[Moon] Re: Reply to Peter SM2CEW

[john battin]

>From: "Doug Allen" <dougw0ah at gmail.com>
>To: microwave at echo.valinet.com, moon at moonbounce.info
>Subject: [Moon] Re: Reply to Peter SM2CEW
>Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 03:09:37 +0000
>
>I have received several thoughtful replies from W5UWB, KB8RQ, and VK7MO
>suggesting that the "tightening" I anticipated is already a feature of the
>newest version of WSJT and that the bogus calls I received were followed by
>a ? which is a giveaway that they are bogus.  Yes, I remember that from
>September.  Other worth while points were also made, including that there
>are a number of "confidence checks" such as sync levels to gain whatever
>level of confidence you are comfortable with.  Thus, it comes down to
>personal integrity which was always the case.  I also understand that 
>during
>my several year absence from EME all of this has been discussed ad nauseum.
>So perhaps we should move on to other subjects now.
>73,
>Doug W0AH
>
>
>On 2/8/07, Doug Allen <dougw0ah at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>Peter, SM2CEW, describes JT-65 in a way that makes me question the
>>validity of JT-65 contacts, but I am not competent to discern whether his
>>software description is accurate. I have operated meteor scatter for 43
>>years. For almost a decade during the 1990's, I operated conventional CW 
>>EME
>>with high power and a four 5 wl 2M yagi az-el array. For several of those
>>years, I was editor/publisher of the "EME Newsletter" which had 
>>subscribers
>>from over 30 countries. The EME operating procedure we all used was 
>>adapted,
>>I think, from meteor scatter operating procedures, and was 
>>uncontroversial.
>>I had little reason to publish anything about it during those years.
>>
>>I first used digital high speed meteor scatter in the early 1990's with
>>software that preceeded Joe Taylor's WSJT, and I have used WSJT FSK-441 
>>from
>>the beginning, making the first meteor scatter contacts with it, I 
>>believe,
>>from Mexico and from Belize in the 1990's. I think FSK-441 is a wonderful
>>advance in technology making meteor scatter communication possible with
>>modest stations at any time. I continue to use it and think Joe Taylor has
>>made a wonderful contribution to amateur radio. WSJT is a free program 
>>used
>>by thousands. Thank you Joe!
>>
>>Recently, I have made a number of JT-65 EME contacts with 600 watts and a
>>2M 5 wl yagi from my new SC QTH. The decoding sometimes did not convince 
>>me
>>that I had made a solid contact. Let me give a related observation. 
>>Several
>>times I ran JT-65 in AUTO mode with message # 6, "CQ W0AH EM85," BUT 
>>WITHOUT
>>ACTUALLY TRANSMITTING. Without transmitting, I have received up to a half
>>dozen calls with signal reports from different stations in one hours time!
>>Obviously, JT-65 decodes a lot of misinformation from white noise. I will
>>leave others to evaluate the significance of this observation, but I 
>>wonder
>>if Joe might not "tighten" the decoding thresholds a bit in order to make
>>the software receive parameters more analogous to the aural reception
>>parameters of conventional CW EME, thus addressing Peter's criticism while
>>at the same time satisfying, I would hope, the many dedicated users of the
>>software?
>>
>>Doug Allen W0AH EM85  Inman, SC
>>
>>
>>--
>>Doug Allen
>>Here's a new webpage I'm working on:
>>http://DougW0AH.googlepages.com/home<http://dougw0ah.googlepages.com/home>
>>
>>And here's the 73 CIRCLES blog-
>>http://73circles.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
I am new to EME. I built the system in anticipation of CW (my love) but 
quickly became lonely as I was often the only one on the band. Knowing 
absolutely nothiing other than what I could read from the internet, I 
downloaded JT-65, fumbled around for a while and began making contacts. I am 
very impressed with how solid the software is. I have worked over 150 
stations on JT-65 in the last few months ... never had a false decode. I 
have called hundreds of CQ and when there is no answer .. it is blank. I 
think the sensitiivity of the system is good --- I often decode at -31 and 
work a lot of single yagi stations. I am having fun. I do not compare it 
with CW .... It is different...so let it be different.
John  K9DX