Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
aswoodhull wrote: It's not like the frequency is never available for other uses. The W1AW code transmissions are on a regular schedule, at most 7 hours a day during weekdays (6 hours on Monday, none at all on weekends and holidays). So if you happen to be rock bound on this frequency you still have a lot of predictable hours when you will not find W1AW there. Unfortunately, those are also the hours where you won't find propagation on 3580. Or the middle of the night, when a working ham will probably be asleep for good reasons... I'm not going to dispute your other points, because I agree with them :) -- All rights reversed.
[digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
--- In digitalradio@yahoogroups.com, theophilusofgenoa twst...@... wrote: I would like to put in a few words in defense of the ARRL. I learned the code prior to getting my novice license in 1955. At the time, that was just about the only way one could learn ... Thank you for saying this. I imagine this is true for practically everyone who got started in ham radio in the years of the one- and two-year Novice license. I got myself up to 5 wpm and KN1BOW+K1BOW (Novice and Technician) in 1957 after a year or more of learning and testing myself with W1AW, and I wouldn't have been able to get my General a year later or my Extra fifteen years later without W1AW. I still listen to the c.w. bulletins as a way to keep my speed up. It's not like the frequency is never available for other uses. The W1AW code transmissions are on a regular schedule, at most 7 hours a day during weekdays (6 hours on Monday, none at all on weekends and holidays). So if you happen to be rock bound on this frequency you still have a lot of predictable hours when you will not find W1AW there. Yes, I know there are alternatives to on-air code practice, but the would-be ham who listens to code practice will of necessity have a receiver and will surely become interested in other activities he or she hears going on. I'm sure the matter of a frequency change is being considered by the ARRL. But the last round of unexpectedly brutal changes to the 80 meter allocations mean that any proposal for a frequency change is going to upset somebody. C.w. still has a place in ham radio. Aside from its usefulness as the when all else fails mode of communication, the simplicity of c.w. equipment makes kit-building and homebrewing possible for a beginner. I am not saying there is anything wrong with the new licensee whose first question is which $1000 radio to buy, there are many aspects to ham radio. But if ham radio ceases to inspire people to become technicians, engineers, and scientists in the next generation, we will lose influential support for continued access to radio spectrum for hobbyists. 73, Al Woodhull, N1AW Amherst, MA
[digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
Well Spoken that is also my way of seeing it...Fred WV8BU
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
On Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 04:24:37PM -0700, Ralph Mowery wrote: --- On Thu, 9/24/09, theophilusofgenoa twst...@windstream.net wrote: From: theophilusofgenoa twst...@windstream.net Subject: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference To: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009, 11:24 AM I would like to put in a few words in defense of the ARRL.? I learned the code prior to getting my novice license in 1955.? At the time, that was just about the only way one could learn, at least on a kid's salary. These transmissions have been on forever, so I do question Why is the code practice sessons even needed now ? In 1955 very few probably had tape recorders or an easy method to get perfect code practice. Now you can get a computer for almost nothing (some will even give you an old computer just to get it out of the house). I gave one away to a fellow years ago just so he could run a code program. When I was working on my Extra, I got myself up to speed listening to W1AW. I suspect that people still do that; who am I to tell them that they have to use a computer instead? Maybe they do it while driving to or from work; for a while, I did, and was happy to be able to do so. I grant that Morse proficiency no longer is required for licensing, but it certainly is required if one is to work CW, and I find the W1AW sessions to be useful in keeping my speed up when I don't have the opportunity to get on the air and pound brass. I'm not entirely happy with the ARRL, but I do appreciate this service -- though I very strongly wish they'd move the 80m transmissions away from the digital sub-band, and have told them so in no uncertain terms. -- Mike Andrews, W5EGO mi...@mikea.ath.cx Tired old sysadmin Announce your digital presence via our Interactive Sked Pages at http://www.obriensweb.com/sked Recommended digital mode software: Winwarbler, FLDIGI, DM780, or Multipsk Logging Software: DXKeeper or Ham Radio Deluxe. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:digitalradio-dig...@yahoogroups.com mailto:digitalradio-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: digitalradio-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
Last winter there was a conflict between the voluntary 160 meter digital mode sub band and W1AW's code practice. I asked them to move their frequency and they did. Personally I think that the ARRL continued Morse code practice broadcasts are no longer necessary. If they stopped they would save money on their monthly electric bill. 73 GUD DX, Thomas F. Giella, NZ4O Lakeland, FL, USA n...@arrl.net NZ4O Amateur SWL Radio Autobiography: http://www.wcflunatall.com No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.112/2393 - Release Date: 09/24/09 18:00:00
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
Why is the code practice sessons even needed now ? In 1955 very few probably had tape recorders or an easy method to get perfect code practice. Now you can get a computer for almost nothing Ah but radio is what this is all about. There's just something special about doing it over it the air.. If there wasn't, why would we be doing any of this as it's all so quick and easy simply with computers and the net... 73 Bill - WA7NWP
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
An over the air copy is much better practice. After all, you get the qrm/qrn/etc. in there, which is real stuff, and prepares people for radio copy, versus the perfect signal from a computer. Even better than the perfectly keyed copy from W1AW would be simply listening to some ops send - with hand keys. I use a straight hand key to teach code, then when the students hear perfect machine sent, their should be no problem in copying that. Danny Douglas N7DC ex WN5QMX ET2US WA5UKR ET3USA SV0WPP VS6DD N7DC/YV5 G5CTB All 2 years or more (except Novice) short stints at: DA/PA/SU/HZ/7X/DU CR9/7Y/KH7/5A Pls QSL direct, buro, or LOTW preferred, I Do not use, but as a courtesy do upload to eQSL for those who do. Moderator DXandTALK http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DXandTalk dxandt...@yahoogroups.com Moderator Digital_modes http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digital_modes/?yguid=341090159 - Original Message - From: Bill V WA7NWP To: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 10:51 AM Subject: Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference Why is the code practice sessons even needed now ? In 1955 very few probably had tape recorders or an easy method to get perfect code practice. Now you can get a computer for almost nothing Ah but radio is what this is all about. There's just something special about doing it over it the air.. If there wasn't, why would we be doing any of this as it's all so quick and easy simply with computers and the net... 73 Bill - WA7NWP
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
Allow me to throw in one more thought... I believe we'd all be better off if the machines were segregated from the humans. This is an extension of the current flawed attended/unattended scheme. Let's keep one segment of an Amateur allocation reserved for all the manual usage and put the machines in what we used to call the unattended segment. Given that concept, the code practice sessions would be moved to the machine segment of the band... 73 Bill - WA7NWP On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 7:51 AM, Bill V WA7NWP wa7...@gmail.com wrote: Why is the code practice sessons even needed now ? In 1955 very few probably had tape recorders or an easy method to get perfect code practice. Now you can get a computer for almost nothing Ah but radio is what this is all about. There's just something special about doing it over it the air.. If there wasn't, why would we be doing any of this as it's all so quick and easy simply with computers and the net... 73 Bill - WA7NWP
[digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
I would like to put in a few words in defense of the ARRL. I learned the code prior to getting my novice license in 1955. At the time, that was just about the only way one could learn, at least on a kid's salary. These transmissions have been on forever, so I do question why this frequency was used as the primary PSK31 frequncy. W1AW was already there. And the ARRL has been our BEST friend. Hams work many modes, from CW (A1) through advanced digital and signal enhancement (spread spectrum). For me, ham radio led to a carreer as an electronics engineer, designing receivers, transmitters, and RF components for over 40 years. I am now retired, and am again active in Ham Radio. I think this gives me a long term, if quite personal, perspective on the subject. Ted Stone WA2WQN (the Well Qualified Nut) --- In digitalradio@yahoogroups.com, Rik van Riel r...@... wrote: Due to an unfortunate coincidence, W1AW's CW broadcasts pretty much wipe out the 80m psk31 sub-band for a significant fraction of the time. To try and address this, I have sent the following open letter to W1AW at the ARRL, and also published it on my web site: http://surriel.com/radio/w1aw-psk-interference
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
I was about to reply to the question of why the choice of frequency for PSK31. I could not at the moment, but I see noone has addressed this point. It happens that 3.579545 MHz (NTSC color burst) were aboundant and rather cheap in the age of analog TV. So, they have been used in some designs I have seen of simple PSK equipment using the cristal for both carrier oscillator and pass band filters. If you have a normal ham transceiver, that is tunable, well, just rock the dial, and that is all about it. Buth those simple rock-bound PSK transceivers cannot QSY. 73, Jose, CO2JA PS: Who uses a tunable radio Participe en Universidad 2010, del 8 al 12 de febrero de 2010 La Habana, Cuba http://www.universidad2010.cu - SEGUNDO SEMINARIO INTERNACIONAL LEGADO Y DIVERSIDAD. ARQUITECTURA Y URBANISMO. El rescate de los valores urbanos y arquitectónicos en tiempos de globalización Colegio de San Gerónimo, La Habana Vieja, noviembre 24-27, 2009 -
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
theophilusofgenoa wrote: I would like to put in a few words in defense of the ARRL. They deserve it, IMHO. It turns out that W1AW has been looking for alternative 80m cw frequencies for a while now. We just did not know about it. I do question why this frequency was used as the primary PSK31 frequncy. In my opinion, the why isn't nearly as important as the fact that we have a problem on the band nowadays. The fixed frequency psk kits have been built and cannot easily be changed to another frequency. Why is an interesting question to prevent future problems like this, but we still need to find a solution for the current one. -- All rights reversed.
[digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
--- In digitalradio@yahoogroups.com, Rik van Riel r...@... wrote: In my opinion, the why isn't nearly as important as the fact that we have a problem on the band nowadays. The fixed frequency psk kits have been built and cannot easily be changed to another frequency. Easily changed by changing the crystal I guess, but then people have to decide which frequency to use for the crystal. Or substitute a VFO. So it seems we have color TV to blame for the fact that there is only one usable frequency on the 80M band. It's just a happenstance that the color TV frequency is in the CW portion of the 80 meter ham band. The amateur way has always been to QSY to get away from interference, rather than assigning exact channels to various users. I just don't have much sympathy for hams who marry themselves to a particular frequency because the crystal for it happens to be lying around everywhere. As for whether W1AW should listen before transmitting - I don't expect many of the QRP rigs that are stuck on that frequency are audible in Newington.
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
--- On Thu, 9/24/09, theophilusofgenoa twst...@windstream.net wrote: From: theophilusofgenoa twst...@windstream.net Subject: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference To: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009, 11:24 AM I would like to put in a few words in defense of the ARRL. I learned the code prior to getting my novice license in 1955. At the time, that was just about the only way one could learn, at least on a kid's salary. These transmissions have been on forever, so I do question Why is the code practice sessons even needed now ? In 1955 very few probably had tape recorders or an easy method to get perfect code practice. Now you can get a computer for almost nothing (some will even give you an old computer just to get it out of the house). I gave one away to a fellow years ago just so he could run a code program.
[digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference(A dissent)
Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but what is it that makes 3580 a sacred gathering place for PSK? Why isn't it 070 like it is on some other bands? Why can't we just QSY to get away from W1AW?
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference(A dissent)
Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but what is it that makes 3580 a sacred gathering place for PSK? Why isn't it 070 like it is on some other bands? Why can't we just QSY to get away from W1AW? Many home brew low power rigs, psk included, use the standard and very cheap 3.579 TV color burst crystal. 73 Bill
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference(A dissent)
but why can't W1AW listen first and NOT xmit if busy? On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 12:11 PM, Bill V WA7NWP wa7...@gmail.com wrote: Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but what is it that makes 3580 a sacred gathering place for PSK? Why isn't it 070 like it is on some other bands? Why can't we just QSY to get away from W1AW? Many home brew low power rigs, psk included, use the standard and very cheap 3.579 TV color burst crystal. 73 Bill -- Andy
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference(A dissent)
Far as I can tell, they have NEVER done that. That is a sore point to start with, but can you imagine a time when there is never a psk signal on that band (and the band is open?) I cant! The stupid part of it all is that the whole band is available for CW, so why cant they find someplace where there are no signals, and not near a narrow band signal? Another suggestion is on top of some ssb net that is just a bunch sitting around telling others to get off their freq especially when someone else was there first) There are lots of those useless nets. Danny Douglas N7DC ex WN5QMX ET2US WA5UKR ET3USA SV0WPP VS6DD N7DC/YV5 G5CTB All 2 years or more (except Novice) short stints at: DA/PA/SU/HZ/7X/DU CR9/7Y/KH7/5A Pls QSL direct, buro, or LOTW preferred, I Do not use, but as a courtesy do upload to eQSL for those who do. Moderator DXandTALK http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DXandTalk dxandt...@yahoogroups.com Moderator Digital_modes http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digital_modes/?yguid=341090159 - Original Message - From: Andrew O'Brien To: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 12:18 PM Subject: Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference(A dissent) but why can't W1AW listen first and NOT xmit if busy? On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 12:11 PM, Bill V WA7NWP wa7...@gmail.com wrote: Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but what is it that makes 3580 a sacred gathering place for PSK? Why isn't it 070 like it is on some other bands? Why can't we just QSY to get away from W1AW? Many home brew low power rigs, psk included, use the standard and very cheap 3.579 TV color burst crystal. 73 Bill -- Andy
[digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
That sounds like a very reasonable request. Well written and good job! f, k2ncc
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
I have found it frustrating when I am on that freq and THEN they start up. I wish they would simply QSY when the freq appears busy. Andy K3UK On 9/22/09, frankk2ncc frank.k2...@gmail.com wrote: That sounds like a very reasonable request. Well written and good job! f, k2ncc -- Andy
[digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
Setting aside the misplaced sense of entitlement in that letter, there's this from http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2001/08/07/1/ QUOTE A Retrospective Today, bulletins transmitted by W1AW are received with ease throughout the country. The information transmitted covers a broad range of topics such as propagation, Keplerian elements for satellite tracking, news of interest to all hams, and DX information. On Friday UTC, a DX bulletin replaces the regular bulletins. This news is of such great interest to hams in Europe that the 20 and 40 meter rotatable beams are connected in phase with the fixed beams to assure a strong signal to Europe as well as to the continental US. The bulletins are eagerly received and rebroadcast by other clubs and users. In his book 200 Meters Down Clinton B. DeSoto relates the story of Hiram Percy Maxim's desire to purchase an Audion tube. Unable to send a message to Springfield, Massachusetts, from Hartford, Connecticut--a distance of 30 miles--despite his 1 kW output, Maxim resorted to relaying the request via a ham in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, about halfway between. That experience prompted Maxim to conclude that a national Amateur Radio organization could coordinate the relaying of messages, and thus greatly improve the distances hams could cover. The name for the new organization reflected this purpose--the American Radio Relay League. In December 1915, each member of the newly formed League received in his mail a 16-page magazine called QST--the December Radio Relay Bulletin. Its stated object was to maintain the organization of the American Radio Relay League and to keep the amateur wireless operators of the country in constant touch with each other. Today, W1AW continues to provide the service that was the basis for the ARRL's founding nearly 90 years ago. ENDQUOTE Yeah, rotsa ruck getting that changed! It ain't gonna happen! 73 de W4AGA --- In digitalradio@yahoogroups.com, Rik van Riel r...@... wrote: Due to an unfortunate coincidence, W1AW's CW broadcasts pretty much wipe out the 80m psk31 sub-band for a significant fraction of the time. To try and address this, I have sent the following open letter to W1AW at the ARRL, and also published it on my web site: http://surriel.com/radio/w1aw-psk-interference Original Message Subject: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:04:58 -0400 From: Rik van Riel To: w1aw To whom it may concern, The W1AW broadcasts are a great tradition and a help to some amateur radio operators, and do not seem to be in the way on most of the amateur radio bands. However, the W1AW CW broadcast on the 80 meter band, on 3581.5 kHz, is right in the middle of the psk31 sub band. Needless to say, a high power CW station pretty much wipes out the nearby psk31 signals, which are typically transmitted at low power. While strictly speaking it is legal to transmit CW anywhere on the band (I will not go into the legality of broadcasting on the ham bands), I believe we can agree that putting a strong signal right in the middle of a band segment dedicated to lower power operation is not what the ARRL's Considerate Operator's Frequency Guide[1] would call considerate. Because putting a high power CW broadcast in the middle of the psk31 sub band (which sees activity whenever there is propagation) is guaranteed to cause interference to active operators, I hope you would consider moving the W1AW CW broadcast to a frequency where interference is merely a possibility and not a guaranteed issue. The interference issue is especially severe due to the fact that the W1AW transmissions are scheduled on an almost daily basis, several times a day[2], wiping out the 80m psk31 subband for a significant fraction of the time. Since the W1AW CW broadcast is an automatically controlled transmission, maybe it would be better in the band segment assigned to automatically controlled data stations (3585-3590). Another good choice could be 3579.5 kHz, which would put the W1AW broadcast 500 Hz below the psk31 segment, just like it is on the 17 and 15 meter bands. kind regards, Rik van Riel, AB1KW [1] http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/conop.html [2] http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html#w1awsked
Re: [digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
Like almost all large organizations with professional management, the ARRL has become devoted entirely to the perpetuation of itself. Paid public relations people write glowing statements expounding the dedication of the group to egalitarian principals, but to properly evaluate their motives you have to look at their actions, not their words. The ARRL is not dedicated to the benefit of Ham Radio, it is dedicated to the benefit of the ARRL. Scott Hill/K6IX W4AGA wrote: Setting aside the misplaced sense of entitlement in that letter, there's this from http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2001/08/07/1/
[digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
--- In digitalradio@yahoogroups.com, frankk2ncc frank.k2...@... wrote: That sounds like a very reasonable request. Well written and good job! f, k2ncc I agree with Frank that this was a reasonable and civilized response. I have since read W1AW's reply as well, and it, too, seems reasonable. Here is a response from this cross-posted message on the linuxham forums that is perhaps a more practical way for individuals to respond to this situation and other similar ones ... - Doug/KE7SEI - from Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL --- Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference Posted by: Brian Lloyd brian-wb6...@lloyd.com briancj6a Mon Sep 21, 2009 9:35 pm (PDT) On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 9:07 PM, Rik van Riel r...@surriel. com wrote: Due to an unfortunate coincidence, W1AW's CW broadcasts pretty much wipe out the 80m psk31 sub-band for a significant fraction of the time. To try and address this, I have sent the following open letter to W1AW at the ARRL, and also published it on my web site: http://surriel. com/radio/ w1aw-psk- interference Perhaps there is something wrong with me but I don't understand why this might be a problem. If W1AW is transmitting, just set your filters to eliminate W1AW and continue operating. If their signal is clean, and I bet it is, it is no more than 100-150 Hz wide, no threat to signals beyond that. Oh, I bet I know what you are complaining about. You are probably trying to receive the entire PSK subband with a 3kHz-wide filter and W1AW is capturing your AGC, reducing the gain for all the other signals. That strikes me as a problem with your receiving setup, not with W1AW's transmitter. Here are a couple of suggestions for how you could deal with this: 1. Turn off your AGC and go with manual RF gain control. Most rigs have enough dynamic range to be able to deal with W1AW's signal at full gain without AGC so it would just be a really strong signal in the passband. With AGC off W1AW would not reduce the gain for the other stations you are trying to receive. 2. Switch to a narrower filter. A 500Hz CW filter would allow you to narrow your receiver bandwidth to reject W1AW and still use AGC for the signals in the passband. 3. If you don't have a narrower filter, offset tune the radio so that W1AW is off the edge of the filter. Fldigi provides rig control so if you have set that up, you can offset tune the rig but fldigi will still properly display the frequency in the waterfall and it will properly log the center frequency for your PSK31 QSO. I have three different rigs I use for PSK (and other digital modes) and every one of them lets me work PSK in the presence of a strong signal. One of the rigs I run is a Small Wonder Labs PSK-20 QRP PSK transceiver. It has no AGC at all. It is a joy to use on PSK because strong signals don't block weaker signals. When I am using my K2, I just narrow the filter and offset tune so that the undesired signal is outside the passband and the desired signal is inside. No problem. I also have a Flex 5000. On it I just drag my filter skirts to pass only the signal I am copying. I then depend on the Flex 5000's panadaptor/waterfal l display to locate other signals to copy. Yet again, no problem. So I hope this helps. One of these techniques should work with your rig and eliminate the problem. Good luck and good DX. -- 73 de Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL
[digitalradio] Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference
Assuming that more than just one or two hams will try to use PSK 31 on 80 m, getting out extensive comments (publishing all the facts in dozens of places to reach a maximum number of hams) on filter settings to all concerned would be a much more difficult and involved process then getting W1AW to move their frequency a bit. Purchasing all those filters and installing them adds to the complications that could drive hams completely away from PSK 31 on 80 m. This approach seems completely impractical. --- In digitalradio@yahoogroups.com, doug_helbling doug_helbl...@... wrote: --- In digitalradio@yahoogroups.com, frankk2ncc frank.k2ncc@ wrote: That sounds like a very reasonable request. Well written and good job! f, k2ncc I agree with Frank that this was a reasonable and civilized response. I have since read W1AW's reply as well, and it, too, seems reasonable. Here is a response from this cross-posted message on the linuxham forums that is perhaps a more practical way for individuals to respond to this situation and other similar ones ... - Doug/KE7SEI - from Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL --- Re: An open letter: W1AW and 80m psk31 interference Posted by: Brian Lloyd brian-wb6...@... briancj6a Mon Sep 21, 2009 9:35 pm (PDT) On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 9:07 PM, Rik van Riel r...@surriel. com wrote: Due to an unfortunate coincidence, W1AW's CW broadcasts pretty much wipe out the 80m psk31 sub-band for a significant fraction of the time. To try and address this, I have sent the following open letter to W1AW at the ARRL, and also published it on my web site: http://surriel. com/radio/ w1aw-psk- interference Perhaps there is something wrong with me but I don't understand why this might be a problem. If W1AW is transmitting, just set your filters to eliminate W1AW and continue operating. If their signal is clean, and I bet it is, it is no more than 100-150 Hz wide, no threat to signals beyond that. Oh, I bet I know what you are complaining about. You are probably trying to receive the entire PSK subband with a 3kHz-wide filter and W1AW is capturing your AGC, reducing the gain for all the other signals. That strikes me as a problem with your receiving setup, not with W1AW's transmitter. Here are a couple of suggestions for how you could deal with this: 1. Turn off your AGC and go with manual RF gain control. Most rigs have enough dynamic range to be able to deal with W1AW's signal at full gain without AGC so it would just be a really strong signal in the passband. With AGC off W1AW would not reduce the gain for the other stations you are trying to receive. 2. Switch to a narrower filter. A 500Hz CW filter would allow you to narrow your receiver bandwidth to reject W1AW and still use AGC for the signals in the passband. 3. If you don't have a narrower filter, offset tune the radio so that W1AW is off the edge of the filter. Fldigi provides rig control so if you have set that up, you can offset tune the rig but fldigi will still properly display the frequency in the waterfall and it will properly log the center frequency for your PSK31 QSO. I have three different rigs I use for PSK (and other digital modes) and every one of them lets me work PSK in the presence of a strong signal. One of the rigs I run is a Small Wonder Labs PSK-20 QRP PSK transceiver. It has no AGC at all. It is a joy to use on PSK because strong signals don't block weaker signals. When I am using my K2, I just narrow the filter and offset tune so that the undesired signal is outside the passband and the desired signal is inside. No problem. I also have a Flex 5000. On it I just drag my filter skirts to pass only the signal I am copying. I then depend on the Flex 5000's panadaptor/waterfal l display to locate other signals to copy. Yet again, no problem. So I hope this helps. One of these techniques should work with your rig and eliminate the problem. Good luck and good DX. -- 73 de Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL
