[NLRS] Re: (LONG)10GHz Operating procedures ?

[jcplatt1@mmm.com]

Hi Donn, good notes.   Some comments that are up for discussion:

2) 5 minute sequences seem to be better than 2 minute ones.
I think that 2 minute sked's are a bit better as 5 minutes ties up a lot of
time.   Not a big deal one way or the other tho.   Gary commented that its
good to actually send calls during the sequence (if possible) rather than a
simple beacon so that if QSB peaks the guy who is listening can capture
calls & hopefully grids.   Nothing worse that hearing the guys beacon fade
into the noise at the end of his beacon sequence when you heard "dah dah
dah" for two minutes.

3) When using phonetics, use STANDARDIZED, RECOGNIZED ones.  "Cute"
phonetics for your call ARE cute, but not necessarily useful.  When you
hear only small parts of a call, standardized phonetics are easier to
recognize than the "cute" ones.
I agree 98%, especially on the use of non-standard phonetics.    For the
other 2%, there are times when a station just can't understand "Zulu" even
though you've said it four hundred times, you switch to "Zanzabar" and
bingo, they got it.     I don't know why this is .... perhaps the human
mind gets muddled after a period of time of hearing the same non-understood
data and switching to a new format makes it clear .... the proverbial new
perspective perhaps.

7) When conditions are poor, send your call (and grid, etc.) more than
once; usually, 3 times is what's used.  It gives the other end a better
chance to copy.  This is true for both voice and CW.
This one is interesting.   On one hand we are often looking for QSB peaks
to pull a weak station out, and those QSB peaks may be no more than several
10's of seconds long ..... again nothing worse than hearing your call three
times, his call three times, and then the signal tanks on grids and you
never hear him again.    On the other hand, a repeating pattern helps with
weak signals like a three by three "WA2VOI WA2VOI WA2VOI W0ZQ W0ZQ W0ZQ
EN34 EN34 EN34", but again this may miss a QSB peak.    One repeating
pattern that may be useful is "WA2VOI W0ZQ EN34 WA2VOI W0ZQ EN34 WA2VOI
W0ZQ EN34" like that used for meteor skeds.  It has the best change of
getting a full exchange thru on short lived QSB and it is a repeating
pattern, albeit a bit more complex, especially if the guy who is receiving
is not expecting this pattern.

9) Don't follow the other guy by changing your TX frequency.  Use RIT or
split VFOs (i.e., TX on VFO A, which you never change; RX on VFO B which
you may change to your heart's content).  Personally, I prefer RIT; but
every once in a while, you run out of range.  Then you're in trouble.!
With split VFOs, find'em with VFO A, VFO A => VFO B, and then transmit with
VFO B; RX with VFO A.  Either way, during a QSO TX frequencies change ONLY
with drift... never by someone turning the dial.  Makes it easier for the
other end.
On the VHF and UHF bands I agree.   On 10 GHz, unless you are phase locked
the drift over a period of time like a 2 minute or 5 minute sequence can be
several KHz.   Just because I "found" the other guy and adjust my RIT to
his signal 2 minutes ago doesn't mean that he will be there in the next
sequence .... my receive freq has drifted and his transmit freq has
drifted.   However this drifting can be "actively" compensated by tracking
the total system drift (your rig plus his rig) by simple moving your VFO as
he transmits and by him moving his VFO as you transmit.   My preference is
to NOT use RIT on 10 GHz but to track the other stations signal with my
active XMT/RCV VFO so that when he breaks I should be on his transmit freq
and visa versa.    This only works if BOTH stations are using this
technique .... if one is using RIT and one is not, they will most likely
move apart.    Also, much of our 10 GHz work involves three or more
stations that tailend, etc.   If all stations are using RITs, the whole
group is going to be fiddling with knobs trying to find each other.   In
comparison, if all stations are actively tracking and compensating for
drift with their VFOs we should all be on freq ..... human phase lock.
What da ya think ?


Again, good thread !

73, Jon
W0ZQ