Welcome to the interview section again. It has been one of the most reader section at this web and this help us to continue with this hard but interesting job.
This time we have tried to bring something special dedicated to the DIGITAL OPERATION.
By reading the forums you realize there are a lot of people interested on these modes and the number is really increasing.

As we try to do all the time we have been attempted to cover all point of view and that´s what we have got in touch with an experienced operator: Miguel 30MRDJ and a newcomer:
Joan 30VR101 whom have been willing to attend dxhunters.com.

As we have done before with all the guest operators in this section, dxhunter´s team would like to give a big thanks to Miguel and Joan for their time on this interview.

Now, get in and enjoy!

30MRDJ

- Age?

That´s a difficult question to start, je,je…I´m 38

- Location?

I was born in Madrid where I lived till I moved to a beautiful location in Galicia called Villagarcía de Arosa in the Atlantic Ocean coastal area (locator IN52OO)

- When and how did you start in radio?

As most of the people involved in this hobby it was a casual meeting. One day a good friend of mine come to my house with a 40ch CB radio with only AM/FM. I told him you´re not gonna muddle me up with that piece of junk….it is a tacky thing!...As the year passed I have realised that this is JUST LIKE I THOUGHT!!!...jajaja…I´m joking. It was late on 1993, but I didn´t start to make real DXing till 1995. I´ve always been on the freeband 11 meters.

Something may change in the future regarding ham licenses in Spain, so that´s why I passed my EC exam (restricted) and I´m waiting for my call….but it´s nothing but a procedure to became more ¨legal¨…

- Working conditions?

Since many years ago, a Lincoln running barefoot, vertical antenna and a microphone preamplifier using my PC soundcard. Also, I got a small 10 bands audio equaliser (like those used on the car´s audio). Perhaps due to my past as a DJ (that´s what I use 30MRDJ as my QRZ) I´ve always been more worried about my audio quality than my signal´s power. I prefer to keep my ear close to my speaker to hear a low but interesting transmission than to get a 9 plus 40 station shouting: ¨HOOOOLAAAAA, HOOLAAAAAA¨

And now concentrating on the interview focus:

- How long have you been practising digital modes?

Since 1998 more or less.

- Is it difficult to transmit on those modes?

Absolutely not. I meant, a few years back we would have needed a relatively expensive modem and even more complicated for a CB user. Now a days is more simple. You just need to know a few basic points about how a soundcard works out and a minimum knowledge about the software you´re going to use. Apart from that you would need to be continuously updated about the lastest ¨digital¨ programs available that will make things easier.

I have wrote ¨digital¨ in inverted commas because when we say digital it´s nothing like that because our radio doesn´t transmit a digital signal but with the help of the software an image is converted to a sound. Then that sound is transmited by our radio.

- How many modes have you tried and what do you think could be more interesting ?

Well, my problem is that I can´t stand by. I need to see and test as much as I can. I have tested all modes that I know. I love SSTV because it´s 100% visual and very spectacular. I like to receive funny images or photomontages from our radio colleagues and of course, I enjoy so much doing designs and touches and surprising this way to the other operators. It´s really funny and fantastic to report WX or radio conditions and even to send some visual information about my QTH. Personally, when I send weather reports I´m sending an updated image taken from Metosat (weather satellite) edited with temperature, etc…

- What would we need to start to practice and how much money should we spend on it?

Well, as I said before you just need a PC with soundcard. Depending of the software you can even use an old Pc with a 486 processor.

Then we would need an interface. This is an electronic circuit very simple to connect to our radio and PC. This is done to take the sound from the soundcard to the radio, and the sound from the radio to the PC. Also you would need a transistor wich close and open the PTT through the COM port.

- Can you transmit on SSTV or PSK with a CB radio?

Off course, you just plug the interface to your microphone socket on the radio front and go.

- These days there are a lot of software to tx on digital modes….which one do you use and wich one would you advise?

That´s a very good question because there are a lot of programs to specific modes: SSTV, PSK, RTTY…and there are a few designed to cover a wide variety of modes on a single program. There are some good FREEWARE programs. My opinion is that best software is the one which allow you to edit text and images, it´s simple, fast and stable to our system. I run HAMSCOPE for PSK, RTTY, MFSK and CW. For THROB, HELL and some other modes of ¨keyboard¨ I use MIXW2 but for SSTV I like MSCAN wich have a funny an interesting function as repeater. When I just heard divisions already confirmed, I use to run the repeater mode sending live images from my webcam…

- How is a QSO on SSTV?...and in PSK???

The way is exactly the same as we do on phone. We start calling CQ,CQ and QSY if so, and then we continue writing or sending details about our station, signal reports,etc…in SSTV you can even make a QSO in voice and sending an image from time to time. ¨This is me with my dog¨ for example or ¨are you ready to receive?¨

- What can you tell me about E-QSO and Echolink?

It´s a very useful tool to keep on doing radio when propagation is on holidays. Personally, I have a radiolink in 27615FM in my area through e-QSO. My experience with this system (more than 3 years) has show me it really takes a lot of interest among my nearest colleagues. I connect it when prop is down and sometimes we have enjoyed with QSOs Radio-Internet-Radio with some locations in North, Central and South America, Canary Islands, Europe. I know guys who have come back to the radio because someone has told them that in some frequencies you can talk with far away places using only the same power you have to use for your local QSOs.

-Which are the advantages of digital modes over the phone?

I think they are accessories of radio equipment. There are a lot of people who think Internet and PCs have damaged the radio. I think both are nothing but another piece of equipment to enjoy with the radio, as a base microphone or an antenna coupler….In some specific case as PSK, the main advantage is that you can reach too far with less power. Another feature of the PSK is that it uses less bandwitdth than phone so that allow us to be more than one or two QSO at the same time per channel with a minimum disturb among each other.

- What would you say to those whom say this is not radio?

I have a great respect for all opinions. For me, any mode of communication in which a radio wave is involved can be considered as radio. Our voice has to be treated to travel along ether. Same way for an image that is treated to be transmitted. At the end, result is the same.

Cases as e-QSO and Echolink is a little bit different because a part of the transmisión is partially going through Internet but if QSO started a on radio and ended on a radio….isn´t that a radio contact?. Obviously, you can´t confirm a DXCC that way but can we use Internet to complete a QSO if we took same registry we use with propagation?...For me both questions are affirmatives

- I´ve heard so many complaints about those whom transmit pornography images on SSTV…what´s your opinion about this?

It´s nothing but a problem of common sense. If I´d like to watch nude women it won´t give me any right to go to your home and play on your video ¨Savages Melons 2¨….in radio it could be the same. When someone say or show something on frequency is like being told or showed on our homes and this is not fair. Only a question of common sense.

- For a ¨gentlemen agreement¨ in 27 we have set some frecqencies for digital modes. Can you tell us wich are them and how the users administrate those frequencies?

Exaclty. Who said 27555 is a call frecuency?...I don´t know. In digital modes is the same. We have took 27500 for ¨keyboard¨ modes (RTTY, PSK,..) and on this case you won´t need to make QSY because as I said before the bandwitdth is narrow enough to have no interaction among all the stations on frecuency. On SSTV things are different. The call frecuency is 27700 but bandwidth is very wide so if you find 2 QSOs in this frequency at the same time the result would be nothing but a mixture of colours and scratches. Another question of common sense. Personally, I send a CQ and then I do QSY. If I find the channel is really crowded, I call and QSY on phone notifying I call for SSTV. As far as I know, I heard 27700 and above have been used sometimes by the Australian Navy. For this reason, fellows from 43 and around have been calling on 27420.

- Acording to what Miguel has told me, he really believes a good use and spreading of digital modes can attract new people to the radio….how do you think new technologies would attract new freebanders (and later amateurs)?

We have to dissmiss the fact that digital radio is something complicated and only available to a few ones.. We should be open to all the things that mean Progress.

We´re not pretending to suppress the all time radio style but we would like to improve the radio and take advantage of Internet and PCs. Doing a comparision with the supression of the CW on the exams, it hasn´t meant the disappearance of the code wich will be alive among those who love CW. I think that digital modes are attractive…don´t you think?...je,je.

I have always thought that amateur radio is only the peak of the iceberg. I have been always behind as I´m a simple user of that technology but I´m truly convinced there are a lot of people out there with capacity to develop new modes, softwares and things. Radioamateurs have been pioneers in many points and probably more new things will come.

- I know that Miguel is building a special homebrew modem. Also I know that Joan is using one of the Miguel´s modem. Can you tell us something about this modem? Is it difficult to build? How much money? How does it work?

Well, special, special….I call them JUNKS. In fact is nothing but a box where I insert connectors from the soundcard to handle them easily. I can connect a headphones to monitor my transmission and a couple of more things to take the sound from the PC to the radio and viceversa. It gets also a handheld PTT and a small circuit including a diode, transistor and a resistor for an automatic conection with COM port in the PC. It´s not difficult to build with a few basis on electronics and if not it won´t be a big problem. I got the schematic on my web. It works ok as long as you know how to use your soundcard and the configuration of your software. You can build one of my modems for less than 20 euros (24 U$ dollars). I have made some of them for friends and even I sent a couple of them to Holland but I have to admit I´m lazy and I´d rather if you can make the modem yourself so then the satisfaction will be doubled…

- Where is digital operation going? Is there any new mode still in development? What do you think would be the next step on digital modes?

I´m not an expert so I just can tell acording to my own experience. Last thing I have tested is a software called WSJT and developed by K1JT and it´s originally designed for moonbouncers and meteor scatters nevertheless you can use FSK441 with this program. Advantage is that you´d be able to receive signals below the noise level.

- Once I heard a conversation between a group of digital experts whom was saying it was posible to exchange data files with some digital modes. Anyway, I´ve found some others whom say this is impossible so far. Imagine that this could be done. It would be a real revolution for those expeditions without Internet access. Imagine sending the logs on real time and on txt file using PSK or whatever. What do you know about this?..it´s a reality?...could it be done in the future?

As far as I know in PSK is possible to send images converting them first to a text file…isn´t that to send a digital file?...I think that if this can be done with an image it could be done with another kind of file because in PC languages all can be converted to O and 1 (all and nothing as scientifics say).

Internet by radio is a reality. ¨Wireless¨ is that. And if we take those data and we transmit them in an amateur band as a Packet file (AFSK) then we would get Internet on RF but if you ask me I cannot really answer to this question.

I hope I haven´t bored you and hope to meet you in frecuency on SSTV to see our faces.

Best regards to all. I´m at your disposal at http://www23.brinkster.com/30mrdj . 73

-

30VR101


-Age?

37

- Location?

Valencia, Tarragona y Alicante

-When and how did you start on the radio?

In 1982. My first radio was a CB Master 2080 AM/FM

- Working conditions?

Now I have my first HF equipment. It´s a Yaesu FT840 and recently I´ve bought a new radio Icom 706MKIIG that I take in my car quite often. For digital operations I got a President Lincoln.

And now lets going to concentrate on the subject:

- How long have you been practising digital modes?

2 months

- Do you find the operation on that modes difficult?

At the beginning is like everything. It´s something unknown and looks complicated. Then after a few hours you feel like you´d have been whole life transmitting in digital.

-How many modes have you tested and which ones do you find more interesting?

BPSK-31, SSTV, Hellschreiber. Personally, I love PSK-31. With that mode I have contacted far away stations with poor conditions.

- What would you need to start to transmit and for how much money?

With a CB radio like Lincoln, Super Star 3900, and homemade Interface and a vertical is more than enough. More or less 350 euros (400 U$) having on mind that you can find used but cheaper CB radios.

-Can you work on SSTV o PSK with any typical CB radio?

Yes, in fact the interface I´m currently using is more suitable for a CB than for an HF radio.

These days there are hundreads of software for digital transmissions. Wich are the ones you use and wich one would you advise?-

For SSTV MsCan v3, and MixW2 for the rest because it´s very useful as it gots a lot of features.

- How is a QSO on SSTV? And in PSK?

You have to call CQ sending an image. SSTV on 27700 and doing a QSY to another closer frecuency to receive a reply and keep on exchanging images with other operators. In PSK we use a thing called Macros. Macros is nothing but texts, calls and replies established by the program itself, for example signal reports, QTH locators, working conditions, goodbyes, etc…

- What can you tell us about e-QSO and Echolink?

I think this will be the systems of the future and my thought is that they will be implanted at 100% in the CB. Personally, I have installed e-QSO in my PC but have to admit I´m connecting to it hardly often. I´m feeling more attraction to DX on phone and the rest of the digital modes. Possibility to communicate on CB using repeaters connected through Internet is something that sounds pretty good to me and going back to my words, think it will be widely adopted in the future. We would say there are a lot of people in CB that show a total ignorance about this system.

- What are the advantages of digital modes over the phone ?

In PSK31 you got contact with less power, more distances and poor conditions.

- What would you say to those who claim this is not radio?

All opinions are welcome but I disagree with them. It´s a radio communication as passionate as phone and I don´t want to get anyone involved if he doesn´t like what I´m doing. I just ask for respect for those who like DIG and a good way to show us respect is by letting free those frecuecies 27.500 and 27.700 keeping the phone QSOs out of them.

- I´ve found people who complain about sexual contatin and pornography images on SSTV..What´s your opinion about?

Absolutely I´m totally against those stations and people who send that kind of images. I´m trying to collaborate with Miguel 30MRDJ in a ¨black list¨ of stations whom are sending out that pictures. You can see this black list at 30MRDJ´s web and I´m working to upload pretty soon that list to CQ11.net myself.

- According to what Miguel has told me, personally he really believes that a good use and spreading of that digital modes could bring some new people to the radio…How do you think theses new technologies could bring us more adepts?

Internet can be a tool to bring some attention for some operators to these modes. So far, I really belive this article will help us to make known digital modes a little bit deepdly.

- For a special ¨gentlemen agreement¨ in 27 we have set some frecuencies for digital operation. Can you tell us wich are them and how the DIGI-Users manage that frecuencies?

We got 27.500 for PSK-31, CW and RTTY and 27.700 for SSTV.

- I have talked with Miguel about the modems he´s building. I know tha you are using one of the Miguel´s modem. Can you tell us something about this circuit?…easy to build? For how much money?

Miguel told me it´s quite easy to build yourself. I´m not very skillful with the soldering iron..je,je. I´m getting hot when soldering is on….jajajaja. Miguel built the one for me and it cost me 30 euros (35 U$). I think Miguel could explain us how it works better than me.

- What´s the way the digial operation is following? Are there any new modes still on development? What would be next step in digital modes?