WQ6X Wanders Wonderingly thru the CQ-160 Cw contest

The last weekend in January brings us the CQ 160-meter Cw contest.  As I have been doing for some time now, this weekend was another Dual-OP operation.   My weekend goal was to put in OP-time on a couple of 11:30 - 4am shifts with NX6T remotely to our setup @WA6TQT's QTH in Anza, while testing a 20-watt/ch amplifier in the audio line, in addition to eeking what few contacts I could using the tuned 8JK Cobra dipole array.

I am often amazed that the Cobra array works on 80-meters; on 160, working any stations outside
the SF East Bay area seems like a miracle.  Amazingly, calling "CQ Test" yielded callers, altho overall, band condx. SUCKED, confirmed by comments from other operators East of Colorado.  While the Solar Flux (SFI) was UP, this weekend's CQ-160 Cw contest benefited very little from that fact; probably because of the attendant solar storms (K-Index = 4) along with factors that are beyond
my figuring when it comes to 160 meters.

Because this was a Cw contest, the Stereo-Cw concept was given a significant performance evaluation w/the recently acquired Yaesu FT-2000 transceiver.  While quite similar to the earlier
FT-1000mp, with most of the DSP circuits now moved "forward" to the IF stages, the external audio circuits become even more effective.

2022 brings a considerably increasing Solar Flux Index (SFI).  It has been hovering in the 120's all week.  Unfortunately, as the SFI increases, so does the propensity for sharp (but short) solar storms.  The upside to the downside is that as long as the K-Index is < 5, 160 (and sometimes 80) meters are immune from the effects of geo-magnetic storms.

A problem with single-band contests (like those for 160 or 10 meters) is BOREDOM.  When you have worked everybody (or at least everybody you can hear) there is no other band(s) to switch to; maybe the answer is to invest in some extra sleep instead,

When it was all over, the 3830 stats make it clear that DX stations (mostly EU) had a considerable advantage over the rest.  NX6T took 18th-place for North America, 16th-place for USA 2nd-place for CA (W6) and 1st-place for the Southwest USA.  When you consider we were working with a 2-legged 3-Square vertical, it's amazing we did as well as we did.

 

 

DiD YOU work the CQ 160-meter Cw contest?

Is NX6T or WQ6X in YOUR LoG?