W4ZV's Pile Up buster Technique..........(For the K3 with cw skimmer)

KQ5S wrote I looked at this. The reason I want to use SKIMMER is to help locate where an OP is listening. By having my own SKIMMER I am able to see 599 or a call sign almost instantly and can click on the call or 599 and QSY to where it OP is listening (a little RIT helps to move off the exact frequency). The RBN only shows calls and there is the obvious internet latency. I am not sure this would work for my intended purposes.

That's exactly how I use Skimmer for pileup busting. You need the following: 1. K3 with KXV3 and KRX3. 2. LP-PAN ~$200...probably don't need the preamp option. 3. LP-Bridge free...allows running Skimmer and N1MM simultaneously 3. CW Skimmer software $75 4. A decent soundcard $100...see http://www.telepostinc.com/soundcards.html 5. P4 2.5 GHz computer...mine cost $90 on eBay.

You do NOT need: HamRadioDeluxe PowerSDR NaP3 (I haven't tried it but it's not necessary for what you described) CW Skimmer includes OmniRig which is all that's needed to drive the K3 directly (none of the above is needed).

The only limitation is that you're limited to 24 kHz bandwidth, which is a limit Alex VE3NEA imposes on the "Softrock on IF" mode. However I haven't found any pileups wider than 24 kHz! You do need to set the Sub RX on the DX station because Skimmer only sees IF OUT for Main and because the K3 always transmits on Main (VFO A).

The procedure is:

1. Tune in the DX station. If you prefer using the Main knob, double tap A>B to copy everything to the Sub RX. If you want to listen to the pileup and the DX station simultaneously you can set L-R MIX audio options in CONFIG. I use a Pileup Buster Macro to set everything up with a single button press.

2. Next set Main (VFO A) to the approximate center of the pileup. Skimmer will then see +/- 12 kHz around VFO A.

3. Listen to the DX station. When he answers N6KR, look for the "N6KR 599" decoder dot on the display.

4. Click the dot and you're ready to transmit.

I usually crank in ~50 Hz XIT so I'm not dead zero beat with others doing the same thing. :-)

Believe it or not, I've actually busted some huge pileups without even listening to them. One I recall vividly was the ST0R pileup on 160 in August. 73, Bill ---------------------