[VHFcontesting] Non meteor scatter digi modes in the Jan contest ?

[Patrick Thomas]

>Is there much interest in running non meteor scatter digital modes in the next
>contest ?  [...]I did have JT65 and we were able to complete in less than 10 minutes.

I make it a point to operate terrestrial JT65 for at least a couple hours of the contest.  I'd certainly encourage others to do so... after all, it's made for digging really quiet signals out of the muck.  It's easily coordinated via http://on4kst.org/ or http://www.chris.org/cgi-bin/jt65talk.  Don't know why it's not more popular, given all the EME nerds using JT65 through antenna stacks and kilowatt amps between 144-1296 MHz.

You might want to also review replies to my thread "JT65 on 222 and above" of 28 Apr 2016, when I asked about calling frequencies.  To summarize my viewpoint, although just randomly squatting in the SSB segment is "okay," it's not optimal.  JT65 can pull out signals really close to the noise floor, so knob-spinning is not the best approach, and not everyone knows or can reach the web chat sites (for example, remote rovers).  Besides, it's a logical, well-established practice to have a calling frequency, QRG, call it what you want, as a baseline where you can park the radio.

Please discuss, but I think "standard calling frequency minus 24kHz" makes a lot of sense, resulting in 144.176, 222.076, 432.076, etc.  It's close to the standard calling frequencies, thus easy for knob-spinners to find and compatible with equipment tuned for that area.  And it avoids stepping on SSB users (CW folks are more audible, and can filter more easily).

WSJT software suggest 144.489 on 2m for reasons which escape me, maybe WSPR legacy.  144.100 is pretty dead, so while the band plan seems to allow it, I think 144.076 would be off the beaten path.  As stated previously on 6m the convention is 50.276.

I've been working on another JT65-related post so will have to get that out today too, in this vein. :)

Patrick
KB8DGC