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ZL2VAL > RTTY 13.03.05 00:19l 247 Lines 10259 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : E00917ZL2VAL
Read: GUEST
Subj: New RTTY Gazette - March 2005
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<DB0MRW<OK0PPL<DB0RES<ON0AR<ZL2BAU<ZL2AB
Sent: 050311/2230Z @:ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC #:58785 [New Plymouth] FBB7.00g
From: ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC
To : RTTY@WW
RTTY Gazette - March 2005 - New Issue!
Greetings everyone,
Earlier this month I sent out a notice regarding the continuation of the
publication of the RTTY Gazette. I have been considering if the Gazette
was of any value in this day and age of technology. I received a few
emails regarding the continuation, some in favor of shutting the
publication down but a few more really nice emails saying how much they
enjoy it, and urging me to continue the publication. It is sometimes
very hard to know if your efforts are appreciated when you get nothing
but silence from the audience after the publication hits the streets.
I currently have 520 subscribers to the Gazette but I know that there are
many more that pick up the publication via networks other than email. I
am aware of a few very large packet networks in the Middle East and in
South East Asia and in Australia that regularly carry the publication due
to a few individuals who post the Gazette to those networks. Even so, I
seldom hear from anyone except for subscribe and unsubscribe emails I get
from folks. You might be interested to know that 18 new subscription
requests arrived last month and only two folks un-subscribed.
A couple of people who did respond to my past announcement have offered to
contribute some things from time to time, so the decision to continue the
publication has been made and it will continue just as it always has.
Maybe this will be good therapy to help me get through the rest of the
winter here in Michigan.
So with that said, here is the rest of the RTTY news.
There was some discussion recently regarding RTTY on 6 meters. I say, why
not? My station is ready to go and I will make a point to check the band
from time to time. Where we will operate is the subject of the current
debate.
I have 100 watts to 5 elements at 65 feet.
Well my experiments with Meteor Scatter running WSJT did not pan out quite
like I thought it would. In about 10 days of total monitoring I failed to
copy anyone but a local fellow about 10 miles away that obliterates 6 meters
here when he transmits. Besides my favorite mode is still RTTY.
The much, anticipated Peter 1 Expedition announced recently that due to
transportation issues, they would have to postpone the effort to 2006.
Maybe the propagation will be better then also. Only time will tell. Stay
tuned for further developments.
I would be interested in hearing from all of you about your RTTY setups.
What radio do you use? Software/Hardware? Etc. My setup includes a Yeasu
FT-920 running 100 watts using a homebrew FSK interface using MMTTY and
Writelog. Works pretty well here with very few problems. I operate here
on all bands from 80-6 meters. I am still looking for a decent 160 meter
antenna that will fit on my small city lot. So what are you running? Email
me at rttygazette (at) wi8w (dot) org.
I am sitting here in the shack, located on the main floor of the house in a
spare bedroom. Looking out the window I see that the snow has started to
fall again. So far since Thursday, we have had about 8 inches of new snow.
Spring in the Northern hemisphere arrives on March 20 at 0649UTC. The
temperature around here has been about 10 degrees below normal this month
but they say that things will get back to normal later this month and
through April. I sure hope so. I am getting just a bit sick of winter.
The RTTY contest season is winding down. I did not participate in as many
contests this past season as I would have liked to. Something always
managed to keep me away from the radio. There are a few contests left yet
this season and I will attempt to make some attempt to get at least one
good effort before the season ends. Of course, once that happens, it will
be antenna-building season. I still have the before mentioned 160 meter
project and maybe a vertical for 80/40 in the back yard. Radials are a
real problem here for any vertical as there is just not enough room in the
back yard for laying down those important elements. Birds are starting to
find out that flying through my yard takes a bit of gymnastics. They may
find it even harder this coming summer season with more antennas to fly
through and an extra dog patrolling the back yard.
Speaking of the contest season this year, I have noticed that in the
contests I did participate in that I worked many new calls. RTTY appears
to be growing rapidly. It is also being noticed by the contesters that use
other modes especially CW. This was evident in February with the
controversy played out between the CW Sprint operators and the CW WPX RTTY
contest that was scheduled on the same weekend. Now there is talk on the
CQ-Contest list of adding two more CW Sprints to the calendar. Hopefully
they will keep in mind the dates of some of the more established RTTY
Contests in making their date selections. The current trend is for April 1
and/or April 30. Is the "war" inevitable? Stay tuned for further
developments.
I was tuning around the 20 meter band last night and managed to tune across
JT1CO calling CQ with apparently no takers. I snagged him on the first call.
He was a good S9 in here at 0116 UTC. I continued to watch the frequency
as one, then another station discovered him. I also had the DX cluster
running here and very soon the spot hit the screen. It was amazing
watching the pileup build up on the spectral display in Writelog. I got on
the phone to my contest team member Jim N8PUG, and informed him of the
activity. I watched as JT1CO slowly faded into the noise while stations
continued to call him for about 20 minutes after I lost him. I am not so
sure that all those calling heard him either as they just continued to call
and call and call. Funny in all my years of DXing I had never worked
Mongolia. A new one for my Mixed DXCC list, and a totally unexpected
surprise. It was also number 89 on my RTTY DXCC list. Can 100 be too far
behind? I wonder.
That is about it for the news from here in snowy Michigan. Now for the
Announcements.
Announcements
Upcoming Dxpeditions
Mar09 - Mar16 Jersey MJ
By K8PT K3PLV as MJ/home call fm EU-013; 160-6m (at least 1 all-nighter on
80 160m); CW SSB RTTY PSK31; skeds OK via E-mail (CW/RTTY to K8PT (at)
chartermi (dot) net - SSB/PSK31 to crahil (at) adelphia (dot) net)
Mar10 - Mar14 Malta 9H3RN
By G4IRN; 80-10m; mainly CW; 100 watts; wires; holiday style operation
Mar10 - Mar24 Madeira CT3/Home Call
By DL3KWR DL3KWF as CT3/homecall fm AF-014; 80m + WARC focus; CW;
Mar14 - Mar17 Vietnam XV3/Home Call
By JA9BV JA3DYU as XV3BV and XV3DYU fm Hoi An; 80 40 20 15m; CW SSB
Mar14 - Mar20 Antigua V25
By W4OWY W9OP, perhaps as V25OWY and V25OP; 160-10m, focus on 160-30m; SSB
CW
Mar14 - Mar24 Netherlands Antilles PJ4
By DF7ZS as PJ4/DF7ZS; 40 20m; SSB RTTY; verticals; low power; QSL OK via
Buro or direct
Mar15 - Mar19 Brunei V85NL
By JA4ENL; 160-15m; mainly CW
Mar15 - Apr02 Kerguelen FT/xTBA
By an international team
Mar17 - Mar21 Tajikistan EY
By UA4CC UA4LU RX3APM as EY8/homecall; 160-10m; CW SSB; QRV for Russian DX
Contest as EY0R (QSL via UA4CC); QSL also OK via LotW
Mar17 - Mar24 Netherlands Antilles PJ4
By DK9VZ as PJ4/DK9VZ; WARC; CW; verticals; low power; QSL OK via Buro or
direct
Mar17 - Mar31 Malta 9H3
By IK1PMR K2LEO fm Gozo Is (EU-023); 80-10m; CW RTTY
Mar18 - Mar20 Guam NH2
By JH0MGJ as AL5A/NH2; QSL OK via JARL Buro
Mar18 - Mar23 Taiwan BW2
By JA9BV JA3DYU as BW2/homecall; 80 40 20 15m; CW SSB
Mar18 - Mar28 Marshall Islands V73
By JA1JQY/V73JY JA1KJW/V73KJ JA1HEE/V73HE JI1FPO/V73OP fm Majuro Atoll
(OC-029); 160-10m, focus on 160 80m for EU + ECNA; CW SSB, some RTTY
Mar19 - Mar26 Western Sahara S09
By EA9CP EA1BT; spare time operation
Mar19 - Apr01 Martinique FM
By F5TGR; 40-10m; SSB CW; 100w; dipoles; QSL OK via Buro or direct
Mar20 - Apr02 St Lucia J6
By WB5ZAM as J6/WB5ZAM; QSL OK via Buro or direct
Mar21 - Mar28 Gibraltar ZB2
By GM4FDM PA3EWP as ZB2/homecall; 80-10m, perhaps 160m; CW SSB RTTY; QRV
for CQ WPX SSB
Mar23 - Mar29 Dominica J75
By WB2NVR WA2VQW N2DVQ N2DHH; 160-10m; CW RTTY PSK; QSL OK via Buro,
direct, or LotW
Mar23 - Mar30 Greenland OX
By OH4MDY OH4JGE OH4HJI as OX/homecall; 80-10m; mainly CW, some SSB
Mar25 - Mar28 Hawaii KH6
By JE2EHP as K1HP/KH6 fm Oahu (OC-019)
Mar25 - Apr02 Guadeloupe FG
By F5NHJ as FG/F5NHJ/p fm NA-102; 40-10m; CW SSB
Apr06 - Apr20 Botswana A25
By DL7CM DM2AYO as A25/homecall (perhaps A25CM); 160-6m; CW SSB RTTY PSK; 2
stns w/ amps; 27m GP, 3el-5bd-yagi, HF9V, 4el on 6m
Upcoming Contests
North American Sprint, RTTY 0000Z-0400Z, Mar 13
UBA Spring Contest, CW 0700Z-1100Z, Mar 13
RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW 2000Z-2130Z, Mar 16
BARTG HF RTTY Contest 0200Z, Mar 19 to 0200Z, Mar 21
Spring QRP Homebrewer Sprint 0000Z-0400Z, Mar 28
Low Power Spring Sprint 1400Z-2000Z, Mar 28 April, 2005
EA RTTY Contest 1600Z, Apr 2 to 1600Z, Apr 3
RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW 2000Z-2130Z, Apr 4
ARS Spartan Sprint 0200Z-0400Z, Apr 5
YLRL DX-YL to NA-YL Contest, CW 1400Z, Apr 6 to 0200Z, Apr 8
JIDX CW Contest 0700Z, Apr 9 to 1300Z, Apr 10
ARCI Spring QSO Party 1200Z, Apr 9 to 2400Z, Apr 10
TARA Skirmish Digital Prefix Contest 0000Z-2400Z, Apr 16
EU Spring Sprint, CW 1500Z-1859Z, Apr 16
That will about do it for this issue. Till next time……
73
Thom WI8W
"RTTY Gazette" <rttygazette@wi8w.org>
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