> What I am looking for would be a way to include a picture as part of the > contact but not as the main object of the contact. More of a multi-media > concept, but done with relatively narrow modes.
> I thought I read some thing about a way you could use MFSK16 or some > other narrow mode and then switch over to send an image and then switch > back. Or am I mistaken? > > 73, > > Rick, KV9U Hi Rick, MixW, and I think maybe also Multipsk now, can send a non-error-corrected, narrowband, fax-mode picture during a MFSK16 QSO. On the Linux side, so can fldigi. NBEMS can send a smaller picture, but absolutely error-free, in a much longer time (due to the narrow bandwidth) and communicate back and forth (automatically) between blocks using the Plain Talk facility. The picture is error-free, but the Plain Talk text is not, as the slowdown for error-free text was felt not to be worth the delays incurred, so ARQ is not used for the text. Plain talk was included mainly for the purpose of coordinating data transfers, such as increasing or decreasing speed when conditions dictate, but it is also an interesting "chat"-type facility, even without data transfer. The MixW fax pictures are quite good under good conditions and worth trying. While the picture is transmitting, it is not possible to communicate, though. In QuikPSK, I included the ability to transmit a color thumbnail of the operator's face as a way to enchance the QSO, but it takes 2.5 minutes for the thumbnail picture to transmit, and in some cases, especially with DX stations, it is not even possible to sustain a QSO for that long. I just thought it would be nice to see what the other operator you are talking with looks like. DigiPan, VBdigi, and fldigi have a "QRZ Lookup" capability so those with Internet access many times can view a high resolution picture of the operator or his shack, if it is on his QRZ site. Since this can be done during a QSO (I do it all the time), there is no interruption to the QSO, but only one picture is available, unless a link to a website is included, and QRZ.COM is not universally used, of course. With the proliferation of broadband, I think using an Internet lookup is often a useful way to view pictures of interest and still QSO in the normal way. Error-free pictures just take a long time, or lots of bandwidth, to transmit. So, there already many ways to integrate images with QSO's in addition to SSTV techniques, but none of them may be all what we wish they were! 73, Skip KH6TY
