Friday, November 6, 2020

WQ6X sets the stage to sweep another Sweepstakes


It's hard to believe that we are at that time of year when it is time to make time for the November Sweepstakes contest time.  As I put together a unique operating strategy for this weekend,
I was motivated to revisit some of what I have written about Sweepstakes and how it turned
out.

Here are some relevant things I have said about Sweepstakes altho I have written LoTs more
in the WQ6X contest blog alone:

  • [x] - The WQ6X.Info Sweepstakes page
  • [x] - (2019) WQ6X Wings another Cw Sweepstakes GiG
  • [x] - (2018) WQ6X Dual-op's November Sweepstakes for a Change
  • [x] - (2019) WQ6X Wings another Cw Sweepstakes GiG
  • [x] - (2019) For Cw Sweepstakes WQ6X LooKs back to move Forward.
  • [x] - (2017) Blast from the PAST: November Sweepstakes

Because this is a Cw contest, the bevy of filter combinations I've been perfecting in recent
weeks will get a REAL workout, under intense contest conditions.  If those filter-combos
can survive Sweepstakes, they can probably survive ANY radiosport contest.

Somewhat unique to this year's Sweepstakes in the shuffling around of QTH's in the 4 Ontario sections and the creation of an 84th ARRL Section, giving Prince Edward Island it's own section designator - PE.

LooKing back, I have run a wide-variety of Sweepstakes venues.  Probably the most unusual experience (altho there have been several) was driving a moving truck for a friend and operating
from Montana (MT) section during the 1990 Ssb Sweepstakes.  At noon Sunday I was informed
that if I didn't get the truck out of there soon, it would be snowed in for several days from the 1st blizzard of the year quickly moving in.  

The truck was promised back in Vegas on Tuesday, so I took down the sloper wires and made them into a rectangular BOX LooP around the top of the truck, tuning them (more-or-less) with a Dentron
JR line tuner.  The ICOM-740 and Dentron tuner never once jumped off the seat.

An overturned cardboard box created a makeshift table for a Toshiba T-1200 laptop running the CT contest software.  That was the only Sweepstakes where I not only ran mobile, but actually gave
out contacts from 2 ARRL sections (MT & ID); probably a violation of the rules, but in those daze
I never submitted a log, so they didn't get the chance to "D-Q" me.


Thanks to the ARRL Sweepstakes web page detailing past contest results
(https://contests.arrl.org/scores.php) it was easy to look at the log submissions from last year. 
While there were nearly a dozen stations running from the East Bay (EB) section, only 2 stations (outside of WQ6X) submitted a qualifying log.  I guess the choice to run Single-OP Low Power Unlimited was the correct choice.

Busy with other things, I've not
given much attention to the Space-WX numbers until just now.  At this stage
of Solar Cycle 25, an SFI=93 is nearly unheard of, except maybe back in the days of Solar Cycle 19 (1957-58).

I have a theory that solar flares occur more when the SFI is rising (than when its dropping) which implies that we could be "in for a surprise" Space-WX wise.  We will know how it turned out on Sunday evening.

I've not seen three GOOD forecasts on the display for a bunch of years.  If the POOR on 10-meters can be converted to FAIR this weekend, WQ6X may encounter a for-real 6-band Sweepstakes opportunity, the likes of which have not been known for a BUNCH of years.

You may remember me saying "When in Doubt, CHEAT! (But w/in the rules)". 
Reading the rules and studying past SS results gives me LoTs to Thingk about in this regard. 
As I write this I am considering 3 different ways to run yet another unique Sweepstakes..

Then again, if at anytime I get bored on Saturday/Sunday, I can always fire-up a LoG in the Ukrainian DX Contest, leaving the U.S. and Canada to survive for awhile w/o me.

Are YOU going to play in the 2020 Cw November Sweepstakes?

What CALLSIGN should I be looking for?


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