Thursday, December 31, 2020

WQ6X Dual-OPs a Different 160-meter Contest

For the last contest weekend of 2020, I wanted to do (as Monty Python would say) "something completely different".  It couldn't get any more different than this last weekend.  One of the most different differences of this year's Stew Perry December contest is that for the 1st time in about
5 years, the GiG was run with a non <69 solar flux index (SFI); in fact the SFI peaked at 87
(less than 60 days ago it was stuck at 70).

The SP-160 contest was my first operation from the San Diego contest club's alternate operating
site in the Anza Valley (altho 4,000' ASL).  As Fallbrook was officially "dark" for the SP-160 weekend
I decided to also run a remote operation from STN-2 (instead of running 160 from Concord), giving me the advantage of running HP from a QTH 900' ASL (altho NoT as noise-free as Anza).

I had originally planned to run as W6M, which (not finding any other ops) never happened. Instead, WQ6X made a High Power appearance on 160 in between a couple shifts running ANZA Station #1
for NX6T.  LooK & FeeL wise, Anza seems just like the setup in Fallbrook - EXCEPT, being away from dozens of RFI producing homes and buildings the noise-level is AMAZINGLY Quiet; at least on 160 for the SP-160 GiG.  Next time I remote into Anza, I will make it a point to give the other bands
a THOROUGH Sweep.

What makes the SP-160 contest unique amongst 160 GiGs is that the point score for a given contact
is computed based on the relative Km distance between your Grid Square and the square of the station you are contacting.

Another reason the noise-level at Anza is so low is thanks to the use of a 3-el "Tri-square" vertical arrangement with 120-degree beamwidth to NE, SE & W.  I heard (and worked) JA stations as NX6T that I had no hope of hearing with the Inv. VEE in Fallbrook.  In fact only JA5DQH was worked from Fallbrook.

Because there are no multipliers, SP-160 scores seem considerably low, in comparison to most other contests; a score's relative BiGness is relative to the contest itself.  As you can see, my 201 QSOs netted a WHOPPING 814 points.

NX6T netted a 4th place for USA and a 6th place overall.  While we were tops on the West
coast, the contest organizers probably don't recognize that as anything special.

Another unique aspect of the TBDC contest is the wide-variety of plaques that can be won. 
I've never seen such an array of sub-categories in ANY radiosport contest.  I thought CQ
magazine contests had a LoT of options until I submitted my log for the SP-160 contest.

DiD YOU participate in the Stew Perry Top Band Distance Championship?

Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR LoG?



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