01/23/2017 | K2DRH

WSJT MSK-144 was a major factor in this test but the call freq 50.280 was chaos. Congestion can be greatly reduced by observing some old established Ms protocols that we have used for over 10 years with the older Ms mode FSK-441 on 50.260 (and originated even further back). The influx of new stations on this mode is truly wonderful but many don't yet have a lot of experience with this stuff and this may be news to them.

Westernmost stations should TX on first or even sequences. This has been a Ms protocol since long before digital. Its not an arbitrary decision which sequence to CQ or to schedule a QSO on. If your antennas are pointed west between 180 and 360 you should be TX on Second or odd sequences. If pointed east between 0 and 180 you should TX on 1st or even sequence.

This really helps reduce local QRM. Since most stations on the east coast are transmitting to the west most of the time they are mostly on the same second sequence and that way locals are not QRMing each other as much. Works much the same way when everyone on the west coast transmits first. In the middle it can go either way but reduced population and sharper antennas makes it more workable in the Midwest to point in either direction while still observing the same convention. The meteor "burns" are not all uniform at the far end and its pretty amazing how many different stations can get decoded in one sequence.

Yeah I know you have to reply on the opposite seq of somebody calling CQ for them to hear you and sometimes you reply or get replies off the back or the side, but in general it all works much better if everyone tries to line up with the W-E sequence convention as much as possible. Not a perfect solution, but a lot better than just randomly picking a sequence and CQing in each other's face.

Don't use 50.280 to complete your QSOs during a contest but rather CQ on 280 and announce a QSY frequency where you can complete the QSO without so much QRM and maybe even be able to generate multiple replies and QSOs. The WSJT-X software even allows you to do this automatically with the right CQ message formatting and CAT control.

Completing on the msk-144 call is just like working stations on 50.125 on the ssb call. OK when its not busy but not so good (or much appreciated) when its crowded. Unfortunately some stations don't give you much of a choice to get that needed grid. Hopefully that will change as more folks CQ with a designated QSY frequency.

Use alternate CQ frequencies. Some stations like multi K5QE announce alternate CQ/QSO frequencies on Ping Jockey where you can find them all the time and they are very successful. Since the old CQ frequency of 50.260 for FSK-441 is no longer being used (that mode became obsolete in a hurry this past year) many of us Ms "regulars" have proposed a second overflow CQ frequency of 50.260 to help reduce congestion. Its not far from 280 and can easily be seen on a bandscope if somebody is CQing there. Some stations (like those with SDRs) can even monitor both at once.

Make your online skeds on a different frequency than 50.280. This seems obvious to get the most out of any QSO attempt. Often after we work our sked a second or even third station that has seen our sked lineup and hears one or both of us tail ends and we work too.

Some other simple things come to mind. If you see the station you are calling reply to a different station that doesn't mean he doesn't hear you too and you should just keep calling every sequence to get his attention while he tries to complete with the other station. Just like in a DX pileup things go better without QRM so back off for a few sequences if he is NOT calling you and only TX again at the tail end when you see that they are finishing up. If that station at the other end is any good he probably already saw you and intends to reply as soon as he is done.

There is an exception. Joe K1JT used to work more than one station at a time on the old FSK-441 30 second sequences and I've found it to be possible on msk-144 15 second sequences with manually switching the TX messages mid sequence. Its a bit tricky but doable with two strong stations you can see every sequence. So if you see me calling two and working two stations on my QSY frequency its no accident.

The usual common courtesy still applies to digital. If you are not getting replies then don't keep CQing, figure out what's wrong instead. I also back off if I see that a local is in the middle of a QSO that I may interfere with. I saw a few locals call me that I normally work on SSB. That's all good but be ready for me to use the free message to QSY you to 2M so we can work other bands too!

-- K2DRH