Why am I not surprised?

A couple of years ago, I subscribed to the CQ-Contest reflector list. That was back when I was trying my hand at contesting and I thought it might be a good place to glean some pointers and tidbits.

Unfortunately, I’ve been greatly disappointed because many of the threads degenerate into name calling and repetitive gripes about cheaters and what can possibly be done to run off people who aren’t contesters but want to do the unthinkable…like operate on 20 meters during CQ WW.

It also seems a lot like a closed society. Newbies are often run over.

I’ve considered pulling the plug many times but an interesting thread started up recently about using multiple direction antennas and splitters. Not that I would have the capability to ever do that, but I was curious how this might work. No harm in being curious, right?

So tonight I’m following the thread and I read this (and I give credit to the author, who I don’t know from the man in the moon) from N4OGW/5, and I quote:

“In a contest situation once such a lid has started up, it sometime also works to go narrow on the lid :) Point a gain antenna #1 at the lid during transmit, and receive on another antenna #2 pointed in a different direction. Usually antenna #1's pattern has enough leaks in other directions that you can continue to work other stations until the lid moves on.

I also use split stacks of two yagis quite a bit on 20 and 15 during stateside contests from MS (single amplifier of course). From MS the two population centers are northeast and west. If I point a beam at one of these centers, the other is precisely in the null off the end of the elements. I suppose I could use a stack of moxons or similar with a wide forward pattern, but that would sacrifice a lot of dx performance compared to the yagis.

Tor
N4OGW/5”

Finally a “real tidbit” that probably shouldn’t have been spoken out loud, don’t you think? What we’re talking about is nothing more than deliberate QRM, aren’t we? Someone gets too close to your frequency, just point towards them, blast them and run them off.

In hamspeak, the term “lid” generally refers to a poor operator. But, between us adults, let’s face it, it means someone being an ass or someone doing something stupid. I see some irony in his decision to refer to another op as a lid.

Now, I’m not naïve enough to think that this doesn’t go on all the time. I’m also not so naïve that I don’t think that people without multiple direction antennas tied to a single transmit signal are the only ones who employ this tactic. I’m sure a lot of contesters and hams in general with single antennas turn them in the direction of a someone to run them off. But I’m thinking that there’s a lot of contesters, both of the courteous and sneaky persuasion, who are probably gritting their teeth and thinking, “Hey man, just keep your trap closed about this tactic.” Is this how to maintain a run frequency?

I’ll be curious to see if anyone posts anything and addresses that.

A dash of reality

In roughly two years of half-way intense DXing with 100 watts, a hexbeam, a 43-foot vertical, and a G5RV, I’m at 272 countries worked. I say “half-way intense” because I rarely make myself wake up in the middle of the night to chase a country (although it has been known to happen), I’m out of town a good bit and, thus, miss a lot of opportunites, and I still put family priorities ahead of radio fun.

If I owned a 70-foot tower and had a lot of aluminum on top of it, I might think that 272 countries doesn’t look very impressive. And it isn’t about looking ‘impressive’; it’s about accomplishing a goal. Even with my very modest station I can work DXCC in one weekend. Now the going is a lot tougher. There’s fewer countries that I need and fewer opportunities to find them on the air.

So, reality has set in. If I want to make 300 countries, which I’ve set as my immediate goal, I’m probably going to have to make some changes. Not changes that involve buying a new radio, the 590 is proving to be one heck of a good choice. I need to make changes in my antenna system AND I need to put more time in. The last part I can control and change right away with not very much investment.

Here’s what isn’t going to happen. I’m not going to buy and install a tower. I’m not going to buy an amplifier. I’m confident that I can make 300 countries without either. Beyond 300, who knows?

So, I’m mostly working with what I have. For starters, with fall and winter just around the corner, I’m installing a beverage antenna. I have the space and it’s something I should’ve done last year and didn’t. That’ll help tremendously on 40 and 80, perhaps even a little bit on 30. When the leaves fall and the snakes hit the road, it’s as good as in. Next, I’m making a dedicated antenna for 30 meters. More on that in another post. Finally, I’m raising my hexbeam. For a very brief time I had it at 40 feet. That didn’t last very long, for several reasons. Bottom line, it’s been sitting at about 27 feet for a year and a half. I have the means to raise it to 45 feet but that’s on hold until my arm heals. I managed to rip my bicep muscle in my left arm and I’ve got about 4 or 5 more weeks of “non-use” following surgery to reattach it. I do, however, believe that the increased height will make a difference. Most tout that 40-45 feet is optimum for a hex. It also needs some maintenance performed when I lower it.

Also, despite the wonderful upsurge in sunspot activity lately, you’ll notice that I’m mostly concentrating on the low bands with winter approaching. I hope that proves to be a wise decision.

Here’s what many of you probably won’t understand, but some will. I don’t want to hit 300 countries right away. That’ll mean that I’ll have to come up with a whole new strategy for the next few. I also don’t want a station that I can turn on and have the DX in my log in 15 minutes (or less). Again, I know that flies in the face of many. I’m not going to explain that because you either know what I mean or you don’t. And if you don’t, you’ll never understand.

I want these next countries to mean just as much, if not more than the first 100 and the second 100 did, and I want them to require considerable effort. Because I know that I could rush out and buy all the items to make it happen really quick. Then I would have convinced myself that I really needed that amplifier and that tower to make it happen.

All bands and modes

I wonder what some of you think about the practice of working DXpeditions on multiple bands and modes. Since I’ve only been mostly active again over the past 2 or 3 years, I haven’t been around enough to judge for myself whether or not this is a trend that’s taken off recently or has it existed all along? I’m sure people have tried to work DXpeditions or rare DX as much as they can, but was the interest of trying to work them on all bands and modes such a popular pursuit as it appears to be now?

I’ve read some banter that indicates that some believe that the popularity of Club Log has caused this chase to explode because anyone can type in anyone else’s callsign and see how many times they’ve worked someone and on what bands and modes. In addition, there’s always a running tab of the top stations to work a popular DXpedition, further filtered by region, country, or call district. Also, as John, AE5X, pointed out in his blog recently, you can even see which operator you worked.

Do you think this is a good thing? Some seem to feel that this activity diminishes the likelihood of Mr. Average DX’er or Mr. QRP being able to work the DX, or, at the least, makes it much harder. Presumably this is due to the increased competition from heavyweight DX’ers to nab as many different QSO’s as they can. Maybe, but I don’t have a good feel for how much more congestion this might add. How many people pursue this aspect? A lot? Just a few? I don’t know.

I can see some merit to the argument, especially for DXpeditions that are short on time, those that aren’t on the air very long. On the other hand, should people who enjoy working them as much as possible be targeted as poor operators or “pig” operators? I certainly wouldn’t go that far. They have as much right as anyone to work the DX. Just like you and me.

And, again, I’m not referring to the stations who repeatedly call on the same bands to let the DX know they’re ‘59’ again tonight, just like last night and the night before that. Those fellers ought to be strung up somewhere. I’m talking about the people who do it fair and square and play by the rules. Get their QSO and move on and don’t cause QRM. I wonder, if I had a station capable of working rare or semi-rare DX all over the spectrum, would I find it fun to try and make 18 or 19 different QSO’s with the same station? Hard to say, but I’m sure the temptation would be there. For the time being that’s not a concern because I usually find time to only make one or two QSO’s. I’m happy with one (especially if it shows up in the online log), the rest are a bonus.

Those who manage to work a DXpedition on, say, 19 different slots, where in the world do they find the time? Especially if they work full-time, how on earth is this possible when 10 meters might only be open for a short time in the middle of the day? I understand that there’s easy explanations that could account for some of the contacts…they run home for lunch and get on the radio. They take the afternoon off. They set their alarm to wake up at 3 am in the morning. That’s not unusual at all for hard-core, dedicated DX’ers. But to get them on ALL bands and modes? That’s pretty fantastic. And if you look closely, it’s generally the same stations that appear at the top of these ‘most worked’ lists.

At any rate, I’m curious what others think of this practice and whether or not it is making life more difficult for average or budding DX’ers, or if it’s just another topic that’s making the rounds on eHam?

PSSSST.

PSSST. In case you didn't know, there's a rather big DXpedition going on.

I say that with just a hint of sarcasm because unless you've been living under a rock, everyone who is anyone in the ham radio world knows about ST0R and the DXpedition to South Sudan. And just in case that wasn't enough motivation, there's another one, albeit very overshadowed, to Lord Howe Island, VK9HR. After a summer full of radio blah's and rotten propagation, having two fine DXpeditions going on at the same time is nearly too much to stand.

In fact, there's an awful lot that's been hard to stomach. The on-the-air behavior has been atrocious. To be expected, I guess? I was not active for some of the big-time DXpeditions prior to 2008, so I don't have a real point of reference. And some of those since then, such as Desecheo and Ducie, that qualify as big time for the rest of the world have been chipshots for the US. So, what do I know? Maybe this is tame by comparison?

I've managed to work both. So for those of you with 100 watts and coathanger antennas, take heart, you'll get them. I did not post an obligatory brag spot, so I'll let this qualify.

I suppose what really irks me is listening to the other side of the pile-up, the callers. So many purported Honor Roll and Top of the Honor Roll DX'ers acting like babies. I've jotted down a few calls and looked them up. No manners whatsoever. They should be ashamed. And I can't begin to count the number of super DX'ers who apparently don't know how to work split. How can this happen? Mistakes? Sure. Repeatedly? Hmmm. Maybe it's time for the old-folks home? Some of them do appear to be getting on up there. I guess I'll be there soon enough.

But it's all part of the game and what fun would it be to get through if there wasn't a challenge? I look at some of the calls who have worked ST0R and VK9HR on several bands and modes and I wonder if they're having the same fun as I am with my one measly QSO to each? I hope so because those two quick QSO's really made it worthwhile to me. For a pipsqueak like me, my one QSO with each is enough - the pressure is off. Anything else is gravy. But for those who have band and mode slots to fill, does the pressure ever stop?

Lord knows that I'll keep trying for more, but if I don't get them, oh well.

One thing of note, after struggling for 2 or 3 days to work ST0R with the 590, I finally succumbed to realizing that having a 2nd receiver (or a bandscope) would make a huge difference. Especially trying to locate the ops who tended to jump all over creation or trying find quiet, less crowded spots to transmit. So, out of frustration, I resorted to the as yet unsold FT-1000MP and finally got through using the 2nd receiver to find a clear spot.

The 590 is staying in the shack

I've made my decision regarding the TS-590S. I'm going to be keeping it.

Maybe I've made a big to-do over nothing. I know a lot of guys who turn over radios the way some guys go through wives...oops...I didn't say that...I meant to say, the way some guys go through cars. They trade every year even if they find something they like, just to have that new car feeling.

I'm not like that. I struggle over big purchases. I second-guess myself. I can't begin to count the number of times that I've bought something and had that immediate feeling of regret the first time it acts up or something newer comes out. But that's my flaw, and hopefully none of you suffer from it. :)

Admittedly that's what happened here. Initially I was looking for every flaw in the 590 or expecting to be blown away. Well, neither really happened. That's kind of what made it more of a struggle, you might say. I wanted to either say, "This thing is a dog", or "My goodness, this thing is incredible".

It took a while to grow on me. In the end, I finally came to the realization that the question I really wanted to answer was, "Would I be happy with this radio or did I have to have a K3?". The K3 may end up in my shack one day, but not right now. I think the 590 give me "near K3" performance and not break the bank. Yes, I know that the K3 could be some now and more later, I don't have to fork over a mint to get it at once.

Bottom line - I'm good for now and I don't feel like I've settled for something a lot less than what I wanted.

My goal was to find a suitable replacement for an aging FT-1000MP and a K2. I feel that I've done that. And even though there are still some aspects of both of those radios that I even prefer over the 590, there's a whole lot to like about the 590. The receiver is really, really good. I've read the number on Sherwood, the ARRL, and some others. I know it is good, but more importantly, I like using it. Not to say there wasn't a learning curve.

So, that's that. It's a keeper. In the two previous postings I made about the 590 I tried to write about things that were important to me and probably a lot of other people. I didn't want to regurgitate a bunch of specs that are readily available at a hundred other places. I wanted to evaluate aspects related to actual use and not what's on paper.

I had an anonymous comment asking about comparing it specifically to the K2-100, which I can certainly do since I own both. The K2 is a great radio and I don't plan on selling it to fund the 590. It will be the 1000MP that's put up for sale. I prefer listening to CW on the K2, it's just more pleasant and despite the equalizer functions of the 590, I can't get it to sound like the K2. Mind you, it sounds good (the 590), but the K2 is simply better. Is the receiver on the 590 better? On paper it appears so, but not by much. In real-world usage, there have been times that the 590 made a station somewhat more copyable. Easier to copy. But still copyable on the K2. The DSP on the K2 is good, but it's a pain in the you-know-what to adjust on the fly. I find that you have to set it up first and then try to find a sweet spot with the right filter width. Trying to fine-tune it on the fly has never worked for me. In fact, I rarely ever kicked it in. If I had it to do over, I'd probably buy the audio filter instead.

On the other hand, the DSP on the 590 is fixed. You can adjust the width and shift it around, but the widths are fixed. I've not really found that to be a problem however.

QSK goes to the K2, hands down.

If I planned on working a lot more SSB or digital modes, then it's a no-brainer. The 590 would be my rig of choice. The K2's SSB just doesn't quite measure up and I've never used it on digital modes, but I had the 590 set up for PSK in a matter of roughly 5 minutes.

But the K2 has a special place in my heart and I doubt I'll ever part with it. I hope one day I'll feel the same about the 590.

Idiot DXing

Idiot DXing is quickly developing into one of my favorite pastimes. Maybe it can become one of your's too?

Just what is "idiot DXing"? Idiot DXing is what I refer to when I need to work a DX station, whether it's a DXpedition, a new country, or even a new band country, and the idiots break out. What idiots am I talking about? Let's see...tuner-uppers, ops calling on the DX frequency when they're working split, traffic cops (I really love when they come out), ops calling without listening (even while the DX is trasmitting), and others that I can't really divulge right now because I'd be mentioning callsigns.

Why am I developing a soft spot for such chaos? Because when it really gets bad, a lot of ops (good and bad) will simply give up and find something else to do or tune away and look for someone else. I used to do that.

But not anymore.

See, if you're able to keep your blood from boiling, your chances of working the DX might have just increased. Sometimes substantially. For one thing, the more people who give up, the quicker the chaos subsides AND if you're in the right place at the right time, bingo, you can nab the DX when under other circumstances, you might not have had a snowball's chance in hell. What about traffic cops? Sure it's really hard to hear underneath them - sometimes virtually impossible - but it CAN be done. All it takes is a little practice and intense concentration. You're not going to copy the DX station every time when there's some lunkhead blasting away with a KW yelling "UP UP UP LID", but you can keep a rhythm going and the more you do it, the better you'll get at ignoring the cops. Use it to your advantage because I can assure you, there's a lot of people out there who aren't going to try to listen when the cops break out.

The same goes for tuner-uppers and goofs calling on the DX's frequency. Use every resource at your disposal. Have you ever touched your notch filter? Is that a knob you never really understood or figured out how to use because it just made things sound funny? Try it next time you encounter a tuner-upper. You can break out your rig's instructions if you want to, but in lieu of that, give it a spin. It just might help.

Look, it's a fact of ham radio that these clowns are going to be there. There isn't anything that you or I can do about it so why not make the best of it?

Lastly, when the idiots get really bad and you toss in some popular DX'ers who simply won't quit calling in rapid-fire succession until they work the DX and post their brag spot, stop calling, lean back, decide that it's a nice time to take a walk. Turn off the rig. Because if you're not there calling, that's one less person I have to beat out.

Crunch time

My evaluation of the Kenwood TS-590S continues and I feel that I need to draw some sort of conclusion fairly soon. I'm not fond of paying interest charges to Discover Card, although I'm sure they don't mind.

My goal was to see if this new transceiver is worthy of replacing an aging, but extremely well-maintained Yaesu FT-1000MP or an Elecraft K2, with the ultimate goal of potentially replacing both.

Make no mistake, this is an excellent radio and for the money, I'm not sure that there's a better offering on the market in terms of completeness and performance, especially if you're an HF guy who wants to do some contesting, DXing, and ragchewing.

I read a lot of comments that compliment the radio, yet in the same sentence they'll add "of course, it isn't a K3", or "it's a great radio for a mid-level radio", and so on. If you read further, you'll find that a lot of them are comparing it with 15 and 20 year old designs, much like I am.

The 590 absolutely holds its own against both of the comparison radios that I have. It is not a step down, despite the fact that the 1KMP cost nearly $4,000 new in the mid-90's. But wouldn't you expect a radio in 2011 to not only be the equal of a radio designed 20 years ago, but better it in many respects? If it had come out in '95 or even 2000, it might have been regarded as one of the top-5.

But where I'm slowing down in my enthusiasm for the 590 is that it isn't a quantum leap forward. In fact, I'm left wondering if it is a half-step forward. After nearly a month of using it, I can't say that it's any better than the K2 on CW. In fact, the K2 sounds more pleasant, seems to give much better copy on weak signals (with or without DSP engaged) and has much smoother QSK. On SSB, the 590 wins easily. But I'm a CW guy, so there's a dilemma. The 590 does better on CW than the 1KMP, I think. Even though I'm not crazy about the "underwater" sound that the DSP can generate, I have an easier time copying weak stuff on the 590 than I do the 1KMP.

What still stumps me from time to time is that if I have the DSP on the 590 dialed in moderately tight and I'm tuning a band, I find myself missing weak stations because I have the width shifted too far in one direction or the other. That's not good. So, I end up having to open up the passband wider and that often lets too much through. And, I'm still battling the problem that I wrote about in my last entry with managing simplex pileups and identifying the target station. There's not an easy way to tell if one station is stronger or weaker than another if the DSP is dialed down. They all sound as if they're the same strength. With the K2, I find that this is something it really excels at.

If all you do is click on spots from the cluster, then I guess that's not such a problem, but I like to tune around from time to time.

I do believe that my ears have gotten adjusted to listening with the 590, especially when you consider what a shock it was initially. But I'm still not at the point where I would describe it as "pleasant" on CW. Passable, perhaps. Again, on SSB, it sounds wonderful, as good as the 1KMP, I think. But again, I'm not a heavy user of SSB.

I also really miss the second receiver in the 1KMP. Fighting in a pileup is so much easier even if there's no filtering in the second receiver.

One thing that I will walk away with is the knowledge that I wasn't missing anything with the radios that I was using before getting the 590. Even though the 590 ranks 9th in the Sherwood ratings, I don't think there's all that much difference that I can "hear". In fact, there's not anything I can't hear with the older radios that I can hear and copy with the newer 590. That's not an issue.

So where does this leave me? Well, if I had to decide today, I think I'd probably put the 590 up for sale and turn my attention to a K3 in a few months if I still have the itch to try something new.