I accidentally "fat fingered" this directly to wunder instead of to the list, so here it is again...I hope:
I am going to put a pitch in here for some of the "not so new" digimodes as a way to keep the hobby interesting. RTTY has certainly been around a lot longer than 50 years...even longer than ME...and has a beautiful sound. I find a bit more "conversation" there, but a lot more macros being used there than 40 years ago. All we had back then was a CQ tape, a brag tape, etc. It kept you busier than a "one-armed paper hanger" because you were literally hanging the paper tapes on the wall with little pieces of masking tape on the end and loading the one you wanted to use next into the tape reader.Another old fun mode that has been around longer than 50 years is Helschreiber, and all of its incarnations. It was one of the very first attempts to send text via radio. Technically it is a facsimile mode (thank you spell checker), with a scanner on one end sending a small picture of each text character and one the other end reproducing it. It has a fascinating history. I find a lot more conversation among operators using that mode, probably because even the slowest of typists can keep up with it, but the length of a conversation tends to be limited by propagation changes. It does require some (not a lot) operator skill to tune in and to keep it tuned in, similar to the days before waterfalls when you tuned RTTY by ear or using a scope. It certainly isn't the ultimate mode (which is why it is so obscure), but it is great fun to use it occasionally instead of PSK.Operating some of the older modes is a bit like flying old airplanes. They generally require more airman skill due to tailwheels, tailskids, adverse yaw, poorer instrumentation, etc., but are great fun once you master them. Same with CW and some of the other old modes. While my CW skill have deteriorated in part due to age issues, it is beautiful to watch a couple of skilled CW operators running QSK working together, and I am not talking about code speed. It is even more fun to be a part of it. It is a skill that I don't hear much anymore. The standard CW exchanges don't really do the mode justice compared to a good QSK conversation between skilled operators.Tired of the same old PSK "conversations"? Try one of the old time modes, or throw away the waterfall. Do something different. It will make you a better operator and you will learn something about the history of radio.73,Mark, KE6BB or as it was sent on a Model 19 TTY:-ltrs-ltrs-KE-nbrs-6-ltrs-ltrs-BB-CR-CR-LF-LF ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
