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FreeDV Digital HF Voice QSO Party Apr 27/28th

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by VK5GR, Mar 2, 2019.

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  1. K3RW

    K3RW Ham Member QRZ Page

    For us NOOBs, does this go through a gateway to work? Would these QSOs count in HF SSB or phone contests, for example?

    I'm wondering if my IC-7100 can do it via its Digital Voice mode and not need the software/CODEC/etc. ??
     
  2. WA3YRE

    WA3YRE Ham Member QRZ Page

    With respect to TV when TV went digital I had to increase the height of my mother's tv antenna and add a pre-amp just to get 2/3 of the stations she used to get on analog. her home was on a mountain top 70 miles from Pittsburgh.

    We tried to buy her a digital TV to replace the converter box connected to the old analog TV and we could not find one that could get more than 1 station compared to the converter which could get 6. While the problem with DTV as a technology is that it is all or nothing I think the bigger problem is makers of TVs and Tuners not putting the thought into the RF portion of the RX. They just are not as sensitive as they should be and good luck getting any rx sensitivity figures out of any of the makers.

    Comments I have seen in this thread on FreeDV make me want to set up a small box with i/o for several radios and mics and give it a try with my existing equipment.
     
    WQ4G likes this.
  3. KG5GCC

    KG5GCC Ham Member QRZ Page

    I installed and setup the FreeDV 1.3.1 software. Tested the transmit function into a dummy load and can hear the digital sound from the TX Monitor on my radio. The waterfall is receiving fine. All I need now is to find a station transmitting so I can see how it decodes. Looks pretty cool.
     
  4. K9KQX

    K9KQX Premium Subscriber QRZ Page


    I'd agree with you on manufactures putting little to no effort into tuners these days. The vast majority of tuners I've seen in stereo receivers and TV's aren't any bigger then a box of Tic Tacs. They're a sorry excuse for a tuner. So I guess I'm lucky where i am in being able to pull in TV stations without problems. I feel sorry for ya guys having to struggle with TV reception.

    As for HF digital, one of the guys inquired if this goes through a gateway or internet, in this case it does not use the internet at all. So a contact should be valid. Now the real test will be trying to figure out whos signal wins and how you can manage to decipher with more then one person talking.
     
  5. W0PV

    W0PV Ham Member QRZ Page

    I won't get into the debate about the technical or potential practical merits of DV on HF for typical Amateur Radio use. Lets just say I am skeptical, for the same reasons why amplitude modulated voice, with or without carrier, is still primarily used for aircraft communication, over FM or anything digitized.

    Rarely do I hear signals on HF ham bands that sound like DV. I think many heard are actually digital EasyPal SSTV on 14.233 mHz. So I think its a great idea to hold a QSO Party event (similar to the recent AM Rally) in an attempt to generate interest in at least trying and test driving DV on HF.

    HOWEVER, I have a concern and question for the sponsor - two of the most valuable suggested frequencies on the 20 and 15 meter bands (highlighted in red above) fall outside of the USA FCC designated band allocations for Voice modes. The 80 and 40m are outside of the General class license as well. I'm pretty sure DV is not to be considered a "data" mode.

    So if you want to optimize participation, reconsider changing or adding to those Centre Frequencies.

    Good luck and 73! John WØPV
     
  6. W0AEW

    W0AEW Ham Member QRZ Page


    You took aim, fired, and missed the point entirely. :rolleyes:
     
  7. AA5CT

    AA5CT Ham Member QRZ Page

    Wouldn't be the first time, norm the lash. :)

    (You did read that after the semicolon, IOW, you didn't mis-direct-fire?)
     
  8. K9EZ

    K9EZ Platinum Subscriber Platinum Subscriber QRZ Page

    What a great idea! Thank you! I may have to try it!

    K9EZ
     
  9. WA4KFZ

    WA4KFZ Ham Member QRZ Page

    FreeDV is a soundcard-based software program. The DSTAR mode in the IC-7100 is not compatible with FreeDV.
     
  10. K3RW

    K3RW Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks so much!

    Can't spell 'disaster' without D S T A R, the guys here say.
     
  11. K9CTB

    K9CTB Ham Member QRZ Page

    I was eavesdropping on 20 meters today and it's the first time I listened to a 700D stream .... not too shabby, I gotta say .... one of the fellows (Texas station, I think) was talking rather fast, yet it was fairly easy to understand him. This QSO party is gonna be a blast, I think!! :)
     
  12. GM4ENK

    GM4ENK Ham Member QRZ Page

  13. W3ATT

    W3ATT Ham Member QRZ Page

    I completely disagree with this... I get Digital Over the Air reception from over 80 miles away! Perfect, clean, and beautiful HD reception from all of Philadelphia stations. Sound quality is astounding as well.. I do, however, live on a nice hill top with my very large TV antenna pointed in that direction. I can also swing North and get crisp, clear stations from over 50 miles in that direction. Maybe you need a better antenna, or perhaps your location is not ideal. And by the way, the weather does absolutely nothing to degrade my reception.. it works all the time! I give huge KUDOS to the "guy" who invented it.
     
  14. KK5JY

    KK5JY Ham Member QRZ Page

    Yes, this is quite right: http://www.kk5jy.net/snr-freedv/
     
    W0RIO likes this.
  15. WQ4G

    WQ4G Ham Member QRZ Page

    Most of the time, when there are no adverse atmospheric conditions, OTA DTV works GREAT here. But, when I really need it the most, like during Hurricanes to get up to date information, it does NOT work great. Some times, even when conditions are perfect, it does not work. My antenna is currently at 35 ft., which is 10 ft higher than when I was receiving analog signals.

    What really peaks my interest is why the digital TV, image and audio, breaks up when a Helicopter flies by.

    I can even make the same comment about digital telephones. My last employer had us using digital Nextel phones and we had similar experiences. If it was raining, there was heavy fog, or even when the wind was really kicking up the Nextel did not work right either.

    I just wonder sometimes if man's ultimate demise will be the result of depending on technology too much. I understand, like in the case of computers, that technology lets us expand the Human mind and lets us do more computations per second than a man could do in a life time. I get that. But, what happens when the lights go out and the battery back-up dies? What then?

    Moreover, what is going to happen in a few decades when machines have replaced half of the world's workforce? What are people going to do to earn a living? Yes, a few 'displaced' workers will perform maintenance and repair of the machines. And, a few others will build the machines - at least in the beginning. But, what about everyone else? How will they provide for basic food and shelter? Cura Annonae? A subject which someone better start thinking about now - not two decades from now.

    Dan KI4AX
     

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