Hi All
Sorry if this lengthy message is a bit controversial but I
feel I ought to comment on some of Mal's statements:
Normal RTTY would not be acceptable on LF this has
been discussed many times before.
As a newcomer to the band (only 18 months of listening and
reading the Reflector) I guess I have missed all the
discussions re LF RTTY. However, what I can contribute is the
(perhaps obvious) observation that the band seems to be
extremely underused - was it always like this? Even at "peak"
times I have not seen any more than 300 Hz of the 2100 Hz in
use.
I would suggest that those interested in LF should
learn CW. This mode is more likely to attract new
users on LF.
I know of two new LF operators who don't want to use CW and I
suspect there are a LOT more who would be interested if there
was an alternative to learning morse. Remember that in the
past 18 months, many thousands of "code-free" amateurs across
Europe have been given access to LF & HF. The fact that they
did not learn morse to give them access to all the HF bands
indicates to me that CW would be a DETERRENT rather than an
attraction!
Data modes are useful if there is a large volume
of traffic to move between stations.
Agreed - things like describing station equipment, exchanging
ideas and experiences....
The average radio amateur only exchanges Name,
QTH, and QSA/QRK
I guess I'm not average! I prefer a longer conversation. I
would venture to say that LF operators are FAR from average.
LF is one of the few bands where you can be fairly sure that
the chap (or chappess) at the other end has had to assemble
much of his equipment and aerials rather than just write a
cheque.
So, in the absence of a narrow-band medium-speed keyboard
mode that can be transmitted through a non-linear amplifier,
is it time to review how we make best use of our 2.1 kHz ??
Regards
Brian G3YKB
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