Did you read this article about using Olivia? I also get hung up using PSK31 and have only attempted the others a few times. I have several contacts using Olivia in my log and One using Contestia. I need to branch out a bit more and have recently seen several signals on the waterfall that until I read another article about JT-65 HF. Now I need to get busy and try that as well. There appears to be several that are using that mode for contacts but as the writer below states it will be “way too slow” for some. That is ok for me as I do type fairly fast but sometimes my brain and my fingers are not in sync. I am sure you do not have the problem? Beyond that I have gotten into some conversations on Olivia or the slower modes (Feld Hell) that I get involved in something else and get a bit lost. My mind is also not as good as it used to be at “multi-tasking”. I can do one thing ok, two things so-so but after that – all things get fuzzy… so I can walk and chew gum – still. – But if your looking for digital experience check these two articles out and look for me on the normal PSK31 areas and I will be glad to move over and try the other modes. I am not a contester and more enjoy some “meat” to my contacts and I do get too long winded for some of these but so what. – WD0AJG
Olivia! Olivia!
17 December 2011 | by Casey NA7U | Share | | Leave a Comment (1)
Here’s what Olivia 16/500 looks like in Fldigi. That’s a PSK31 signal off to the left side of the waterfall for comparison.
I’d only used this mode once before so I thought I was able to recognize the pattern. The caller was JA1RZD in Tokyo. We had a very long chat of about 50 minutes exchanging descriptions of our respective living places. Ken was putting out 250W into a 5-element tri-bander versus my 50W into the quad. Really high power for a weak signal mode! :^)
I’d love to work more of the “exotic” digi-modes like Olivia, such as Throb, DominoEx, Contestia, etc. in order to get the “feel” of them. While I love Olivia’s 100% print, it is too slow for my taste. PSK31 or PSK63 on the other hand are about the right speed, but the copy is so sensitive to the condition of the path that it often gets garbled. I’m wondering if one of the other modes presents a Goldilocks functionality that’s in between the two above. Trouble is, of course, that it’s hard to find a QSO since they appear so rarely. I haven’t yet found a reliable sked page for these other modes, but I keep looking.
Casey Bahr, NA7U, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from San Isidro de El General, La Zona Sur, Costa Rica. Contact him at casey@tomochka.com.