3Y0K, Bouvet 2026

Don't use F/H mode on your end. Just stay on your TX frequency. It is far more reliable. Doesn't matter if the DX is running in F/H mode, the contact will work out regardless. The net effect is the same as MSHV.

SuperFox mode is better in my opinion than either F/H or MSHV. Wish more DXpeditions would use it.

 

Cool, Thanks, I didn't know that!

 

My understanding is that if the DX is set to FOX, as in WSJT-X F&H, he is going to call you up to 3 times maximum. If you don't move to a frequency below 1000 Hz, and you won't since you are not using WSJT-X F&H set to HOUND, his attemp to complete the QSO with you is dropped.

If the call goes through, without you moving down, I don't think the DX is using true WSJT-X F&H.

Best to see how others are getting through. That will be the clue if one should use F&H or just stay on one's frequency.

 

I never use F/H mode on my end. I have had no problem working any DX that claims to be running as a Fox. It just works. QSOs have not been dropped despite the fact that I don't change TX frequency.

 

Good to know. My experience has been the same as yours with most activations, but not all.

Either WSJT-X changed - and that is possible since I stopped following WSJT-X developments a long time ago - or the DX is not using WSJT-X, MSHV perhaps.

 

I do this but Tuning around trying to find any dx on the hf bands these days is not easy, especially from up here in the Pacific Northwest.

When beaming towards Bouvet for us up here we point towards the entire southeast US and in this direction the ssb portions of all HF bands are full of POTA callers creating endless QRM and the CW ends are full of people calling on top the DX entirely clueless that a dx pedition is active.

Knowing ahead of time that a dx station is transmitting on a particular frequency lets me set up my old non spectrum display radio on their tx frequency with my external noise reduction box enabled, this is a lot easier than tuning around blind for the dx station.

It doesn't matter to me either way because they are blocked to the pacific northwest anyway.

 

I wish you success in getting a 2-way contact with them OM.

You can do it, and I'll pass on two just possibly-useful pieces of practical advice for all DXing

If conditions are really poor--extremely weak signals from poor propagation path--just walk away from it
and come back in a couple hours or try it next day. There's no more frustrating enterprise than banging
your head against the wall with no real possibly of success. Don't expend your efforts to have them end
in aggravation. You will have another and better opportunity in the days to follow.

Same goes for battling against DXing-Dimwits-On-the-Air--especially the new Amateur niche-operating
activity of DXing on Morse without the benefit of knowing anything about operating on Morse--
decoder-screens/macros and no awareness of what a typical exchange protocol consists of in completing a
valid 2-way contact.
If your operating period just randomly has attracted a bunch of hopefuls who are hopeless--just walk away.
Eventually they will give up, burn up their linears, or take up producing YouTube videos on DXing and "CW".


Most important--I just looked up your location and pulled up a Great Circle bearing chart for the Pacific Northwest.
Bouvet/3Y0 is roughly 090 antenna heading via short-path. Experienced operators will tell you that, counterintuitively,
the optimum propagation facilitating a contact is quite often via Long-Path--
Phase or rotate your directional antenna to head roughly 270 deg True---West. It's often worth 6 or 10dB in my experience,
especially to stations in Oceana and Austral/ sub-Antarctic areas; and it somewhat inhibits the USA interference you've noted.

Stay with it, and don't let yourself be worn down.

Good luck.

73

The map projection is "Azimuthal Equidistant" and NS6T has generously created a free
application for all hams to use. Easiest execution is to populate the "location" box only,
with your Maidenhead grid-square locator to low-precision--example : "CN84"



https://ns6t.net/azimuth/azimuth.html


-

 

I'm firmly "stuck in the past" as you characterize it, because the past required individuals to develop and work at a host of basic skills. Those
skills are still valued and developed by newcomers to ham radio who want to grow, develop, and excel--for the pleasure of it and
for the fulfillment of being good at something they've done all by themself. ( @K6GP )

You are free to operate in any manner you choose. No one cares. I say again--No one cares. Knock yourself out. If you think
you've changed with the times, I'm happy for you. But your prior comment informs us you now find yourself in a situation of learned
helplessness.
Your choice. Own it.

73

 

ACTUALIZACIÓN 3 MArzo ---> https://ea1cs.blogspot.com/2023/10/3y0k-bouvet.html

 

Anything 5-10 up from 21.295 is a total zoo right now.

 

Just curious. I was trying to work them before and had 0 luck (which is to be expected on the first day). But when they say "listening up" and I go look at some of the spotting sites, some people say "Thanks 5 up!!!" which makes sense, but then some are 8 up, 10 up, 15 up. How does that work? Do you just pick a spot up from them and hope they're listening to that frequency at that moment? Or should I just do what everyone is doing and go 5 up and hope for the best?

 

Listen back and forth and see if you can discern a pattern of who he's calling back. It'll help you get through. Working DX is a game sometimes.

 

That or sometimes the DX will state "5 to 10 up", etc. when they QRZ.

It varies...

However, you can't wrong with what @NM9K advised, always good to listen for awhile first if you can and see what patterns the DX is using.

 

The pacific northwest long path is not any better than short path, long path on 10, 12, 15 and 20, where I have yagis, is being clobbered by Asian stations chit chatting back and forth along with a lot of intentional Asian jammers so it's actually worse than short path being blocked.

If they switch to their beams and aren't beaming long path on upper bands that doesn't help out either when long path is best.

Most of their frequencies including all of the digital FT8 frequencies are being jammed in all directions and with such a weak signal out of Bouvet the Jammers are winning.

Unfortunately the North and South American Jammers are not the only ones messing around with the dx pedition up here, the Asian crud is just as bad up here.

Same thing happened up here with the VU4 but I was fortunate to catch them late at night Asian time on 10 CW when long path to them was favorable and the jammers were probably sleeping, I may have to wait a couple of weeks when the jammers go and find another hobby.

As an example of what we have been putting up with related to jammers up here, some clown has been rebroadcasting a Trump brag message on and off during those times when the 3Y0 is actually copyable.

If this doesn't make a person want to rip their speaker out and give up on ham radio and just say the heck with it and go fishing for a week then I don't now what will.

 

I have two ways to approach this.
First eventuality, I know my signal to the DX station is very weak and a lot are stronger than me, i.e: I'm calling J51A and Europe is all over the place. In that case I find a spot and call there repeatedly without moving, eventually I'll get picked up.
Second eventuality, I know my signal can compete with the big guns _AND_ I hear most of the pile-up properly. in that case I tune rapidly across the band looking for the station that just got worked (look for a "59 thank you") and transmit on that frequency for the next turn.

Note that this works in SSB as well as CW, with some minor differences.

In any case, DX is almost a sport, it's a hunt. And it's rewarding.

But the FIRST rule is, call only if you can hear the DX.
And also, if you still haven't, read and heed this: https://dx-code.com/