WQ6X Doesn't Give One IOTA

This BLOG is about the contest weekend that didn't happen.

What do you do on a quiet contest weekend when you can't find anyone to play with? 
For me, because I love knob-twiddling, there is always some sort of RX audio experiment
in progress.  During slow contest periods (or on weekdays), I tune around the amateur bands
and even the overall HF spectrum, enabling knob-twiddle exercises under different signal conditions.
What is learned from all the knob-twiddling can be applied during future radiosport events.

The last contest weekend in July is supposed to be all about IOTA (Islands on the Air) and MARAC US counties QSO Party.  Tuning around the bands, I only heard ONE CQ call for the MARAC GiG.  This year was the first I have ever heard about this GiG.

For IOTA, I heard several contacts made, but no stations I heard were actually handing out RSGB Island identifiers.  It seems like few operators actually knew the event was even happening.  It seems like every year I get excited about the IOTA event and every year I end up disappointed by a lack of actual island stations heard (much less worked).

Because making the trip between Alameda (in Alameda County) to Concord (in Contra Costa County) is currently taking over an hour, my "policy" is that if I make the drive, I'm going to get something out of my time there.  What I DiD was to reinstate a classic Radio Shaft 15-step equalizer back into the audio line and rewire the audio line to the Rockville mixer.

Bottom-line: Either I am running one-or-more radios in radiosport contests, OR, I am working
on improving the equipment setup for more successful operating in the next upcoming radiosport contest on the calendar.

While IOTA, YOTA and MARAC never happened, the weekend was an overall success.

What about YOU?

What do YOU do when radiosport GiGs don't turn out as you expected?