I downloaded the HF-ALE software this week and got it working. For those that aren't familiar with ALE, (Automatic Link Exchange), it's a tool that come in software form or can be built into the rig that polls each band for other stations to find out which band can make be used to make the trip. You can also actively call another station, or just put it in broadcast mode for others to respond to you.

I must say that the idea is pretty neat. The sotware has settings to detect if there is already a voice or other digital conversation going on if you have it actively calling. If it detects something, it just moves on. I'm not sure how well that works yet, but that should ease some fears about it just stomping on top of everything else. I must say that the software is pretty difficult to understand. I'm a software guy so I got it working pretty quickly, but it's not for the weak-hearted. The manual is thorough but technical. This software has been written by some pretty smart guys, but it's obvious they are engineers, not software designers. They need to get some user interface experts to help them out

Unfortunately where I was trying this initiall was on the MARS frequencies and my auto-tuner in the rig just can't make the frequencies they're using. I may stick the LDG auto tuner inline and see what happens. If you're going to play with this stuff within the ham bands you may not have this problem. I will say that an autotuner of some type is a must. Anyway, I'll keep playing with it and report back. If you have the station capabilities, it seems like a fun project to get going.

Yeah, UH, I am confused just reading this

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I thought this post was about a stout beer.

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When I die, I want to go out just like my Grandpa did, in his sleep, and not like the screaming passenger on his motorcycle...

"HF-ALE" -- HF could stand for "Hefeweisen"...

As far as having the radio decide whether a band is open, I'd rather stick to the old-fashioned way and listen for myself.

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Let's see if I can make this a little simpler for those unfamiliar with the technology. Let's say you want to talk to your buddy in Denver. You live in L.A. Depending on propogation, you might be able to hit him on 10m, 12m, 15m, 17m, 20m, 40m, maybe even 75m. We all know that propogation changes throughout the day and from day to day. If both stations were using ALE, their computer/rig would send a short signal out with your call to the other station to see if it can hear them. It does this on each band with predetermined frequencies that have been agreed upon by the software. If the other station can hear, it answers back and the software remembers that. It keeps polling on each band and as the conditions change, it remembers. Then whenever the operators sit down at their predetermined time to talk, they can just pick up he mic and key and ALE has already chosen the band that is open at that time. You can also just put it in broadcast mode if you're just lookingfor any station to talk to. It takes almost all the trial & error out of it. Sure, a good operator probably can figure out which band is open almost as fast, but there are situations where you might not want to go through the trouble. This technology comes from military application and the various MARS organizations are working on implementing it, as well. Like I said before, it's sort-of fun to get going and is a neat project.

Oh! kinda like putting your Ferrari on cruise control, kinda defeats the purpose of feeling the accelerator pedal to regulate how fast you're driving?
I like the whole old skool radio thing, wait until propagation starts and when you hear someone you key the rig and talk even though I have a clue of how your software works I still choose to hide under the rock of no advancement.lol

Rock on mole.

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When I die, I want to go out just like my Grandpa did, in his sleep, and not like the screaming passenger on his motorcycle...

Seems like it could be rather handy, but at the same time, almost like cheating...

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It's a neat system, particularly for situations when the contact is the most important thing...when you don't want the hobby of figuring out conditions but you simply must make the contact.

The terminated folded dipoles are very popular for ALE as you don't need a tuner since they have a terminating resistor to keep the input impedance constant over wide band use.

They are indeed a bit of a dummy load, but for the NVIS and rapid frequency agility they are designed for, that isn't as much of an issue. B&W makes them for one example...they ain't cheap, but they can also be made from parts easily enough. For ALE, it might be worth considering something like that.

So a good way to determine MUF?

Me too.

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Yeah that's basically it, it hunts and pecks to determine the best frequency for the contact. Automates out the guess work.