPO, absolute folly!

Contesting is not just about having a big signal and running all the time, 
although there are those who would have it so.  There is also the overlying 
concept of self-training in all aspects of the hobby which was (and I hope 
still is) enshrined in the conditions under which we hold our licences. 
When the PSK challenge was laid down there were many strident complainants, 
a substantial number of whom were the top contesters under the old scheme. 
It is noteworthy that most of these have tackled, and mastered, the new mode 
and its associated strategies, and are once more the top contesters.

More importantly, the number of entrants has increased by, on average, 30% 
since the change.  Many of these are operators of QRP PSK31 stations who 
would otherwise have been blasted out of the events.  Now they have tried 
contesting and many return repeatedly.  They may even move on to other modes 
in future.  Job done!

BTW, If anyone has bothered to read this far and is having trouble decoding, 
try the 'Signalink USB' external soundcard interface available from ML&S. 
Works brilliantly with MMTTY, Digipan and MIXW, even with Vista!!!  You do 
need to adjust the signal levels correctly - but you get physical controls 
on the box to do it!

Vy 73

Steve
G3UFY