ARRL Dx Ssb GiG: the contest RTTY Ruined

W Q 6 X  @  S T N-1 - R e m o t e l y

The ARRL Dx Ssb GiG completes the late winter contest trio, with last weekend's CQ-160 Ssb contest sandwiched in between the ARRL DX contests.  Every contest (esp. every Ssb contest) is riddled with challenges; some hardware-related and some OP-performance related.

I experience "weirdness" in nearly every contest, but this last weekend's combination of A-Index=24 QRN, along with a plethora of RTTY stations littered throughout the bands; particularly on 40-meters, both evenings.

S F I = 7 0  A-I n d e x = 24  K-I n d e x = 3

Because the competition is so strong in ARRL Dx contests @N6KI we don't usually expect to win
the overall BiG plaques, altho it would seem that we took 1st place for the Southwest division in the Cw GiG 2 weekends prior - overtaking the Arizona Outlaws, no less.


The  S a t u r d a y  E v e n i n g  s h i f t

For this event, it would seem that having a variety of operators and skill-levels added up to out-best the Outlaws.  In recent years some new operators have been perfecting their contest skills at NX6T up on the hill in Fallbrook.


The  F r i d a y  E v e n i n g  s h i f t

While there is a tendency to focus on the evening shift operations and operators, a significant amount of our score is made in the daytime on the high bands; 20 meters in particular.

The  S a t u r d a y  D a Y  s h i f t

With the solar cycle still near the bottom (SFI = 70) 40 meters often opens up eastward around
mid-afternoon in Fallbrook, giving us early access to Mexico and the Caribbean. 

N X 6 T  spotted by K H 7 M  on 160

Despite only a pair of coaxial inverted Vee's for 80 & 160, NX6T radiates a surprisingly strong signal; granted, running 1.35kw helps.  On 80 & 160 meters we are consistently heard much better than we can hear those who hear us.

Because I routinely run the nightshift, I routinely encounter intentional QRM on 40-meters;
altho usually only during CW and RTTY contests, not SSB GiGs.  Unfortunately, for THIS
Ssb contest RTTY stations were littered throughout the lower portion of the 40-meter phone band.

Around 09:00z several RTTY stations converged on my 7160.45 run frequency.   Moving down
to 7134.64 seemed like a good idea until an S-9+ MCW station began sending code groups, eventually, switching to RTTY; doing this repeatedly.  If I had been running the FT-1000mp
the RigExpert PLUS could've been switched in to decode the RTTY - maybe next time.

Taking refuge on 7194.94 quieted things down considerably; evidently RTTY stations don't operate above 7175.  While Saturday nite was somewhat more quiet on 40 meters, 75 was loaded with ragchewers (particularly from W5-land) grumbling about how contesters were ruining their evening, oblivious to the fact that 3680 is HARDLY a haven for Dx contest activity.
Other than the complainer's LOUD MOUTH, this ragchew frequency was relatively quiet;
atmospheric QRN was way more of a problem than "those pesky Dx contesters".

An operational advantage of NX6T's Fallbrook location is the relatively easy access ("across the pond") to Asia and Oceania. 

A majority of the VK/ZL stations made things easier
by running 400 watts.  On 40 meters, all the ZL stations worked were literally off the backside of the Shorty-40 2-element yagi.  On 20, switching the Stepp-IR into BI-Directional mode allowed simultaneously working CS3 & ZL3; PY7 & 7L4; KH6 & ZS6.

Numerous JA stations were running a KW+ giving them BiG signals.   Unfortunately, the completely insane Japanese phone band plan made working those
stations a bit tricky.

Of all my beefs in this ARRL DX contest, the biggest complaint were stateside stations responding
to my "QRZ the Dx contest".  I would reply "DX ONLY - you should be working Dx too". 
If these operators would READ the RULES, they would know that.

Did YOU operate the ARRL Dx Contest?

Is NX6T in YOUR Log?