SOTA PSK31 operating style

Hello all,

A thought that has flitted through my mind more than once is “what kind of operating style could one expect during a PSK31 activation?”.

I’m one of those people who does not really enjoy the typical rubber stamp QSO so common in the PSK allocations, and I try frequently (and with futility) to coax a conversation out of people. There’s a nice old boy in Italy who sometimes exchanges local history with me on 20m, but normally the QSB puts pay to our long overs, Hi!

But I was wondering what kind of operating style could be employed on the hill? I think that this becomes an even bigger question when it comes to using a PDA - with only an on-screen keyboard or “handwriting recognition”, I would have thought that conversation would be somewhat limited, with operating requiring heavy reliance upon macros. I can usually type a little faster than PSK31 on a full-size keyboard (I’m a two-finger typist =), probably about the the same pace as the transmission on my teeny laptop, and very much slower with an OSK. But I would like to think that there could still be some conversational quality to an activation despite of being sat behind a screen.

73,

Dave, 2W0BYA

In reply to 2E0BYA:

Hi Dave,

But I was wondering what kind of operating style could be employed on
the hill? I think that this becomes an even bigger question when it

I would keep it short with RSQ, call signs and SOTA reference similar to the contest exchange. In digimodes you are putting power to air even when no information is passed, so you are likely to empty the batteries faster than in CW or SSB.

Adopting the contest style

CQ SOTA O/MM000 2W0BYA/P 2W0BYA/P CQ SOTA O/MM000 K

2W0BYA/P 2W0BYA/P F5VGL F5VGL K

F5VGL TU RSQ 557 557 BTU

2W0BYA/P RSQ 339 339 TU 73 SK SK

73, Jaakko OH7BF/F5VGL