[VHFcontesting] Digital modes vs. digital modes vs. CW etc.

[Mark Spencer]

If anyone in the PNW / Vancouver lower mainland area wants to try something along these lines let me know.

Based on my experiences over the last few years on a path from CN89 to CN94 on 144 MHz I am reasonably confident that FT8 provides a useful improvement over SSB / CW but I don't really have any data to back that up.

Switching from CW to JT65c on a 1296 MHz path from CN89 to CN87 has left me with a similar impression re JT65c vs CW but again my data to support this impression is very limited.

Looking at the signal strength from  the pilot carrier of a DTV transmitter (just below the 222 MHz band) on a CN89 to CN87 path also leaves me with the impression that there is a lot of short term variation in signal strength and effects due aircraft scatter (and likely other effects) that would need to be taken into account if one wants to really understand the differences between various modes over real world VHF and up paths.

I'm contemplating taking another run at monitoring the DTV pilot carrier signal strength over the CN89 to CN87 path and trying to tie the results into to likely air craft scatter events.  Again if anyone wants to try and tie this into a field trial of various amateur VHF and up modes I'd be interested in having a chat.  

73
Mark S
VE7AFZ

mark at alignedsolutions.com
604 762 4099

> On Jan 24, 2018, at 5:37 PM, John Santillo <u1004467 at warwick.net> wrote:
> 
> What I would like to see is a real field experiment using a variety of
> different digital modes over a known path and known distant over a short
> period of time.  A qualitative study pitting one digital mode against
> another and their performance vs. CW.  
> 
> I think digital modes are the future.  As the algorithms, forward error
> correction and software evolve so will the digital modulations.
> 
> 432 would be a good place to start.
> 
> 
> 73,
> 
> John
> N2HMM
> 
> 
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