WQ6X Teams up with NX6T for 2018 ARRL Dx Contests

In years past WQ6X has run several solo ARRL Dx CW contests and teamed up with the NX6T crew for the SSB flavor of those DX contests.

The variety of those events is so wide I've decided to write a "Blast From the Past" BLOG Entry (Stay Tuned).

Competition in the ARRL Dx contests is so FIERCE that I/we don't expect to win a plaque.  However the JoY of competition is what brings us back; and, yes, the possibility of DXCC in one weekend.

NX6T @ Sunset

For 2018, variety once again reigned when the decision was made to run BOTH ARRL DX GiGs remotely from the SF bay area; the first being a Multi-2 operation with N6CY (Rick) remoting in on station 2. 

KK6NON + N6KI running SSB

For the DX SSB GiG I remotely joined N6KI and 5 other operators to make an impressive (but unfortunately not award winning) effort as NX6T.

I've always said the reason operators @ NX6T tolerate me is because I am willing to run the 2am shift; not to mention the dinner shift (8pm to 10:30 Fallbrook time). Dennis (N6KI) usually brings me back Italian meatballs or Shrimp-FU-Yung so I don't go without.

Towers #2 & #1

Throughout the day when STN-1 is free, that is the time to point the C-31 yagi to the Pacific or the put the Stepp-IR in BI-Directional mode allowing BOTH Japan and South America to be run simultaneously.

A drawback to this method is NX6T was LOUD in the South East; every Billy-Bob and his brother called in.

If you're calling NX6T in a DX contest, then you obviously have no clue what is going. I simply send "5-9 CA"; the "California" should be the tipoff they don't know what they are doing. Has it ever occurred to them to read the DX Contest rules and point their antennas AWAY from California?



Two MFJ-752's, a NIR-12 & Mystery BoX

During the DX contest weekends I found time to test drive several combinations of external audio filters. While these filters were originally designed to plug into receiver headphone jacks, they process IP-Sound derived laptop audio equally well. For SSB contests, the JPS NIR-12's DSP auto-notch is quite useful; especially when running
40-meter frequencies between foreign broadcast stations at night. 
40-meters is my FAVorite band at night. 

During the current sunspot cycle low, 40 opens up to the east by 2pm local time; by 5pm, Europe is already coming in @ NX6T.

Russian Military Beacons

 After midnight as propagation shifts toward Asia, the Russian military beacons (as annoying as they are) become a useful propagation predictor.
For 2018, a new "T" beacon has been heard.


Also new is hearing a strange CW combo, intermittently repeated the following: --- * --- (K), --- * --- (K), --- (T), --- (T), --- * --- (K).
 Any ideas why there is this variation?

During the SSB GiG, Russian military CW was heard on 3.750 around 10:40z.  I've written about this in other Contest BLOG entries; the 75 meter Russian invasion has been rampant for years.

NX6T Ending Score

While N6CY and WQ6X were the two OPS during the CW contest, we did amazingly well, even tho we didn't win anything. While Rick was pounding away on 20 & 40, I discovered a 10 meter opening and managed over 80 QSOs on 15; not bad considering the low SFI.

NX6T remote @ nite

Did you work the 2018 ARRL DX contests?

IS NX6T in YOUR Log?