Datamodes Challenge Flavour, 1st-7th February 2020

Prefer FT8 in this but I have never yet managed to get any contacts on SOTA…but will keep trying.
Nope won’t bother again…

73 Allen

Thanks Tom for QSO
73 QRO Roger

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80m FT8 S2S with Simon G4TJC - VFB!

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Apparently VK was worked short path on 12m FT8 from GW-land this weekend.

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Thanks for S2S Tom. First time for me I think.


My least favourite SOTA picture? Don’t look too closely or you’ll see the litter!

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Hi Guys,
I activated I/LO-252 in ft8 with 9 qsos, it was my first ft8 activation.
more details 02/02/2020 I/LO-234, 250, 252 IK2LEY & IW2OBX

Many spots but only a few european qsos,
40mt

!
30mt

20mt

thanks at All Chasers!
73

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Ah, FT8 was a bust for my activation today. Whereas the trusty little Netbook was good for a couple of test QSOs Friday night, today in the field Ubuntu decided the audio subsystem should take the day off :(. I tried, but no joy.

73, Jim KK0U

I flailed at it today on FT8 20 metres with success (9 contacts) but so much more to learn about WSJT-X.

Malen
VE6VID

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I plan to be active in PSK31 and FT8 this Wednesday 05-Feb, sometime between 8:00 and 12:00 UTC. Plan is to activate 2 summits in DM/BM association, on 40m and/or 20m. Alert will follow, will also spot when QRV.

73 de Thomas DB4LL

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Tnx Simon for QSO
73 Roger

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I failed QSO with G4AZS/P cosly I always heard that FT8 doesn’t need any operator.
Then I had to leave my shack and I was sure to valid the QSO.
When I came back I could see my mistake.
If you want to succeed QSO, you have to be in front your equipment :crazy_face:
73

I heard you and tried calling S2S on FT8, but you were very weak :frowning:

Operated from LA/RL-065 Vardafjellet, and got 8 digi in the log (7 FT8 and 1 JS8call)

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Hi Kjetil,
Wonderful place!
My waterfall was full of strong signal interfering with chasers and low signal.
I hope to contact you next time!

73

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Everyone seems to agree that my clock was a bit out. :blush:

Windows decided to reassign the COM port for the GPS at some point. :frowning_face:

Thanks for the QSO.

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I managed to chase Tom @M1EYP on Sunday from home, having just missed Simon @G4TJC. I was too late for him on 80m, and couldn’t get a decode on 40m. Then I saw Tom’s spot for 80m, and arrived in the shack in time to decode the S2S between the two stations. By the time I had workd out how to call G4TJC without him calling CQ first, I had missed him again! But it was good to have my first successful chase in the log, thanks Tom.

Flushed with success, and the WX looking good, I took the same equipment out to the Wrekin today, G/WB-010, having posted a rather late alert for 40m.

Within a minute or two, I had a partial contact with @IK2LEY, @F5LKW and @EA1AER, but didn’t manage to complete any of them.
I was using a Windows 10 laptop thingy, and checked everything that I could think of - time (tethered to my phone, and apparently synchronised), power out and low ALC, both of which responded smoothly when I varied the “power” slider in WSJTx, in tune mode. Moved equipment and cables around in case there was RF getting in somewhere, but no joy either calling CQ or trying to respond to CQ calls.
Then I decided to try 30m, in case it was an RF feedback issue, and might be different on another band.

Straight away I completed with IZ4RCQ. Things were not perfect by any means, but half an hour later I had five stations in the log, adding SP8MCE, SV1ONU, Z35T, and IS0KNG.
Most surprising on 30m was a decode from Don @G0RQL, calling CQ. I did try to reply, but without success.

Hi Roger - sorry we didn’t complete. To a rooky FT8 operator like me, the “mistake” is not obvious - but it might have included some finger trouble at my end! I can see that we were not on the same frequency, but that should be ok…? I’d appreciate your comments.

So it was a successful outing, in that I made some contacts and qualified the summit, but I will have to work out why it was not as effective as I had hoped - particularly on 40m.

Many thanks to all who listened for me and tried to make contact, much appreciated.

73
Adrian, G4AZS

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Hi Adrian,

Noticed your alert so had a listen for you this afternoon. 40m was long but just about copying you on groundwave at the home QTH in Stourbridge. (Nothing seen on 30m)

I’ve had a look back over the FT8 log and it seems you were transmitting in the same time slots as Roger, first odd then even… not sure how that happens :-s

FT8 looks at a 2700Hz wide slice of the band so so long as both stations are transmitting and receiving within this no problem!

For activating I’d say you should definitely check the “hold Tx frequency” box so you don’t go skidding about the band with every contact… in fact if you (or chasers) state your offset frequency in any spot, it makes it easier for chasers to find you especially when band conditions are good and there’s no time to scroll through pages of QSO’s between 15 second refreshes!

Good luck with the FT8 and hope to catch you one day! (not able to transmit today due to issues with the radio talking to the computer :frowning: )

73 de Paul G4MD

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Its a pity this weeks Datamodes Challenge Flavour ends on Friday as on Saturday we have the CQWPX RTTY Contest. That should obliterate the FT Machine modes for the weekend Feb 08 0000z - Feb 09 2359z…

On behalf of the Chasers I want to thank the activators out this week using DATA on SOTA - great effort needed to take a computer and associated tackle up to the summit and get it all working. So much to go wrong.

73 Phil G4OBK

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Well I’m slowly getting the hang of this FT8 lark! Since my first data activation a couple of days ago, I’ve installed the Meinberg NTP Daemon, which has improved the time accuracy of my Windows 10 device, noticeably smaller “dt” values showing. Still tethered to my phone for Internet connection.
I also found it useful to trawl through the saved “ALL.txt” file afterwards, to review what had been happening.
So, today I activated Long Mountain Beacon Ring GW/MW-026. This wasn’t my first choice for today, but blocked roads caused me to make a plan B.
This meant that my prepared callsign and TX macros were wrong, and it took me a couple of minutes to mistype, misread, mistype again and finally get sorted. Many thanks to Roger F5LKW/P with whom I eventually managed a good S2S!

13 QSOs isn’t great for a 3 hour activation, but it was fun, and at least I could walk away to read all about the ancient hill fort whilst still calling CQ :smile:

73s and thanks to all who looked out for me.
Adrian

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Thanks Adrian for nice s2s ==> GW/MW-026 to F/CR-254.
Great fun. I do hope hear you soon.
I did s2s QSO with Juerg @ DL/HB9BIN/P on DM/BW-015 and DM/BW-115
Also with Marcel @ DM3FAM/P on DM/BW-067
Many chasers.
73 QRO
Roger

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Hello Roger,

thank you for my first FT8 s2s QSO with you :+1:
But my name is Marcel, not Pascal :wink:

73 de Marcel DM3FAM

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