Short answer: A smooth RTTY contest weekend comes from a few boring checks done days earlier: a decoder that copes with your band conditions, sound card levels that do not distort, a logger with tested macros and a clock that is correct. Test every part on the air, write the settings down, and keep a backup of the log from the first hour. The rest is operating.
Start with the signal chain
RTTY is a different kind of contest from CW or SSB because the computer is part of the receiver. Your radio delivers audio, a sound card or a modem turns it into data, a decoder produces text and the logger picks callsigns and exchanges from that text. Every link in this chain can fail quietly. Before the weekend, draw the chain on a sheet of paper, from antenna to logger, and tick each link as you test it. Many problems that show up as “bad copy” are really a level or a filter setting.
Check which mode your radio uses for the audio: many operators use a data mode with a narrow filter, some use the transmitter in FSK mode with a keying line. Either way, use the option your logger and radio were tested with, and do not change it on the Friday evening before the contest. If you use a sound card, make sure that the operating system does not apply sound effects, automatic gain or noise suppression to the audio path. Those features are made for voice calls and they spoil a data signal.
Audio levels and transmit quality
Set the receive audio so that the decoder sees a healthy but not overloaded signal. Most decoders have a level meter or a tuning display, and it is worth learning what a good picture looks like on a quiet band. On transmit, a clean signal matters more than a loud one. An overdriven audio input produces splatter that annoys neighbours and reduces your own copy rate, because stations tune away when they see two extra signals beside yours. Reduce the drive until the ALC is barely moving, check the signal with a second receiver or a friend if you can, and then leave the setting alone.
Write the final values in your station notebook: audio level in and out, filter width, mode and the settings in the logger. The article about a station change notebook explains how such notes help when something stops working at three in the morning.
The decoder: know its limits
A decoder is not magic. In a crowded band with QRM and fading it will print wrong characters, and a wrong character in a callsign is how busted calls are born. Learn how your software shows uncertain characters and how to check a call twice before it enters the log. Many operators keep a second decoder window or a waterfall view next to the main window so that they can see whether two signals are close together. Looking at the waterfall also helps you find stations to call without relying on the text alone. See also the article on RTTY decoding errors and how they end up in logs.
Practise with recordings or with a quiet weekend on the band, so that you see typical patterns: a missing letter at the end of a call, a letter shifted by one, a number turned into a letter because the shift state was lost. Knowing the patterns makes you faster at spotting them in real time.
Logger setup and macros
Open the logger a few days before the contest and check the contest definition, your callsign, the exchange fields and the messages. In RTTY the message text is sent as characters, so a small typing mistake in a macro is repeated hundreds of times. Read each macro aloud as it will be sent. Check that the exchange you send matches the current rules of the contest, because exchanges and formats can change from year to year. When in doubt, check the current official rules on the organiser’s page instead of relying on memory.
Test the sequence you will use most: CQ, answer, exchange, confirmation, log. Make sure that the log entry is saved in one step and that no key combination needs an unusual finger position. A short article on function-key messages and macros lists habits that avoid typing errors, and they apply to RTTY as much as to CW.
Keyboard and operating habits
RTTY operators type more than CW operators, and a good keyboard layout matters. Keep the keys for the most common actions within reach of the same hand position, and avoid the need to move the mouse during a run. If you work search-and-pounce, decide before the start how you will pick calls from the decoder text: by double-click, by a hotkey or by typing. Each method has a different error profile, and you should know your own. The habit of typing the callsign again, instead of accepting a click on a partial text, can save a few busted calls per day.
Place the clock, the band map and the log window where you can see them without turning your head. Because RTTY does not need constant listening, it is easy to become absorbed in the screen and forget a break. Plan short pauses, drink water and stand up from time to time. The article about operator fatigue in 48-hour contests has more on rest.
Time, bands and the contest period
A correct computer clock is part of the setup. Synchronise it with a time service before the start and check it again after any restart. A clock that is wrong by a minute does little harm, but a wrong time zone can put QSOs outside the contest period. The articles on UTC clock errors and on time synchronisation during the contest go through symptoms and cures.
Also look at your band plan. RTTY contests use specific segments, and the band edges depend on the ITU region. Know where you may operate and where the activity is concentrated, so that you do not spend an hour calling in a place where nobody listens. When the contest period is over, the log should contain only QSOs inside the period and inside the band limits.
Backups and the Cabrillo file
Back up the log automatically during the contest, to a second drive or a cloud folder, at least every hour. A power cut or a software crash is rare, but it is exactly the situation in which a backup pays for itself. At the end, export the Cabrillo file and read the header: callsign, category, band, mode, power and operator fields must match what you entered in the contest. The Cabrillo header guide describes each field. Keep the original file untouched and work on a copy when you fix anything.
After the contest you can upload the file to Contest Analyzer. The service checks every callsign and every zone against official license databases and several independent reference sources and shows only the few QSOs worth a second look. It works with Cabrillo from N1MM Logger+, DXLog and Win-Test. Dupes are not errors, and serial numbers are not checked. See the contests page for the list of supported contests and the log deadline of each one.
A practice run on the air
If a smaller RTTY event or a quiet weekend is available, use it as a rehearsal. Make a few real QSOs, send your contest exchange, watch how the logger fills the fields and export a short test Cabrillo file. A rehearsal reveals the things that a desk test misses: a macro that sends the wrong order of fields, a hotkey that logs a QSO twice, a decoder window that hides the call you want. It also shows how tired your eyes are after an hour of reading text. Fix what you find, repeat the short test and then stop changing things. A station that is slightly imperfect but familiar will score better than one that was rebuilt the night before.
A short checklist for the evening before
- Clock synchronised and time zone correct.
- Audio levels set, sound effects off, transmit signal checked.
- Decoder tested on a busy band, with a waterfall view open.
- Macros read aloud, exchange compared with the current rules.
- Logger file saved, automatic backup running.
- Notebook with settings, frequencies and the plan for breaks.
- Water, food and a chair that is comfortable for many hours.
Print the list or keep it open on a second screen. The point is not to be perfect but to be sure that nothing basic is left to chance.
Related reading
- RTTY Decoding Errors and How They End Up in Your Log
- CQ WW RTTY Contest Guide: Exchange, Decoding and Logging
- Backing Up Your Log During the Contest
The bottom line
An RTTY weekend rewards preparation. Test the chain from antenna to logger, keep the audio clean, read your macros, protect the log with backups and check the clock. Then the weekend is about operating, and the log you submit is a log you can trust.
FAQ
Do I need a separate computer for RTTY?
No. Many operators use one computer for the logger and the decoder, but they test the combination well before the contest and close other programs.
How often should I back up the log?
Automatically at least every hour, and once more at the end of each day. A backup that you have never restored is only a hope, so test it once.
Why are my RTTY callsigns wrong more often at night?
Fading, QRM and tiredness all increase decoding errors. Type calls again, check the waterfall and confirm doubtful suffixes with the other station.
Are the exchange rules the same every year?
Not always. Check the current official rules of the contest before you write your macros.
Can I check the log after the contest?
Yes. Upload the Cabrillo file, review the short list of QSOs worth a second look, correct what is wrong and download a corrected file before the deadline.
