[FARC] PSK Questions

[Joseph M. Durnal]

I can answer one : I suppose SK is for "end of contact"  the Morse
prosign is S and K together ...-.-   and PSE = Please

Along those lines, other prosigns are:
AR = Stop (end of message)
AS = Wait (10 seconds)
BT = Separator within message
K = General invitation to transmit
R = Received and understood (QSL)

Some other abbreviations you might run into:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_Code_Abbreviations

73
Joe
NE3R

On 7/6/07, Kirk Talbott <KirkTal7237 at msn.com> wrote:
> I have some questions about PSK31 and Slow Scan TV for the group.
>
> One:  Hams on PSK31 use a Morse code shortcut language.  For example, a
> typical CQ looks something like this. "CQ CQ CQ de W4XXX W4XXX PSE k."  I
> know what the "de" and "k" stands for but what does "PSE" mean?  Another
> example is the signoff.  "KB3ONM de W4XXX W4XXX 73 sk sk sk."  What does the
> "SK" mean?
>
> Two:  On my software, WinPSK, there are some numbers displayed at the bottom
> of the screen below the waterfall window.  One is IMD the other PPM.  A read
> a little about IMD and found that it stands for Inter-Modulation-Distortion.
> Ok, but what does that mean?  My interpretation of the reading I've been
> doing, a high numbered IMD means you're distorting and splattering all over
> the place and low a number means you're getting close to a perfect signal.
> It's kind of like mic gain in SSB phone. And like SSB phone, too low a mic
> gain means you're not putting out enough "punch" in your signal. Does too
> low an IMD number in PSK31 mean the same thing?  As for PPM, I have no idea
> on what this means and can't find any info on it.
>
> Three:  I had one of my contacts give a signal report that went something
> like this.  "Your RST is 599, and the waterfall display shows a near perfect
> signal."  Ok, I understand what "599" is, but the reference to the waterfall
> display and the near perfect signal has me baffled.  What are they looking
> at in the waterfall that shows a near-perfect signal? My software, WinPSK,
> is freeware and pretty limited.  So maybe it doesn't show what other more
> sophisticated programs do.
>
> Four:  SSTV seems neat, but I can't seem to receive a signal strong enough
> to get a decent picture.  The letters TV in SSTV seem a bit of a misnomer.
> You can't really use video in slow scan TV....right?  What I see mostly on
> SSTV are pictures that look like travel agency posters; beaches and palm
> trees, mountains and lakes, etc. with call signs written on them. Is this
> all there is to SSTV?
>
> Since June 26 I've had 38 PSK31 contacts.  I was going like gangbusters
> there for a while.  July 4 and yesterday, I couldn't get one contact. On SSB
> phone I didn't even hear one person on 20 or 10 meters, and I heard only 2
> people on 40 meters.  Sometimes on PSK31 I can contact Texas on 15 watts
> output, but then need 75 watts output to communicate with Florida.  HF is
> really "fickle" isn't it.  Analogous to fishing.  Throw your line in the
> water and sometimes they're biting and sometimes they're not.  F. Gump had
> it right about a box of chocolates and it applies to HF. "You never know
> what you're going to get."
>
> 73
> KB3ONM
> Kirk
>
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