WQ6X Dual-OPs 1st-Ever CQ-160 Cw Contest

wOw!  As I write this, January is Already OVER.  Because they gave us 5-weekends last month,
the CQ-160 Cw contest managed to be tucked right into the last two days (Daze?).  Dual-OP'ing certain contest events (usually Cw & RTTY) has become a new sub-hobby within the HOBBY Amateur Radio.

For this 160 GiG, remote operating came in two flavors: ANZA-based (as NO6T) and Fallbrook-based (as WQ6X); "officially" NX6T was dark, off the air.  Additionally, I put in a reservation for the W6C callsign, creating a Concord signal-vortex investigation; more on that later.

Equipment-wise this weekend opened with some subtle (but not-insignificant) changes to the
audio-line.  Thanks to the newly added Radio Shaft A/V switch box (4-channels of stereo audio & mono audio) it is now possible to switch either the FT-1000mp, ICOM-7000 or Elecraft K3/0 into the main audio filter line.  I've never been impressed with the K3's APF (Audio Peak Filter); with the external audio filters we get the best of both modalities.

Being able to combine the already AWEsome DSP in the ICOM-7000 with the AUTEK, NIR & MFJ filters in the audio line makes for some amazing receive capabilities; more on that later.

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While I've been utilizing the "Stereo-CW" modality in WQ6X operations for years, this CQ-160 GiG (being a Cw contest) allowed me to knob-twiddle, looking for the EXACT Left/Right adjustment of the Autek QF-1A filter pair.  You may remember, for me the idea is for lower-pitched signals to appear
in the left-side of my Experience, while the higher-pitched signals appear in the right-side of my Experience.  The Stereo-CW concept must be Experienced to really GROK the jist of what I am saying.  All you need is a pair of identical filters intercepting the audio-line to Experience it.
I circled the frequency-settings demonstrating how "subtle" these settings really are for
a TRUE Stereo-CW Experience.

I've written a LoT about this idea, the most recent being AUGUST of 2020.  Based on this weekend's experiment, another BLOG-installment should be forth-coming.  When running a Cw pile-up, having different signals appear at different "locations" in my experience allows me to mentally-focus more-easily on that specific signal.  Used in conjunction with the R-i-T, allows me to position signals around in my listening-Experience.  During the CQ-160 contest (both from Anza and from Fallbrook) having Stereo-CW capability with the K3 made for an AWEsome operating Experience.

DISCLAIMER:
WARNING!: Stereo-CW should NoT be undertaken when seriously under the influence.

As weird as it may seem, the W6C Experiment was a marginal success, although the W6C callsign confused nearly everyone I worked; I had to reassure them that I was for real (because I was).  What
I unfortunately confirmed was the FACT that Concord California (at least locations near the creek) is indeed a signal-vortex.  As to what I should DO about it, that is fodder for a future BLOG entry.

When it was all over, it would seem that NO6T took 47th-place W.W., 10-place for USA, 2nd-place for the Southwest Division and 1st-place for California - GO Figure.  At #284, WQ6X was in the REAR of the Single-OP Assisted (HP) category.  As for W6C's 9 QSOs, we have to get the magnifying glass out to find them.

DiD YOU work the CQ-160 Cw contest?

Is NO6T, WQ6X and/or W6C in YOUR LoG?