[GreenKeys] RTTY - Contest Only?

[Jim Haynes]

The main use of RTTY these days is contests and DX.  I believe the reasons
are (1) very rapid turn-around between transmit and receive, and (2) you
don't care about the errors so much because you already know the call sign
of the station you're trying to work, and the RST is always 599, so if
the print looks more or less like what you want it to, you call it good.

For casual conversation the users have all found PSK is better in terms
of fewer errors and lower power.  In the heyday of RTTY we were all 
running 500 watts or more.  But PSK takes a little longer to turn around
because of the synchronizing preamble, and that works against you in a
contest or DX situation where rapidity of making contacts is so important.

There's the WLO broadcast on 8473 KHz, Caribbean marine weather, RTTY
alternating with SITOR-B.  There's the W1AW broadcast where they switch
among several digital modes.  I copied some stations working W1AW/2
the other night, but that was essentially like working a DX station
except it isn't DX.

Jim W6JVE

jhhaynes at earthlink dot net