You are welcome to get acquainted at www.wz7i.com

Make certain your RTTY CQ call is detected by the RTTY skimmer spotting network?

The computer and RCKskimmer are looking for "CQ" followed by your call followed by a space (" "). So the cardinal rule for writing your CQ macro is:

Make certain a space (" ") follows the letters "CQ" and your call letters each time your call is sent.

For example, efficient CQ transmissions might be:

"CQ WZ7I WZ7I " (note the space at the end of the lines)
"CQ DE WZ7I WZ7I "

During a contest weekend additional transmission formats are detected. Usually the skimmer receiver operator has turned on the option to recognize the words "QRZ " and "TEST " as well as "CQ " as long as these words are followed by a space. During contest periods these key words can be at the end of a line as well as before your call letters. Examples of contesting transmissions that would be detected would be

"QRZ WZ7I "
"CQ TEST WZ7I WZ7I QRZ "
"XYZ" TU WZ7I CQ " (again, note the necessary space at the ends of the line)

Note that there are some CQ macros that will NOT be detected. For example, there are excellent operators whom I have never spotted during an entire contest because they send the following:

"WZ7I WZ7I WZ7I CQ" (with NO space after CQ)

How can I check to see if the WZ7I receivers are spotting my call?

The easiest way is to go to http://www.reversebeacon.net/srch.php and search on your call.

Where do I find these RTTY skimmer spots?

A number of DX clusters have started carrying these skimmer spots. Each RTTY skimmer receiving computer sends the spots to DL4RCK's "mother" DX cluster that carries both these RCKskimmer spots as well as DX spots that digital operators post to other DX Clusters. Any operator can connect to his cluster at dl4rck.ham-radio-op.net port 8000. Other DX clusters have begin to connect to Walter's cluster and add the RTTY skimmer data stream to their own clusters which often offer both CW skimmer spots and human-generated DX spots. Currently these include clusters maintained by K1TTT, VE7CC, VE1DXI, and K2CAN. You can find internet addresses here. The spots generated at WZ7I are also sent to the reversebeaconnetwork.net skimmer system and then to all the clusters connected to this system but not all RTTY skimmer receiving station follow that practice. If you are interested only in digital DX spots, Walter's cluster at dl4rck.ham-radio-op.net:8000 is simple to use.

Which is best digital mode for a "rag chew" QSO?

Click for some data from K2MO that might help you decide.

Know whenever your CW friends call CQ on any band!

(As long as his fist can be copied by a computer and there is propagation to our area.) I run a QS1R SDR receiver with software from Alex Shovkoplyas that detects CQ calls on 7 bands at once. You can use DX cluster software to telnet to cw.wz7i.com, port 7300 and have these CQ calls pop up on your computer, often before your friend finishes his call. (But there is a better telnet address -- see below.)

A HyGain HyTower Jr. vertical obtains a signal for the QS1R receiver. Then Skimmer Server detects the CQ calls and telnet it to your shack. I use Spot Collector, from the DXLab Suite, to receive the telnet data. After a QSO I will often put the ham's call in SpotCollector with a "Tag" saying he was an interesting fellow, or that we had interests in common. Then when he calls CQ again, up pops his call with my note. (Or I might have a note saying I couldn't copy his fist. )

Where is your CW signal reaching today?

Try this experiment: Click on this page image, call “CQ” a few times and then see which CW Skimmers pick it up.

The output from a number of Skimmer receiving stations from around the world, including signal / noise ratios, is sent to www.reversebeacon.net where it can be searched in fascinating ways. How does your new resonant dipole compare with your vertical? Compare your signal to the big pistol contest station down the road. You can profitably entertain yourself for days. When testing antennas, etc., move a khz or two between calls so the system will repost your data.

Better telnet addresses for CW coverage

Lee, VE7CC, has set up a “DX Cluster” server that offers telnet access to the output of a number of CW Skimmer receivers around the world.A goodway to access this data is to download Lee's "CC User" software and connect to ve7cc.net, port 23. Click on "Skimmer" in the upper right corner. You will undoubtedly want to do some additional filtering at the server to reduce the number of spots to something manageable but CC User makes this filtering very easy.If you wish you can then disconnect and reconnect using your favorite telnet client software. I use the unique program, SpotCollector, to reduce the remaining redundancy. Recently Lee has implemented filtering to greatly reduce duplicate Skimmer spots from multiple receivers. If you wish to see duplicate spots you can do so by changing the default.

Lee’s server should give users excellent coverage of CW on the band. If you operate CW you will enjoy it a lot.

If you wish to obtain spots from an even larger number of Skimmer receivers, you can access telnet.reversebeacon.net, port 7000. This cluster has no regular DX spots so if you do not use SpotCollector, or some telnet client that allows you to connect to multiple telnet sources, you may wish to configure Wintelnetx, from K1TTT, to connect to several dx spot sources, clean up all the duplicate spots, and feed the data to your regular telnet client, such as N1MM Logger. The reliability of the Reverse Beacon telnet system has markedly improved in recent months and is now quite robust. I find VE7CC's "CC User" software very useful for initially setting up the filtering on the Reverse Beacon telnet server as well.

 

So who is Wes, WZ7I?

I grew up in rural Iowa and Ohio in a Quaker parsonage and am still a farmer at heart. I received a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University and a PhD in Biochemistry from Rockefeller University and taught at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR and Washington State University for several years before moving to the pharmaceutical industry. Before retiring in 2006 my last position was leading computational chemistry and protein biochemistry at one of the major pharmaceutical companies. Pipersville, Pennsylvania is a Mennonite community settled in the 1720's. Although Mennonites are no longer the majority of the residents, the community still reflects many core values of this subculture

I am interested in CW, RTTY, HF propagation and antenna design. The radio activity that gives me the biggest thrill is an extended conversation with someone from a different cultural background that gives me insight into their daily life. Other interests include listening to classical music, gardening, and reading history, biographies and other non-fiction.

The equipment includes a Ten Tec Orion rig and Titan amp, which hasn't been on in months. The antennas include a Sommer 12 element beam for 10 through 20, Force 12 two element antennas for 30 and 40, and a four-square array of HyGain HyTowers for 80 meters.

I upload all contacts to LOTW but would be glad to exchange QSL cards. But don't feel obligated to send a QSL card.

 

I still consider myself a Northwesterner and like nothing better than spending a day on the slopes of Mt. Baker, even if it is raining. Ruth has brought joy to my life since the 5th grade. God has been good to us.