PSK newcomers guide to operating guidelines and etiquette.

Re: PSK31, as a new General-Class Amateur, I'm finding the earlier posts in the thread particularly helpful...

I'm wondering, I see a number of people providing a signal report in a response to a CQ pse K.... How are they objectively determining the numbers to provide as a response?

Certainly everyone isn't 599...

Any other tips greatly appreciated for newbies like myself.
73s.

 

You will find, as a rule, that signal reports given in PSK31 are usually going to be 599. That's because the macros in many programs -- including the most popular, DM780 -- include the signal report in the "name, QTH, report" macro and the default is 599.

If you want to buck the trend (hopefully) and give a real signal report, you can do one of two things:

1) Edit the macro to eliminate the RST report. Then give it manually, or...
2) Enter the signal report in the log screen (DM-780) before using that macro.

As either requres "extra work," most operators do neither, so you always get the 599. My log is full of them.

It's not the biggest deal in the world.

73,
Bill

 

Bill, thank you for answering my question. Very helpful!

I have a few more - again, coming from a newbie, thanks for everyone's patience: I am using DigiPan for example on 14.070USB, in multiple contact decode mode... Now then, let's say someone CQs with "pse K", and I wait for a bit and no one jumps on the contact (at least based on what I'm receiving, of course, the transmitting station may be seeing responses I dont)... If I decide to reply, do I transmit my response on the same frequency in the Waterfall that I decoded the CQ? Is there a way Digipan can display in multiple contact / decode mode, what relative frequency of the 4KHz bandwidth was used by the sender?

Wow, I realize tonight after reading the beginning posts, I was using way too much power, and way too much mic gain.

Can I see somewhere my own transmission? Obviously if I'm in the act of transmitting, my radio isn't receiving (TS-440SAT), and so, is there a monitoring site I can go to or something to see the quality of my signal?

Thank you kindly.
73 de KJ4VPI, Sam

 

Sam,

As for the last question, there are basically two ways to measure you own IMD: PSK Meter and the IMD Meter by KK7UQ. I use the latter, and highly recommend it.

Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, here's a good overview that will answer most of your other questions:

http://members.cox.net/jrehak/PSK31.htm

Have fun.

73,
Bill

 

Bill - that works for me. Thanks for the link.

 

I'm just starting out with PSK31, but I've been listening.

I saw a wonderful signal the other night. It was a strong signal; 400Hz wide, with three image signals in the waterfall, all easily decodable.


Perhaps he was using CB settings.

He was sending CQs for a long time , but no-one answered.

 

Sometimes a really linear amplifier is handy.

SRI OM SMK FM RX 73

Heh!

Cortland
KA5S