Connecting to winlink stations, part 2

[phorvati]

So originally I had trouble connecting but I got that resolved with appropriate cables. I was able to use winlink stations for entirety of my trip from RI down to FL.
I'm in st. Augustine, and I can not connect to any of the FL or SC stations. All my links were done on 3MHz band when propagation models shows good odds, fields are in green. Early on, leaving new England I had good results connecting to:
VE1YZ in Nova scotia, K1SGA in VT, and W1EO in MA. my best results were to KQ4ET in Virginia Beach. In fact as I got to Norfolk and rounding hatteras, that's the only station I used. Now, I'm in FL and I can literally spend hours listening, and trying to connect and no luck. I've tried 7MHz band but never suceeded.
Virginia Beach is now 500NM away and I'd love to get connected to some of the more local stations, like WX4J, or N0IA or KN6KB.
Anyone have any advice?

My call sign is KB1PIV.

[AA3JY]

Try KQ4ET on 7100 in the afternoon..provided the station is on/listening/not busy

[phorvati]

So that's Virginia beach. That one is my favourite. I had no luck on 7MHz. I do get it on 3MHZ. But I'm wondering why some of the other ones are just so hard to reach.

[Brian.D]

Propagation. From my home, at certain times of the day I can hit two stations @ 400+ miles on 40m. But I cannot hit the station on 80m @ 300+ miles. But then in the evening, the 80m station is booming in but the 40m station is silent.

So try and map out when you hit which station at what time of day at what distance you were from that station. Then you might see a correlation of distance vs time vs frequency. Don't go by those models that say you should be good. They work at times, but what works best is real operational knowledge. You also have to remember that sometimes propagation is N-S, then it is E-W. Or, more N than S and more W than E. It changes.

T vs D vs F

[AA3JY]

Originally Posted by phorvati

So that's Virginia beach. That one is my favourite. I had no luck on 7MHz. I do get it on 3MHZ. But I'm wondering why some of the other ones are just so hard to reach.

Connected no problem ..location here is Brunswick, Ga.

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by phorvati

So that's Virginia beach. That one is my favourite. I had no luck on 7MHz. I do get it on 3MHZ. But I'm wondering why some of the other ones are just so hard to reach.

Are you in a marina? where is the boat now?

[phorvati]

Yes im at marina. But that doesnt matter. Ive had good luck in marina and offshore. I spent quite a few days at sea along the eastern seabord. I've tried connecting at various times and for some reason, stations I listed in SC and FL never let me connect. It doesn't seem like propagation because I try when propagation model shows 100%.

[phorvati]

Originally Posted by Brian.D

Propagation. From my home, at certain times of the day I can hit two stations @ 400+ miles on 40m. But I cannot hit the station on 80m @ 300+ miles. But then in the evening, the 80m station is booming in but the 40m station is silent.

So try and map out when you hit which station at what time of day at what distance you were from that station. Then you might see a correlation of distance vs time vs frequency. Don't go by those models that say you should be good. They work at times, but what works best is real operational knowledge. You also have to remember that sometimes propagation is N-S, then it is E-W. Or, more N than S and more W than E. It changes.

T vs D vs F

I'm on the go, and so direction to station and trying to get a feel is not going to work. It would be hard to recognize patterns because my position is changing. And I was trying every hour or so around the clock for days at a time. That's why it's a bit puzzling that I could never connect to the stations I listed earlier. And the one in VA and up in New England and Nova Scotia worked good.

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by phorvati

Virginia Beach is now 500NM away and I'd love to get connected to some of the more local stations, like WX4J, or N0IA or KN6KB.
Anyone have any advice?

You may be using an old list of stations. Look at https://winlink.org/RMSChannels to see which stations are active today. In RMS Express in the HF Channel Selector window try Update Table By Internet. N0IA has not been in Florida for a couple of years. KN6KB has been off air and working on software development for some time.

Bill
AK4PO

[AA3JY]

Originally Posted by phorvati

Yes im at marina. But that doesnt matter. Ive had good luck in marina and offshore. I spent quite a few days at sea along the eastern seabord. I've tried connecting at various times and for some reason, stations I listed in SC and FL never let me connect. It doesn't seem like propagation because I try when propagation model shows 100%.

Good WINLINK position reports via KQ4ET 75mtr 3587.5..do you manual freq. tune or does your program freq. tune your radio?

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by wsmurdoch

You may be using an old list of stations. Look at https://winlink.org/RMSChannels to see which stations are active today. In RMS Express in the HF Channel Selector window try Update Table By Internet. N0IA has not been in Florida for a couple of years. KN6KB has been off air and working on software development for some time.

Bill
AK4PO

Just looking at the update list and am sad the loss of N0IA as we used it as one of our mainstays on the sail eastbound across the Atlantic.

Currently sitting in Cape Verdes getting ready to leave for another crossing and the Canary Islands station I have not been able to contact so am currently using a station in Swiss.

I did try to download the updated frequency list via Z5SA but got a note back that that option is no longer available and told to contact lor@wqa.net which I did to no avail.

Any quick way to update my frequency without going through it line by line -- ie download them directly into winlink.

Also any thoughts on the best stations on the EC of the USA that will work. I did plan on Virginia Beach and Nova Scotia. Any others?

Thanks
chuck
KI4SRY

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by phorvati

Yes im at marina. But that doesnt matter. Ive had good luck in marina and offshore. I spent quite a few days at sea along the eastern seabord. I've tried connecting at various times and for some reason, stations I listed in SC and FL never let me connect. It doesn't seem like propagation because I try when propagation model shows 100%.

It may well make a difference. We have been in marinas where we got nothing and in others we made connections but perhaps not what I expected.

[AA3JY]

Originally Posted by chuckr

Just looking at the update list and am sad the loss of N0IA as we used it as one of our mainstays on the sail eastbound across the Atlantic.

Currently sitting in Cape Verdes getting ready to leave for another crossing and the Canary Islands station I have not been able to contact so am currently using a station in Swiss.

I did try to download the updated frequency list via Z5SA but got a note back that that option is no longer available and told to contact lor@wqa.net which I did to no avail.

Any quick way to update my frequency without going through it line by line -- ie download them directly into winlink.

Also any thoughts on the best stations on the EC of the USA that will work. I did plan on Virginia Beach and Nova Scotia. Any others?

Thanks
chuck
KI4SRY

Winlink Express>Settings>Winlink Catalog>WL2K RMS>Pactor Packet Getaway Freq. List

Internet connection is the fastest

[wsmurdoch]

I regularly update my frequency list with Winlink Express>Open Session:Vara Winlink>Vara Winklink Session>Channel Selection>Update Table via Internet. I just did it in under a minute with a cell phone hotspot.

Bill
AK4PO