The New RTTY Journal© P.O. Box 236, Champaign, IL 61824-0236 Volume 46, Number 3, August 1998 Taka (Takashi Yoshizaki), JA3BN, shares his shack with us. Hits and Misses . .3RTTY Contesting . .10 Yet Another Comparison - Digital Modes . .41997 ANARTS Results . .11 A Little TTY History . .61998 CQ/RJ WWRTTY DX Contest . .12 On The Road -NADCOMM . .6Fall Contest Schedule . .13 Field Day 1998 . .7,13Book Reviews . .14 Switch It . .8Classified Ads . .14 The HALRTTY-1 is an easy to use and very accurate tuning indicator. It may be used with virtually any FSK modem, TNC, multi-mode controller, demodulator, and receiver or transceiver. The crossed LED bars show correct tuning for all popular FSK modes including Baudot Teletype (RTTY), ASCII Teletype, AMTOR, SITOR, P-Mode*, and even HFPacket Radio. Just hook it to your receiver’s audio output and you’re in business, even with modems that do not include “scope” output connectors. *The word “P-Mode” is the HAL designation for a communications protocol that may be also known as “Pactor” a registered trademark of the Spezielle Communications System GmbH (SCS) firm in Hanau, Germany. HAL affirms that, to the best of its knowledge, “P-Mode” is compatible and interoperable with the protocol SCS calls “Pactor” and with the link establishment and weak signal modes of the protocol SCScalls “Pactor-II”. Ellie (Jr. Op:KB9SIZ) Bill Henry, K9GWT Carlos Vial, CE3FCF Long time RTTY Op, Carlos, stopped by for an Eyeball QSO on June 18. The New Page 2 RTTY Journal August 1998 The New RTTY Journal© Hits & Misses George W.(Bill) Henry, K9GWT Publisher and Editor Bill Henry, K9GWT [email protected] All Correspondence: P.O. Box 236 Welcome to the third edition of The New propagation is poor and there are less signals Champaign, IL 61824-0236 RTTY Journal. Again, thank you for yourto propagate. But - propagation hasn’t really support. Keep making those suggestions.disappeared completely. In fact, NEW Voice: 217-367-7373 This time we have an article by TomRECORDS are set by those few die-hards FAX: 217-367-1701 Kleinschmidt about the Kleinschmidt history,who do put signals on the air (e.g., WF1B in a comparison of mode performance by BoCQ/RJ WW RTTY Contest, Sept, 1997). STAFF Lindfors, some hints from Ron about what toSunspots are coming back, but darned few do - and not to do - in the CQ/RJ WW DXhams may be around to know about a “band Contest next month, and of course more pic-opening” when it does happen. Linda Henry . Accountanttures. Joe Wittmer, KB9SIZ . Assistant Editor The point is that the “gloom and doom” atti- [email protected] I’d like to offer a few editorial words on atude started by just a few people can become topic that is near and dear to my heart - and toa self-fulfilling prophecy. Certainly, HF prop- SUBSCRIPTION RATES a lot of you judging by my letters. The issueagation has not been up to sunspot maximum is “HF radio is dead” - or sometimes even,levels. But, for those few hams who have “amateur radio is dead”. I’ve seen a lot of thisbeen determined, persistent, and skilled, the USA/Canada/Mexico sort of comment recently and the most-namedrewards have been great. At times, DX has 1 year . $15.00culprit is TheInternet.Well, a lot of peoplebeen very good on 20, 40, and 80. But only 2 years . $28.00have been claiming the end of the world - orif you knew when to operate, what direction 3 years . $41.00ham radio - for a long time. It has not hap-to point the beam, and had the patience to lis- pened yet. Obviously, there are many of usten to a few “waterfalls”. Actually, the who don’t believe this. But, if we’re not care-amount of time spent in the “waterfall mode” Foreign ful, it could happen. Consider a modern vari-is considerably less when you have good 1 year . $20.00ation of the “Chicken Little” fairy tale: equipment - good antenna, good receiver, - 2 years . $38.00 and - a great modem(yes, I’m biased). 3 years . $41.00It’s early 1995. Jim and Rus are having a cup of coffee before work and talking about hamWhat can we do about this situation? I have radio. Jim says, “I tried 15 meter RTTY lastsome suggestions. First, get on the air and night and didn’t hear a thing.” Rus comments,make some noise. Yes, the band may be Subscriptions and advertisements must be“yes, I had the same problem on 20 last“closed” - but it could also be open and with- pre-paid by check or money order in U.S.week”. Jim says, “Boy, the bands are sureout signals. During the 1960’s, I spent a lot of funds drawn on U.S. banks only. Visa anddead. It’s about as exciting as watching grasstime listening to waterfalls on 2 meter SSB Master Card credit cards are accepted. grow. Speaking of which, think I’ll just leaveand CW. The consensus at the time was that the radio turned-off and work in the garden.144 Mhz was such a very high frequency that At least something happens once in a while.”band openings rarely (if ever) occurred. Then The publisher assumes no liability or respon-Rus says “Yes, I dug out the old golf clubs- along came 2 meter FM in the 1970’s. sibility for errors, omissions or editorial con-last weekend. Sure beats sitting there listen-WOW, what a difference! All of a sudden we tent. Written permission from the publisher ofing to waterfalls on 20. I enjoyed that hamfestfound that 2 meters was open very often - The New RTTYJournal is required prior tolast fall and I really like some of the new gearsometimes for days at a time! One guy even and for any reproduction of all or any portionI saw. But, why should I spend money on aclaimed that all of those blamed FM signals of this magazine. new radio when propagation is lousy?” Jimgenerated so much RF that a new ionization agrees and adds “Yes, especially since itlayer was created (obviously a CW/SSB guy Expiration Date: Your address label showsseems that most hams are on the Internet- and the same guy who bought that bridge in the date of your last subscription issue. Pleasethese days.” The two head off to work.New York). Two meters had been “good” all contact us if this does not agree with your During the next month, Jim and Rus talk toalong, but we never had enough signals calculations. other hams in town and all soon agree thatspread around the country to know when it radio conditions are bad and getting worse.was or wasn’t open. The very same thing has POSTMASTER: The word is out “Ham radio is dead”. Thebeen happening on 20 and 15 on a global Please send all address changes to: The New word spreads rapidly from town to town -scale. We’ve had good conditions, but few RTTYJournal, P.O. Box 236, Champaign, ILlike “wild fire”. Soon many hams in the statesignals to propagate. 61824-0236 and all across the nation are convinced that “HF radio is dead”. Few hams even bother toSecond, lets put some “smarts” in our operat- The New RTTYJournalis a continuation ofturn on their transceivers. Of course, now theing practices. Most of us go to work on an “8- the magazine formerly known as RTTY,bands really are dead - nobody is even tryingto-5” schedule. We want to come home and RTTY Journal, RTTY Digital Journal, Digitalto “make noise”. As the sunspot cycle weak-play on the radio in the evening. That’s con- RTTY Journal, and Digital Journal. ens toward the minimum in 1997, signalvenient for us - but may often be the wrong The New August 1998 RTTY Journal Page 3 time of the day to work DX. Two things must be considered. The first is propagation and we’re pretty good at this these days. There are Yet Another Comparison all kinds of computer programs we can get (and should get) to compute best frequencies and times of day to work each country from of HF Digital Modes our location. More importantly, we should ask ourselves “What time is it at the DX sta- Bo G. Lindfors N2APH/NNN0ZLS tion we want to work?” Consider the conven- ience of operating from the DX station’s Chief, Navy-Marine Corps MARS viewpoint. Calling CQ at 7PM in Illinois is [email protected] great for me but that’s 2AM for most of Europe and later (earlier?) in Moscow, Johannesburg, and places further East. It’s farThere have been several articles in differentcapability to the PK-232 in March, 1993, more likely that you will find signals on themagazines serving the amateur radio commu-APLINK capability was again postponed to air from DX countries when the time thereisnity comparing the performance of our pastaccommodate the PK-232 in PacTOR. This convenient. Put yourself in the other guy’sand current digital modes of communications.work was completed by summer, 1993. Full shoes and choose your operations to fit yourI feel that all published performance resultscompatibility with APLINK, AMTOR was best chanceto make the contact. are overly optimistic. In this article I willadded by October 1993. This program under- present the results of my own on-the-air com-went several modifications which added Finally, we should all use our heads for some-parisons of four different modes as observedWinLink compatibility in both AMTOR and thing other than a hat rack.