This is to be welcomed, not least because SSTV has tended to suffer from being used by only a small number of the same old people, day in, day out, many of whom seem to like sending images of scantily-clad ladies, for some reason.
Now, I think there's a limit to how niche an award can be, but the SSTV award is an obviously-lacking one on E-qsl until now. It does seem to be encouraging a small increase in the number of users. This is a positive outcome, although it does make a mode operating at a 'waterhole' frequency even more chaotic and competitive than it was previously!
But as the message of this blog is always that ham radio need not be expensive and need not require enormous antennas and high power, here's a message from VK-land this morning, reporting my signal to him. I was using 'just' a single-element vertically-polarised delta loop, and 30 Watts output, in rather difficult QRM conditions from those desperate to make a VK SSTV QSO, no matter what. I was particularly dissapointed when a S57 station cut up my clearly-indicated on-going QSO, though it didn't stop a confirmation coming back:
If there weren't about three stations calling over the top of me, as is very common with SSTV, then maybe the '555' would be a bit better. The glitches on the received image above were the result of SSTV at a slightly higher frequency causing QRM. Admittedly, VK3BM has a very fine antenna system, but it's perfectly possible to do it with 'only' wires at each end. All the same, the picture was getting to the other side of the planet without too much difficulty.
Hope to see you on SSTV and/or digital soon!
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