The increasing popularity of SSTV has made that it's very often
very busy on the bands ! And many SSTV operators seem to have a rather poor
operating practice in this mode. I started a discussion about it on the inter
net SSTV reflector and the following hints are the result of many mails I
received. I hope this rules/hints will be spread all over the globe and even
translated in foreign languages. I have the feeling that always the wrong people
read this stuff. So talk about it on the bands ! Shouldn't it a good idea if
those who make SSTV software add these suggestions to their manuals ????
*VERY IMPORTANT: Before starting to TX a picture on a
frequency, please ask in PHONE "Is this frequency in use for SSTV ??" Never
transmit if you hear any other signals !
*SSTV is a lot
more than only "TX picture". Take your mike between sending pictures ! Give
comments about the RX/TX pictures ! Ask if the station is ready for your next
picture ! When you like to answer to a CQ picture, first ask the CQ'ing station
in PHONE if he's ready for your picture ! This will avoid a lot of doubles and
QRM !!!!!
*Never BREAK IN a SSTV QSO by sending a
picture ! Again BREAK IN in PHONE !!! Transmitting "QRZ ?? QRZ ??" pictures is
also not the right way to get contact if there is much QRM. Try a PHONE contact
! *28.680, 21.340 and 14.230 are calling frequencies. Try to make a QSY on a
clear spot when you like to make a QSO to a station. The chance your QSO is
disturbed by a CQ picture is a lot smaller !
*20 meter
is really overcrowded (and not only with SSTV!). Try the higher bands. 10 meters
for example has a sea of space (and unused !!). My favorite challenge is to send
a CQ picture on a "dead" band. Very often surprised about the answering stations
!! And mostly QRM free!
*Very important is to use the suggested SSTV frequencies with
3Kc spacing !!!
Here are the suggested SSTV frequencies
: -10 Meters : 28.673 28.677 28.680=calling frequency 28.683 28.686 28.690=K3ASI
repeater 28.700=ON4VRB repeater
-15 Meters : 21.334
21.337 21.340=calling frequency 21.343 21.346 Avoid SSTV around 21.350 because
there is a Phone DX Net running !
-20 Meters :
14.230=calling frequency 14.233 14.236 14.239 Avoid SSTV on 14.227 because there
is a Phone DX Net running ! 80% of all SSTV traffic is done on those frequencies
so please don't transmit SSTV pictures BETWEEN those suggested frequencies, it
will QRM a lot !!! 3Kc spacing is really a must for not interfering on nearby
stations !!
*Try to be original in your pictures !
Station related pictures (shack, antennas, QTH, area, family etc) make SSTV
really attractive ! Please don't transmit pictures containing PORNO, politics,
commercials etc.
*Don't hesitate to help (and sometimes
even blame) stations who are not having the right operating practice. And think
about that everybody makes mistakes (I'm really not the super operator .. I
surely make my mistakes !!! ).
*If you have suggestions
for additions or changes, please drop me a mail !
*This
operating hints are now added to my SSTV web site as an extra page !
"One SSTV picture tells a lot more than thousand words ... "
QRV in SSTV - HELLschreiber - PSK31 - RTTY - SSB - CW - PACKET (10 to 80 meters
+ VHF/UHF) ********* RADIO AMATEUR STATION ON4VT ******** Danny Van Tricht
Hulshoutveld 2 B-2235 Hulshout Belgium E-mail ON4VT@ping.be SSTV Web site
http://www.ping.be/on4vt/ http://www.qsl.net/on4vt Packet ON4VT@ON0RTB WW
DX-cluster ON0EUL-15 via NODE ON0LVN (24h a day) Phone 00 32 (0)15 224055 GSM 00
32 (0)496 402112 Fax 00 32 (0)15 222250 Editor "The Picture DX Bulletin"
Co-sysop ON4VRB SSTV transponder on 28700 USB <> 433925 FM
*********************************************