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KA1EUI > DIGITA 07.11.08 06:03l 56 Lines 2158 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : B40141KA1EUI
Read: GUEST
Subj: What is your favorite HF mode?
Path: IZ3LSV<IQ3GO<SR1BSZ<SP7MGD<7M3TJZ<ZL2BAU<N1UAN<W1GMF<N1XTB
Sent: 081107/0327Z @:N1XTB.#EMA.MA.USA.NOAM #:54445 [Middleboro, MA ]
From: KA1EUI@N1XTB.#EMA.MA.USA.NOAM
To : DIGITA@WW
Back in the 80's I really loved RTTY. I had a number of vintage RTTY
machines and I would have great QSO's with many hams. I spent hours and
hours on the Green Keys and I loved it.
When packet with ARQ came out I really enjoyed that because now for the
first time I was able to take advantage of something called "store and
forward". That way if my friend was not available for a QSO I could send
him a message or a story or whatever I wanted to send him and he could
look at it when it was convenient. If he decided to respond, I could get
it later when it was convenient for me. Life was good.
Unfortunately HF packet was not as much fun. There were many retries and
lots of broken connections.
Then one day I tried something called AMTOR. WOW..this was just like
packet but it worked really well on HF! There were even HF AMTOR BBS's!
OH, by the way do you remember the RTTY BBS's? Yup there were some...and
they were fun too....but getting back to AMTOR it was a blast! I loved
it.
Well, then something called PACTOR and CLOVER came along. These were
wonderful modes but they had a challenge that I hadn't really faced until
that moment. The challenge was cost.
You see I was able to purchase an all mode TNC, mine was a KAM, and I
could do all the modes I just discussed....and the TNC was pretty
reasonably priced. When PACTOR and CLOVER arrived the price to get in
that came was considerably higher.
Unfortunately AMTOR seemed to start to fade.
Then came PSK31. Now I love PSK31. Just today I made 7 contacts into
Europe and I had a ball. It's just like RTTY used to be. What I miss
however on HF is the store and forward factor.
So, I'm wondering two things. I'm wondering what is / was your favorite
digital mode on HF. And.....do any of you want to setup some schedules to
revive AMTOR?
It seems that HF is just RTTY and PSK.. I'd like to be able to also have
QSO's using other modes....AMTOR, THROB, Olivia...etc.
So what say you?
73 Jim
jim@ka1eui.net
73 - Jim, KA1EUI @ N1XTB-4
Message timed: 19:25 on 2008-Nov-06
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