[Elecraft] 6 meter RTTY & Oink oink...

[John Ragle]

Hi, Jim...

     There was a recent call for input about usage on VHF/UHF, and your 
topic (or an extension of it) was one that I mentioned (fairly strongly).

     The general idea I wanted to convey is that there are many times 
when signals are marginal on 6 meters, and that a mentality that tries 
to use SSB only, misses the robust nature of all the other digital 
modes, including CW, PSK-nn, RTTY, and other digital delights.

     There seem to be many reasons for this neglect. (1) Technician 
mentality, (2) CB mentality, (3) when 6 is hot, it is really hot, (4) 
some putative problems with multipathing, (5) some innate resistance to 
computer interfacing, and (6) just plain old inertia.

     I operate CW and SSB regularly on 6. From my particularly poor 
location, under marginal conditions I do much better with CW than with 
voice, even with 350 watts and a 5 element beam at 32 feet. Signals that 
are barely obvious with averaging on my P3 are still copyable on CW, 
particularly for the "hello/goodbye" qsos that are prevalent.

     I have tried calling CQ on 6 using PSK-31 and Olivia, but never 
caught anyone's favorable attentions, though I guess that there has been 
some grumbling in the shack. I am using FLDIGI with a K3 and a TE 
Systems brick, and so RTTY would not be a problem at all (using AFSK). 
As far as I can recall, in 56 years of operation I have never heard a 
RTTY signal on 6, let alone one of "them thar new-fangled digitizers." I 
think that the number of people who could use AFSK and FLDIGI would 
probably greatly outnumber people bound to a lovely old KSR/ASR-nn 
coffee grinder, and I would be willing (nay, eager) to give it a try. 
Kansas is not an outlandish 6-meter distance from here. I would rather 
try BPSK-31 however, because of its considerably-narrower bandwidth.

     Even a mode like Olivia should be worth a try. It is strange indeed 
to see text rising like Lazarus from the Dust when one is using Olivia.

     Perhaps we should continue this conversation off the Elecraft 
reflector, even though the K2 and K3 are wonderfully suited for digital 
work. I would like to hear from others who feel the need to make a 
contribution to this thread:

John Ragle -- W1ZI
tpcj1r03 at crocker.com

=====

On 8/4/2011 11:48 AM, Jim Sheldon wrote:
> Anyone operating RTTY regularly on 6?  If so what frequency do you make most of your QSO's?  Been trying to find an active 6 meter RTTY frequency with no luck.  According to ARRL, 50.700 is the calling freq, but even during openings, never hear anyone on RTTY there.
>
> Jim - W0EB
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