|
After the short email I sent out a couple of days ago, I got
several questions, so I¡¯ve put together a more detailed explanation about what
I do to try to operate FT8 while minimizing distortion.?
I¡¯ve attached it to this email.
If this subject is of interest to you, let me know if anything
I have in here is hard to follow or is unclear, or if you have ideas that we
ought to try for this.
The only thing I haven¡¯t done is find someone near the remote that could ¡®look¡¯ at my signal from their home station to see if my signal is in
fact clean, or if I¡¯ve let the lack of ¡°ALC¡± fool me. 73-Greg NI5W
|
Aloha Y'all: Why the white noise ?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 01:54:24 PM CST, Greg Morrow <gbmorrow@...> wrote:
After the short email I sent out a couple of days ago, I gotseveral questions, so I¡¯ve put together a more detailed explanation about whatI do to try to operate FT8 while minimizing distortion.? I¡¯ve attached it to this email. If this subject is of interest to you, let me know if anythingI have in here is hard to follow or is unclear, or if you have ideas that weought to try for this. The only thing I haven¡¯t done is find someone near the remote that could ¡®look¡¯ at my signal from their home station to see if my signal is infact clean, or if I¡¯ve let the lack of ¡°ALC¡± fool me. 73-Greg NI5W
|
Howdy
When I transmitted on FT8 on the remote I was unable to make it through a whole 15 second xmit cycle without the signal distorting by the end of the cycle and the ALC climbing to 100.? This even happened when I lowered the power to about? 20w.? I've tried to research why this distortion happens, and why the white injection helped by haven't found a clear explanation yet.
While searching, I found the document WSJT-X Operation by W2HUV.? This document talks about injecting white noise to help solve the distortion problem.? I tried it and it seemed to work.
In that document there is a link to a youtube video by KC7C where he demonstrates it.
Don had mentioned he had noticed me running FT8 on W7DXX a few times and all the metrics looked good, and that some of the other folks were having difficulties with getting the settings right for a clean signal, and asked if I could provide some details on what I was doing.
I thought I heard a rumor that there was work being done for a future release of RCForb that addresses this issue, but I don't know if that's really in the works or may just be a dream I had...
73 Greg-NI5W
On Sun, Jan 16, 2022 at 3:54 PM ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote: Aloha Y'all: Why the white noise ?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 01:54:24 PM CST, Greg Morrow < gbmorrow@...> wrote:
After the short email I sent out a couple of days ago, I gotseveral questions, so I¡¯ve put together a more detailed explanation about whatI do to try to operate FT8 while minimizing distortion.? I¡¯ve attached it to this email. If this subject is of interest to you, let me know if anythingI have in here is hard to follow or is unclear, or if you have ideas that weought to try for this. The only thing I haven¡¯t done is find someone near the remote that could ¡®look¡¯ at my signal from their home station to see if my signal is infact clean, or if I¡¯ve let the lack of ¡°ALC¡± fool me. 73-Greg NI5W
|
If people are running 75 watts or so on FT8...Is it even worth the bother for me to run my 5 watt FT8?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 04:46:08 PM CST, Greg Morrow <gbmorrow@...> wrote:
Howdy
When I transmitted on FT8 on the remote I was unable to make it through a whole 15 second xmit cycle without the signal distorting by the end of the cycle and the ALC climbing to 100.? This even happened when I lowered the power to about? 20w.? I've tried to research why this distortion happens, and why the white injection helped by haven't found a clear explanation yet.
While searching, I found the document WSJT-X Operation by W2HUV.? This document talks about injecting white noise to help solve the distortion problem.? I tried it and it seemed to work.
In that document there is a link to a youtube video by KC7C where he demonstrates it.
Don had mentioned he had noticed me running FT8 on W7DXX a few times and all the metrics looked good, and that some of the other folks were having difficulties with getting the settings right for a clean signal, and asked if I could provide some details on what I was doing.
I thought I heard a rumor that there was work being done for a future release of RCForb that addresses this issue, but I don't know if that's really in the works or may just be a dream I had...
73 Greg-NI5W
On Sun, Jan 16, 2022 at 3:54 PM ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote: Aloha Y'all: Why the white noise ?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 01:54:24 PM CST, Greg Morrow < gbmorrow@...> wrote:
After the short email I sent out a couple of days ago, I gotseveral questions, so I¡¯ve put together a more detailed explanation about whatI do to try to operate FT8 while minimizing distortion.? I¡¯ve attached it to this email. If this subject is of interest to you, let me know if anythingI have in here is hard to follow or is unclear, or if you have ideas that weought to try for this. The only thing I haven¡¯t done is find someone near the remote that could ¡®look¡¯ at my signal from their home station to see if my signal is infact clean, or if I¡¯ve let the lack of ¡°ALC¡± fool me. 73-Greg NI5W
|
Running even more, splattering all over. QRO is important to some hams. Even if one can't hear them, you can keep calling with your QRO.
I really think many hams do not understand the abilities of FT8.
---
Ciao baby, catch you on the flip side
73 de W3AB/GEO AFA9GB WA2LSI, KE6RJW, W7B, AAR9AG http://www.w3ab.org You can say "over", you can say "out", you just can't say "over and out".
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 03:30:20 PM PST, ussv dharma via groups.io <ussvdharma@...> wrote:
If people are running 75 watts or so on FT8...Is it even worth the bother for me to run my 5 watt FT8?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 04:46:08 PM CST, Greg Morrow <gbmorrow@...> wrote:
Howdy
When I transmitted on FT8 on the remote I was unable to make it through a whole 15 second xmit cycle without the signal distorting by the end of the cycle and the ALC climbing to 100.? This even happened when I lowered the power to about? 20w.? I've tried to research why this distortion happens, and why the white injection helped by haven't found a clear explanation yet.
While searching, I found the document WSJT-X Operation by W2HUV.? This document talks about injecting white noise to help solve the distortion problem.? I tried it and it seemed to work.
In that document there is a link to a youtube video by KC7C where he demonstrates it.
Don had mentioned he had noticed me running FT8 on W7DXX a few times and all the metrics looked good, and that some of the other folks were having difficulties with getting the settings right for a clean signal, and asked if I could provide some details on what I was doing.
I thought I heard a rumor that there was work being done for a future release of RCForb that addresses this issue, but I don't know if that's really in the works or may just be a dream I had...
73 Greg-NI5W
On Sun, Jan 16, 2022 at 3:54 PM ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote: Aloha Y'all: Why the white noise ?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 01:54:24 PM CST, Greg Morrow < gbmorrow@...> wrote:
After the short email I sent out a couple of days ago, I gotseveral questions, so I¡¯ve put together a more detailed explanation about whatI do to try to operate FT8 while minimizing distortion.? I¡¯ve attached it to this email. If this subject is of interest to you, let me know if anythingI have in here is hard to follow or is unclear, or if you have ideas that weought to try for this. The only thing I haven¡¯t done is find someone near the remote that could ¡®look¡¯ at my signal from their home station to see if my signal is infact clean, or if I¡¯ve let the lack of ¡°ALC¡± fool me. 73-Greg NI5W
|
First, I¡¯ll reiterate that the reason I posted what I did to
the list is that I was asked to write up what I do to help mitigate a problem
RCForb has producing clean signals with FT8 because several folks had been
having problems doing so.?
In case I didn¡¯t make it clear in that document, I¡¯m new to
FT8.? I have read pretty much everything
I could find about it, but have learned more about operating FT8, especially via
remote, from W7DXX members.? If something
came across in what I posted that makes it sound like I am telling folks what
they ought to do, then I apologize.? I
attempted, perhaps poorly, to emphasize that I wrote up things that worked for
me and that may or may not work for anyone else.
I have seen a lot of discussion on some of the boards about
what the appropriate power to use on FT8 should be.? Most of those discussions seem to devolve into a bunch of folks shouting at each other.? There¡¯s
almost as many discussions about power levels on FT* as there are about whether FT8
will ruin ham radio forever.
Anyway, I do learn from others.? I think Susan was trying to tell me that
perhaps running lower power, such as 5 watts, might be a better idea than
trying to set power at 75 watts.? It
sounds like it will be worth a try.? When
I do, though, I will try my best to make sure the 5 watt signal is not distorted
by RCForb.? But if there was something
else you were trying to tell me, please try again, I think I missed it.
I¡¯m not sure, but I think George was trying to tell me that
extra power is not a good idea on FT8.? I
can certainly understand that.? From the
little bit I¡¯ve learned, if I respond to a CQ on FT8 from someone I¡¯d really
like to contact twice without a response, I know to stop, then to set my listen
to their freq.? I wait to see if I can actually
¡®hear¡¯ them, then wait for them to end their current QSO and try to contact the
again.? I figure if I can¡¯t ¡®hear¡¯ them
there¡¯s no reason for me to keep trying, and if they can¡¯t ¡°hear¡± me after a few
times I know to move on.? While I know
some folks might want to keep trying just using higher and higher output, I really
can¡¯t see me doing that.?? But, again, if
that¡¯s not what you were trying to tell me please let me know, sometimes I¡¯m a
little slow.
Anyway, I am more than open to suggestions anyone has that
can help make be me a better operator.
73
Greg-NI5W
?
Running even more, splattering all over. QRO is important to some hams. Even if one can't hear them, you can keep calling with your QRO.
I really think many hams do not understand the abilities of FT8.
---
Ciao baby, catch you on the flip side
73 de W3AB/GEO AFA9GB WA2LSI, KE6RJW, W7B, AAR9AG You can say "over", you can say "out", you just can't say "over and out".
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 03:30:20 PM PST, ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote:
If people are running 75 watts or so on FT8...Is it even worth the bother for me to run my 5 watt FT8?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
|
Aloha Y'all: I thought FT8 was originally being used to make contacts (computer to computer) using low power....somehow I got the impression that High power was discouraged, I could be wrong as I am a real new
FT8 operator. High power, 13 element log periodic and yes lots of contacts are made. But it thrills me when Ican make a contact with my low power and OCF for an antenna. However I have to admit my antenna is up 146 feet and fed with 1.25" hardline. Over that I have no control here at the Armed Forces Retirement Home. In any event I was not trying to tell anyone anything, just inquiring if my lowly rig would make it.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 07:00:18 PM CST, Greg Morrow <gbmorrow@...> wrote:
First, I¡¯ll reiterate that the reason I posted what I did tothe list is that I was asked to write up what I do to help mitigate a problemRCForb has producing clean signals with FT8 because several folks had beenhaving problems doing so.? In case I didn¡¯t make it clear in that document, I¡¯m new toFT8.? I have read pretty much everythingI could find about it, but have learned more about operating FT8, especially viaremote, from W7DXX members.? If somethingcame across in what I posted that makes it sound like I am telling folks whatthey ought to do, then I apologize.? Iattempted, perhaps poorly, to emphasize that I wrote up things that worked forme and that may or may not work for anyone else. I have seen a lot of discussion on some of the boards aboutwhat the appropriate power to use on FT8 should be.? Most of those discussions seem to devolve into a bunch of folks shouting at each other.? There¡¯salmost as many discussions about power levels on FT* as there are about whether FT8will ruin ham radio forever. Anyway, I do learn from others.? I think Susan was trying to tell me thatperhaps running lower power, such as 5 watts, might be a better idea thantrying to set power at 75 watts.? Itsounds like it will be worth a try.? WhenI do, though, I will try my best to make sure the 5 watt signal is not distortedby RCForb.? But if there was somethingelse you were trying to tell me, please try again, I think I missed it. I¡¯m not sure, but I think George was trying to tell me thatextra power is not a good idea on FT8.? Ican certainly understand that.? From thelittle bit I¡¯ve learned, if I respond to a CQ on FT8 from someone I¡¯d reallylike to contact twice without a response, I know to stop, then to set my listento their freq.? I wait to see if I can actually¡®hear¡¯ them, then wait for them to end their current QSO and try to contact theagain.? I figure if I can¡¯t ¡®hear¡¯ themthere¡¯s no reason for me to keep trying, and if they can¡¯t ¡°hear¡± me after a fewtimes I know to move on.? While I knowsome folks might want to keep trying just using higher and higher output, I reallycan¡¯t see me doing that.?? But, again, ifthat¡¯s not what you were trying to tell me please let me know, sometimes I¡¯m alittle slow. Anyway, I am more than open to suggestions anyone has thatcan help make be me a better operator. 73 Greg-NI5W ?
Running even more, splattering all over. QRO is important to some hams. Even if one can't hear them, you can keep calling with your QRO.
I really think many hams do not understand the abilities of FT8.
---
Ciao baby, catch you on the flip side
73 de W3AB/GEO AFA9GB WA2LSI, KE6RJW, W7B, AAR9AG You can say "over", you can say "out", you just can't say "over and out".
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 03:30:20 PM PST, ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote:
If people are running 75 watts or so on FT8...Is it even worth the bother for me to run my 5 watt FT8?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
|
Personally I prefer to a rag chew qso via cw with me sending at the speed of the other station. It amazes me that on 20 you hear the eastern European stations calling cq after cq at 35-50 wpm, and oddly enough they do not make many if any qso's. However at the same time down the band is some low power cw station sending at anywhere from 6 or 7 wpm to maybe 15 making qso after qso....Wonder why? Having been a steady ham since 1952 I can talk about the old days.....and it was always a courtesy to send at the speed of the other station....we all had to start somewhere. So although I still do 30-34 wpm ( at 86 years old) I am often heard down the band having a rag chew qso with a station at 8 or 9 wpm.....There I feel better, vented my spleen without going on the air.....Thanks for listening to an old lady with a limp.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 08:23:35 PM CST, ussv dharma via groups.io <ussvdharma@...> wrote:
Aloha Y'all: I thought FT8 was originally being used to make contacts (computer to computer) using low power....somehow I got the impression that High power was discouraged, I could be wrong as I am a real new
FT8 operator. High power, 13 element log periodic and yes lots of contacts are made. But it thrills me when Ican make a contact with my low power and OCF for an antenna. However I have to admit my antenna is up 146 feet and fed with 1.25" hardline. Over that I have no control here at the Armed Forces Retirement Home. In any event I was not trying to tell anyone anything, just inquiring if my lowly rig would make it.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 07:00:18 PM CST, Greg Morrow <gbmorrow@...> wrote:
First, I¡¯ll reiterate that the reason I posted what I did tothe list is that I was asked to write up what I do to help mitigate a problemRCForb has producing clean signals with FT8 because several folks had beenhaving problems doing so.? In case I didn¡¯t make it clear in that document, I¡¯m new toFT8.? I have read pretty much everythingI could find about it, but have learned more about operating FT8, especially viaremote, from W7DXX members.? If somethingcame across in what I posted that makes it sound like I am telling folks whatthey ought to do, then I apologize.? Iattempted, perhaps poorly, to emphasize that I wrote up things that worked forme and that may or may not work for anyone else. I have seen a lot of discussion on some of the boards aboutwhat the appropriate power to use on FT8 should be.? Most of those discussions seem to devolve into a bunch of folks shouting at each other.? There¡¯salmost as many discussions about power levels on FT* as there are about whether FT8will ruin ham radio forever. Anyway, I do learn from others.? I think Susan was trying to tell me thatperhaps running lower power, such as 5 watts, might be a better idea thantrying to set power at 75 watts.? Itsounds like it will be worth a try.? WhenI do, though, I will try my best to make sure the 5 watt signal is not distortedby RCForb.? But if there was somethingelse you were trying to tell me, please try again, I think I missed it. I¡¯m not sure, but I think George was trying to tell me thatextra power is not a good idea on FT8.? Ican certainly understand that.? From thelittle bit I¡¯ve learned, if I respond to a CQ on FT8 from someone I¡¯d reallylike to contact twice without a response, I know to stop, then to set my listento their freq.? I wait to see if I can actually¡®hear¡¯ them, then wait for them to end their current QSO and try to contact theagain.? I figure if I can¡¯t ¡®hear¡¯ themthere¡¯s no reason for me to keep trying, and if they can¡¯t ¡°hear¡± me after a fewtimes I know to move on.? While I knowsome folks might want to keep trying just using higher and higher output, I reallycan¡¯t see me doing that.?? But, again, ifthat¡¯s not what you were trying to tell me please let me know, sometimes I¡¯m alittle slow. Anyway, I am more than open to suggestions anyone has thatcan help make be me a better operator. 73 Greg-NI5W ?
Running even more, splattering all over. QRO is important to some hams. Even if one can't hear them, you can keep calling with your QRO.
I really think many hams do not understand the abilities of FT8.
---
Ciao baby, catch you on the flip side
73 de W3AB/GEO AFA9GB WA2LSI, KE6RJW, W7B, AAR9AG You can say "over", you can say "out", you just can't say "over and out".
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 03:30:20 PM PST, ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote:
If people are running 75 watts or so on FT8...Is it even worth the bother for me to run my 5 watt FT8?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
|
I also am not an expert.? I like to compare my received report to my sent report and adjust power accordingly.? 30 watts is usually sufficient unless you operate on 80? and 160.? So it depends on the frequency and conditions.? But most of you know that.??
Bottom line, if everyone is giving you a much better signal than you are giving them, you should not be happy for the great reports, you should reduce power.?
Dale - N3BNA
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 08:00:20 PM EST, Greg Morrow <gbmorrow@...> wrote:
First, I¡¯ll reiterate that the reason I posted what I did to
the list is that I was asked to write up what I do to help mitigate a problem
RCForb has producing clean signals with FT8 because several folks had been
having problems doing so.?
In case I didn¡¯t make it clear in that document, I¡¯m new to
FT8.? I have read pretty much everything
I could find about it, but have learned more about operating FT8, especially via
remote, from W7DXX members.? If something
came across in what I posted that makes it sound like I am telling folks what
they ought to do, then I apologize.? I
attempted, perhaps poorly, to emphasize that I wrote up things that worked for
me and that may or may not work for anyone else.
I have seen a lot of discussion on some of the boards about
what the appropriate power to use on FT8 should be.? Most of those discussions seem to devolve into a bunch of folks shouting at each other.? There¡¯s
almost as many discussions about power levels on FT* as there are about whether FT8
will ruin ham radio forever.
Anyway, I do learn from others.? I think Susan was trying to tell me that
perhaps running lower power, such as 5 watts, might be a better idea than
trying to set power at 75 watts.? It
sounds like it will be worth a try.? When
I do, though, I will try my best to make sure the 5 watt signal is not distorted
by RCForb.? But if there was something
else you were trying to tell me, please try again, I think I missed it.
I¡¯m not sure, but I think George was trying to tell me that
extra power is not a good idea on FT8.? I
can certainly understand that.? From the
little bit I¡¯ve learned, if I respond to a CQ on FT8 from someone I¡¯d really
like to contact twice without a response, I know to stop, then to set my listen
to their freq.? I wait to see if I can actually
¡®hear¡¯ them, then wait for them to end their current QSO and try to contact the
again.? I figure if I can¡¯t ¡®hear¡¯ them
there¡¯s no reason for me to keep trying, and if they can¡¯t ¡°hear¡± me after a few
times I know to move on.? While I know
some folks might want to keep trying just using higher and higher output, I really
can¡¯t see me doing that.?? But, again, if
that¡¯s not what you were trying to tell me please let me know, sometimes I¡¯m a
little slow.
Anyway, I am more than open to suggestions anyone has that
can help make be me a better operator.
73
Greg-NI5W
?
Running even more, splattering all over. QRO is important to some hams. Even if one can't hear them, you can keep calling with your QRO.
I really think many hams do not understand the abilities of FT8.
---
Ciao baby, catch you on the flip side
73 de W3AB/GEO AFA9GB WA2LSI, KE6RJW, W7B, AAR9AG You can say "over", you can say "out", you just can't say "over and out".
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 03:30:20 PM PST, ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote:
If people are running 75 watts or so on FT8...Is it even worth the bother for me to run my 5 watt FT8?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
|
Susan
I¡¯m really glad you mentioned that.? I was first licensed in 1971, let it lapse in
76 and got back in from 82-86, then real life snuck in and I let it lapse until
2009.? I was pretty good at staying stealthy
in the 80¡¯s, running wires in the attic, but once I got back in 2009 I was in a
house with a strict HOA.? The other thing
about new houses in this part of the world (south central Texas) is most new
attics, besides having a ton of insulation are often (like mine) shielded with
aluminum, making an attic antenna not very feasible.? That¡¯s when I found out about IRB¡¯s and
lucked into joining W7DXX.? I¡¯ve been,
off and on, trying to think of how to set up a home station, but other than
doing a mobile and driving out to the top of various parking garages I really
haven¡¯t thought of a good approach where I feel like I could get a decent
signal out.? Even a vertical disguised in
a flagpole would require groveling before the HOA.? But thinking about your 5W FT8 home station
got me thinking, maybe I could put together something like a magnetic loop or
tomato cage antenna or something similar.?
Even with low power it may be worth experimenting with.?
Thanks for planning the idea.
On Sun, Jan 16, 2022 at 8:28 PM ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote: Personally I prefer to a rag chew qso via cw with me sending at the speed of the other station. It amazes me that on 20 you hear the eastern European stations calling cq after cq at 35-50 wpm, and oddly enough they do not make many if any qso's. However at the same time down the band is some low power cw station sending at anywhere from 6 or 7 wpm to maybe 15 making qso after qso....Wonder why? Having been a steady ham since 1952 I can talk about the old days.....and it was always a courtesy to send at the speed of the other station....we all had to start somewhere. So although I still do 30-34 wpm ( at 86 years old) I am often heard down the band having a rag chew qso with a station at 8 or 9 wpm.....There I feel better, vented my spleen without going on the air.....Thanks for listening to an old lady with a limp.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 08:23:35 PM CST, ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote:
Aloha Y'all: I thought FT8 was originally being used to make contacts (computer to computer) using low power....somehow I got the impression that High power was discouraged, I could be wrong as I am a real new
FT8 operator. High power, 13 element log periodic and yes lots of contacts are made. But it thrills me when Ican make a contact with my low power and OCF for an antenna. However I have to admit my antenna is up 146 feet and fed with 1.25" hardline. Over that I have no control here at the Armed Forces Retirement Home. In any event I was not trying to tell anyone anything, just inquiring if my lowly rig would make it.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 07:00:18 PM CST, Greg Morrow < gbmorrow@...> wrote:
First, I¡¯ll reiterate that the reason I posted what I did tothe list is that I was asked to write up what I do to help mitigate a problemRCForb has producing clean signals with FT8 because several folks had beenhaving problems doing so.? In case I didn¡¯t make it clear in that document, I¡¯m new toFT8.? I have read pretty much everythingI could find about it, but have learned more about operating FT8, especially viaremote, from W7DXX members.? If somethingcame across in what I posted that makes it sound like I am telling folks whatthey ought to do, then I apologize.? Iattempted, perhaps poorly, to emphasize that I wrote up things that worked forme and that may or may not work for anyone else. I have seen a lot of discussion on some of the boards aboutwhat the appropriate power to use on FT8 should be.? Most of those discussions seem to devolve into a bunch of folks shouting at each other.? There¡¯salmost as many discussions about power levels on FT* as there are about whether FT8will ruin ham radio forever. Anyway, I do learn from others.? I think Susan was trying to tell me thatperhaps running lower power, such as 5 watts, might be a better idea thantrying to set power at 75 watts.? Itsounds like it will be worth a try.? WhenI do, though, I will try my best to make sure the 5 watt signal is not distortedby RCForb.? But if there was somethingelse you were trying to tell me, please try again, I think I missed it. I¡¯m not sure, but I think George was trying to tell me thatextra power is not a good idea on FT8.? Ican certainly understand that.? From thelittle bit I¡¯ve learned, if I respond to a CQ on FT8 from someone I¡¯d reallylike to contact twice without a response, I know to stop, then to set my listento their freq.? I wait to see if I can actually¡®hear¡¯ them, then wait for them to end their current QSO and try to contact theagain.? I figure if I can¡¯t ¡®hear¡¯ themthere¡¯s no reason for me to keep trying, and if they can¡¯t ¡°hear¡± me after a fewtimes I know to move on.? While I knowsome folks might want to keep trying just using higher and higher output, I reallycan¡¯t see me doing that.?? But, again, ifthat¡¯s not what you were trying to tell me please let me know, sometimes I¡¯m alittle slow. Anyway, I am more than open to suggestions anyone has thatcan help make be me a better operator. 73 Greg-NI5W ? Running even more, splattering all over. QRO is important to some hams. Even if one can't hear them, you can keep calling with your QRO.
I really think many hams do not understand the abilities of FT8.
---
Ciao baby, catch you on the flip side
73 de W3AB/GEO AFA9GB WA2LSI, KE6RJW, W7B, AAR9AG You can say "over", you can say "out", you just can't say "over and out".
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 03:30:20 PM PST, ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote:
If people are running 75 watts or so on FT8...Is it even worth the bother for me to run my 5 watt FT8?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
|
Are there rain gutters ? are you able to get to the eaves hanging over from the roof, screens on windows strung together? Weather station ( of course requires the flag pole ant) that gets good weather bureau or NOAA info for you are which is then pu t o0n the internet for all the people in the home , etc. something like that (for the benefit of all the HOA home owners) cdourse you never mention the verticle insid of the flag pose, but flag on top.; with "weather antenna" in plain sight on the flgpole up.... If y ou are on upper floor floors a inverted verticle ( wire hung outside the window when on the air, pulled back in the window when not on the air) Did this with great success.
Mobile loaded whip (black of course) stuck out thru y our screen and using screen and a wire under your rug for ground. This worked great for me in one occasion.....lots of ways....think outside the box, an antenna does not have to be long, not straight, can be zig zag, etc. Thin copper (adhesive on one side) painted same color as home and somehow applied to outside, under shingles, behind plastic gutters, etc. Hope this has got you thinking.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Monday, January 17, 2022, 12:40:34 PM CST, Greg Morrow <gbmorrow@...> wrote:
Susan I¡¯m really glad you mentioned that.? I was first licensed in 1971, let it lapse in76 and got back in from 82-86, then real life snuck in and I let it lapse until2009.? I was pretty good at staying stealthyin the 80¡¯s, running wires in the attic, but once I got back in 2009 I was in ahouse with a strict HOA.? The other thingabout new houses in this part of the world (south central Texas) is most newattics, besides having a ton of insulation are often (like mine) shielded withaluminum, making an attic antenna not very feasible.? That¡¯s when I found out about IRB¡¯s andlucked into joining W7DXX.? I¡¯ve been,off and on, trying to think of how to set up a home station, but other thandoing a mobile and driving out to the top of various parking garages I reallyhaven¡¯t thought of a good approach where I feel like I could get a decentsignal out.? Even a vertical disguised ina flagpole would require groveling before the HOA.? But thinking about your 5W FT8 home stationgot me thinking, maybe I could put together something like a magnetic loop ortomato cage antenna or something similar.?Even with low power it may be worth experimenting with.? Thanks for planning the idea.
On Sun, Jan 16, 2022 at 8:28 PM ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote: Personally I prefer to a rag chew qso via cw with me sending at the speed of the other station. It amazes me that on 20 you hear the eastern European stations calling cq after cq at 35-50 wpm, and oddly enough they do not make many if any qso's. However at the same time down the band is some low power cw station sending at anywhere from 6 or 7 wpm to maybe 15 making qso after qso....Wonder why? Having been a steady ham since 1952 I can talk about the old days.....and it was always a courtesy to send at the speed of the other station....we all had to start somewhere. So although I still do 30-34 wpm ( at 86 years old) I am often heard down the band having a rag chew qso with a station at 8 or 9 wpm.....There I feel better, vented my spleen without going on the air.....Thanks for listening to an old lady with a limp.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 08:23:35 PM CST, ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote:
Aloha Y'all: I thought FT8 was originally being used to make contacts (computer to computer) using low power....somehow I got the impression that High power was discouraged, I could be wrong as I am a real new
FT8 operator. High power, 13 element log periodic and yes lots of contacts are made. But it thrills me when Ican make a contact with my low power and OCF for an antenna. However I have to admit my antenna is up 146 feet and fed with 1.25" hardline. Over that I have no control here at the Armed Forces Retirement Home. In any event I was not trying to tell anyone anything, just inquiring if my lowly rig would make it.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 07:00:18 PM CST, Greg Morrow < gbmorrow@...> wrote:
First, I¡¯ll reiterate that the reason I posted what I did tothe list is that I was asked to write up what I do to help mitigate a problemRCForb has producing clean signals with FT8 because several folks had beenhaving problems doing so.? In case I didn¡¯t make it clear in that document, I¡¯m new toFT8.? I have read pretty much everythingI could find about it, but have learned more about operating FT8, especially viaremote, from W7DXX members.? If somethingcame across in what I posted that makes it sound like I am telling folks whatthey ought to do, then I apologize.? Iattempted, perhaps poorly, to emphasize that I wrote up things that worked forme and that may or may not work for anyone else. I have seen a lot of discussion on some of the boards aboutwhat the appropriate power to use on FT8 should be.? Most of those discussions seem to devolve into a bunch of folks shouting at each other.? There¡¯salmost as many discussions about power levels on FT* as there are about whether FT8will ruin ham radio forever. Anyway, I do learn from others.? I think Susan was trying to tell me thatperhaps running lower power, such as 5 watts, might be a better idea thantrying to set power at 75 watts.? Itsounds like it will be worth a try.? WhenI do, though, I will try my best to make sure the 5 watt signal is not distortedby RCForb.? But if there was somethingelse you were trying to tell me, please try again, I think I missed it. I¡¯m not sure, but I think George was trying to tell me thatextra power is not a good idea on FT8.? Ican certainly understand that.? From thelittle bit I¡¯ve learned, if I respond to a CQ on FT8 from someone I¡¯d reallylike to contact twice without a response, I know to stop, then to set my listento their freq.? I wait to see if I can actually¡®hear¡¯ them, then wait for them to end their current QSO and try to contact theagain.? I figure if I can¡¯t ¡®hear¡¯ themthere¡¯s no reason for me to keep trying, and if they can¡¯t ¡°hear¡± me after a fewtimes I know to move on.? While I knowsome folks might want to keep trying just using higher and higher output, I reallycan¡¯t see me doing that.?? But, again, ifthat¡¯s not what you were trying to tell me please let me know, sometimes I¡¯m alittle slow. Anyway, I am more than open to suggestions anyone has thatcan help make be me a better operator. 73 Greg-NI5W ? Running even more, splattering all over. QRO is important to some hams. Even if one can't hear them, you can keep calling with your QRO.
I really think many hams do not understand the abilities of FT8.
---
Ciao baby, catch you on the flip side
73 de W3AB/GEO AFA9GB WA2LSI, KE6RJW, W7B, AAR9AG You can say "over", you can say "out", you just can't say "over and out".
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 03:30:20 PM PST, ussv dharma via <ussvdharma= [email protected]> wrote:
If people are running 75 watts or so on FT8...Is it even worth the bother for me to run my 5 watt FT8?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
|
Susan is absolutely correct. The are lots of ways to get on the air with stealth antennas. Let your imagination run wild.
What if.....
?___
Sent from my two way wrist watch
73 de W3AB/GEO?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jan 17, 2022, 12:00, at 12:00, "ussv dharma via groups.io" <ussvdharma@...> wrote: Are there rain gutters ? are you able to get to the eaves hanging over
from the roof, screens on windows strung together? Weather station ( of
course requires the flag pole ant) that gets good weather bureau or
NOAA info for you are which is then pu t o0n the internet for all the
people in the home , etc. something like that (for the benefit of all
the HOA home owners) cdourse you never mention the verticle insid of
the flag pose, but flag on top.; with "weather antenna" in plain sight
on the flgpole up.... If y ou are on upper floor floors a inverted
verticle ( wire hung outside the window when on the air, pulled back in
the window when not on the air) Did this with great success.
Mobile loaded whip (black of course) stuck out thru y our screen and
using screen and a wire under your rug for ground. This worked great
for me in one occasion.....lots of ways....think outside the box, an
antenna does not have to be long, not straight, can be zig zag, etc.
Thin copper (adhesive on one side) painted same color as home and
somehow applied to outside, under shingles, behind plastic gutters,
etc. Hope this has got you thinking.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're
headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Monday, January 17, 2022, 12:40:34 PM CST, Greg Morrow
<gbmorrow@...> wrote:
Susan
I¡¯m really glad you mentioned that.? I was first licensed in 1971, let
it lapse in76 and got back in from 82-86, then real life snuck in and I
let it lapse until2009.? I was pretty good at staying stealthyin the
80¡¯s, running wires in the attic, but once I got back in 2009 I was in
ahouse with a strict HOA.? The other thingabout new houses in this part
of the world (south central Texas) is most newattics, besides having a
ton of insulation are often (like mine) shielded withaluminum, making
an attic antenna not very feasible.? That¡¯s when I found out about
IRB¡¯s andlucked into joining W7DXX.? I¡¯ve been,off and on, trying to
think of how to set up a home station, but other thandoing a mobile and
driving out to the top of various parking garages I reallyhaven¡¯t
thought of a good approach where I feel like I could get a decentsignal
out.? Even a vertical disguised ina flagpole would require groveling
before the HOA.? But thinking about your 5W FT8 home stationgot me
thinking, maybe I could put together something like a magnetic loop
ortomato cage antenna or something similar.?Even with low power it may
be worth experimenting with.?
Thanks for planning the idea.
On Sun, Jan 16, 2022 at 8:28 PM ussv dharma via groups.io
<ussvdharma@...> wrote:
Personally I prefer to a rag chew qso via cw with me sending at the
speed of the other station. It amazes me that on 20 you hear the
eastern European stations calling cq after cq at 35-50 wpm, and oddly
enough they do not make many if any qso's. However at the same time
down the band is some low power cw station sending at anywhere from 6
or 7 wpm to maybe 15 making qso after qso....Wonder why? Having been a
steady ham since 1952 I can talk about the old days.....and it was
always a courtesy to send at the speed of the other station....we all
had to start somewhere. So although I still do 30-34 wpm ( at 86 years
old) I am often heard down the band having a rag chew qso with a
station at 8 or 9 wpm.....There I feel better, vented my spleen without
going on the air.....Thanks for listening to an old lady with a limp.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're
headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 08:23:35 PM CST, ussv dharma via groups.io
<ussvdharma@...> wrote:
Aloha Y'all: I thought FT8 was originally being used to make contacts
(computer to computer) using low power....somehow I got the impression
that High power was discouraged, I could be wrong as I am a real new
FT8 operator. High power, 13 element log periodic and yes lots of
contacts are made. But it thrills me when Ican make a contact with my
low power and OCF for an antenna. However I have to admit my antenna is
up 146 feet and fed with 1.25" hardline. Over that I have no control
here at the Armed Forces Retirement Home. In any event I was not trying
to tell anyone anything, just inquiring if my lowly rig would make it.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're
headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 07:00:18 PM CST, Greg Morrow
<gbmorrow@...> wrote:
First, I¡¯ll reiterate that the reason I posted what I did tothe list is
that I was asked to write up what I do to help mitigate a problemRCForb
has producing clean signals with FT8 because several folks had
beenhaving problems doing so.?
In case I didn¡¯t make it clear in that document, I¡¯m new toFT8.? I have
read pretty much everythingI could find about it, but have learned more
about operating FT8, especially viaremote, from W7DXX members.? If
somethingcame across in what I posted that makes it sound like I am
telling folks whatthey ought to do, then I apologize.? Iattempted,
perhaps poorly, to emphasize that I wrote up things that worked forme
and that may or may not work for anyone else.
I have seen a lot of discussion on some of the boards aboutwhat the
appropriate power to use on FT8 should be.? Most of those discussions
seem to devolve into a bunch of folks shouting at each other.?
There¡¯salmost as many discussions about power levels on FT* as there
are about whether FT8will ruin ham radio forever.
Anyway, I do learn from others.? I think Susan was trying to tell me
thatperhaps running lower power, such as 5 watts, might be a better
idea thantrying to set power at 75 watts.? Itsounds like it will be
worth a try.? WhenI do, though, I will try my best to make sure the 5
watt signal is not distortedby RCForb.? But if there was somethingelse
you were trying to tell me, please try again, I think I missed it.
I¡¯m not sure, but I think George was trying to tell me thatextra power
is not a good idea on FT8.? Ican certainly understand that.? From
thelittle bit I¡¯ve learned, if I respond to a CQ on FT8 from someone
I¡¯d reallylike to contact twice without a response, I know to stop,
then to set my listento their freq.? I wait to see if I can
actually¡®hear¡¯ them, then wait for them to end their current QSO and
try to contact theagain.? I figure if I can¡¯t ¡®hear¡¯ themthere¡¯s no
reason for me to keep trying, and if they can¡¯t ¡°hear¡± me after a
fewtimes I know to move on.? While I knowsome folks might want to keep
trying just using higher and higher output, I reallycan¡¯t see me doing
that.?? But, again, ifthat¡¯s not what you were trying to tell me please
let me know, sometimes I¡¯m alittle slow.
Anyway, I am more than open to suggestions anyone has thatcan help make
be me a better operator.
73
Greg-NI5W
?
On Sun, Jan 16, 2022 at 5:37 PM GEO BADGER via groups.io
<w3ab@...> wrote:
Running even more, splattering all over. QRO is important to some hams.
Even if one can't hear them, you can keep calling with your QRO.
I really think many hams do not understand the abilities of FT8.
---
Ciao baby, catch you on the flip side
73 de W3AB/GEOAFA9GB
WA2LSI, KE6RJW, W7B, AAR9AG
You can say "over", you can say "out", you just can't say "over and
out".
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, 03:30:20 PM PST, ussv dharma via groups.io
<ussvdharma@...> wrote:
If people are running 75 watts or so on FT8...Is it even worth the
bother for me to run my 5 watt FT8?
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're
headed!!
MSGT. Susan Meckley, US Army (Ret.)
W7KFI . AFZ4SM, 7Q7M,
|
You have a typo on your written instructions.? You list for the Virtual Cable, Line 1 = Windows Output, RCFOrb input (mic) and Line 2 = Windows Input, RCFOrb Input.? You mean for Line 2 Windows Input (MIC), RCFOrb Output (SPKR), correct or did I mii read the entire document?
Thanks, Delwyn KH6DC
|
You are exactly right...typo's seem to love me...
Thanks for finding that.
Yes,
Whatever line is designated for windows output should be designated for RCForg MIC (input) Whatever line is designated for windows input should be designated for RCFord SPKR (output)
Thanks again for finding that and letting me know.
On Mon, Jan 17, 2022 at 5:43 PM < kh6dc@...> wrote: You have a typo on your written instructions.? You list for the Virtual Cable, Line 1 = Windows Output, RCFOrb input (mic) and Line 2 = Windows Input, RCFOrb Input.? You mean for Line 2 Windows Input (MIC), RCFOrb Output (SPKR), correct or did I mii read the entire document?
Thanks, Delwyn KH6DC
|
GEO BADGER