GEMINIDS 2020 - OK1TEH JO70FD 70/144/432 MHz still FSK441!

Gem 2020: related to the propagation I found Geminids 2020 somehow worse than Geminids during last years however some nice contacts especially on 432 MHz has been successfully finished! Hopefully some interesting stations will appear for Quadrantids 2021...

73, HNY
Matej, OK1TEH

 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date     | UTC  |  QRG  | Call     | RST |  Rcvd          | km | Shower         | Comment
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13.12.20  19:14    70137  SM4KYN   R36      26      JO69XH 1021  Geminids   #310  1854-1914 CS +PIC 
08.12.20  22:27   144390  RJ7M      26     R26      KN97KE 1821  Geminids         2214-2227 CS +PIC +PIC +visual +radar
09.12.20  11:42   144365  F8BON    R26      27      IN86WV 1275  Geminids         1137-1142 CS
09.12.20  19:46   144390  F4EZJ     26     R26      JN05DK 1181  Geminids         1929-1946 CS
09.12.20  20:05   144390  SV2JL    R26      27      KN10LO 1251  Geminids         2000-2005 CS
09.12.20  21:42   144390  OH5ELO   R26      27      KP41CA 1483  Geminids         2120-2142 CS +PIC
09.12.20  22:28   144390  IZ8IBB   R26      26      JN70FP 1056  Geminids         2221-2228 CS +PIC
09.12.20  23:14   144390  G0SYP    R26      26      IO83TK 1215  Geminids         2258-2314 CS
09.12.20  23:34   144390  SM3EPC    26     R28      JP81JT 1307  Geminids         2324-2334 CS
10.12.20  21:46   144390  IC8FAX   R26      26      JN70CN 1065  Geminids         2140-2146 CS +PIC
10.12.20  22:05   144390  IK1EQE   R26 JTMS 26      JN44ET  749  Geminids         2150-2205 CS +PIC
10.12.20  22:56   144391  LA1KUA   R36      26      JP50TW 1215  Geminids         2221-2256 CS +PIC
11.12.20  22:06   144390  RC6AL     26     R26      KN96VD 1928  Geminids         2027-2206 CS
11.12.20  22:16   144391  IK0OKY   R26      27      JN61ES  945  Geminids         2213-2216 CS
11.12.20  23:05   144391  G0CHE    R26      48      IO90PS 1078  Geminids         2236-2305 CS
11.12.20  23:23   144391  G8RWG     26     R28      IO91WH 1037  Geminids         2310-2323 CS +PIC
11.12.20  23:38   144391  IZ1GZA   R27      26      JN34VI  818  Geminids         2333-2338 CS
11.12.20  23:58   144391  SM7THS   R36      26      JO76WU  753  Geminids         2347-2358 CS +PIC
12.12.20  00:19   144391  UR7IMM   R26      27      KN88TR 1682  Geminids         0015-0019 CS 50W+11EL
12.12.20  06:55   144391  F4VPC    R36      28      IN87VV 1242  Geminids         0647-0655 CS
12.12.20  07:10   144391  UR8GZ     36     R26      KN66RT 1449  Geminids         0700-0710 CS
12.12.20  08:11   144391  F6BEG    R26      27      JN25JS  870  Geminids         0808-0811 CS +PIC
12.12.20  17:26   144391  F4VTP     36     R36      JN14AT 1106  Geminids         1713-1726 CS +PIC
12.12.20  17:47   144391  RK3AF     26     R37      KO75TX 1553  Geminids         1739-1747 CS
12.12.20  20:51   144391  G4PLZ    R26      27      JO02PT  961  Geminids         2043-2051 CS
12.12.20  21:09   144388  I8KPV     36     R36      JN70KP 1056  Geminids         2059-2109 CS
13.12.20  05:54   144391  RV1CB     26     R26      KO57QX 1404  Geminids         0519-0554 CS +PIC
13.12.20  07:39   144391  OH7GGX    26     R27      KO52JH 1164  Geminids         0707-0739 CS
13.12.20  08:32   144200  F4EZJ     36 SSB R37      JN05DK 1181  Geminids         0825-0832 CS +WAV
13.12.20  18:22   144391  LA0GE     26     R26      JO59KF 1037  Geminids         1815-1822 CS +PIC
13.12.20  22:41   144396  GM4YXI   R26      26      IO87WK 1356  Geminids         2221-2241 CS
13.12.20  23:10   144374  LA0BY    R46      26      JO59FW 1119  Geminids         2304-2310 CS
14.12.20  08:26   144391  RQ3P     R26      29      KO84UF 1646  Geminids         0822-0826 CS +PIC
14.12.20  10:14   144391  EA1SI    R36      26      IN73DM 1699  Geminids         1000-1014 CS +PIC
14.12.20  18:04   144392  R6AS      36     R26      KN85TC 1821  Geminids         1741-1804 CS +PIC
14.12.20  18:41   144392  YO5ER     26     R29      KN27EK  788  Geminids         1838-1841 CS
14.12.20  19:05   144392  M0NPT     36     R26      IO92KX 1124  Geminids         1853-1905 CS
14.12.20  23:27   144391  G4URT    R36      27      IO82PU 1227  Geminids         2313-2327 CS
15.12.20  06:15   144390  G1KAW     26     R26      JO00EW 1001  Geminids         0603-0615 CS
15.12.20  06:43   144390  IK7EOT   R26      26      JN80PJ 1106  Geminids         0635-0643 CS
13.12.20  19:35   432359  OH4LA    R26      26      KP20LG 1307  Geminids         1920-1935 CS
13.12.20  21:44   432359  F4VTP     26     R26      JN14AT 1106  Geminids   #217  2102-2144 CS
14.12.20  07:46   432359  RM5P     R26      26      KO84VH 1653  Geminids   #218  0646-0746 CS
14.12.20  21:04   432359  OH6UW    R26      26      KP22WI 1528  Geminids   #219  2026-2104 CS
 

OK1TEH's note:

I don't like MSK144 for several reasons, but mainly because it uses dB reports as in tropo QSOs via FT8, as K1JT claimed "all bands and all operating modes MUST USE the same system reports "... but HF and VHF are two different amateur radio worlds and some types of propagation are very different ... Perhaps any HF or CB operator who came to VHF must be able to use a meteor scatter connection without HAVING TO LEARN ANYTHING about MS?

The second problem with the MSK144 is poor sensitivity to short reflections with a duration of less than 150ms. The third problem is the chaotic, or rather silly RX / TX variable timing periods system, which creates an incredible tropo QRM and results in almost nobody is able to call on a given frequency, such as CQ 355 ... the result is that most connections are made on a single frequency 144,360 and about 80% of started QSOs were not completed by final confirmation of MS QSO, ie RRRR...

My philosophy of amateur radio operation is to use digital modes of operation only as a good tool to explore the secrets of physics and nature in general when establishing visibly "impossible" DX connections that cannot be made with normal CW or SSB operation ... For example for 432 MHz MS QSO I try use such operating modes that will help me decode and thus communicate even the shortest and weakest reflections as possible. So I'm also testing JTMS and other digital operations. But why use fashionable modes of operation that do not bring anything better than previous modes of operation - perhaps only because it is similar to RTTY and allows it to establish semi-automatic or even fully automatic connections between computers and not between people?? MSK does not allow the use of shorter (meteoritic) reflections than FSK441, FT8 does not allow to establish QSOs with weaker signals than JT65B. These sophisticated "RTTY" are rather fashionable modes of operation in VHF DX operation remind me of a marathon run, in which runners are transported to the finish line by bus, or climbers who conquer the peaks using a cable car.

Or should I use it just because it's "just" and everyone uses it? Okay, but it doesn't mean anything to me, I'm not a sheep. If there is a new digital operating mode for Meteor Scatter, which will use MS reports, allowing the use of shorter reflections than FSK441 and which will not allow (!) automatic or even semi-automatic operation among computers such as "Fox hound" modes, I would definitely use it too ...

What will the future bring us? Perhaps some "The Brave New World", as my favorite writer Aldous Huxley could say in his book?
Let's look ahead .....

And in the meantime, I'd like to prepare some 4m, or 2m, or 70cm, or maybe even some 23cm Meteor Scatter soon, but using a communication program that, whatever the operating mode, will be more sensitive and decodes shorter reflections than the existing programs and at the same time uses the classic and time-proven system of MS reports.

73
TEH