Clicks and the 10m contest

[Ralph Parker]

When I could, I paid more attention to the click problem during this
contest (after the CQ WW CW experience). Many times, some guy/guyette would
snuggle up to me and start CQing, often .500 khz away, sometimes .400 and
even .300 (measured). Obviously, my transmissions weren't interfering with
them. Meanwhile, although their S-9 signals were outside my passband
(usually I use between .400 and .250 hz), their clicks were S-6 to S-7, a
major problem when I was called by weaker signals.

I tried PREAMP on/off and AGC fast/slow/off, without noticing much difference.
I am unable to determine if the problem is with my receiver or the other
transmitters.

To try to lessen the problem, I now see the solution as this:
I need to dirty-up my signal, to keep them farther away from me.
Why should they not suffer, as I am suffering?

As far as the so-called 'mush' is concerned, I don't think it is a problem
in my case. Yes, the great unwashed all wind up on the same frequency after
clicking on their bandmaps, but I can usually outsmart them one way or
another.

I think it's time for a Q signal to tell them that they are interfering
with one another, and need to spread out a bit. How about QSO (spread out)?
Hmmm... that one's already in use. OK, how about QRM ("you are being
interfered with")? I use that one, but to minimum avail. I'm open to good
suggestions. We can send the best choice to N0AX to put in his Contest
Update column, and maybe publicize it a bit.

I use another radio for the RAC 'test, to see if it fares any better.

In between contests, I'm on 10m AM with my Ranger and R-390A. No clicks there!

Ralph, VE7XF

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[Guy, K2AV]

The problem is their transmitter and/or amplifier.  But your K3 can
neutralize a lot of the clicks.

Use the noise blanker. Set CONFIG:AGC PLS to "nor".  Set the NB level to IF
OFF, and dsp t1-7, t2-7, or t3-7.  Try 1-7 first, then 2-7, and finally 3-7
for really bad clicks. These three settings will "round" the CW bauds
in-band, with t3-7 the "roundest" sounding. Using the "250" 8 pole filter
with the width set to 350 in the filter set-up menu, I have sometimes
knocked down clicks 6 or 7 S units.  This depends on whether the sharp
skirts on the pass band set this way turn the clicks into sharp pulses or
not, or whether they have "yoopiness" to them.  The K3 with AGC PLS at nor
will keep the AGC from being driven by pulses. Then it does very well
suppressing the sharp pulses in the dsp blanking, but has more problems
with yoopy clicks, because of their waveshape that lends itself less well
to detection.  Sometimes t1-7 or mostly t2-7 does it. t3-7 has a pretty
severe softening of inband bauds that some might not want to put up with.
Once in a while I need t3-7.

I operate 40m at NY4A, listening on a fixed NE 5 element wide-spaced quad
on a 220 foot catenary between towers.  Some signals, clicky ones at that,
manage 40 over 9 and are murderous without the settings above.  They
squeeze in, hoping I go away. I turn on the NB, squeeze to them a little,
keep working stations and they go away after a while. In one contest, I had
an S6 click from an EU station up 310 Hz, and operated that way for 8 hours
from 20Z to 04Z.  I'm sure my sparkling clean K3 signal was not bothering
him at all. I had him blanked out.

The dsp NB does not produce the unavoidable "chop hash" of the traditional
IF blanking.  That's why I turn IF blanking off.  The dsp blanking is
enough to kill clicks.

73, Guy.

On Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 9:17 PM, Ralph Parker <[hidden email]> wrote:

> When I could, I paid more attention to the click problem during this
> contest (after the CQ WW CW experience). Many times, some guy/guyette would
> snuggle up to me and start CQing, often .500 khz away, sometimes .400 and
> even .300 (measured). Obviously, my transmissions weren't interfering with
> them. Meanwhile, although their S-9 signals were outside my passband
> (usually I use between .400 and .250 hz), their clicks were S-6 to S-7, a
> major problem when I was called by weaker signals.
>
> I tried PREAMP on/off and AGC fast/slow/off, without noticing much
> difference.
> I am unable to determine if the problem is with my receiver or the other
> transmitters.
>
> To try to lessen the problem, I now see the solution as this:
> I need to dirty-up my signal, to keep them farther away from me.
> Why should they not suffer, as I am suffering?
>
> As far as the so-called 'mush' is concerned, I don't think it is a problem
> in my case. Yes, the great unwashed all wind up on the same frequency after
> clicking on their bandmaps, but I can usually outsmart them one way or
> another.
>
> I think it's time for a Q signal to tell them that they are interfering
> with one another, and need to spread out a bit. How about QSO (spread out)?
> Hmmm... that one's already in use. OK, how about QRM ("you are being
> interfered with")? I use that one, but to minimum avail. I'm open to good
> suggestions. We can send the best choice to N0AX to put in his Contest
> Update column, and maybe publicize it a bit.
>
> I use another radio for the RAC 'test, to see if it fares any better.
>
> In between contests, I'm on 10m AM with my Ranger and R-390A. No clicks
> there!
>
> Ralph, VE7XF
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

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