I wrote some Python code to go through the last couple of minutes of ALL.TXT and see what frequencies are actually in use, as separate from what's visible on the waterfall. Set Split Operation to "Rig" or "Fake It" so that you are always transmitting in the middle of your passband, set all your filters as wide as possible, and try for a clear spot in the passband near but not on their frequency, as their Rx passband may not be very wide. Try different Tx (audio) frequencies in the passband. Make sure "Hold Tx Frequency" is checked so you (along with everyone else) don't move to your QSO partner's Tx frequency. Check with and fix with Your transmit frequency is experiencing QRM on their side. Your time is off enough that they aren't decoding you reliably. Try working strong stations first to get some confidence in your setup. While I can _hear_ stations down to about -24, I can only reliably _work_ stations down to about -15. Could be a number of reasons for this: You could be chasing stations too far away, with marginal or fading signals. Not sure how much that helps, but your rig has a lot of capabilities, though that just adds to the complexity.ħ3, Willie N1JBJ toggle quoted messageShow quoted text I'm seeing way more dispersion on my dT histograms during FD than I do on normal times, especially since folks doing FD may not have access to the Internet for time sync. Look for their call in ALL.TXTĪvoid Field Day weekend (this weekend), as the bands are very busy, everyone's using 'FD mode', and everyone else is doing everything above 'wrong'. Watch the progress of other QSOs, see if other people are working your QSO partner successfully. I've ruined QSOs too many times with "Oh, he can't hear me on 1500Hz, try 500Hz, no, wait, he responded to my 1500Hz transmission, switch back to 1500, now he's responding to my 500Hz".
A full QSO can take a couple of minutes, don't rush it. Combine with the above, set your Tx frequency to 3000Hz and see what you get.ĭon't get impatient, if you don't get an immediate response, let your radio transmit a few more times. Even when 'nothing has changed' your antenna connections might be loose, or corroded,or worn in some other way. I see signals on the waterfall that start strong and fade away, and often wonder if those rigs (or power supplies, or antenna tuners, or other parts of the system) can't take the load.Ĭheck for RFI. Your QSO partner will read you at -12 instead of -10, but it'll still work.Ĭheck your antenna VSWR, see if output power is consistent during your transmissions. Back off by a couple dB on your transmit audio, yes your output power drops a lot, no it doesn't make a huge difference in decoding, and can eliminate all sorts of overmodulation problems. Make sure your microphone's not inadvertently active. Make sure your computer's not sending other audio to the 'radio' sound card. Set all your filters as wide as possible, disable all audio processing. Make sure your Tx and Rx audio chains are properly set up. You don't have to get that carried away, but don't be afraid to move around if you've transmitted on one frequency 3-4 times and it's not working. Your transmit frequency is experiencing QRM on their side. You could be chasing stations too far away, with marginal or fading signals.