[VHFcontesting] Re: [BEACONet] Did you work EL86 in the 6m Sprint?

[Jeff Thomas - KD4EVB]

Worked about every grid in FL last night, had planned
to work the sprint and tuning the bands earlier in the
evening, including the beacon portion 50.060-50.080
gave many indicators some form of opening was likely. 
Didn't work Jesse though.  Big opening into west Texas
and then the midwest (KS, OK) later on from EM78.

The PSK31 experiments are great but from helping with
detecting voice grade openings on 6m, you must realize
that often PSK31 will show openings that can't be
detected by ear.  Whether the MUF & conditions improve
enough to support voice contacts, will vary widely.  

Yes I'm a bit biased towards the AX25 system up on
53.53, but when you can decode data at 53 meg AX25
then you know for sure voice contacts are going to be
a walk in the park and it even serves as a good heads
up to watch the MUF to see if it's going to keep
climbing up to 2m.

PSK31 and AX25 beaconet both have their advantages and
disadvantages.  I'd switch to PSK31 on 6m, but I don't
want to tie up my all mode rig, retune antennas,
potentially sacrafice a PC to lightning, and have the
QRM issues of having signals just a few hundred khz up
the band from where I normally operate.  Whole lot
easier to come up with spare FM 6m rigs and a TNC
(computer really isn't even necessary on ax25), and a
whole lot easier to filter off a nearby transmitter
nearly 4 mhz away compared to 200 KHz.

Plus if we're really interested in detecting the
slightest openings, then PSK31 isn't optimal there
either, WSJT (not just for meteor scatter before you
ask) and other digital modes are probably going to be
better if the software to internet interfacing issues
were worked out.  WSJT has a mode that can make
usuable communications with signals 14dB weaker than
the weakest CW signals, and that's said to be pretty
conservative.  Guess the question ultimately is what
will the bulk of folks be interested in?  Detecting
openings often too weak for anything but digital or
detecting openings for CW and SSB contacts?  I can't
speak for most others, but I'd venture to say that
most are interested in the later.

Guess it all depends on what your goals are? 
Detecting even the slightest opening regardless of
whether or not it's useful for most modes of
communications or detecting strong openings that will
almost always be useful for all modes?  Each has their
place, but folks getting into BeacoNET should be aware
of them.  Otherwise we get the usual deal, a few folks
get jazzed up during the spring/summer season when
opens are very common.  Then when fall and winter
arrives, when only the truly diehard patient 6m ops
log openings, and most of these folks get bored and go
off the air when we don't have enough on to begin
with.  At one time I think we had 6 stations on 53.53
ax25, now I count about 4 and maybe less than that. 
All of us along the east coast and no coverage to the
west.

6m PSK31 has the same problem as the ax25 side on 6m
has right now...not enough folks on to even snag the
smallest percentage of actual openings.  And neither
has much if any stations out to the west so 6m
BeacoNET is going to miss a lot (probably the
majority) of the openings that could be detected.

Just my two cents worth from a 53.53 ax25 diehard and
probably becoming a rare species, grin.  BeacoNET has
a great deal of potential, but if we don't keep a
consistent vision and make what we're doing of
practical use to the average ham, then we'll just
fracture in multiple paths and slowly fade away.

Constructive comments welcome, flames will find the
bit bucket :-)


73 de Jeff, KD4EVB
53.530 AX25 from EM78pp

--- "Ev Tupis (W2EV)" <w2ev at arrl.net> wrote:
> Yet another grid was activated for the 6m sprints,
> thanks to The BEACONet
> Project's PropNET^31 personality.  Without
> PropNET^31?  Well...read the
> testimonial in the link below (along with screen
> shot).
> 
>
http://www.rochesterny.org/BEACONet/notlinked/PropNET31-Testimonial00.htm
> 
> More information and software available at:
> http://www.beaconet.org | PropNET.
> 
> Ev, W2EV
> 
> PS...used as designed, PropNET enhances amateur
> operation.  Join in on the fun! 
> The system is designed to get better as more people
> actively participate.
> 
> 


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