You're A DUP OL' Man... (Part 2)

While working the latest ARRL DX Cw contest, I encountered a frequent phenomenon that occurs in almost every contest - operators calling in on my run frequency when we've already made contact. 
Other than the November Sweepstakes (which allows working a station only ONCE during the entire contest), most contests allow working a station once on each band and/or mode.

In preparation for this Blog entry, I took a look back at relevant posts it occurred to me that there are two directly opposite conditions:  stations who call me when they shouldn't, as well as stations who call in and then disappear.  Three particular Blogs come to mind:

• [X] - Where'd Y'all GO?
• [X] - Where'd-ja GO? (Why do You Disappear?)
• [X] - You're A DUP OL' Man...

This Blog entry is a variation on the third write-up - stations who call in under the seeming assumption that we have not worked before or on that band/mode.  In this contest, a station called with a LOUD signal from which we exchanged information - they sent me their power level ("KW" in this case) and
I sent then my QTH ("CA" in this case).  Satisfied that we had made a valid QSO, they moved on, while I again called CQ, continuing to run the frequency.  Less than 10 minutes later, the same station called in again.  HuH?  WTF?

Because DUP QSOs don't penalize me for 2nd (and subsequent) entries, I entered the 2nd QSO
into the log (receiving 0-points for that entry).  AFTER the contact was made, I mused over why
they called in the 2nd time.  I came up with the following possibilities:

• The OP forgot to enter me in the log the 1st time, in which case the LCR (Log Checking Robot) will ding my log with a "NoT in Log" error for that 1st contact.  Logging the 2nd contact will at least insure they are in the log.
• The OP originally logged my callsign incorrectly the 1st time.  Entering my callsign correctly the 2nd time guarantees they are now correctly in the log.
• The OP doesn't actually log contacts, so they have no way of determining whether
  we have worked before.
• The OP never reads the rules of the contest and assumes that DUP contacts are ok.
• The OP is new to radiosport contesting and needs all the considerations we can offer.
• The OP is DRUNK (or under the influence of something) and doesn't have a clue what
  they are doing.
• The OP simply doesn't care one way or the other.
• The OP is simply an IDIOT - and Idiots can't be reasoned with.

In DX contests, non-USA/Canadian operators often have a limited grasp of English, so trying to explain the concept of a DUP QSO to them is simply a waste of time - just log it and get on with it.

Holy Moley!  What do we do?

Bottom-line, the answer is to work the station (several times if necessary), especially
if they are a MULT (multiplier) contact, or risk losing that multiplier altogether.

The REAL solution is to log every contact precisely and let the other station deal with their mistakes.  As it is, they may well not be submitting a logfile for the contest to begin with; in which case you will receive credit for the 1st entry, while the 2nd (and subsequent entries) are labelled as DUPs.

All that is important is THIS:

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Wings Yet another WEIRD Weird Prefix Contest

There is something about the RTTY running of the WPX (Weird Prefix) contest, RTTY or non-RTTY.  While I truly enjoy the January RTTY-RU, the weird prefix aspect and multi-tiered point strategy
(1-pt, 2-pts & 3-pts) place the WPX RTTY GiG in a class all by itself.  In preparation for the 2o25
WPX weekend, I researched the last 5-years of WPX RTTY and published another "Blast from
the Past"  Blog.  ([CLICK HERE] to read it).  And of course, there is also a "Reminiscing RTTY"
Blog ([CLICK HERE] to read it.)

While this year's GiG was a conglomeration of different components, each component was previously arrived at after trying numerous cable combinations involving the Yaesu FT-1000mp (in my office) and the FT-2000 which comprises the portable setup I main in Concord (EB section).

As detailed in recent Blog posts, for some reason, I am unable to fully CAT control the Elecraft
K3/0-Mini remote control locally via Windoze COM ports.  It worked once, and now it doesn't.
HuH?  WTF?!

Recently, the solution has been to bring the RigExpert PLUS back into the configuration. While
it can't control the remote radio frequency knob and mode buttons; it CAN properly rout the RTTY audio and indirectly key the PTT switch by way of the FT-1000mp (office) or FT-2000 (Concord) to
the PTT jack in the control head unit.  For safety reasons, both PWR and the MIC knobs are turned
down to Zero.

While audio and PTT can be controlled w/o the RigExpert PLUS, running the laptop audio then requires a messy array of cables with DC isolation transformers inserted as needed to keep the ground loops out of the audio paths.  Instead, the RigExpert provides all the necessary voltage/signal isolation necessary between the Yaesu transceivers, the Windoze-7 laptop and the K3/0-Mini control head to produce cleanest RTTY audio possible.

The main drawback to this approach is remembering to type in the operating frequency to the N1MM+ software before logging a contact on thew Windoze-7 laptop.  This offers additional reasons to run frequencies whenever possible.

Space-WX was reasonable throughout the contest, altho Sunday afternoon things began to worsen with a number of solar storms that "waited" until after the contest before manifesting - WHEW!

During radiosport contests which begin at 00:00z on Friday, I rarely start at the starting time; this GiG was no exception.  My 02:15z starting time found 10 and 15 meters "done for the day", relegating my start to 20 meters; an increasingly less populated RTTY band, thanks to the Solar Cycle 25 sunspot peak which we are in the midst of.  From Ramona, it seems there is more relevant RTTY action on 40-meters than on 20.

In the WPX contest, while we receive 2-Points for other North American countries outside USA and
3-Points for working other continents, there are no country multipliers.  Instead, we can accumulate multipliers for each unique PREFIX we work.  Nevertheless, it's always interesting to note the individual countries worked.  N1MM+ displays this reasonably well.

Out of the 48-hours of the WPX contest according to the N1MM software, I managed to work 25.3 of those hours, altho there was closer to 28 hours spent at the operating desk, doing things to make the 25.3 hours more productive.  While there are a lot of significantly insignificant details relating to this weekend operation, I will leave that to the soapbox comments I wrote immediately after the contest when I posted the score on 3830Scores.Com.

DiD YOU work the WPX (Weird Prefix) RTTY contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Blast from the Past: CQ WPX RTTY - Part 2

In preparation for this upcoming weekend's WPX RTTY contest, I took yet another look back at the WPX RTTY GiGs WQ6X has been a part of.  ([CLICK HERE] to read Part 1.)  The GiGs from 2020
to 2023 we miracles unto themselves.  These include:

• [X] 2020 - A SOAB(HP) remote run from Fallbrook as NX6T
• [X] 2021 - A SOAB(HP) remote run from Fallbrook as WQ6X
• [X] 2022 - A SOAB(LP) operation from Concord as WQ6X
• [X] 2023 - A SOAB(QRP) operation from Concord as WQ6X
• [X] 2024 - A SOAB(QRP) remote run from Ramona as WQ6X

For the 2020 WPX RTTY GiG, a call for operators produced no takers.  With that in mind, the goal was to run SOAB using the ACOM-2000 amplifier dialed back to around 770-watts.  With over 1100 QSOs in the log, NX6T placed 2nd for W6 and 1st for San Diego section and the Southwest.

For the 2021 WPX RTTY GiG, while the internet access had become more stable, the actual submitted score was considerably less than for 2019, probably because I ran fewer hours. 
Being at the BOTTOM of the sunspot cycle certainly didn't help matters.  Nevertheless,
it was a fun run, supplemented by Russian military beacon tracking.

For the 2022 WPX RTTY GiG the FT-2000 ran its first WPX RTTY contest.  In an attempt to
combat fading, while running the high bands, the 8JK-Trapezoid wire antenna was hooked to the ANT-2 connecter allowing it to be switched in at any time.  In the contest Blog for this GiG I also railed against the ridiculousness of still having to send 5-9-9 (or in my case "5NN).  Running at 95-watts
(full duty), the FT-2000 was "as cool as a cucumber".

For the 2023 WPX RTTY GiG, the decision was to run QRP remotely from KN6NBT's QTH in Ramona California.  According to the WPX website results, WQ6X took 6th-place for NA and 2nd-place for W6 (California).  A newly added MFJ-993B Intelli-Tuner to the FT-2000 installation turned the 3-el Long John 10-meter beam into a rotatable dipole for 15 & 20 meters.  The transceiver easily ran full-duty RTTY @95-watts, while keeping its cool.

For the 2024 WPX RTTY GiG

Any thoughts of repeating a RTTY run from Concord (East Bay section), were dashed during the previous weekend's Mexican RTTY GiG (which I ran remote from Ramona) when severe winds took out the antenna mast at W7AYT's QTH.  That returned WPX RTTY operations to running remote - this time QRP from Ramona.

Because of the crude (yet effective) interface cobbled together to run remotely, the score reduction reflected the difficulties of making it all work.  According to the WPX website results, WQ6X to 7th place for NA and 1st-place for W6 (California) - NoT bad for just faking it.

Bottom-line is that the last 5-years of WPX RTTY have indeed encapsulated WEIRD - in all respects.

DiD YOU run the WPX RTTY contest GiGs during 2o20 thru 2o24?

Is WQ6X (or NX6T) in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Wings a Kludgey 6+ Radiosport Weekend.

At the beginning of the year, as I was pre-loading my [physical] desk calendar (remember those?).  Somehow only the Mexican RTTY contest made it into the Feb 1st slot.  Friday afternoon, while testing the RTTY Kludge for running remotely from Ramona, rummaging thru the WA7BNM Contest Calendar, I noted 5 other events (6 if you count the private FOC contest).

In time-based order, those events are:

1. [X] - Vermont QSO Party (VQP)
2. [X] - European Union (EU) DX Contest
3. [X] - Mexican RTTY Contest (XE-RTTY)
4. [X] - Minnesota QSO Party (MQP)
5. [X] - British Columbia QSO Party (BCQP)
6. [X] - NA SPRINT Cw Contest

For starters, I have mixed emotions about the Vermont QSO Party (VQP).  Timewise starting at 00:00z (4pm PST) gives us early access to VT counties on 15, 20, 40 and hopefully 80-meters
before Friday evening is over.  It also has a long duration, ending at 4pm (PST) on Sunday. 
What it does NoT have is a plethora of operators in Vermont.  Overall, the same stations were
worked on multiple bands, CW and Ssb.  The last VT station made it to the log at 22:54z on Saturday.

Running QRP DiD NoT prevent me from working every VT station heard, the difficulty was NoT hearing VT stations to work in the first place.  I could hear Europe and work England (M4T) using
the Stepp-IR yagi @55'.  I really don't think VT stations were skipping over me.  There were no
VT stations to skip over me - if there were, they would show up on the spotting networks and
SDR receivers (which they didn't).

In a similar way, the MNQP (Minnesota) QSO Party GiG was also a disappointment.  It starts at 14:00z and 10 hours later it's over.  Ending at 4pm (PST) deprives West Coast stations from working Minnesota on 40 and 80 meters.  With a yagi array @100' I MIGHT be able to work Minnesota on
40-meters in the afternoon.  While I can get access to the WA6TQT 4-Square vertical array in Anza, that superb directive antenna is worthless before around 6pm (PST) - 02:00z.  Needless to say,
I submitted a log with less than a dozen contacts.  Other QSO parties solve this problem with a
2nd run on Sunday, which still does not give us access to 40 and 80 meters.

For the Cw SPRINT GiG, a misunderstanding of the evening's social schedule induced me to call it quits at 02:02z (6:02 PM).  Altho I was pre-assigned to an SCCC contest team (#2), luckily 
only WA6URY was the only one on my team - he got to "suffer" from my dismal 69 QSO log submission.  Normally in the SPRINT contest, I've never had an opportunity to bemoan "I coulda been
a contenduh", altho running QRP has changed all that; at least according to results published in recent National Contest Journals.

In the middle of it all, was the EU DX contest and the aforementioned XE RTTY contest. For RTTY, using the recently documented remote-PTT method ([CLICK HERE] to read that), 
the same thing was accomplished using the FT-1000mp (a backup transceiver) in Alameda as the K3/0-Mini PTT switch.  It's ironic that while I discovered this method using the FT-2000 transceiver, this weekend's use attempt (with the FT-2000) was a complete DuD
(a dismal failure).   With no QRP category, I dialed the power down to 55-watts and ran Single-OP Low Power (SOLP).

The EUDX contest was also a DuD!  Throughout the weekend we were plagued by geomagnetic storms (K-Index = 4) most of the time.  What few hearable EU signals had a disruptive [polar] flutter
to them, or (in the case of OM2VL) a weird buzzing sound caused by the geo-storm, not anything wrong with his transmitter apparatus.  Being unable to run mixed-mode in this GiG, I upped the power to 88-watts and put KA8JBK followed by M4T into the log.  Submitting a 4-point score and a 2-QSO Log is enough for WQ6X to say "I Wuz THERE!".

Bottom-line is that using the WB6ACU (Joe Walsh) method, 6 different radiosport events were engaged in.  Sunday afternoon found me in San Jose attending a family birthday party with throngs
of people.  Once the morass of people made their exit, I found space on the rumpus room floor to setup the K3/0-Mini and RRC-1258 interface box for a demonstration of running the Ramona station remotely.  

Tuning around 75-meters just before 10Pm I checked into the Western Country Cousins net (W6CCN) on 3.970.  Later listening on 3.785 there was W2VP working Europe and encouraging others to join in.  He could hear the EU stations that I couldn't thanks to being on the E. Coast - EU is just "a skip across the pond".  Suddenly, the laptop battery died, taking the internet connection with it - end of demonstration.

This last weekend demonstration demonstrates once again the advantages of Utility vs. Futility
during radiosport weekends.  According to the 3830 Stats, WQ6X took a 1st-place in the QRP Assisted Mixed-mode category.  Amazing, from complaining to 1st-place - who woulda thunk it? (certainly NoT Me).

DiD YOU work the 6-contest radiosport weekend opening the month of February 2025?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Wings yet another Weird Winter Field Day

In the overall scheme of things, the Winter Field Day (WFD) is relatively new to me, last year being the 1st time I played around in that GiG.  Similar to ARRL FD, WFD is a 30-hour event beginning at 18:00z (Sat.) and ending 18:00z (Sun.).  However, WFD is different in that it is more of a world-wide affair than the ARRL GiG which focuses mainly on North America, altho DX stations are not excluded.  (Technically, ARRL Field Day is a 21-hour event, IF you don't begin ANY form of equipment/antenna setup before the 19:00z starting time on Saturday.)

Wrapped around WFD is the CQ-160 CW contest which begins at 22:00z on Friday and ends at 22:00z on Sunday.  N5ZO (Marko) ran the CQ-160 Friday afternoon/evening from WA6TQT's Anza location.  Checking it out at 06:00z found STN-2 quiet once again.  Because Marko had been using the N1MM+ software, my choice was to run CQ-160 using DXLOG, dialing the power level down to
5-watts (QRP).   Unfortunately, a failed phasing cable somewhere in the configuration seems to have converted this Tri-Square array into 3 independent dipoles, altho the N-E direction has a FlaT SWR, while the other directions measure at around 1.7:1.

The goal was to put 69 QSOs into thew log and then quit.  Saturday evening, after logging QSO
#69, the K3/0-Mini was switched to Ramona (KN6NBT's QTH) to continue the Winter FD event
begun earlier in the afternoon.

Saturday was also the monthly club meeting for the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA). 
Steve (K6OIK) gave us an informative dissertation on wire antennas for HF.  Afterwards, a handful
of contacts as K6QLF (the ARCA club callsign) was made for the WFD event, demonstrating the recently installed horizontal J-Pole wire antenna atop the roof of the Oakland Yacht Club (OYC) building.

Arriving at my Alameda office, at 21:30z I began remote WFD operations as WQ6X running QRP remote from Ramona.  Out of sheer laziness, the decision was to run a CW-only operation.  After several hours in the chair, I moved on to W7AYT's QTH in Concord to continue the Winter Field Day GiG.  Later that evening, with WFD activity winding down I remembered there was the 24-hour BARTG SPRINT RTTY contest.  

I hastily reconfigured the audio per a recent WQ6X contest Blog entry to that effect ([CLICK HERE]
to read that).  By the time I got to 40-meters, the EU opening had disappeared, and most east coast OPs were [probably] already in bed.  Putting NJ4P into the log turned out to be the only QSO made
in the BARTG contest.  

Shortly after, while desperately tuning the bands for RTTY signals, on of the key USB COM ports stopped working.  After a considerable amount of time troubleshooting the problem, with no easy solution, the decision was made to call it a night (around 08:30z), considering that the event would end at 12:00z (4am).  Nevertheless, I submitted a 1-QSO log and posted the 2-point score on the 3830 Scores website.

After some sleep it was time to rejoin the Winter Field Day at 16:25z for the final 90-minutes of the event.  There was a brief yet noticeable EU opening on 15-meters which disappeared around 17:00z, from which the move was made to 10-meters making a few contacts until the band closed-up around 17:25z.  That left moving down to 20-meters the only viable option left to finish the WFD contest.  When it was all over, 93 QSOs made it into the WQ6X QRP Log.

For some reason I got it into my head that the WFD GiG ended at 18:00z instead of its 22:00z end.
Moving onto other things in the ham shack, I missed out on breaking the 100-QSO goal and beyond. 
Oh well, I can't get EVERYTHING right.

DiD YOU work the CQ-160 or Winter Field Day?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

BLAST from the PAST: 2024 Radiosport in Review

Next to 2O2O, 2024 produced the 2nd highest count (135 entries) of specific, individual, WQ6X radiosport event operations for a single calendar year.  Correlatively, the number of Blog entries somewhat mirror the number of actual events run.  In BoTH cases, the high counts had a LoT
to do with dual-OP'ing, triple-OP'ing and even a Quad-operation of this year's ARRL 10-meter
contest.

Unlike 2020, a major difference is the large number of contest events which were run using QRP power.  During the last two years, I have spent countless hours perusing the all-time high scores for CQ and ARRL contests, as well as other worldwide contests and even the 4 QSO Party weekend in May, the MOQP the end of July and of course, the California QSO Party (CQP) the 1st weekend of every October.

What I discovered was very low score submissions for many of the contest QRP categories. 
Being an opportunist who cannot pass up on an easy accomplishment, since mid-2023,
one-by-one, WQ6X has been replacing those all-time QRP records.  LooK thru some of
the records pages and you will see WQ6X littered throughout.

Most notable for this year have been the ARRL RTTY RU, DX Cw and DX Phone GiGs and
of course the November Sweepstakes (both Cw & Ssb), not mention numerous county records running solo with N6GEO or NX6T.  Unfortunately, some contest events do NoT have a QRP category, requiring a different strategy to make a high score.

Software updates to the WQ6X Beacon Tracker software now make it easier to follow Space-WX
and track beacons.  With its built-in SNaP-SHoT camera, screen shots can be saved for inclusion
into Blogs like this one.

I have learned to leverage the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) to calm my anxiety that builds up when no stations reply to my "CQ TesT" calls.  If RBN receivers can hear my QRP signal, then at least I know the Xmtr and antenna system are reasonably functional and capable of generating RF out into space; finding an actual OP to actually HEAR my signal is of course, another thing altogether.

Using the RBN on multiple bands gives me insight as to which band to operate at any given moment.  It's also useful for antenna rotation tests, checking signal levels in different directions, all in preparation for upcoming radiosport GiGs.

One notable evening I was running a rotation test from the Ramona QTH in preparation for an upcoming QRP event.  I was purposely calling "CQ DX de WQ6X WQ6X" to get RBN stats while turning the  yagi, w/o having to accept calls from statesiders like Billy-Bob and his brother Barney.  After 20+ minutes with the yagi pointing ~350-degrees, a call came in from VY1CO, certainly qualifying a "DX".  His 589 report was the final information needed to confirm the efficacy of
running QRP power into a 3-el. Stepp-IR yagi @ 55'.

First and foremost, before all significant radiosport events, I not only read the rules thoroughly
(being clear on what is allowed and what isn't), I often look at previous years score results and
as mentioned earlier the high-score records (when available).  

[CLICK HERE] for a write-up on that.

It was a year ago that a change had occurred to the JIDX contest, dis-allowing an individual operator from participating in more than 1 operation (I used to put in hours for NX6T and run as WQ6X from some other location).  The days of dual-OP'ing the JIDX contest are now ancient history.  

Fortunately, JIDX Ssb pairs-up w/the48-hour WAE RTTY contest which essentially "wraps around"
the JIDX GiG.  In 2024, that weekend I was either running Ssb to JA for NX6T, or as WQ6X running into EU and all continents beyond, not to mention the Ssb SPRINT contest for 4-hours on Saturday.

December was double and triple busy period thanks to Triple-OP'ing the 10-meter contest,
bracketed by a pair of 160-meter contests and of course the RAC Winter contest, to wrap it all up.

Bottom-line - 2024 was a BUSY radiosport year - expect 2025 to run much the same way.

What radiosport GiG DiD YOU run in 2024?  Would you care to share some tales?

WQ6X Wangles another NAQP-Ssb QRP Dual-OP

NAQP Ssb and Cw GiGs are in worlds that are quite different from each other.
This weekend is a perfect demonstration of that fact.  For NAQP-Cw, NX6T had
a nearly different bunch of operators, whereas for the Ssb GiG, it was a similar
but different, yet just as dedicated team.  The difference is I was assigned to 8-hours
of OP-time with only 4-hours available to run as WQ6X - the exact opposite of the
previous weekend.

I was assigned to run STN-2 at WA6TQT's Anza QTH for the first 6-hours.  I opened on
10-meters and after 140 QSOs in the first hour, I handed it over to N7NR to add a nearly
400 QSOs to that log while I mopped-em-up on 15 meters and eventually 20 when 15-meters
was "worked out"

Because this was an SSB-only contest, I made use of an array of different audio filters to produce more intelligible voice reproductive audio.  As you can see from this earlier picture of the audio filter array at the W7AYT QTH, there were many filter combinations separately available at any given time by way of a classic RockVille 4-device stereo mixing panel.  The array included:

• A classic Radio Shaft 16-channel stereo equalizer (with Low Cut filters).
• A pair of Autek QF-1A analog audio filters for creating the initial Stereo Cw/Ssb audio.
• A pair of previous generation MFJ 752 analog audio "Signal Enhancer II" units.
• An MFJ-784 DSP unit (for Left channel) and a pair of JPS NIR-10 & NIR-12 DSP
  units (Right channel).
• The 4-channel RockVille stereo mixer to blend the above-4 combinations into a mechanical 4-position output switch for sending the audio to a Yaesu SP-6 speaker, Sharper Image video display speakers, a pair of LEKATO dual-stereo speakers, or two pairs of OWNZONE wireless headphones.
• A 4-channel USB mixer is employed to combine audio from an ICOM-7000, a Yaesu
  FT-2000 and the audio line from the K3/0-Mini control head, as well as audio from a
  Windoze computer.

The PEAK filters built into the QF-1A make for superior Stereo-Cw, whereas the wider MFJ-752's seem more suited for the wider Ssb audio, such as that encountered in the weekend's NAQP Ssb GiG.  Being cascaded, the NIR units offer a more tailored shape of the audio passband.  

Because many of my run frequencies were ALSO the National Tune-up Frequency (NTF), the Auto Notch Filter (ANF) built-in to the K3 transceiver does a reasonable carrier reduction, altho leaving
it in causes an artifact disruption to voice signals.  Unfortunately, being an audio-based Dsp, the carrier remains in the IF-passband, causing the AGC to reduce signal levels of already weak signals
(NoT a GooD thing).

Also, on for the weekend was the Hungarian DX contest, a mixed-mode Cw/Ssb affair.
After the 06:00z NAQP contest ending, a log was hastily convened for this GiG, with the
decision to run CW only.  Thanks to weird propagation conditions, 20-meters to Europe was 
not happening on the West coast.  Moving down to 40-meters and pointing the Shorty-40 towards
Europe, only 2 stations were heard, only one of them being an HA8 (Hungarian) station.  After working DL202SS (Germany), it was clear that this GiG was not going to happen any further. 
That did not stop the posting of a single QSO score and submitting a Log file for the contest.

After the contest, reviewing the 3830 contest scores, I came across the QRP submission
submitted by Dave K7SS  ([CLICK HERE] to read it).  His take on what it takes to run QRP
contests near-exactly mirror my own experience.  I sent him an e-mail thanking him for sharing
those comments.

When it was all over, it would seem that both WQ6X and NX6T took 3rd-place in
their respective operating categories, as well as 1st-place for the Southwest area
of the North American continent.

DiD YOU work the NAQP Ssb contest event?

Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Wangles another NAQP-Cw QRP Dual-OP

Unless you are a RTTY operator, the NAQP Cw GiG is the first domestic-related radiosport of
the new year.  Last year was my 1st NAQP-Cw attempt running QRP.  According to the Blog Entry about that GiG, the QRP signal was making the grade, altho the VNC Viewer VPN connection was not.  Last year's QSO total was just over 200.  The goal for this year was to at least DOUBLE that,
which certainly DID happen.

Having a lop-sided Stereo-Cw facility disrupted the 180-degree spatial listening experience I am
used to during Cw contests - the audio seemed to be "slanted" favoring about 42-degrees to the
left of center in the listening experience.  Time for some after-contest audio troubleshooting.

Very prominent in this Cw contest was the large[r] number of stations calling in (often on top
of some other station I called for first) - I send them an exchange only to hear that they have disappeared. As a result, the 1 or 2 more repeats become a waste of EVERYBODY's time
(because the station is already gone).  I've mused over the reasons why they frantically call
in and then disappear.   The answer was more intricate than can be described in a paragraph
or two.  ([CLICK HERE] to read a Blog devoted to that topic).

Being a 12-hour event, there is little opportunity for a "do-over".   When the high bands are done,
they are done - there is no "tomorrow" for a second chance.  Because single-OPs are only allowed
to operate 10 out of the 12 contest hours, when I am running completely solo the crucial decision
is which 2 hours to hours to NoT operate.  A typical compromise is to begin at 19:00 z and end at 05:00z.  If things run "perfectly", that makes for a workable compromise.  Then again, when things unexpectantly go wrong mid-contest taking me off the air, then of course any time sacrificed near
the beginning can turn out to be an unnecessary precaution.

For this contest weekend, 90-minutes of my off time was spent putting in a shift for the NX6T multi-2 event being run from the remote Anza station.  That, coupled with some Stereo-Cw receive audio problems immediately after the contest started, left me with an operating period of exactly 9-hours and 59 minutes (according to the N1MM+ Off-times screen).

Reading some of the after-contest soapbox comments from the SCCC contest reflector, putting
time in on 10-meters early in the contest was a smart accomplishment.  When I returned to the band around 13:13 (LocaL), the band was dead, altho amazingly, one lone JA6 station made it into the log.  Thanks to the 3-el Stepp-IR yagi configuration, it can be pointed to South America (SA) and then opened up Bi-Directional to work Asia when both are open on 15-meters.

The 2:30pm to 4pm afternoon operating period found me OP'ing STN-2 for NX6T on 10m and mostly 15-meters, while Marko N5ZO mopped-em-u on 20-meters for nearly 10-hours.  Resuming WQ6X operations at 00:00z, other than a few gratuitous JA QSOs, 15-meters was all but over, at least
where NAQP was concerned.

The next band pair was 20-40-20-40 and then an "early" LooK at 80-metersa.  The goal was to open each band with an S&P run while scouting for a relatively quiet run frequency.  Invariably, a non-QRP station will move in barely 100hz away from my run frequency w/o "QRL?" first.  When I call them, they come right back to me 1st-time, proving that they COULD hear me all along - they were just
too careless to listen before transmitting - not a good way to "Win Friends and Influence People".

After 04:00z (8pm) 80/40 got very quiet as many single-OPs finished their 10 hours max and shut everything down; either that, or "everybody" left moved down to 160-meters, the only band not yet available at the KN6NBT Ramona QTH.

By the time it was all over it would seem that NX6T took 7th-place overall for Multi-2 while WQ6X
took 3rd-place for Single-OP Assisted QRP.  Both stations took a resounding FIRST place West
of the Mississippi.

DiD YOU work the NAQP Cw Contest?

Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR LoG?

Making the absolute transition from Reality to SO2-V: Some Operational ThoTs

Over the years I have learned the art of SO2-V (Single-OP 2-VFO's), altho I would hardly say that
I have perfected it.  Altho I've owned the Yaesu FT-1000mp for nearly 6 years, secretly I've yearned
for the next level transceiver: the FT-2000; and one day an FTDX-5000mp.

18 months ago, Santa delivered a belated FT-2000 to the operating setup in Concord. 
While awaiting delivery, I spent a not-insignificant amount of time studying pictures and reading
the instruction manual cover-to-cover.  Time spent on the FT-2000 e-Ham discussion forum and AC0C's FT-2000 Mods/Info web section served to orient me to the similar but different world from
the FT-1000mp.

While the 2000 is an upgraded version of the 1000mp, they largely share the same operating philosophy; the front panel layouts are strikingly similar; overall, the FT-2000 "corrects" certain obvious ergonomic oversights in the original FT-1000xx series.  Amongst the operational enhancements, the FT-2000 makes a judicious use of color, on the LCD screen, as well
as the Sub-RX section of the transceiver.  

The front-end path icons cleverly placed across the top of the unit's LCD visually simplify understanding of the current signal path, from the antenna to the end of the AGC chain. 
For the 1000mp I considered adding and old MFJ-XXX pre-selector to the RX-ant path. 
As it turns out, the FT-2000 did just that with the VRF (Variable Roofing Filter) before
the front-end pre-amplifiers.  While this approach may seem confusing for some,
for me, it offers more knobs to twiddle; and you know how I like to twiddle knobs.

For me 6-meters is something new.  While my ICOM-7000 can run 6, 2 & 440, in my opinion
those bands are more-or-less an after-thought.  With Yaesu's FT-2000 & FTDX-5000 transceivers,
the 6-meter band is specifically accommodated.

Because this is a Blog about the concept of SO2-V techniques, I went to the WQ6X Blog homepage
and ran a Search on   SO2-V   discovering a number of references to the method in other Blog posts.  Searching for   SO2V   produced a different set of results.

Something not always understood regarding transceivers capable of dual-Receive (such as the
FT-1000mp and FT-2000) is that VFO-B usually sports less-effective (or no) selectivity offerings. 
It is for this reason I have configured a cascaded pair of JPS Dsp units (an NIR-10 and NIR-12)
inline to the VFO-B receive audio.

On a similar-but-different note, judicious use of switch boxes (for input AND output) along with
a USB mixer box (for signal input) and a Rockville mixer box to combine the audio from all the
filters into a destination audio stream is what makes the WQ6X operations work as well as they
do (when they do).

For 2025, close attention has been given to exactly which filter combination is best for which operating mode.  Overall, it would seem that the QF-1A's Stereo-Cw is best for GiGs like the
NAQP Cw contest.  The following weekend, during the NAQP Ssb contest, the MFJ 784 Dsp
(for the left ear) and the MFJ-752B (for the right ear) provided the "correct" audio balance to
improve voice inflection intelligibility.

Utilizing all the above filter combinations requires PRACTICE - LoTsa Practice.  During off-contest periods, I scan the bands and modes combining different filter settings to discover the most effective signal recovery during periods of Heavy QRM.  

The "secret" is in utilizing the filter combinations bulti-in to the transceiver to their fullest, while augmenting signal shaping with the external filters.  It may seem like a LoT of work, when in fact,
it gives me more knobs to twiddle - alleviating boredom and reinforcing the illusion that I can actually have an influence over the outcome.

With the hardware/software functional, the question becomes which VFO to use for what. 
The two main options are:

• Run a Frequency with VFO A while Searching and Pouncing (S&P) with VFO-B
• Search and Pounce with VFO-A, while running a Frequency with VFO B.

It could be argued that the overriding factor is the filtering system in-line with each VFO. 
Do I want more interference-free listening during S&P, or when actually running a frequency?

The only REAL way to determine that is to try both methods.  Working state QSO parties makes
for an excellent time to rehearse different operating method combinations.

Because state QSO parties and GiGs like the 10-meter contest are multi-mode weekends, another use for SO2-V is to run each mode on a separate VFO.  Because the 2ndary RX in most dual-receive transceivers has less filtering, I tend to run SSB on VFO-B while making Cw contacts using VFO-A.

Some operators feel that SO2-V (and even more so SO2-R) over complicates operating and makes
it LESS fun.  Years of experience has for proven for me otherwise.   Nothing worse than the inability
to copy incomprehensible signals due to acute Space-WX or other anomalies.  With SO2-V difficult, non-enjoyable operating periods can be transformed in a matter of minutes to fully productive run periods.

Most likely the transceiver you use has TWO VFOs.  Read the operators manual for that unit
and piece together your OWN approach to Single-OP Two-VFOs.  You'll be glad you DiD.