Operating Tip - Don't Get Lost - September 2, 2021 2303UTC

So, do you wonder why you call in a pile-up for hours and I am not able to call you?  Do you wonder why I tell you "This is the first time I have decoded you today" even though you have been calling for hours?

The answer is on the screen below.  From 400hz to 2500hz looking in high resolution on my screen I would think I see about 25 signals.  From 400hz to 1400hz and from 2000 to 2400hz signals are spread out.  From 1400 to 1600 and 1800 to 1950 it is very crowded.  I counted 12 signals in the crowded range, though it can be hard to tell with everyone on top of each other.

I guarantee that if you are in the spreadout sections I know you are there. When I know you are there I use an "approximate/non-rigorous" algorithm, in my head, that considers when I first saw your signal, historically do I have problems completing with you if I wait, are you patient (as possible), can I complete without having to switch polarities during the QSO.

My overall objective is to try to run at least 15 QSO's per hour for the first two hours.  This helps benefit from my Ground Gain and the effort I take to find good locations with early/quiet moonrise.  In most cases I am able to get these rates and work at least half of the callers in the first two hours.  There have been a few occasions where I have run for the first two hours with only 1 or 2 retransmissions in that time.

So, if you are one of the callers who are spread out, you have a good change of getting called in the first two hours.  Math problem for a 12-year-old: 30 stations times 4 minutes per station divided by 60 minutes in an hour = Two Hours. Question for a 17-year-old: What is my expected wait time?: answer 60 minutes assuming a random selection process.

In the first two hours I prefer to work stations that I can complete with, in both directions using HPOL on my end.  I have found this produces the best QSO rates and signals with GG.  Unfortunately some of you are in parts of EU which more frequently have cross-polarization required for TX/RX.  I know this when I receive you -18 and call you twice on HPOL, no answer, then go to VPOL and get a response.  Sometimes only a few signals are on HPOL but many are on VPOL and I will then run VPOL.

Normally I wait to work cross-pol stations until the "easy/fast" stations are completed.  At the end of the session today I had great cooperation from several operators and I needed to switch polarity to complete with them.  It seems many NA stations exhibit this and some stations in Northern EU.  But sometimes Faraday is there for everyone. Switching polarity to try to complete a QSO when the waterfall is packed would be chaos and slow things down greatly.  This is why I wait to chase cross-pol contacts until some of the crush has cleared.

A side-note: I believe MOST of the operators who I was working with at the end of the session were in the group that turned the radio on and clicked TX-1.  I picked their calls one by one out of the mess as Doppler would finally spread their signals enough.  I asked them one at a time to QSY out of the mess and we easily completed.

Now here is the secret that will now longer be a secret.  If your signal is in the mess from 1400 -1950 I probably won't call you in the first two hours.  In many cases I will not even look in that mess.  Why?  I use WSJT-X.  For all of it's issues I am going to keep using it.  I can't reliably decode signals in that mess of overlapping signals.  2 or 3 yes, but not 10-20.  

How do you end up in the "mess".  You turn on your computer, start your software, let the software select the default TX audio offset or "DF" and you click TX-1.  Let's say that 10 people are using WSJT10 and the default TX audio offset is 1200hz.  If all of you had the same Doppler, every signal would appear at exactly the same place on my waterfull.  No decode and I don't even try.

There will be some variability with radio frequency calibration and Doppler variation with geographical location, however in many cases signals will be very close to each other, or on top of each other.

So I suggest the following: "Do not let your software decide where you will be on my waterfall.  Pick a freqency and don't use the default".

I haven't suggested this before because of the possibility of introducing chaos :-).  However I've done it now.

HERE IS HOW I WILL MANAGE THE WATERFALL

• My top objective is 30+ QSOs in first two hours.  I will make decisions on when to call you to help make this happen.  For example there are many stations that I know only call me if they are decoding me.  They are likely to be called early, regardless of how strong they are.   There are some strong stations that don't hear well sometimes.  There are stations that seem to call frequently but do not hear me.  I know this when I call them twice and get no response.  They probably wont get called early
• Please do not go crazy and everyone jump down to 300hz on my waterfall or 2500hz.  Making the problem move to other places will still leave the problem
• This is important: DO NOT SELF SPOT YOURSELF - IF YOU SELF SPOT I WILL NOT CALL YOU UNTIL OTHERS HAVE BEEN CALLED
• There will be cases where I will ask what your DF is set to (TX frequency).  The DF is what I see on my end, the combination of the actual frequency your radio transmista and Doppler will determine the location on my waterfall.  I will do this if your signal is weak or if I was copying you and someone landing on top of you and I can't hear you.  
• If I ask for your spot please give it, but do not volunteer.  I need to know the actual TX frequency, e.g. 1200hz, 1800hz.  Please do not say "calling you 600 down".  600 down from what? Are you using software with 1000hz, 1200hz, 1500hz, 1270hz as the default?   I don't know what software you are using and how you have it configured which is why I need your actaul TX frequency offset from the carrier.  I can then look up the Doppler to you and usually find your signal within 20hz or so of the computed value.  For WSJT-X the number I need is 1270 below.  It is the actual frequency offset being transmitted

• The reason for doing these things is to try to increase the QSO rate so you can compete a QSO sooner.  I try to stay until everyone is complete.  A few times, like earlier this week I literally couldn't focus on the computer screen so I had to stop.  Today I think I was on for 7 hours.
• Please do not jump around.  When conditions are good I select about 5 signals and track them over the 20 minutes it takes to complete with them.
• Sometimes I will announce a "list" if conditions are good and I think I can still complete with them in 10 - 20 minutes.  I will not do a list if conditions are unstable.  I will not do a list unless my internet connection is solid.  About 1/2 the time my connections are not very good and PJClient will hang frequently
• Sometimes the arthritis in my elbows and hands is too uncomfortable and I want to type as little as possible.  This week it has been good :-)

Thank-you everyone for your patience, cooperation and adaptability.

Because of your cooperation I can now regulary complete with half the callers in the first two hours.

The second half of the callers take the next 3 - 4 hours.

Hopefully some of the suggestions above can help reduce the 5-6 hour wait for some of you.

I will try to stay on site until everyone who really wants to compete is complete.  I will only stop before then if I have to, usually for safety reasons.

73 and see you the next time(s)

Peter, KA6U