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20days until
Days until our 24-hour Sprint to celebrate the birthday of Rudolph Hell, the inventor of Hellschrieber

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Contest or web questions can be sent to Dave here

Award applications can be sent to Brad here.

For a complete roster of the Board (with email addresses) go here

Feld Hell FAQ

What is Hellschreiber?
Hellschreiber, or Hell, is a method of sending and receiving text using facsimile technology.  It is unique in that the characters are not decoded, but "painted" or printed on a screen.  There are several modes of Hellschreiber, the most popular being a single-tone version call Feld-Hell, an on-off keyed system with 122.5 dots/second, or about a 35 WPM text rate.  FH has a narrow bandwidth of about 75 Hz.  Feld-Hell also has the advantage of having a low duty cycle meaning your transmitter will run much cooler with this mode.
 

  • For a terrific explanation of Hellschreiber, we highly recommend the ZL1BPU web site, which explains everything you need to know about this mode, including the most pressing question, "why does Hell transmit two lines of text?
  • Frank, N4SPP, is a long-time Hell practitioner who recently came into possession of an original, working 1938 Siemens Hell-Feldfernschreiber.  Frank has put together a fantastic web site about his station and our niche of Ham Radio.  Visit Frank's site here.  (Also read this great article on Frank on the ARRL web site)
  • There is also a great introductory video on You Tube by Randy, K7AGE which you can see here or below.
     
What does a Hell signal sound like?
It sounds like this.

 
 
A Hellschrieber field unit in action
 

Where did the name "Hell" come from?
We can thank the inventor, a German engineer named Rudolph Hell, who patented this early method of facsimile in 1929.  Hellschreiber was the first successful direct printing text transmission system, and was very popular at a time when teleprinters were complex and expensive, because the Hell receiving mechanism had only two moving parts. At first the Hellschreiber was mostly used for land-line press services, which continued well into the 1980s. A military version was used by the German Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War (1933). During WWII, Hellschreiber was widely used for field portable military communications, for which it proved to be very suitable because the equipment was simple and robust.

 
How can I operate Hellschreiber?
As with any digital mode, you need a PC and an interface to your radio.  You'll also need software.  Today there are a number of freeware programs that can have you up and running in Hell in a matter of minutes, including Ham Radio Deluxe, MultiPSK, and IZ8BLY's software.  Not freeware but a popular program is MixW.  Another program, FL Digi, will not only work in windows but in Linux, as well. Cocoamodem is a new program for Mac users. For questions you may have about software, or how to interface your PC with your rig, watch the video below, visit our Yahoo Groups to post a question, or ask us directly here.

 
 
Where can I find Hell signals?
In general, here is where you'll find most Hell activity.  As with any ham radio mode, these are suggested frequencies but not etched in stone, so please listen first before transmitting, as you're also likely to hear MFSK, Olivia, BPSK, JT65, and other digital modes on or near these frequencies.
 
160 METERS 1.804
80 METERS 3.574 to 3.584
40 METERS 7.077 to 7.084
30 METERS 10.137 10.144 (Region I)
20 METERS 14.063
17 METERS 18.104
15 METERS 21.074
12 METERS 24.924
10 METERS 28.074
 
Hellschreiber is a Fuzzy Mode, classified as J2B.  As such Hellschreiber may be transmitted on CW or phone amateur radio frequencies.  The list above is a starting point for your activities.

 
What's in the video below?
This is a dandy introduction to Hellschriber from Randy, K7AGE.
 

K7AGE YouTube Video on Hellschriber

 

 
Does the club run any contests?
 
We sure do.  Every month!  Here are the basic rules:
  • Any licensed ham can participate
  • SWLers are encouraged to join in the fun (we've even created a special award just for them)
  • The times and duration of each Sprint can vary, so check for updated rules on this web site and our Yahoo Reflector
  • No logs required!  Just use our handy and easy-to-use  autolog system to submit your score
  • CONTEST EXCHANGE: SIGNAL REPORT, FH #, STATE/PROVINCE/COUNTRY
    • Please see Contest page for special exchange requirements
  • Points are usally awarded as follows, although there may be different rules for certain months.  ALWAYS CHECK THE CONTEST PAGE FOR UP TO DATE RULES:
    • 3 points are usually awarded for a QSO with any FHC member, 1 for non-member
    • You get one multiplier for any contact in a state, province, or country. If you work that station on multiple bands, you still get the credit for a new QSO, but you don't get another multiplier.  (Example: If I work new member Phil AI4OF (FH1004) in FL on 20, 40, and 80 meters (as I did in the Flash Sprint) I get credit for 3 member QSOs, and 1 multiplier.)
    • Bonus points are usually awarded for meritorious results.  Again, check the Contest Page and the Yahoo Reflector for details each month.
  • 160 - 10 meters, no WARC bands.
  • 100 watts limit
  • The club callsign, WW1FHC, will be awarded for use to the U.S. club member with the top score in the most recent Sprint.  (We are exploring a way to get non-U.S. stations use of the callsign, or of creating special callsigns for Canada, England, and other countries in the future).
    • So that as many members can get the opportunity to use WW1FHC, no member may use the callsign more than once every three months.
    • This rule goes into effect with the January WAS Sprint.  Watch this web site and the Yahoo Reflector for more information.
  • And, oh yea, only real ham radio contacts are allowed (no Hamsphere, Echolink, or other Internet contacts - RF must be involved!)

 

Are there any hams in Hell?

We assume you mean one of the two towns in the world named Hell.  This one is in Michigan but as far as we know no one has ever operated from there, although a "Hell-expidition" is being talked about.  LA1K won the DX category of the October 2008 Sprint operating from Hell, Norway.