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 *********************************************