Some good SSTV operating hints by ON4VT

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 [email protected] 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 *********************************************