[AMRadio] Roundtables, AM Window

[edwmullin at aol.com]

Good operating procedure... often mistaken for etiquet, which it is a form of I suppose. Something we seem to run short of from time to time.

A lot of new (or even some older) hams are used to the immediate gratification of the digital world, cellphones, etc. Especially if they are running a new rig with few of the old-time characteristics like thumping relays or God Forbid, a separate transmitter/reciever setup. 

I'm sure a few kindly delivered words would enlighten them and make everyone better off, No? 

As for cross mode SSB-AM to Full Carrier-AM,? I never turn down a response to a CQ, as long as I can actually understand the other station.? Typically if I get an SSB return, I simply tell them I'm running AM, ask for about a minute transmission, then flip on the BFO.? The only time it gets troublesome is if another AM station joins in (which seems rare if there's an SSB station in QSO) then I get to work a an extra switch to cut out the BFO when they're talking.

Still, it seems that our Ham Friendship and Comradery are a little thin if the other fellow is operating a different mode.? 


 

 



-----Original Message-----
From: Donald Chester <k4kyv at charter.net>
To: amradio <amradio at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Fri, Sep 27, 2013 2:28 am
Subject: Re: [AMRadio] Roundtables, AM Window

 
 
 
From: "Bernie  Doran" <qedconsultants at embarqmail.com> 
<<<<The other thing that bothers me a bunch is when a SSB station comes 
back, and does not know I am on A.M.  I tell them that I am on A.M. and that 
it takes a bit of time for all the relays and my old hands to work so please 
make longer transmissions, and they persist in three or four word 
transmissions and silence, and I am left to wonder did they die, turn it  
back or what>>>> 
 
Not just SSB stations. Lately, I have been getting a lot of AM stations 
doing the same thing: begin a transmission, sometimes brief, sometimes "old 
buzzard " style, and when they turn it back to me, they just abruptly drop 
the carrier, sometimes in mid-sentence, with no warning, without saying 
"over", "back to you", giving a call sign or anything, leaving me wondering 
did they turn it back, did the propagation change, did their rig crap out or 
what? It's one thing when everyone in the QSO is working fast break-in where 
that's the expected procedure, but if someone makes a 2, 3 or 5-minute 
transmission to me, I expect to hear some kind of a go-ahead to indicate 
that they are finished and passing it back to me. 
 
A problem I have with the short two-word transmissions is that I usually 
receive with my synchronous detector and if the station is even  slightly 
off frequency the PLL doesn't have time to lock onto their carrier before 
they stop transmitting, and all I hear is a short burst of heterodyne tone. 
------------------------------ 
 
From: Rob Atkinson <ranchorobbo at gmail.com> 
 
<<<<When I get a response to a CQ by someone operating slopbucket I ignore 
them and go right on calling CQ.  But starting a year or two ago, I began 
identifying as call sign, frequency, "AM phone."  I'll give my call sign a 
few times then the frequency and mode.  That seems to have cut down on the 
sideband responses.>>>> 
 
I probably haven't called a live CQ in five years, ever since I set up the 
Sony MiniDisc recorder/player to function as a CQ robot. The recorded CQ 
clearly says " calling CQ AM Phone", and at the end of the transmission 
"listening in AM mode". Still, some stations insist on calling on SSB. I 
don't bother to make a mad dash to throw all the switches to change over to 
SSB receive mode. OTOH, sometimes if I was already  listening with the sync 
detector and the SSB station is careful to zero-beat my carrier, I'm not 
even aware he was on SSB, especially if he is using one of the newer SSB 
rigs that transmit something that sounds better than space shuttle audio. 
But I'm amazed at how many SSB stations try to answer me off frequency. 
 
------------------------------ 
From: Rob Atkinson <ranchorobbo at gmail.com> 
 
<<<<what is "AM-Window?">>>> 
 
It's Steve (K4HX)'s website. He used to host the "AM Bulletin Board", but 
gave it up quite a few years ago. Gary, W2INR started up the AM Fone web 
site and continued the bulletin board forum, but Steve maintained his AM 
Window site, which continued to archive loads of good information related to 
amateur AM 
__________________ 
From: "Jim Wilhite" <w5jo at brightok.net> 
 
<<<<Appears to be a problem.  Looks as if the site was not renewed and 
someone else has it.>>>> 
 
Hope this is just a glitch, and that he'll get it back up and running. If he 
decided to discontinue it, I hope he didn't just let those archives 
evaporate. 
 
 
 
Don k4kyv 
 
 
 
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