The first thing you need to do is live three or four skip zones closer to the DX so that you can say, "Worked ST0R on the first call on six-meters using my wet string dipole and my K3 dialed down to only 10 watts...don't know why the rest of you are having so much trouble."
Absent that, what you understand is true. However, the second most important thing to do is NOT to automatically transmit 2.4 KHz up, unless you're in the one hop zone, because every other guy, except me, is also transmitting 2.4 KHz up. Disconnect yourself from the spotting network and listen. I'm like you and don't have a second receiver. I do have an SDR-IQ and can see the pileup, but this is an aid, not a necessity. Here is my technique: True Split operation: (I only use this method if the split is greater than 10 KHz, otherwise I use the XIT/RIT method I'll describe later.) Tune in the DX using VFO A. How strong is he? If he's S3 here in AZ and the guys spotting him are saying he's S9+ in NY, I'm probably going to do something else for awhile. But let's say that he's strong enough to be workable. [Lock] the dial and do an A/B swap. Now you can use the main tuning knob to find the pileup and get the flavor of what the competition is doing. If you listen and determine that the stations working him really are all doing it up 2.4 KHz, then you know he's not tuning between Qs and you are going to have to rely on timing and/or being louder than everyone else. Do another A/B swap and start calling. Otherwise, continue to listen to the pile, trying to find the guys that are giving him a report. You can generally tell when he's transmitting because the pile will die down, except for the guys who won't be working him because they are calling when he is transmitting. See if you can deduce a pattern in where he is listening. Sometimes there simply isn't one and/or propagation is such that you really can't hear many or any stations working him. You're going to have to pick a spot and rely on timing, propagation, luck or the (yuck) spotting network. Do an A/B swap so you hear the DX on A and have at it. In the case where he is clearly changing his listen frequency from time to time you need to anticipate where he will listen next. For this you need to try to hear the last guy he worked. If you are back to listening on A, the [REV] button becomes your friend. On a good day, I can press the [REV] button with a finger and tune the VFO with my thumb, but you might have to make this a two-handed operation. Regardless of how you do it, [REV] temporarily allows you to listen to and change if necessary, what will be your TX frequency. Alternative XIT/RIT method: If the split is less than 10 KHz than I personally far prefer to use the XIT and RIT controls. As before, tune in the DX and [Lock] the VFO, make sure [Split] is off. Everything else about listening, anticipating, timing, etc, remains the same. Now to listen to the pile and set a TX frequency, turn on (tap) both RIT and XIT. The RIT/XIT control knob is now the tuning knob. As you turn it, you are listening on what will be your TX frequency, the "B" display will momentarily show the offset and the "A" display will show the actual frequency. When you have picked a TX freq, tap the RIT button and you are back to listening to the DX and when you transmit it will be at the offset frequency. If you fail to be heard, you can either sit tight or if you choose to find the station that's working him you can tap RIT and tune for him. Tap RIT again and you're back to listening to the DX. I find it easier to do this with the RIT button and knob next to each other that trying to hold the REV button while tuning the VFO knob. Regardless of technique, listen, listen, listen. He can't hear you when he's transmitting, he won't answer you if he's calling for sevens and you're an eight. If he is on 14.195 and as one DXpedition op said, "Listening up five to ten....... and... 14.190", then you really want to, as I did, call him on 14.190, while everyone else is calling up five to ten. N7WS --- On Sun, 7/31/11, gold...@charter.net <gold...@charter.net> wrote: I dont have the two receivers so that is the first thing that puts me at a disadvantage. However, when someone is spotted and they say for example "2.4 UP", I assume that means something split. So if I listen on VFO A that would be their transmitt frq and I would transmitt on VFO B up 2.4 khz or do I have it backwards? Thanks ~73 Don KD8NNU ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
