Activating QTT Activity

Activating QTT Activity

G4OJW 15 Jul 2023 11:30

What is QTT (Quality Telegraphy Time)? Simply put: non-5NN-TU QSO. Exchange of real reports and other information such as name, QTH, PWR, ANT, rig/key, age, or more. QTT Quality True Telegraphists are not satisfied with fake reports and a mere exchange of callsigns.

Now we have decided to encourage QTT to take place in the "TOP 5" kHz of CW exclusive band segments, therefore with the following Centres of Activity (CoA): 3567.5, 7037.5, 10127.5, 14067.5, 18092.5, 21067.5, 24912.5, 28067.5 kHz.

Choose whichever band you wish and if you don't hear any CQ, try putting out a CQ (or "QTT" if you want to avoid being automatically spotted by the Reverse Beacon Network) on or near one of the above frequencies.

To increase chances or if unsure which band to pick, you may make use of the (modified) "ALG" clock: on the hour, any WARC band, ten minutes past, 10m or 12m, at fifteen minutes past the hour 15m, 20m past the hour 20m, 17m at 15 to 20 minutes past the hour, 30m at 30m past the hour, 40m at 40m past the hour, 80m is 80m minutes (i.e. 20m) past the hour, 60m on the hour.

By no means should you restrict yourself to this schedule, it is only an aid that may help in some situations. Calling QTT instead of CQ for those who don't want to be spotted by RBN, or, another way to avoid RBN spotting is to send CQ fast or slow and then callsign at the opposite speed.

Publicity

We need publicity for QTT. We need some banner designed that can go viral on QRZ pages. We need articles written in various publications, and links to 30cw.net/qtt for further information. If you can help, please do.

All suggestions and feedback are welcome.

Re: Activating QTT Activity

MI0WWB (30CW367) 15 Jul 2023 21:22

Would the average ham know what QTT was. I didn’t until I looked it up on this site. Over this month todate I have tried to be active on 30M and have been on every day and made QSOs every day. My habit has been to respond with tnx fer call or ge/gm and the person’s name if I have worked them before, followed with RST, my name if appropriate, QTH and that I am QRP. In the second over I send my setup info, rig, pwr and ant and sometimes a WX report. If the other ham does not tell me the power they are using, then I ask them for it. I do like to compare RST received against my pwr level.

What I do find a bit odd is replying stations that you have worked numerous times and they know you and you them, yet they persist in giving their name. I suppose it’s possible that it’s a different operator under supervision. I began learning morse in 2018 and it’s really only within the past couple of years that I am becoming more comfortable with it.

It tends to be competition calls and DXers that send 5NN and I rarely work them, have to say that on this band I have not really experienced the typical 5NN TU. I am still maintaining my station journal as a record of what has happened over the month of July, I may even continue it indefinitely!

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Will de mi0wwb

Re: Activating QTT Activity

MI0WWB (30CW367) 16 Jul 2023 14:06

PS

Since I posted my response above last night, today I worked a French station who was sending out a strong solid signal against my 5 watts. I had to send my callsign multiple times until it got recognised, then I received 5NN dit dit. Gladly I find this an exception on this band since I started focusing on it. Since 1 July I have made over 70 QSOs on 30M.

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Will de mi0wwb

Re: Activating QTT Activity

G4OJW 16 Jul 2023 15:35

I agree that 99.999% of hams will not know what "QTT" is, what matters, is there are many who wish to engage in "non-5NN-TU" and another word for that is "QTT" but this will only be known among those who read about it, or hear about it and look it up. SOTA, POTA, and other activities all spread by those who knew what it was about, then others when they heard it, looked it up, and many embraced those activities. So it should be with the "QTT" push back.

You'll hear a lot more of the "5NN TU" further down the band, mostly from "SES" ("Special" Event Stations). Also in other parts of the world, for example in Asia, where English is not so much spoken, sadly it is by far the majority of band activity, in fact, well over 90%. Getting an actual QSO or even just an honest report and a name, is difficult, if not impossible with many in Asia.

Many of today's "CW ops" only learn to recognize callsigns and 5NN and TU, and little else. They don't even know how to do the "protocol QSO" or as we used to call it "Rubber Stamp QSO" which you very nicely described, which is also what I do. In Asia the vast majority will be very upset if you proceed to give more information, all they want is a 5NN and next… to put in their computer logs.

Not so in Europe: Europeans probably don't know just how good they have it until they travel far. The rubber stamp QSO has had a solid history and is very well used, as in Europe also not everyone speaks English, the majority do not. They cannot rag chew in English, but the protocol QSO they can very well. For some reason this has not filtered through into much of Asia. However, in JA and BY, it is used more widely, I speak of non-BY non-JA.

The reason we give our names again in a new QSO, is that not everyone has a computer log, or a card index system (for those who want to do it analogue). Also many OPs are now in their 80s and 90s. We're sadly considered very young among CW these days. So they may not even know if they have worked you before or not, if going by memory. In any case, repeating it isn't a problem, and eventually if you're a regular, it'll stop as you perhaps move on to some new subjects of discussion once becoming more familiar.

Good you're keeping up your Station Journal as it is interesting and can help and encourage others. 30m is very much a hidden gem. It's main problem is that in spite of being the ONLY band (along with 40m though less so nearer the equator) that can be considered open 24/7/365 throughout the solar cycle for sky wave, when people call CQ and their signal is heard around a quarter to half the world but there are no answers, people give up, either not realizing the band is wide open, or, realizing that it's got little to no activity at times and finding it much easier to use 40m where more is happening.

For English language rag chew QSO, it's generally inter-G I guess unless with North America or VK/ZL. The best band probably for inter-G on HF would be 60m. During the day 40m and at night 80m serves the purpose. 30m has a larger dead zone but also works better to North America and VK/ZL though 20m and higher bands can be easier.

Last edited on 16 Jul 2023 15:59 by G4OJW Show more

Re: Activating QTT Activity

MI0WWB (30CW367) 16 Jul 2023 17:16

I have certainly learned a lot about the properties of 30M since 1 July when I started the station journal. Sticking to 5 watts, with just the odd deviation to around 40 watts has been worthwhile. I will stick with QRP until the end of the month before thinking of increasing power. Mind you I have found myself working stations running a 100 watts and more and not really noticing a huge difference compared to my 5 watts.

While in the past I would have accepted a 5NN and paid little notice to it, I now find that I want a real report.

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Will de mi0wwb

Re: Activating QTT Activity - July Top 9

MI0WWB (30CW367) 02 Aug 2023 16:53

In July I made a total of 126 QSOs on 30m, out of these 49 QSOs were in the Top 9.

27 QSOs lasted 5 minutes or more;
10 QSOs lasted 10 minutes or more;
0 for 15 mi utes or more; and
1 for 20 minutes or more.

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Will de mi0wwb

Re: Activating QTT Activity - July Top 9

G4OJW 02 Aug 2023 17:44

Wonderful, thank you!

For next time, the way to count when submitting your points, as I see you put 49 QSO which is correct, those took place in TOP 9, but the points from your above would be (assuming the QSO times above took place also in TOP 9, if not, you check logs for the durations of the TOP 9 QSOs) 27+20+ 4 = 44 points I think, the explanation of how to count points is at https://internationalcwcouncil.org/top9-activity/ - I think you may have undervalued your points. It doesn't matter though, what counts is taking part and encouraging others!

I again heard you last night when listening on 10126, always a pleasure! If we get those "DX" antennae up, we'll have a chance of a QSO, perhaps within a few months!

Re: Activating QTT Activity - July Top 9

MI0WWB (30CW367) 02 Aug 2023 18:06

OK I see, you multiply the sub totals by the duration value. I'll know next time. I am not in it to win, as I am not all that competitive, too much like competitions ;-)

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Will de mi0wwb

Re: Activating QTT Activity - July Top 9

G4OJW 02 Aug 2023 20:42

Me neither, the objective is just to get as many and longer QSO encouraged. I don't think there is any multiplication. It says:

QSO points: QSO duration less than 5 min.- 0 points. QSO duration minimum 5 min. – 1 point then 1 point for every additional 5 minutes. Example: a 15 minute QSO counts for 3 points and a 19 minute QSO still counts only for 3 points.

So you just total the QSOs for the QSO number column, and for the points column you assign 1 point to every QSO over 5 minutes for each 5 minutes. Nothing is multiplied.

Re: Activating QTT Activity - July Top 9

G0FOZ 04 Aug 2023 13:16

So I quickly trawled through the July log and found 16 QSOs in the top 9 and 27 points according to the rules—an excellent idea to track the use of the higher part of the allocations. Will focus more next month :-)