SNAFU

Yeah, I'm just sitting here watching on 30 meters,.... lots of people calling with no CQ before.
most of them are in the "restricted|" window.... NONE of them are in the log.

all though, I will say that the CQ's are few and far apart, they must have their reply number turned down to a low number.

 

From the KH7Z latest blog....

"Operations are now in full swing. Pileups have been good, with lots of contacts going into our logs. However, Baker island needs your help on FT8. Fully half the callers are using the wrong software and mode. You must have WSJT-X v 1.9.1, and go into advanced settings, and choose hound mode. Please make sure to sync your clock too."

Please note, they can not answer you with the old software and setup and you will never get in the log in ft8 mode!

 

Also, one thing I keep seeing on the DX spotter sites is reports of pirate stations that appear to be taking advantage of those that have not upgraded the software and following the operating procedures. I suspect that if you operated KH1/KH7Z with the old software on the standard frequency (or maybe even the new software that is not in hound mode), you operated with a pirate station.

http://www.baker2018.net/pages/plan.html

 

I dislike WSJTX and hate the fox/hound mode. Twice I called them and got a signal response fairly quickly, but NEVER got a RR73. I will not be trying again, either I'm in the log or I'm not.

 

I am running V1.9.0 WSJT-X.

And have Baker Island on 2 bands 18/20M FT8

Very easy to set up Settings/Advanced click Hound mode/Radio click fake it/Frequency right click Insert desired freq per there band plan.

Again MAKE SURE CLOCKS ARE SYNCED, And that you are TRANSMITTING above 1000.

So far confirmed on 20M waiting for latest update for other bands.

 

If your patient and setup right, they will get to you. May take a while!

 

Uh, whatever happened to good old SSB? Or CW, for that matter? I plan on getting out of bed in the wee hours my local time so I can get a good log. I can't QSO them since I'm a General, but I hope that if I include enough info that I can get a reply card. Oh, and people DO know that a snail mail QSO card can get a really nice looking card as a reply? I have a really cool card from a DXpedition on Bonaire a couple years ago.

 

Yes they are doing SSB and CW.

I am a General and have confirmed already 15 thru 40M SSB just have to be patient and wait until they Listen in general sections on 20 and 40M.

15/17M have been good for the left coast LATE afternoons evenings. It is 03.36 Z right now and hearing on 17M still

Good Luck

 

I, personally, do not operate any DIGI modes. I have always been *Phone* guy ;-) That being said, I worked Baker Island with 100 watts on the evening of the 28th (29th) of June @ o3:45 on 20 metres! Yeah, I DID sit there on freq for a little over 3 hours, but no pain...no gain (tell that to my backside)

 

FT8 DXpedition mode is just another tool to use when band conditions are poor. Old curmudgeons may hate it, but it certainly helps putting DX in the log when nothing else works. It certainly beats hearing "UP UP" and other nonsense in a pileup.

 

Is it accurate to say "they cannot answer you because your old software doesn't have that option and they are using a newer version that has it"?

Just wondering, haven't ever used Hound mode.

 

I would say cannot as in fox and hound mode the exchange format is a little different and how it works the frequencies. It might could be manually handled but it wouldn't be easy give all the traffic.

 

They weren't that difficult to work for anywhere in the USA - you just had to be willing to stay up late to do it...

 

The Fox sends out an encrypted message to fit two call into one slot. " KL1T RR73; K3RW <KH1/KH7Z> -13 " on JTDX it decodes at "$12CHI4N%GKG*/S" How would you know when to respond?

My radio has a power cutoff that starts around 500hz, the auto-response on F/H mode kept moving me to 250hz. They would hear my first call at 1700hz and 110watts, but my signal report at 250hz was only 40watts and didn't make the trip. I was never able to complete a call. I actually had both programs open and sent my signal report in normal mode forced at 600hz after decoding that they responded to me. It didn't work, but that might have been because we were both at -22 signal.

 

I'm pretty sure that only your Rx was automatically moved to 250 Hz.


if you manually responded at 600 Hz............ they ignored you. they specifically stated to call at 1000 Hz and above and to allow the software to control your Tx freq.