[VHFcontesting] Changing from WSJT to SSB...

[Mark Spencer]

Interesting..  Back when I was more interested in WSJT I briefly ran two laptops in my rover (for 50 and 144 MHz.)  It didn't occur to me to try and run both bands on a single computer.   I will revisit this if my interest level in WSJT goes back up.

Going back to the original topic, I used to enjoy being able to easily transition between FSK441 and SSB (on the same frequency.)  All I had to do was disable TX on WSJT.   No need to QSY or push any buttons on the radio.  The radio I used at the time was smart enough to mute the microphone audio when it was keyed via the data connector.   When I pressed the PTT switch on the microphone I could talk to people.  It all seemed easy and logical at the time (:

Other operators seemed ok with brief SSB calls on FSK441 frequencies when signal levels were high enough, and one could arrange to go to higher bands etc.   I miss the old days (:  I suspect using SSB voice on the FT8 calling frequency would not be appreciated by many operators today.

73

Mark S
VE7AFZ

mark at alignedsolutions.com
604 762 4099

> On Sep 18, 2019, at 6:59 AM, RT Clay <rt_clay at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> 
> I think the mode switching problem (and people getting "stuck on FT8") has been made worse by the recent change in ARRL VHF contest rules that allows single ops to transmit simultaneously on multiple bands. It was easy for example for me to set up a single computer with two sound cards and two radios running FT8. I think many ops now want to have a radio running 6M FT8 all the time to catch weak openings on that band.
> Only allowing a single signal at once on ANY band (like HF contests) would discourage single ops from trying to cover multiple bands on FT8.
> 
> Technically It is not easy to have a computer+two radios on FT8 and easily switch back and forth from SSB (keeping a soundcard for voice messages of course). Yes, you can go to multiple computers instead.
> 
> Also, allowing internet chat rooms I think has made FT8 use take priority over SSB/CW, just because it is much easier to do FT8 + internet compared to SSB/CW + internet.
> Tor N4OGW
> 
>    On Wednesday, September 18, 2019, 7:41:47 AM CDT, N1BUG <paul at n1bug.com> wrote:  
> 
> This is a situation I am going to have to investigate and try to
> deal with as soon as I have some quality free time for radio...
> hopefully in about 5 to 6 weeks.
> 
> Call it over thinking things if you want, but of necessity band
> switching tasks are complicated here. I am active from LF to UHF and
> can only afford to have one good transceiver. VHF band switching
> involves switching 28 MHz IF to the appropriate transverter,
> reducing power output from the transceiver, enabling the correct
> amplifier while making sure all others are disabled, and additional
> important tasks. Experience has proven that if done manually, the
> operator can and eventually will forget something and the result is
> sometimes not pretty. I've been around a while and have tried
> multiple approaches to the problem. Until recently all came up
> lacking. I've now solved this very nicely by custom designing
> interface hardware and having DXLab Commander handle all band change
> operations. I click a single band button and all of the appropriate
> tasks are performed instantly and automatically. But this means I
> must have Commander running when operating any band above HF.
> 
> Running WSJT-X and DXLab Commander at the same time is easy since
> WSJT-X has an option to control