Sean \(G4UCJ\) <g4ucj.shack@...>
I managed to work KG4DX on 10m this evening working split. I set up a 2nd rx window on KG4 and "tuned" up with the main window. It was a bit tricky remembering the key sequences but once I'd got it fixed in the grey matter it worked well. I use 2 macros (in MixW), the first sends just my call twice (no de / k) and the 2nd is "<TX>R 599 599 TU<RX><SAVEQSO>". Took a while to get through but tnx for the new one! For reference KG4DX said up 1 and was listening for replies in the 2000-3000Hz area. I worked him at 1100Hz up from his tx frequency.
73 Sean Gilbert, G4UCJ
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would be for someone who is more familiar with the procedure, to post a
brief explanation of the basics for us greenhorns who are not as experienced
in DXing. Such as, how far UP will the DX station be listening. I'm not an expert by any means, but here's my shot at it. I use Digipan, so that will be my reference. And if I get anything wrong or incomplete, I hope that someone more knowledgeable will feel free to correct me.
As Duncan said, use the two-channel mode of the PSK software, and set one channel on the DX station, but make the active (transmitting) channel the other one. Select a clear frequency for your transmitting freq--don't pile on top of everyone else. The DX station will be looking for someone he can receive, and QRM won't help.
Get to know his rhythm, how long he listens between transmissions. Time your calls to be that long. As Duncan points out, just send your call. He will assume you are calling him, and doesn't need to hear his own call repeated in a 3x3.
I guess I don't usually send "KN" instead of just "K", but maybe that's because I don't consider myself (a W3) to be a rare catch. Duncan and Zoli's experiences are different--maybe it depends on where and who you are.
Macros can speed the transmission, but if you can type fast enough, you can do it manually. Don't expect a ragchew, and don't even dream of sending your brag file. All he wants is your callsign and report. Most reports are "courtesy" 599s, so don't worry about being accurate. But make sure that he gets your call correctly, and feel free to ask for a correction if he gets it wrong. (If I had done that the first time, I'd have a PY0FT QSL by now, instead of a "not in log" response.)
As for how far up, it really depends. In CW and SSB operation, there is often an indication in the "up" direction, like "up 3." And on SSB, the signals are wider, so the "up spread" has to be wider. But on PSK, since the bandwidths are so small, I personally think it's more likely that he is doing exactly what you are doing, scanning across a waterfall that's about 2-2.5 kHz wide. So I would start there--leave my transceiver on single VFO and put his signal at the bottom, and transmit above him in that range. You may be able to figure out where he's looking if you can see both ends of a QSO--find the transmission he's responding to.
BTW, be careful if he says "listening up" and you are in LSB mode. The spectrum is inverted, and his "up" is your "down."
Duncan and I have had a number of split QSOs using this technique. I was in California, and he was calling "CQ Africa" without obvious responses. I didn't want to step on anyone who was calling him, but wanted to chat if he had time and no one else replied. So I called him about 100 Hz away. He was still able to watch for simplex responses while I transmitted off-frequency.
If the spread gets wider than your waterfall (or your transmit filter), you will have to figure out how to run split VFOs on you transceiver.
FWIW, I managed to do just that last night. I had to go to the manual to set up the VFOs, since I had never done it on the new Yaesu. And I also had to figure out how MMTTY worked, since it wasn't a PSK station. But I managed to get VFOa on 21079.3 (the DX transmit freq) and I set VFOb on 21080.3 to transmit on. Since this was RTTY, the spread was larger, and I couldn't find a dual-channel option on MMTTY. I couldn't figure out MMTTY's macros, so I just typed everything by hand each time. But after about five or six calls from my little station (5 watts from a Yaesu FT-817 into an attic 40m dipole, tuned for 15) I was rewarded with "W3HF W3HF de TI9M ur 599 599 bk". Frankly I'm quite pleased with my first-ever RTTY contact.
I hope this helps someone. And as I said, I'm not an expert here, so please feel free to challenge my statements.
73, Steve W3HF
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