Ham Radios Feld Hell Mode – Fun Nets and Interesting Contests
Don't miss my earlier post Feld Hell Sprint (Hellschreiber) – Get Your Membership Number
Photo taken of my laptop while operating. Yes, two lines is normal.
So what is Feld Hell?
Hellschreiber (Also known as Feld Hell or just Hell) is a teleprinter system developed in the late 1920's by Rudolf Hell, a German inventor.
The name "Feld Hell" is a play on words, combining the German word "Feld" (meaning "field") and "Hell" (meaning "light" or "bright"). The name reflects the fact that the mode was designed to be used in field conditions, where other modes might not work as well.
From it's origin dating back to the 1920s, it has been improved upon over the last 15 years or so and now you'll see Feld Hell is a relatively fast digital mode, with a transmission speed of 122.5 baud. This means that it can transmit 122.5 symbols (or bits) per second or about a 25 WPM text rate.
Here is a table from W1HKJ website (link below)
| Mode | Symbol Rate | Typing Speed1 | Duty Cycle2 | Modulation | Bandwidth3 | ITU Designation4 |
| Feld-Hell5 | 122.5 baud | ~ 2.5 cps (25 wpm) | ~ 22% | OOK ASK | 350 Hz | 350HA1B |
| Slow Hell | 14 baud | ~ 0.28 cps (2.8 wpm) | ~ 22% | OOK ASK | 40 Hz | 40H0A1B |
| Feld-Hell X5 | 612.5 baud | ~ 12.5 cps (125 wpm) | ~ 22% | OOK ASK | 1750 Hz | 1K75A1B |
| Feld-Hell X9 | 1102.5 baud | ~ 22.5 cps (225 wpm) | ~ 22% | OOK ASK | 3150 Hz | 3K15A1B |
| FSK-Hell 245 | 245 baud | ~ 2.5 cps (25 wpm) | ~ 80% | 2-MSK6 | 490 Hz | 490HF1B |
| FSK-Hell 105 | 105 baud | ~ 2.5 cps (25 wpm) | ~ 80% | 2-MSK6 | 210 Hz | 210HF1B |
| Hell 80 | 245 baud | ~ 5.0 cps (50 wpm) | 100% | 2-FSK (480Hz) | 800 Hz | 800HF1B |
One advantage of Feld Hell today is that it can be decoded using software running on a computer. This means that ham radio operators can use their computers to decode Feld Hell transmissions, rather than relying on dedicated hardware (the early days of Hellschreiber). There are several software packages available for decoding Feld Hell, including Fldigi, MultiPSK, and HamScope.
Feld Hell Club (FHC)
The Feld Hell Club (FHC) operates the weekly nets on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. These are the nets I have been participating in. They also sponsor contests for Feld Hell. The website is short and precisely to the point about this interesting topic, so please visit their website.
What do you need to participate?
The transceiver: If you have been using your ham radio transceiver for digital modes, you're in luck. There's not much to Feld Hell. Just setup your radio to receive and send digitally. For instance on the Icom 7300 I use a 3.6 kHz receive bandwidth, USB-D mode, and turn off NR, NB and I set the AGC to fast. In my Icom 7300 I have a PRESET for this mode.
The software: I've been using Fldigi, but many other programs are capable of Feld Hell. If you use Ham Radio Deluxe, you can use DM780. I like Fldigi because it works on my Macbook pro too.
Power: I start out at 50 watts, but have used as much as 100 watts and I have not had a problem with my IC-7300 getting hot.
On the nets, users will send messages which a fairly long, maybe 25 to 50 words in the transmission.
Important: Use RSID so you sync with the NCS frequency.
- Please check in with your Call (3x) or as directed by NCS.
- Early checkins start 15m before the net officially starts. After acknowledged, please standby until your turn for comments.
- It may take some time due to the propagation and relays before everyone gets their turn. Please be patient.
- For better reception FLDigi users can choose font FAT14 for their transmit font.
Video
Thank You!
Questions? Please leave a comment below! I am on the FH nets regularly.
Upcoming: I'll have more on Feld Hell. Please see the link to the club, FHC. Also at the bottom of the page is upcoming contest info!
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Sources:
More from ZL1BPU (Why does it transmit two lines?)
Frank, N4SPP's webpage with lots of interesting things about HELLSCHREIBER
The MixW Manual has some interesting facts about Feld Hell
W1HJK info on Feld Held (good source of information)
WAAAEO SPRINT
Worked all Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania SPRINT
29 April 2023 00:00 - 23:59z
More info: https://sites.google.com/site/feldhellclub/Home/contests/sprints/waaaeo-sprint
General Sprint Rules: https://sites.google.com/site/feldhellclub/Home/contests/sprint-rules
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Thank you for a great artical. I have been looking for a new digital mode to try and this fits the bill.
Great to hear from you Bob and that’s terrific. I have found it very interesting and each net I’ve been surprised at how well I can receive stations from all over the US and Canada! The evening nets are a good time for me and it just works into my schedule for now. I look forward to hearing you (or seeing your transmission) on one of the nets. Best 73 and good DX! de Rich KØPIR
Thanks for your article! I would only add that the mode was invented by Rudolf Hell and this may have more to do with the name than the German word for bright.
Great to hear from you Mark. Yes, I just updated the post with that tidbit of information. It got lost in my edits, so thanks for mentioning it and thanks for commenting.
Very best 73 and good DX! de Rich KØPIR
I agree nice to have more choices. Have you tried it with HRD?
Great to hear from you Randy and thanks for commenting. I haven’t, but it should work terrific in DM780. If you use RSID to sync with the net control stations frequency, it’ll set DM780 to the correct mode (FSKH105) too. 73 and good DX! de Rich KØPIR