WQ6X Wriggles thru a Reversed Dual Stereo-RTTY WeeKenD

An unusual set of occurrences induced me to run the weekend's RTTY contest pair (SPDX RTTY
& BARTG-75) using the Yaesu FT-2000 locally dialed down to a modest 69-watts (on certain bands
100-w RF bombards the Toshiba Satellite docking port, disrupting CAT control w/the XCVR.
The original idea was to run QRP remote from Ramona until it was discovered that 3 computers
could not "talk to" the RRC-1258 internet interface unit.

Always ready in the WQ6X remote operations carry-in bag is a classic RigExpert PLUS interface unit.  For now, it has been returned to the portable setup I maintain @W7AYT's QTH in Concord (East Bay EB Section).

Saturday morning (the 4th Saturday of the month) the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) hosts another interesting speaker, this month being a talk (w/Show-n-Tell) by Mark Sommers (KN6YWK)
on building a Mag Loop antenna.  This will be an interesting antenna to test run during K6QLF's multi-station Field Day setup at the Oakland Yacht Harbor (in Alameda).

Coming back to my Alameda Office at 1pm, more fiddling w/the RRC box failed to provide an internet connection costing WQ6X optime in the SPDX RTTY contest, as well as the 1st day of the Florida Qso Party (FQP).

As you can see, the SPDX RTTY contest all but didn't happen.

On Sunday, setting things up for the BARTG-75 RTTY contest turned out for naught.

There really is nothing more to add about the RTTY weekend.

Maybe next year things will be better.

Stereo-SDR: IT's Easier than You Think

I've written ad-nauseum about Stereo-CW and its many variants, which now include Stereo-SSB,
as well as Stereo-RTTY.  Spending what seems like HOURS knob-twiddling the filters behind the "Stereo" concept has led me to discover numerous nuances about maximizing our aural-capabilities.

In a recent on-air chat w/John (K3MAH), he mentioned that he has been experimenting w/what
I will call "Stereo-SDR".  As I understand it, running 2-computers, each CPU is web-navigated to
a specific pair of WEB SDR's, sending the audio from "Computer #1" to the Left Ear, while the audio from Computer #2 to the right ear.  As Thursday net control for the 11am PARS Net (7.245) he has found SDR-supplementation to be more efficacious in making marginal signals overall become briefly intelligible.  Of course, RELAY operators are a form of "SDR" as well.

Replicate the above concept on your end and then "play around" with the interplay between the
two SDR's.  Because most SDR's also sport a "waterfall"-style of display, you experience the added benefit of visual representation, not only of the signal itself, but of the frequency space right around it.

I thought of replicating the above idea using a specially devised audio cable,
as I have done to run a pair of LEKATO JA-02II mini guitar amp speakers.

Turns out, a bringing two ideas together approach is to spend "$19.95" and pick up a USB-powered 4-channel stereo mixing unit (dozens are available on eBay), offering full control over the audio arrangement. The best arrangement for the 4-channels seems to be:

1. a 2nd RX (RX-A) - or VFO-B for Dual-RX transceivers
2. LEFT SDR #1 Audio
3. Main Transceiver [stereo] audio (VFO-A)
4. RIGHT SDR #2 Audio

Channels 1 & 3 (across the top) enable mixing receive audio from the transceiver's VFO-B or a 2nd (separate) receiver and the transceiver's VFO-A.  Channels 2 & 4 (across the bottom) enable mixing from the SDR audio.  Technically, this is NoT truly Stereo-SDR, it is simply a glorified arrangement
for mixing radio and SDR audio.

The TRUE Stereo approach requires creating a special cable for each SDR, feeding SDR#1 ONLY
to the Left Channel and feeding SDR#2 ONLY to the Right Channel.  This can be relatively easily accomplished by "doctoring" a pair of patch cables to separate stereo audio to/from each side.

1. For SDR #1 (Left-side) clip the red wire (right channel) from the destination plug
   and short it to the white wire.
2. For SDR #2 (Right-side) clip the white wire (left channel) from the destination plug
   and short it to the red wire.

Now, when you adjust the SDR mixing level (Channel-2 or Channel-4) you are increasing the SDR signal mixing for JUST the left or right ear.  You could even go so far as to run the cables through
a pair of SPDT switches (one for each SDR cable) to keep it all stereo or to create the above scenario.

You'll notice that in the header photo I also show a Rockville mixer.  In my arrangement, the output
of the USB mixer routes to a splitter box, allowing the ability to run the resulting audio to one or more external filter (combinations) individually.  The output of those filters can then be recombined and
sent to speakers and or stereo headphones.  Remember: for WQ6X, the Stereo Audio concept
began with a PAIR of Autek QF-1A op-amp based analog audio filters.

Basically, what I have described above is really all we need to include the miraculous Stereo-SDR
method as a part of the WQ6X Stereo Audio family.

What about YOU?

Do you make use of internet SDR receive facilities?
Have you ever played with stereo audio?

What about the Two TOGETHER?

WQ6X Wangles another Creaky QRP CQMM Weekend.

The 3rd weekend in April brings us a collage of radiosport GiGs, all worth 1-point on my 3830 Scores List.  There are actually TWICE as many events as I can actually find time for - many are but a couple of hours in length.  Looking back to the BLOG I wrote about this weekend last year ([CLICK HERE]
to read it), it would seem that both weekends were nearly identical:

• BOTH were run QRP whenever the rules allowed it.
• BOTH weekends scheduled several poorly participated QSO Parties.
• BOTH weekends were LITTERED with geomagnetic storm activity.

Unfortunately, similar to last year, a horribly noisy Geomagnetosphere, along with a suddenly
creaky Step-IR Yagi made the weekend quite a challenge, to be sure. Short-term, running QRP,
the solution was to engage the K3's ATU, tuning out any SWR discrepancies.  During the middle
of the night (Sunday morning), the masked station engineer stealthfully slipped in and recalibrated
the Stepp-IR, good as new.  While the Shorty-40 had no problems, RF in the shack was making the
power meter register as 10+ watts instead of the QRP-5.

Throughout the weekend, the notable events in addition to the CQMM Cw contest included:
MIQP - NEQP - ONQP - QCQP.  Unfortunately, the geomagnetic storm noise all but obliterated the weaker QSO party rover stations.  Because the internet SPOTS were so sparse, if they were there,
I certainly didn't know about them.  For the ONQP, 7-QSOs were made, but with only 3-stations
on multiple bands.  The NEQP produced one 40-meter QSO and then NOTHING.

Sunday morning, QCQP began at 12:00z, just as I was restarting another CQMM run. 
With continuously horrible Space-WX and only 10-hours to make it all happen, no QSOs
made it into the log, much less, spotted or heard.  Ending a QSO party at 22:00z means that
we have no 40- or 80-meter opportunities to work Quebec - the best bands to make that happen.

Running QRP in a world-wide contest is largely incompatible with horrible space WX. 
For that reason, 152 QSOs in the log is, for m, a considerable achievement - nearly twice
 the QSO count of last year's 1st QRP CQMM GiG.  Because contacts with QRP stations
are worth 10-points, my goal was to call CQ a lot to attract S&P'ers looking to make 10-point
QSOs (with QRP stations & YL's OPs).

What doesn't make sense to me is the low number of QSOs in the log when DXMAPS shows
that WQ6X's QRP signal was being heard thousands away.  If WQ6X calls CQ and only the SDR receivers hear it, am I wasting my time?

When it was all over, it would seem that WQ6X running QRP took 3rd-place for USA - not bad,
when you consider that limited resources I had access to.

DiD YOU work the CQMM Cw Contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Woozily Weasels a WEIRD JIDX Cw Contest

In recent years, the JIDX weekend has consistently been a little off.  It would seem that things
took a WEIRD shift when in 2020 NX6T inadvertently (on purpose?)  ran as a Multi-2 operation. 
We weren't just made a Checklog, NX6T wasn't even listed in the score results.  In 2021, the
JIDX contest amazingly introduced a Muti-2 category - NX6T took 2nd place to N6RO.

Fast forward a bit and it seems that an unwritten declaration is that N6RO runs Multi-2, while NX6T
runs as Multi-single.  This enables both Superstations to claim a high score for their respective operating category.

For this year's JIDX Cw run, two things "conspired" against us:

• Real FUNKY Space-WX, all but sidelined 10-meters, while making 80-meters a crapshoot at best.
• POOR participation from JA operators in their own DX contest.  (On 40-meters, it seems, there were more JA callsigns participating in their own exclusive radiosport contest, than in JIDX itself.)

Arriving in Concord an hour before the JIDX start, it was discovered that the "Internet ON" button
on an antiquated Toshiba Windoze-7 laptop had malfunctioned, making it impossible to access the internet for the RRC-1258 box to connect remotely via KN6NBT and WA6TQT.  Shuffling the OP schedule solved that problem.  JA participation was so PooR, we probably didn't miss much.

A last-minute dash Saturday morning to my Alameda office, retrieved the Toshiba laptop configured
as "STN-2", just in time for whatever 10/15-meter openings could be had.  Behind the scenes were the NMQP and NDQP (which I missed), the GAQP (which I caught on Sunday) and the Yuri Gagarin DX GiG briefly Saturday evening.  Somehow the IG-RTTY contest also was missed - Ya can't necessarily doit all in one weekend (altho you can givit a try).

Because N6KI, K6PO, WM6Y & N6CY had most of the operating shifts filled in, I was free to make
a WQ6X Low Power (LP) JIDX Cw run.  When there is OFFICIALLY no QRP category in a contest,
I set the power-level to 92-watts and leave it at that.  The easiest way to share what happened for WQ6X in JIDX is simply to turn to the 3830Scores Submission

At 07:00z I finally got an operating shift.  N6KI informed me this was the most dismal JIDX contest

in a decade.  Even the mighty N6RO suffered a dearth of JA contacts, altho situated 400-miles N/W
of the WA6TQT Anza QTH, they are closer to "the pond" then we are, even tho we are at a higher elevation.  Altho this year Japanese-speaking K3EST was ironically in Japan and was of no use to N6RO.

Reading SOAPBOX Comments from other OPs and Multi-OP stations, we ALL experienced frustratingly freaky Space-WX disturbances with the K0-Index sitting at 5+ much of the time.

While the noisy conditions were certainly a "Bummer DewD" experience, it's amazing how many prefectures we actually worked at NX6T

When it was all over, it would seem that NX6T took a resounding 1st-place in the
Multi-single category, while WQ6X managed a 1st-Place for USA/NA - AMAZING.

DiD YOU work the 2025 Japanese DX (JIDX) Contest?

How Japanese prefectures are in YOUR LoG?

BLASTS from the Past: JIDX Cw - Part 2

It has been 6 years since a "Blast from the Past" BLOG was written about the JIDX CW contest.
([CLICK HERE] to read Part 1.)  During those years, 5-GiGs produced a number of interesting contest-related anomalies produced unexpected Multi-OP wins from the WA6TQT station in Anza. 
The FIVE (5) Cw GiGs share a varying history:

• [X] (2o20) - WQ6X fakes another (JIDX x 2) + 5 Contest weekend
• [X] (2o21) - WQ6X Wangles another Weird Multi-contest Weekend
• [X] (2o22) - WQ6X Works a 7.5 Contest Weekend
• [X] (2o23) - A WQ6X as W6J Retrospective
• [X] (2o23) - WQ6X Reprises W6J and assists NX6T to 1st-Place
• [X] (2o24) - WQ6X Turns JIDX CW into a Calamatous 5-Contest Weekend

1. (2o20) - WQ6X fakes another (JIDX x 2) + 5 Contest weekend
   
   
   For this GiG we did something that was unusual at the time - NX6T ran as a Multi-2 operation.  As it turns out, there is now a Multi-2 category in the contest.  However, in 2020, our log was probably classified as a Checklog.  Amidst all this were 3 QSO Parties and the Yuri Gagarin DX Contest.
   
   
   
2. (2o21) - WQ6X Wangles another Weird Multi-contest Weekend
   
   
   As it turns out, there is now a Multi-2 category in the JIDX contest - last year's NX6T
   Multi-2 submission may have had something to do with newly added addition. 
   The real question, of course, is whether we will score a resounding 1st-place
   in this new category.  Or, will team N6RO continue to give us a run for it?!
   The ending result was running as K3EST, N6RO group took a STRONG
   1st-Place, while NX6T made a not-insignificant 2nd-place finish.
   Sunday morning, just before my 2am shift w/NX6T, 40-meters
   was open, well-enough to make 5 QSOs to submit an SOSB/40 Log.
   
   
   
3. (2o22) - WQ6X Works a 7.5 Contest Weekend
   
   
   This was another of those multi-contest weekends which include a Dual-OP of the JIDX contest.  On the gamble that N6RO would run Multi-2, NX6T put together a Multi-single operation, GooD enough for a 1st place.  Again, just to be WEIRD, WQ6X submitted another SOSB-40 log, doubling the QSO count from 5 to a WHOPPING 11 QSOs in the LoG.  wOw!
   
   
   
4. (2o23) - A WQ6X as W6J Retrospective
   
   
   Just for something completely different, I wrote a retrospective of all the uses I have made using the W6J callsign during Japanese-style radiosport events.  This of course led to using the W6J callsign in the 2o23 JIDX Cw contest.
   
   
   
5. (2o23) - WQ6X Reprises W6J and assists NX6T to 1st-Place
   
   
   To mark the 10th anniversary since using W6J, for something completely different, I reprised the W6J callsign for the JIDX Cw contest.  Because most of my OP time was spent running from NX6T, when it was over, a SOSB/20 log was submitted using the W6J callsign.
   
   
   
6. (2o24) - WQ6X Turns JIDX CW into a Calamatous 5-Contest Weekend
   
   
   For this JIDX contest, the decision was made to put in LoTs of time OP'ing NX6T with some QSO Party hunting during the afternoon hours when other OPs are keeping NX6T going on
   10 & 15 meters.  For some reason, N6RO chose to run as SOSB/80 this year and forego
   multi-op activity altogether.  Bottom line - NX6T took a resounding 1st-pace for Multi-single - STILL ToP MoP!

This is what I have been doing during JIDX Cw weekends.

What about YOU?

Do YOU ever chase JA prefectures in the JIDX Contest?

WQ6X Wangles another WEIRD minor-Contest weekend

The 1st contest weekend in April is what I call a radiosport warmup weekend.  Of course, during any radiosport operation, we are often at the mercy of any weird Space-WX anomalies that make their way before / during / after the event weekend.

The weekend officially opened at 12:00z on Saturday, w/the Spanish EA-RTTY contest followed
up by the LA, MS & MO state QSO parties, moving to the Polish SP-DX contest beginning @16:00z. 
Unfortunately, poor propagation and excessive geomagnetic noise made working into Europe all but impossible.  NoT surprising, OM2VL came thru LOUD and CLEAR - he NEVER misses a QSO Party.

Poor instate Louisiana participation doomed the LAQP GiG from the beginning.  IOly ONE Ssb QSO made it to the LAQP LoG - 10-hours is just not long enough for a reliable communication path to the Southeast, especially, when the bands are as noisy as they were on April 5th / 6th.  The MSQP was not much better, altho at LEAST some W5 stations managed to populate the bandmap.  Similar to LAQP, the MSQP event ends just about the time propagation opens between the East and West.

While the MOQP GiG ends at 04:00z (Saturday evening), at least they give a 2nd run of the event Sunday morning, for an additional 6-hours.  Over a dozen 1x1 callsigns made it considerably easier
to identify them.  Several MO stations offered up three (3) counties for each QSO - how nice is that?! 

For these QSO parties, running QRP power required expert timing to slip the WQ6X callsign in during 

a suddenly quiet moment during pandemonic pileups.

For the EA-RTTY contest, much the same tactics were used.  However, to call CQ, the RTTY
tones associated with that call were recorded into Voice Memory #1.  Clicking the F1 key on the N1MM software in Ramona played out that memory flawlessly, in spite of any internet dropouts on
my end.  Then again, using the the F1 key on the sending end allowed repeat-loop CQ calling that can be interrupted at any time.  

Over 10-hours of operation, only 54-QSOs made it to the log, which, as it turns out, was
good enough for 2nd-place for USA.

DiD you work the LAQP, MSQP, MOQP or the EA-RTTY Contests?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Works a WEIRD 3-Way Weird Prefix Contest

There are many ways to work a WPX (Weird Prefix) contest - a recent Blast from the Past BLOG detailed some of the recent attempts during the 2020 half-decade culminating in the 1st WPX Ssb QRP last year (resulting in a 2nd-place win for W6).  This is what I wrote about it:

Last minute opportunities gave me the idea to bracket a live operation from the Oakland Yacht Club in Alameda.  With another remote run from Ramona.  Adding to the weirdness of it all, the week leading up to the WPX GiG brought us a daily onslaught of weird Space-WX, along w/some Weird Firmware problems w/the onsite K3 radio at the Ramona site.

Friday brought us a replacement radio along with a quieting of the geomagneticsphere
(at least statistically, anyway).  15-minutes before contest start time, the radio configuration
checked out w/no operational problems while there was plenty of geomagnetic noise remaining, amazingly 10 and 15 meters remained more-or-less wide-open until after 10pm local time (05:00z). 
20-meters was wide-open, yet hardly any signals were actually heard - nobody came back to my CQ WPX calls.

Saturday @10am I brought an internet configured Windoze-7 laptop enabling WPX contest logging
as WA6OYC and later K6QLF, running a marine battery powered Icom 7300, into a Horizontal J-Pole atop the 3-story Oakland Yacht Club building in Alameda.  

While the 7300 seemed able to tune 40 ==> 10-meters w/reasonable output, RX-wise,
the antenna was picking up on switching supply squiggles and other device RFI from the 100+
boats moored in the harbor.  RFI + leftover geomagnetic noise made running a frequency nearly impossible, relegating us to running in Search & Pounce (S&P) mode.  Loading up the 7300's voice memories made it possible to create several ways of saying the WA6OYC (and later K6QLF) callsign.

While only 38 QSOs made it into the log, the geographic variety of the different prefixes included: KH6, AH2, VE7, VE4, VK4, JH1, LP1 & LU2; rather amazing, considering the limited resources
we actually had to work with.  

During the last hour of our operation, I created a new log for ARCA's K6QLF club callsign, managing 

a whopping 13 QSOs in the log.  If that station was also needed for WA6OYC, I would switch N1MM back to WA6OYC, make the contact and then switch back to K6QLF.  Having pre-loaded the voice memories for both callsigns made it considerably easier to call in.

Half-way thru the WPX contest (00:00z), after we wrapped up operations at the Oakland yacht club
I headed to the Concord QTH to continue WQ6X remote operation from Ramona (KN6NBT's QTH).  The replacement K3 radio (in Ramona) ran near flawless, altho at one point the control head stopped updating the display (altho all the knobs/buttons we still fully functional).  Reloading the RRC-1258 Ramona profile resolved the problem.

Constant atmospheric noise made running remote from Ramona not much more effective than running direct as WA6OYC from Alameda.  75/40 were largely a disappointment Saturday evening.  To maximize effectiveness, I took 2-hour sleep breaks and then came back to work around 5-QSOs each time back on.

When it was all over it would seem that all of the operations ended up making a unique showing.

While WQ6XZ didn't set any records this year, at LEAST it would seem a 1st-place for W6 was secured.

DiD YOU work the insanely noise WPX - Weird Prefix Contest?

Is WA6OYC, K6QLF or WQ6X in YOUR Log?