[PaQSO] RTTY Interference

[vze3v8dt at verizon.net]

I was recently involved with a situation while doing a QRP operating event one Friday evening.  During times close to the full moon during cold weather months the EPA QRP Club and a growing number of others around the USA and Canada have been going out to operate portable QRP on hilltops (yes, in the winter) for a few hours (see www.n3epa.org and click on the link for Polar Bears for more info).  The event (not a contest) was running from 3 PM to 7 PM local time.  Note that 7 PM local time is 0000Z, at least for another week.  The last hour, and especially the last half hour of our operation on 7.040 MHz was being met with anxious RTTY operators who were gearing up for a RTTY contest that was scheduled to start at 0000Z.  While 7.040 MHz has traditionally been the QRP calling frequency on 40m CW here in the USA (as compared to 7.030 MHz in the rest of the world), it is apparently also the prime RTTY calling frequency as declared by ARRL or some such organization.  BTW, QRP-ARCI just took a poll and it was decided to move the 40m CW QRP Calling Frequency to 7.030 MHz to coincide with the rest of the world, however during the next year both frequencies will still be active for QRP, and I suspect some time afterward 7.040 MHz will still be used by QRP operators who haven't changed crystals in their rigs yet.  

Anyway, we concluded our QRP QSO and started another, with all intentions of being off the air by 7 PM (specifically to avoid the RTTY contest), but that apparently was not good enough for the RTTY operators who wanted to sit on the frequency.  It was actually funny to have the (QRO) RTTY stations operating (presumably sending RYRYRY de W1ABC or something) while I was operating from a portable location running  only 5W with a simple dipole not very high off the ground (although we were probably at 800' HAAT), and we were still carrying on a perfectly good CW QRP QSO despite the apparently intentional interference of the RTTY stations.  Eventually, they reallized this as well and actually got on CW and sent various vugarities, which may have been all the CW they knew (about 15 minutes before the end of our operating event and beginning of the RTTY contest).  Even through this we still made one more quick QSO!  Boy, the RTTY guys must have been steaming at this point!  Although, I'm not sure if they knew we were operating QRP, but if they had they would have probably been even more enraged.

I guess my point is that the RTTY operators, while providing an annoying amount of BW & QRO signal levels, are not as capable of copying through QRM (even a simple QRP CW signal which is QRM to their signal) while the CW QSOs could be carried on just fine.  The S/N requirements of copying CW vs RTTY are quite different (sure, as is CW vs Phone as we all know quite well).  I don't think I'd want to try that for a whole weekend as my ears and brain would be mush long before the end of the contest, but then I don't plan to operate 40m CW as my only band & mode.  

In any case, I guess all we can do is see how it goes this year and make the best of it.  I don't expect my score to be any lower this year because of a new RTTY/PSK31 rule.  I also don't expect there to be massive amounts of stations participating in PA QSO Party with RTTY/PSK31.  We can't really control what goes on with scheduling of other contests.  I agree 100% with Mike that the traditional weekend of choice should not be moved.  Also, don't forget that we all have the same conditions to deal with so it is a level playing field.  

73 and looking forward to PAQP 2006,

Mark, NK8Q

>From: Michael Coslo <mjc5 at psu.edu>
>Date: Fri Mar 24 07:25:54 CST 2006
>To: PaQSO at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: Re: [PaQSO] RTTY Interference

>
>On Mar 23, 2006, at 10:14 PM, Stan Reas wrote:
>>
>> Also if there is a competing RTTY contest during the PA QSO Party  
>> weekend, you might
>> want to consider changing the date to a weekend where there is no  
>> RTTY contest anywhere
>> in the world.
>>
>
>Are you serious Stan?
>
>	There are rtty contests going on *all year long*. The NCJ RTTY  
>Sprint contest is happening at the same time as ours this year. I  
>believe it and perhaps another rtty contest were taking place last  
>year at the same time as the PAQSO party. I didn't get one complaint  
>then.
>
>	There are a lot of contests going on in amateur radio. Ours is  
>placed where it is after some years of experimentation long ago. The  
>second full weekend of October has a lot going for it. Usually good  
>fall weather,  the contest dovetails with the California QSO party.  
>It is really just about the best date on the calendar.
>
>here is a link to some of the rtty contests:
>
>http://www.qsl.net/ve4coz/RTTY%20Contest_Calendar.html
>
>Looks like we have a choice - frying pan, another frying pan, or the  
>fire.
>
>	So no - we're not moving. 8^)
>
>p.s. given that there are rtty contests all year long, and if they  
>are rendering the bands useless for CW on the weekends, then the  
>problem is not with the contest sponsors. What I would strongly  
>suggest is that documented complaints be made to the FCC of  
>interference. Get that computer out, get the callsigns, record the  
>signals and get 'er done.
>
>
>	-73 de Mike KB3EIA -
>
>
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