ARRL 2018 Grid Chase

How many of you are taking part in this contest?

https://igc.arrl.org/leader-board.php

I am not very active but trying to build up my totals on CW and FT8 using low power and a wire antenna. I think it would definitely help if the ARRL had suggested some gathering frequencies for stations participating. If you work someone who does not upload logs to LOTW, it does not count and people in rare grids don't have a spot to hang out to look for stations chasing them.

Personally, I think this is a very fun activity for this period in which HF is so limited.

Dave N3CI

 

Working mostly FT-8, I was planning to do more FT-8 this year even had it not been for the grid chase and the reality is I can't really compete on the leader board with the station I have so have kind of given up on the chase aspect, but will still upload my logs to LOTW and see how far on the leaderboard I am when it is all said and done.

 

I don't compete against automated robot FT 8 stations,....... and Yes, there are robot ft 8 stations

 

Exactly and this operator (SV5DKL) even admits it and doesn't mind accumulating awards from it. I will not work robots, remotes and other fakes.

Post#24

http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php/topic,117921.msg1038318.html#msg1038318

 

Wow, robot stations are about as far from my idea of ham radio as you can get. First time I have heard of those. I do CW with a hand key and a QRP radio most of the time. My antenna looks like an illustration of how not to install an antenna in a handbook. Still, I have fun and like to know there is another operator on the other end of the QSO.

 

The Grid Chase has not changed the way that I operate. I was already uploading to LoTW. I haven't spent more time making contacts, nor have I focused my efforts on working more grid squares. I do look at their web page to check the leader boards overall and for my state. I looked to see who among the operators I see face to face has the most grids, and it wasn't me.

 

This might get me banned, but I can't see why operators think just because the ARRL starts a new kind of award there is a need to set aside a special frequency or set of frequencies so they can operate. If I chased paper, and I don't, part of the fun would be to get in there in the already allotted frequencies and eke out the award. Guess it tis part of the give me culture we live in now days

Bob

 

Yesterday there was a clown that transmitted 8 simultaneous transmissions in the 15 second period on 20M FT8 thereby flooding the waterfall. Likewise he connected with another call which was again repeated across the waterfall and flooded that bandwidth. Obviously people are more interested in hacking with their new license privileges. Contesting will become meaningless and that includes operators from a US state for instance operating a DX station on some other island. A youtube video was made to be a tutorial on robofying FT8 and one of the commenters watched it and said "wow we could put that to use on our next DX-pedition."

Guess you can't license ETHICS with some individuals.

 

That's a fault condition and not intentional or nefarious. I have seen it several times.
There's zero point in doing something like that intentionally.

 

I have many hours logged into FT8 and other digital modes and have never seen such a thing like that until yesterday. There is zero point in people keying their mics and playing music over 146.52, just the same they do it. I guess I'd like to hear what Joe Taylor the author has to say in that regard, thanks.

 

did you capture the waterfall image? I bet it was not 8 simultaneous transmissions, but one, because the lid overloaded the input to the rig, and/or cranked up the output power, so spewing lots of images across the band.

seen that a few times. even done it myself (guilty).

 

I didn't save the waterfall image, only the band activity. You could see each transmission spaced tightly in the waterfall and the transcript log from WSJT-X logged it as well. I prefer not to post the screen save at this time and hope this will be the only event and not repeated in the future. "ALL.TXT" logged it this way and I am XXing the call sign for this discussion. Timestamp and waterfall freq:

191730 2034 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191730 2091 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191730 2146 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191730 2202 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191730 2257 CQ XXXXXX DM13

191800 1313 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191800 1924 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191800 1979 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191800 2035 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191800 2091 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191800 2146 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191800 2202 CQ XXXXXX DM13
191800 2257 CQ XXXXXX DM13

Call Worked Was a Multiple:

191830 1979 K5XXX KKXXXX -05
191830 2035 K5XXX KKXXXX -05
191830 2146 K5XXX KKXXXX -05
191830 2202 K5XXX KKXXXX -05
191830 2257 K5XXX KKXXXX -05

If the control operator is at the helm then he should hit the HALT button and cease transmission until the problem is rectified. Instead this activity continued on up until 192600 hours.

 

I am

 

Multiple signals - thats what very bad splatter looks like on FT8. Try not to take it personally, it happens now and then when someone has not adjusted their rig properly. Why mot drop them an email or what I do, message them with JT-Alert - last Op I notified was thankful I brought it to his attention and he fixed it. If you are going to let the actions of a few others ruin your enjoyment of the hobby , sell your rigs and find something else to do. I dont know what, because there are these people no matter what hobby you are involved with.

 

So are you telling me the operator cannot see the same thing happening in his band activity window when this is occurring as the rest of us? Would all signals register -db values during heavy splatter?