Making the absolute transition from Reality to SO2-V: Some Operational ThoTs

Over the years I have learned the art of SO2-V (Single-OP 2-VFO's), altho I would hardly say that
I have perfected it.  Altho I've owned the Yaesu FT-1000mp for nearly 6 years, secretly I've yearned
for the next level transceiver: the FT-2000; and one day an FTDX-5000mp.

18 months ago, Santa delivered a belated FT-2000 to the operating setup in Concord. 
While awaiting delivery, I spent a not-insignificant amount of time studying pictures and reading
the instruction manual cover-to-cover.  Time spent on the FT-2000 e-Ham discussion forum and AC0C's FT-2000 Mods/Info web section served to orient me to the similar but different world from
the FT-1000mp.

While the 2000 is an upgraded version of the 1000mp, they largely share the same operating philosophy; the front panel layouts are strikingly similar; overall, the FT-2000 "corrects" certain obvious ergonomic oversights in the original FT-1000xx series.  Amongst the operational enhancements, the FT-2000 makes a judicious use of color, on the LCD screen, as well
as the Sub-RX section of the transceiver.  

The front-end path icons cleverly placed across the top of the unit's LCD visually simplify understanding of the current signal path, from the antenna to the end of the AGC chain. 
For the 1000mp I considered adding and old MFJ-XXX pre-selector to the RX-ant path. 
As it turns out, the FT-2000 did just that with the VRF (Variable Roofing Filter) before
the front-end pre-amplifiers.  While this approach may seem confusing for some,
for me, it offers more knobs to twiddle; and you know how I like to twiddle knobs.

For me 6-meters is something new.  While my ICOM-7000 can run 6, 2 & 440, in my opinion
those bands are more-or-less an after-thought.  With Yaesu's FT-2000 & FTDX-5000 transceivers,
the 6-meter band is specifically accommodated.

Because this is a Blog about the concept of SO2-V techniques, I went to the WQ6X Blog homepage
and ran a Search on   SO2-V   discovering a number of references to the method in other Blog posts.  Searching for   SO2V   produced a different set of results.

Something not always understood regarding transceivers capable of dual-Receive (such as the
FT-1000mp and FT-2000) is that VFO-B usually sports less-effective (or no) selectivity offerings. 
It is for this reason I have configured a cascaded pair of JPS Dsp units (an NIR-10 and NIR-12)
inline to the VFO-B receive audio.

On a similar-but-different note, judicious use of switch boxes (for input AND output) along with
a USB mixer box (for signal input) and a Rockville mixer box to combine the audio from all the
filters into a destination audio stream is what makes the WQ6X operations work as well as they
do (when they do).

For 2025, close attention has been given to exactly which filter combination is best for which operating mode.  Overall, it would seem that the QF-1A's Stereo-Cw is best for GiGs like the
NAQP Cw contest.  The following weekend, during the NAQP Ssb contest, the MFJ 784 Dsp
(for the left ear) and the MFJ-752B (for the right ear) provided the "correct" audio balance to
improve voice inflection intelligibility.

Utilizing all the above filter combinations requires PRACTICE - LoTsa Practice.  During off-contest periods, I scan the bands and modes combining different filter settings to discover the most effective signal recovery during periods of Heavy QRM.  

The "secret" is in utilizing the filter combinations bulti-in to the transceiver to their fullest, while augmenting signal shaping with the external filters.  It may seem like a LoT of work, when in fact,
it gives me more knobs to twiddle - alleviating boredom and reinforcing the illusion that I can actually have an influence over the outcome.

With the hardware/software functional, the question becomes which VFO to use for what. 
The two main options are:

• Run a Frequency with VFO A while Searching and Pouncing (S&P) with VFO-B
• Search and Pounce with VFO-A, while running a Frequency with VFO B.

It could be argued that the overriding factor is the filtering system in-line with each VFO. 
Do I want more interference-free listening during S&P, or when actually running a frequency?

The only REAL way to determine that is to try both methods.  Working state QSO parties makes
for an excellent time to rehearse different operating method combinations.

Because state QSO parties and GiGs like the 10-meter contest are multi-mode weekends, another use for SO2-V is to run each mode on a separate VFO.  Because the 2ndary RX in most dual-receive transceivers has less filtering, I tend to run SSB on VFO-B while making Cw contacts using VFO-A.

Some operators feel that SO2-V (and even more so SO2-R) over complicates operating and makes
it LESS fun.  Years of experience has for proven for me otherwise.   Nothing worse than the inability
to copy incomprehensible signals due to acute Space-WX or other anomalies.  With SO2-V difficult, non-enjoyable operating periods can be transformed in a matter of minutes to fully productive run periods.

Most likely the transceiver you use has TWO VFOs.  Read the operators manual for that unit
and piece together your OWN approach to Single-OP Two-VFOs.  You'll be glad you DiD.