Using Practice Mode

Turn on Enable Practice Mode to start a practice session. Some of the options will then be disabled; they can only be changed when not in practice mode.

As you log practice QSOs, errors are reported in the Notes column.

The practice processor has rather intricate rules for what to do when a message ends. The best way to learn what to expect is to experiment, but here is a summary of intended behavior when sending completes for for each kind of transmitted message. When you have worked every caller in a run pileup, a new pileup is created.

Abort (escape key)

Stop transmitting immediately. No callers will call until after you transmit CQ or Again.

CQ (F1 or any message with CQ in the title)

Begin listening to the CQ response messages for all callers in the pileup.

Exchange (F2)

Listen to the exchange message for the caller with call exactly matching the call in the Run call entry field. When the Run call field is empty, listen to all callers. Otherwise if there is no exact match, begin listening to callers with calls similar to the most-recently transmitted call.

Acknowledge (F3)

Begin listening to the CQ response messages for all callers in the pileup.

MyCall (F4)

No action.

HisCall (F5 or any message with the received call token as the first character)

Transmit the first character in the call. When transmission ends, send the next character. Repeat until there are no more characters. Then, begin listening to the CQ response messages of callers with calls similar to what you just sent.

Again (Any message containing ? in the title)

If the previous transmitted message was Exchange, perform the processing for Exchange , above. Otherwise, begin listening to the CQ response messages for all callers in the pileup.

User (Any user message not usurped by the above rules)

No action.

His Call + Exchange, Begin QSO

Transmit the first character in the call. When transmission ends, send the next character. Repeat until there are no more characters. Then send the Exchange message, resulting in the action described for that message.

Log QSO (return key)

Compare the information in the logged QSO with the information for the caller with call exactly matching the content of the Run call field from the pileup. List errors in the Notes field for the QSO. Then remove the caller from the pileup. If the pileup is then empty, create a new pileup.

Short Acknowledge + Log QSO, His Call + Acknowledge + Log QSO, Exchange + Log QSO, Acknowledge + Log QSO, End QSO

Perform the Log QSO action, then begin listening to the CQ response messages for all callers in the pileup.

Also see:

Practice Mode