2017 Summer VHF/UHF Field Day - Jan 14 and 15

[VK4ADC]

Hi Doug

I will be active (if I shake the flu) for 24 hours on 6 2 and 70cm - just sampling a new location near Montville - I can have digital if you would like - Nominate the modes and I can have the laptop configured.

Trent VK4TS

Trent,
I have my suspicions that there may not be a lot of other SE Qld stations on-air based on the responses here plus the numbers active on recent FDs. That means a bit of spare time to try some digital modes as fill-ins during my 8 hour stint Saturday arvo/evening.

I suspect that PSK31 might be the easiest mode from the suggested list (of FSK441, JT4, JT65, MAP65, PSK31, RTTY) in that the tuning is not as critical, ditto with timing, and is probably faster for QSOs than straight RTTY and definitely faster than FSK441, JT4 etc. The Tigertronics interface can plug into the 6/2/70 transceiver and I can have DigiPan running with little overhead on the little Netbook PC (1.6GHz Atom/2G RAM/Win7). The software for other modes will also be available on the Netbook but it is a slow device so may not work well - or at all - as it will be used for logging too.

The recommended 6M frequency for PSK31 seems to be 50.290 but it is probably better to go down around 50.210 or 50.220 to separate from the beacon band for the contest activities. I will pre-program some memories for 50.210, 50.220, 144.210, 144.220, 432.210 and 432.220 (all USB) operation in anticipation - unless I get "flamed" here and some other frequencies are suggested. This is also keeping in mind the "above .150" condition in the FD rules.

I won't be going if thunderstorms are forecast as that area (Beechmont/Lamington/Border Ranges) always seems to cop them and I have already weathered (pun included) too many during previous FDs up that way.

73 Doug