hi all,
i had seen the request to ssb mode today on bw-168. i will add ssb to my activations soon. i wait every day for the postman with my new toy in the bag in moment i have a cw-only trx.
maybe next week i can add a bit of phone.but only 10wtts qrp.
today i was testing a 42mtr longwire abt 15mtr in a tree and down again.never thinked about so many callers from NA with this antenna.so a big thank you to chasers in NA. Its a big add on to work some dx on a sota summit.maybe i will take again a second antenna , a delta loop or similar, with me to produce a better qrp sig on higher bands.
and sorry to the chasers at the end of the actvation on 30m cw. my keying was more as bad today it was so cold with a ice wind and i had the idea to use a little straight key from palm radio. but my fingers do their own code,not the code i was trying to send after 2 hours on the summit and light blue fingers i decided to go qrt then.
My selfish request for SSB is because my CW is dreadful (very very slow)but I have a challenge from MW0IML to try and improve and work him so it is now one of my targets for 2013.
I hope your toy arrives soon. 10 watts if fine
I am sure your activation today made quite a few people very happy!
In reply to G6TUH:
Hi Mike,
very very slow is no problem. on most of my activations i call for qrs.but till today i had not much qsoĂ´s then. i call often at 12-15wpm. its worth a try to send your callsign and rst. i will listen. but lets look how ssb work,hope to meet you soon on the air !
In reply to G6TUH:
Hello Mike,
Not a problem for most of activator⌠Please next time you heard me call me, same at 8 itâs not a problem⌠But you must try it !!! Promise ? Because with the HB-1B in the bag SSB is banish !!! Because like I tell you the FT 100 D is too heavier for my poor back !!! (20 years of Triathlon âlaisse des tracesâ !!!)Just come on little SOTAâŚ
Please to heard you on CWâŚ
And Klaus⌠Iâm also interesting by little palm⌠Because my home made is not for outdoor operation !!! But donât find where⌠Email info if you have.
Please to heard you soonâŚ
Best regards
"Tof"
One place to go, http://lcwo.net and then select callsign practice and adjust the params to your speed plus a bit. Then practice. 10mins every day. Keep pushing the speed up when you are around 80% accurate.
Thanks very much. I am using that lcwo web site and it is the best I have found. At present doing about 20 minutes in the morning and some later. I cannot do too much as my brain aches and on some days it makes me feel quite depressed. I have also been SWLing and listening to see what I can recognise. Oh well. 2030Z - time for something to drink and some viewingâŚ
Two sessions a day on lcwo plus casual SWLing is exactly what I recommend to anyone starting to learn the superior mode. It works!
By the time youâve got through the bulk of the lcwo course, you will be recognising a whole bunch of oft-repeated âwordsâ in QSOs - like RST, 599, CQ, DE, TU, 73, QSL, QRZ, OP, QTH, IS, NAME, FB, CU AGN etc etc etc. And at that stage, youâll be nearly there. Just drill yourself at callsign receiving practice at that point (usual recommendation was RuFZxp, but I think lcwo does something similar to that itself now as well), and then youâll have more than enough CW proficiency for SOTA chasing and activating.
I very much recognise the brain ache and depression you mention in the middle of the learning process. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldnât have been demoralised on âbad daysâ whatsoever. Fact is, you WILL have bad days while learning CW, no question. And you WILL have bad days while operating CW as well - we all do. You just have to accept that WILL happen and donât let it get you down.
Good luck with the continued CW learning. I have no doubt you will be successful, as you are doing the very diet I would recommend to anyone - perfect!
I very much recognise the brain ache and depression you mention in the middle
of the learning process.
Snap. Some days you think youâre never going to get there, some days you go backwards. But you just keep on trying and not for too long. Little and often. I found having a radio on in the background tuned to ragchews on 40m helped. Just hearing Morse in the background keeps the sub-conscious working.
Mike, if you hear me on then call. Just wait till the pandemonium has died down a bit and call at whatever speed you like.
I hope to have at least 1 CW SOTA contact before the end of the year. People will laugh at me/this ambition but I donât mind. Years ago when I was learning CW we were all in what I can only describe as a âtyping poolâ - obviously it didnât stick
I had a good day on Wednesday (cracked it I thought) but Thursday I realised I hadnât. Oh well.
In reply to G6TUH:
Hi Mike again,
as my ssb is as good as your cwâŚthen all is ok
never done much ssb,i think the last ssb qso was 4âŚ5 years ago.
i have also to do some training here for upcoming ssb avtivity.
âŚohhhhlaaaaaa,ohhhhhlaaaaaâŚ
I often find I have days when I can do CW and days where I canât do CW, it just seems to happen. I tend not to worry about it, I just have another go at another time.
It seems to be that a break often does some good also, I have had other people say the same to me also, a couple of days without practise can sometimes lead to a big jump forward.
If Iâm honest, I donât do nearly enough pratise as I should but I do listen almost every night to CW on 80, 40 or 20m. Listening to US stations is my favourite bit and quite a few have been coming through during the evening on 20m recently.
Itâs great that you have your goal, itâs something positive to aim for. SOTA QSOâs are great because they are quite structured. If you can send your call and a report your pretty much covered. The advantage of chasing is that you can fill in a lot of the gaps using the SOTAwatch spots and you can listen to the other QSOâs to make sure you have the activators call correct, etc.
I know one thing for sure, once you have that first successful chase under your belt, youâll be floating on a cloud!
Stick at the practise and when your brain turns to mush, have a break and try again later, I think the âmushyâ time is when your brain needs to put all back in order again!
Hi Colin, thanks very much. I can best describe it for me as standing at a cliff edge and someone saying to my ear. âIt is fine you will land just there and you will be OKâ. Trouble is that I am a bit OCD about everything and so I have just short of a year to get up to speed. It is great to get such support from here because if I do screw up (people fall asleep as I am sending) then I know I will get remedial advice Time as I write 2320Z - wooden hill.
I am using that lcwo web site and it is the best I have found.
I find the tone quality of most of the computer-generated Morse training aids sets my ears ringing even if I have the volume down to just audible. Two minutes of lcwo is my limit on a good day. Same goes for the W1AW mp3s. Only program Iâve found that doesnât set my ears ringing (too badly, anyway) is G4FON, which has options to add noise and pitch drift to the tones it generates. Unfortunately itâs getting software rot, and tends to lock up except on a rather limited sub-set of settingsâŚ
I have also been SWLing and listening to see what I can recognise.
Received signals seem to sound a fair bit less unpleasant than anything computer generatedâŚ
In reply to G6TUH:
and so I have just short of a year to get up to speed.
Itâs taken me the best part of three years so farâŚ
I feel under pressure which is good 8-)If I try I must be in your log!
Yes you must !!!
Like says Andy let the big gun doing their contact and after call you will be without stress (or less 8-)!!!)
So take it with pleasure and her melody will come into your heart !!!
Iâve learn it alone at home and now I think the result is not so bad⌠Not perfect high speed is till difficult but for listening a call and a report that do it !!!
So have good days Mike
Bye
âTofâ
in moment i have a cw-only trx.
after 2 hours on the summit and light blue fingers i decided to go qrt then.
