Another RTTY contest weekend; and another weekend that 40 Meters becomes unusable. I was in a nice QSO with Dave WQ3T. We were having a pleasant ragchew when out of the blue, we were inundated by RTTY signals. We were down around 7.030 MHz !!!! It used to be; back when I was active in the digital modes, that when there was a RTTY contest that you didn't go below 7.060 or maybe 7.055 at the very lowest. It seems today's RTTYers have no consideration for other users of the band. They come in, unannounced, do not listen to see if the frequency they want to use is occupied or not; and just start with their ear-splitting 20 over 9 signals - CW ops be damned!
Again, common sense and courtesy are casualties to inconsiderate oafs! Oh yeah, there's a better term for them ........ lids!
73 de Larry W2LJ
Hi Larry, yes totally agree with the ditital modes now sweeping lower and lower down the band. They dont seem to be as strong as they used to be in the 70's when I dabbled in Teletype with my model 15, hi. Maybe if we just hold our grnd a lil, it has to be a problem for them too. I had a mod. 15 ( $5) and I built W2PAT tube converter with a tuning mtr and 6y6 switching tubes instead of polar relay. Darn thing worked pretty good for years( better on wide 850hz shift, hi.) Sorry we didnt meet up the other day, sure we will, sounds like you have quite a qrp station. I am big into qrp also, in fact, even before I joined SKCC, think I might have worked you on 20 mtrs a while back.
ReplyDeleteI do need to qso you though, I started WAS/CW and WAS/Qrp/CW on the first of the year. Almost done with the QRO/WAS, but still need N.J and lots to go Qrp. Sorry so late getting back to you, hope you read this comment. My "thing" in Ham Radio is building and now CW again. My homebrew Qrp rigs for 20/40 use Vfo's, 3-5watt pa.s and Direct conversion receivers with high level mixers and lots of poles of active audio filters. Not the rig of the FB Elecraft rigs but fun. Hope to get a KX1 someday.
73's for now, Doug, KM6OR, SKCC#2075.