[SFDXA] HOW TO WORK A RTTY PILEUP

[Bill]

I copied the following three emails from the RTTY List: These comments 
come from some very successful RTTY Contesters and RTTY DXers. Just food 
for thought. The following alone is a number of years old. Read them all 
to help you work more DX on RTTY.

Bill W2CQ


    HOW TO WORK A RTTY PILEUP


        Eddie Schneider, W6/G0AZT

At the IDRA dinner in Dayton,Glenn,W6OTC suggested that someone with 
some experience at the "sharp" end of Baudot pile-ups ought to write 
something about how to assist the DX station in achieving maximum 
efficiency and ensuring that you get in the log.

My credentials.

I have operated from VP5,C6A,ZF,V2,VP2M,VP9,P4, TY, 3V and 8R.

Modis Operandi

Like most DXpeditions, the idea is to try and work as many stations as 
possible in the time available. RTTY, being a somewhat slower mode than 
SSB and CW, requires a slightly different approach in operating habits 
by both the DX and the callers. Normally the DX will work contest style, 
"599 QRZ?" They will probably run "split" frequencies to enable the 
caller to have a chance of seeing his call come up on the screen and 
know that the report was for him. In some cases, if the DX has very good 
antennas and power, they may choose to run simplex, particularly in a 
contest, so as not to disrupt the rest of the band.

Why RY?

One of the frustrating things the DX station has to endure is that nasty 
string of RY's. WHY send RYRY? What useful purpose does it serve? In the 
time taken to send a line of them, you could have sent YOUR CALLSIGN 
three, four or even five times, depending on it's length.(Oh you lucky 
people with 1x2,or 2x1 callsigns!). In the days of "steam" RTTY and 
mechanical machines, the RY was sent to enable the receive station to 
tune-in, but with modern TNC's, the RY is no longer needed.

When you call the DX in CW, do you send a string of V's before you send 
your call? In SSB, do you shout "ola ola" or whistle in the microphone? 
Maybe, but don't call me, I'll call you, sometime never. Banish the RY's 
syndrome to some black hole in outer space, where it belongs.

Feet first

OK, you are tuning around and come across a big pile-up, spread all over 
the band. You find the DX station's transmit frequency and without even 
listening a while (and you should listen first!), you call on his 
frequency. Oops, your first big mistake! The inevitable policeman comes 
on, 20dB stronger than the DX, and proceeds to call you all sorts of 
unpleasant names, doubts that you had a father, wonders how you got your 
license, etc., etc. If you want to be a policeman, assist rather than 
disrupt. Tell the offender "QSX up 2" or whatever the DX is doing. Be 
short and to the point.

Getting in the log

Once you have figured out that the DX is listening up, try to work out 
the operator's operating habits, if he has any! Is he answering 
tail-enders? Does he move his VFO after each contact ? . . . and so on. 
Try and find a clear frequency and sit tight. The DX is bound to find 
you before the band folds, or before his QRT for a visit to the 
sand-box. Occasionally check your transmit frequency to make sure some 
big gun is not wiping you out.

Send only YOUR callsign. The DX knows HIS callsign (its written on his 
license, probably etched in stone above his operating position) but he 
needs to know your callsign for the log. Check out a pile up on SSB or 
CW, you rarely hear the DX chaser giving out the DX station's callsign, 
so why waste time doing it in RTTY?

Hooray, you got through the pile up. If the DX is running contest style, 
he is probably only interested in your callsign and a report. Drop your 
name in once or twice just to be friendly and possibly your 
State/Province abbreviation, just in case the DX is working for WAS. 
Forget about your city, county, the WX, what you had for lunch--and 
station equipment macros. Even if you know the operator personally let 
HIM decide whether he wants to have a QSO with you. Remember, there are 
probably many more stations wanting to get in the log, so please have a 
thought for those anxiously waiting in line. Keep the exchange short and 
sweet and you will not make too many enemies. Be verbose and you are 
sure to upset quite a few folks, believe me. I'll be one of them :-)

You are in the log.

After the usual exchange of reports and the DX signs "SK", do not go 
back for a super final. SK means, end of work or transmission to a 
particular callsign. In plain Queen's English, "I've finished with you, 
thanks very much, don't transmit again because I want to work someone 
else". Of course SK is also used for hams who have passed away. Beware, 
you may become one of them, if you attend the next RTTY dinner at Dayton 
and get beat about the head with cricket bats.

 From the DX's point of view, sending KN after a callsign should make it 
clear to other callers that he wants ONLY that station to respond. In 
practice, most of the time, it appears that everyone EXCEPT the 'named' 
station, calls again. KN means "invitation to transmit, named station 
only", so please respect the DX station's wishes and give him a chance 
to work whoever he specifies. If the DX answers a non specified caller, 
then he has only himself to blame for the resulting alphabet soup that 
will appear on his screen.

Simplex

If the DX decides to work simplex, be on your guard and watch your 
screen closely. A good DX operator should put your call at the END of 
his transmission, with a couple of KN's for good measure. Be ready to 
hit the TX button, otherwise some eager beaver will jump in and mess 
things up for you. Do not 'break' during an exchange, it causes 
onfusion, disrupts the flow and is basically rude and inconsiderate.

Lists.

List operations on RTTY have been tried many times. To date I have not 
seen a successful one and doubt if I ever will. In this mode, the list 
master has no control whatsoever. Because of the nature of RTTY, longer 
transmissions are required than in CW or SSB. The resulting chaos, 
frustrates the list master, the incessant callers and most importantly, 
the DX operator, who then QRT's and thinks RTTY is not for him and then 
returns to those "other" modes, never to be seen on your screen again. 
Not a good idea, especially if you NEED him for a new one.

Lets all try and prove to the DX operator and future DXpedition 
organizers, that RTTY operators are a polite and considerate bunch of 
ladies and gentlemen.

To summarize:

EDDIE'S COMMANDMENTS for the DX STATION
(Not carved in stone)

1. Thou shalt not pick a transmit frequency below .082 mark, on the high 
bands.

2. Thou shalt not listen more than 2-5kH above or below your transmit 
frequency.

3. Thou shalt ensure that the callsign of the station you are working, 
appears at the END of your transmission.

4. Thou shalt, after each contact, inform the callers where you are 
listening.

5. Thou shalt not contact anyone on your transmit frequency.

6. Thou shalt not forget that there are many countries who wish to work 
you.

7. Thou shalt try to "predict" propagation paths to ALL those countries 
who are patiently waiting to get in your log.

8. Thou shalt periodically inform all stations of the QSL route.

9. Thou shalt not make skeds and then not keep your promise.(subject to 
unforeseen problems, like Murphy's Law)

10.Thou shalt make it clear to all parties, when you have ended one 
contact and wish to make a make a new one.

EDDIE'S COMMANDMENTS for the DX chaser
(Written on parchment)

1. Thou shalt not use RY.\'s, EVER.

2. Thou shalt adhere to the DX station's requests.

3. Thou shalt not send the DX station's callsign more than once.

4. Thou shalt send YOUR callsign only three or four times.

5. Thou shalt not transmit on the DX station's frequency if he is 
running a split operation.

6. Thou shalt not become abusive to other stations who occasionally 
transmit on the wrong frequency.

7. Thou shalt inform the transgressor in KISS (Keep It Short Stupid) 
mode, as to where the DX is listening.

8. Thou shalt not send more than your name and abbreviated 
State/Province letters in your exchange, unless the DX station begins a 
rag-chew with you first.

9. Thou shalt not transmit when the DX sends KN, unless YOUR callsign is 
seen.

10.Thou shalt not transmit once your report has been confirmed, unless 
invited to do so by the DX station.

11.Thou shalt not transmit after the DX signs SK, CL or QRZ?

These are my views of how to get in the DX station's log and how the DX 
station ought to maximize his time on the air.

Good luck and happy hunting,

de W6/G0AZT

http://www.ewarg.org/g0azt.htm


This post came in as I am wrapping up a presentation on "RTTY DXing" for DX
University this coming Friday at the IDXC in Visalia, CA.  It sort of caught
my attention.

Many of the skills that work on one mode also apply to the other modes.
However, there are some key differences, of course.  For a start, many of
the behaviors we see in RTTY DXing, or contesting, are counter-productive.
Simply following the best practices that have evolved over the years in CW
DXing would be a big improvement.  We should always ask why the RTTY mode
needs to be different.  Many times there is no good reason other than
tradition.

For example, a pseudo-QSK (or, more accurately semi-break-in) can be
mimicked if everyone would make their call sign message just a single
instance of their call sign.  Then, they can tap the message key once,
listen for a few milliseconds, before tapping it again.  This way, they can
send their call sign multiple times, if appropriate, but stop sending when
the DX station starts transmitting.  This single call sign message can
dynamically create a string of call signs of any length.  Unfortunately, the
norm nowadays is to punch a message key that repeats one's call sign 4
times, so the transmission often doubles with the DX station.  If the DX
station is not transmitting when this long message completes, they operator
may send it again, leading to very inefficient operating.

The obvious main difference with the RTTY mode is the use of a hardware or
software decoder rather than the human ear/brain as in CW.  This fact
rightfully makes some of the RTTY operating behavior and messaging different
than CW or SSB.

One example is sending a serial number, or other unique exchange element,
twice in an exchange.  In CW, a serial number is typically sent just once
and the receiving operator's ear/brain can usually tell if he got a clean
copy.  In RTTY, that dimension is missing and all we have to go on is what
prints.  That is not enough to judge reliability of the copy, so it is
advisable to send a serial number twice.  (Sending it three times so the
receiver can have confidence of at least two of the three match is better,
but of course takes more time.)  GRITTY has advanced decoding capability in
this regard by applying Bayesian statistics, but it is still not as capable
as the ear/brain is for CW.  Thanks for your creative contributions in this
area, Alex.

BTW, there were times this weekend when GRITTY allowed me to copy my report
from a weak DX station buried in DQRM when MMTTY and 2Tone got no hint.
Pretty cool.

Ed W0YK


Alex VE3NEA wrote:

I started chasing DX using RTTY three months ago, after 35 years of DX'ing
CW only. Trying to learn the new mode, I searched the
Internet for RTTY tutorials, and I found quite a few, but all of them either
explained how to set up MMTTY, the software that I
do not use, or how to operate in the contests. The only presentation on RTTY
DX'ing I could find just told me that I needed two
macros, my callsign and "599 TU" - something that I had already figured out
myself. How to crack the pileups, how to find the DX
listening frequency, how to choose the right time to send your call - none
of this was covered in the publications that I could
find. I know that many of the subscribers to this list are experienced RTTY
DX'ers, even though it is a contesting list, some
are even on the Honor Roll - perhaps you guys could share your RTTY DX'ing
techniques with those of us who are just making their
first steps in this area.

Having no RTTY-specific skills, I tried to use my CW techniques to crack the
RTTY pileups, and this worked, to some extent, but
I quickly discovered that there are some important differences between the
two modes that needed to be addressed. For examnple,
in CW I use QSK to know when the DX station starts transmitting, so I can
abort my own transmission and listen. Since there is
no QSK in RTTY, those who send their call 4 or 5 times, have no idea if the
DX has already answered someone or is still
listening for a new call. They just keep calling, often on top of the
station being worked. My solution to that is to ensure
that my own messages are shorter than anything the DX might send. Since the
DX usually sends something like <call> 599 <call>, I
figured I should send my own call no more than 2 times, then I will catch at
least the end of the DX transmission and know in
what stage the current QSO is.

There is another difference between CW and RTTY. When I find the DX
listening frequency in CW, I tune my TX about 100 Hz higher
or lower, since I know several others will be calling precisely on that
frequency and will interfere with each other. This often
works in CW, but not in RTTY: the RTTY decoders do not pick up the signals
that are 100 Hz off, so I have to either call on that
exact frequency or tune a few hundred Hz away, hoping that the DX will do
the same.

One technique that rarely worked for me in CW but worked much better in RTTY
is tailgating. If the DX operates simplex, quite
often several stations start calling him on the same frequency, resulting in
no copy at all. I wait until they finish calling,
then, without any pause, send my call once. On more than one occasion I
added a new one to the log using this trick.

What works for you, and what doesn't? What extra hardware or software does
one need to be competitive in the RTTY pileups?
Please share your experience.

73 Alex VE3NEA