@OK2MUF/P (Michal Fuchs of the Czech Republic) spotted himself on SOTA summit OK/OL-022 on 14.064MHz CW at 15:30 UTC on 18-08-2021. Tuning to that frequency from my home QTH near Plymouth, UK, I really struggled to hear him but we exchanged a sort of QSO, not helped by my poor CW skills. It wasn’t until we had finished and he called CQ again in slightly better conditions that I could make out his callsign and confirm it really was him. This happens a little after 3.00 minutes into the recording. The change in sound levels at the start is due to me changing filters.
I guess there is nothing unusual about this but without the recording facility on the IC-705 I don’t think I would have been able to have put this down as a genuine QSO as I could not be sure of his callsign until I heard it again. Which is what I did today when I removed the SD card from the radio and listened to it. I’ve put a video-less recording on YouTube if anyone wants to listen to 5 minutes of static and some stumbling CW from me. I’m hoping of course I can claim this as a QSO because at the time I wasn’t 100% sure who I was talking to because I didn’t hear him calling CQ afterwards - but the IC-705 was listening!
Many thanks to Michal and I hope he doesn’t mind me posting this.
Hi John,
My QSO was even more difficult. It was just impossible, as I also went to the spotted frequency but I couldn’t copy him at all.
Listening to your audio, I’d say you had a really good copy. I consider me lucky when I manage to hear an activator that well, as I very often have to struggle with much weaker signals and QSB.
Well done, though, on getting support from the recording facility of your IC-705.
73,
Guru, Thank you. Listening to it now I can hear it well except the bit at the beginning. I lack the experience to recognise what is being sent so “CQ CQ CQ SOTA” threw me on first hearing as I was expecting something like “CQ CQ CQ DE Callsign”. I also think, but am probably wrong, he sends DI instead of DE.
Perhaps I should change the title of this Thread to “Difficult for me”.
Thanks John for the reminder to use the recorder - I must do that. I’ve managed to progress to chasing CW, last weekend I spend some time camped out in the garden and mainly chased on CW with my old WW2 straight key. Thats still the key I find easiest to use, there must be some muscle memory from 40 years ago in there somewhere!
I’m still practising offline with the paddle - it works well for a bit and then my fingers seem to start doing the opposite of what my brain wants and it all goes a bit pear shaped with a generous scattering of extra dots.
Jonathan, it’s a pity the IC-705 doesn’t have a morse decoder. Not to use for actual QSOs but I found the decoder on my QCX was very useful when learning to send as it showed me at once if I had sent a character incorrectly.
An app I learned about on here called Morse Expert might be an option. It decodes Morse it hears on the phone’s microphone so if you placed it in front of the IC-705’s speaker it should decode what you are sending. It’s only available on Android at the moment I think.
Hi John,
I suggest you check OK2MUFs log for OK/OL-022 (once he uploads it to the database - it’s not there at the moment) to make sure you made the contact.
That’s the best way to confirm he wasn’t working someone else when you thought it was you.
Ouch, despite the happy looking lady - that looks like a really painful way of improving hearing!
As for checking logs in the database I usually access via the View Results / Activator Roll of Honour route - but make sure you are logged in, otherwise you won’t be able to open the logs.
Hi John,
I can confirm your QSO, for sure! It was You! There was a QSB at the time of TXing of your callsing, as I heard now from recording.
Usually I am stronger from summits at UK. OK/OL-022 is densely forested, and my guess is that the main lobes were also aiming to south-west and north-east. Logs has been uploaded finally, just after my return from vacation.
Thanks to You and all chasers!
HPE CUAGN ON AIR, 73!
Michal
There was a QSB at the time of TXing of your callsing, as I heard now from recording.