CW Contests or knitting?

When operating in CW Contests I am normally one of those operators who Search & Pounce (S&P) across the band, never having the confidence to try calling CQ and hold a Run Frequency. In addition to lack of confidence, I have never had a lot of success calling CQ, which I had always attributed to running modest power levels on a crowded band. 

During a recent UKEI CW Contest, I ran out of new stations to call and thought that I would try calling CQ for the last 10 minutes to see how it would go. I was amazed to hear at least 4 stations calling me at the same time and spot on my frequency - my ears and brain went into melt down and I experienced blind panic for the first time in many a year. I have never been on the receiving end of a pile-up before and it was a very sobering experience. CW Contesting has always been a specialised business that attracts the elite of operators but I came to the conclusion that CW Contests are getting more challenging every year. I think that I have identified a couple of reasons for this;

• Operating seems to me, to be getting faster these days. I am not sure if the standard of operating is getting better or whether the use of decoders such as FlDigi or CwGet make copying fast CW easier. Certainly, the use of logging/operating software like N1MM makes sending very fast, accurate CW easier than ever before.
• With waterfall displays and Contest overcrowding becoming so prevalent, stations returning a CQ call are virtually spot on frequency. Whilst on the face of it, this should make operating easier, in fact, trying to single out a particular caller in a pile up with exactly the same tone is, to my ears, impossible.

I did persevere and managed to add a few more calls to my tally but it was a very harrowing experience and, to be honest, a little embarrassing. I vowed to improve my technique or take up knitting. Fortunately there are several pieces of software available to help. One that has survived the test of time is "Morse Runner", a programme that very realistically recreates the contesting experience. It is probably a bit early to evaluate any self improvement but my copying speed and accuracy is definitely improving but I still find pile-ups extremely challenging. Even without the stress of live operating the feeling of absolute panic sets in and the brain fades into static as all calls melt into one meaningless tone. I recently mentioned this to other Spalding Club members and was reminded what it must be like for rare DX stations , like the Bouvet Island expedition, operators. OK, but at least they have the luxury of being able to operate split frequency that Contesting does not afford. 

I will carry on with Morse Runner for a bit longer but even so, more kudos to those DX and Contest operators who run pile-ups so efficiently. They make it sound so easy. Now, in my very modest fashion, I can appreciate just how good you need to be to carry it off.

With any luck my next attempt to call CQ during a CW Contest will be a little less embarrassing than the last time but many thanks to all whose patience is tested in the process. Maybe, just maybe, I'll never call CQ again and take up knitting instead.

Ageing ears

The years roll mercilessly past and as much as I would like to deny their passing has any relevance in my life, I have finally had to admit that they have taken a toll on my hearing.

For many years now the default frequency that I have set my CW sidetone to has been 750Hz. This has always been the optimum frequency that my "brain filters" manage to distinguish the required CW signal from the pileup. It has also been the frequency that I have found most comfortable to listen to, especially during Radio Contests, when I can be listening intensely for several hours at a stretch.

Last week I was operating CW in the RSGB 80 meter Club Championship Contest, a contest that I usually find quite relaxing. However after about an hour of operating I noticed a distinct  feeling of ear/brain fatigue. I was finding it increasingly difficult to separate the required signal from the crowd.

Returning to normal operating several days later, I was listening to a pileup on the radio and found some signals distinctly easier to read than others. I booted up FlDigi so that I could utilise the waterfall to anylise what I was listening to. It was an interesting exercise as I found signals on my usual 750Hz were definitely "down in the noise" compared to some others. When I adjusted the same signal up in frequency it magically popped out from the crowd. I tried tuning the signal to various frequencies before settling at 950Hz. At this frequency my ears could tune in much more clearly, any higher and it became irritating to listen to.

After several days of using 950Hz as my default sidetone I can definitely say that CW has become much more pleasurable again. I can also see why, when calling a rare station in a pileup, it could be advantageous to call him slightly higher in frequency, rather than on or below it.

Perhaps time to book a hearing test!

Nostalgic Night

Technology marches on in all forms of modern life but, it seems, non faster than in the field of Amateur Radio. It is a long time since I have had to tune my radio receive and transmit for sensitivity and power, manually tune an antenna or manually paper log. 

I am not knocking modern equipment and practices, far from it, I actually embrace  and love them, but, it can induce a feeling of complacency as I take all of this modern convenience for granted. Worst of all, it makes me lazy and I need very little encouragement to pursue that route.

Operating "Digi" modes for me once meant using a computer for RTTY but those times are long gone. There are so many different digi modes now that I am at a loss to know what many of them are, or recognise them when I hear/see them. 

At my local radio club, S&DARS in Spalding, it is plain to see the attraction of these new modes especially amongst younger members. Indeed, it is a healthy sign that Club membership is increasing and most noticeably, is also attracting a younger generation into the hobby, many of whom are very active on the digital modes.

I try to keep up to date and am moderately active digitally but I often yearn for for the simple life, especially after a computer system or interface problem. For me back to basics usually means a barefoot radio and CW into a simple dipole antenna. This is my safety blanket when I feel threatened by temperamental technology.

Recently I came across notification of a contest using the Feld Hell mode and, when I saw that it was based on 1920's facsimile technology, I was tempted to give it a listen. Little did I realise that this was to breathe a fresh wave of enthusiasm into radio that I had not experienced in many a year. It was so refreshing to actually tune the bands looking for signals, adjusting the radio for best reception and then manually typing in responses to calls in the log because I had not got any macros pre-prepared. 

Not being familiar with Feld Hell at all the first problem was finding a signal. On the Feld Hell Club web site they give recommendations but they are fairly broad. Fortunately, another S&DARS Club member, Andrzej M6OIZ, was tuning around and I heard/saw his signal on my screen. Neither of us had worked Hell before so did not really know what we were doing or what to expect. Not to be intimidated by ignorance we plunged in and helped each other out, completing a QSO. Feld Hell is a really relaxed mode to operate. It is; 

• fairly slow so is easy for us, one fingered, typists. 
• It sounds similar to slow morse so nice to listen to, and
• It is strangely hypnotic watching the call scroll slowly across your screen.

I then went off and searched the bands for more signals but only found others on 80 meters. As it got close to midnight, when the contest ended, other stations must have got more desperate for contacts and I managed to work SQ3LMR, SA7CND and EC1RCB with several others heard but not worked.

There are a number of software programmes that support Hell but I was using FlDigi V4.0.18 which worked very well indeed. Power out varied between 40 and 60 watts to a trap dipole up at 6M agl.

It all felt like a trip back in time to traditional operating techniques with a modern twist. As a tiny tear of nostalgia starts to well up on my cheek it is time to wish you all 73. My thanks to Andrzej, M6OIZ, for that 1st QSO on a new, Old mode.

If you wish to see more about Hell, there is an excellent video by Randy, W7AGE on You Tube.  Have fun.