WQ6X Works a Weirdly Noisy QRP NAQP Ssb Contest

For several days leading up to the NAQP Ssb contest, Space-WX condx. have been all over the chart.  The question was, how would NAQP fit into all of this.  The decision was to run the Ramona radio remotely from my Alameda office using the K3/0 mini remote-control head.  Arriving after the 18:00z starting time, the decision was made to forego the 1st hour of the contest - 1/2 of the required 2-hour off period for Single-OP stations.

That 1st off hour offered the opportunity to triple-check the RRC box cabling and the N1MM+
keyboard macros, as well as re-recording the K3 voice memories w/heavier audio "punch",
helping the QRP signal to sound MUCH LOUDER - the caveat was fast-fade QSB.

At 19:00z, ten meters was more-or-less wide-open.  The operating plan was to work 10-meters
until no more "new" stations were left, moving down to 15-meters and eventually 20-meters. 
Later, coming back to 10-meters found it gone and as it turned out 15-meters was also dead. 
That relegated operating strategy to running 20-meters, while looking for an "early" opening
on 40-meters.  The backdrop for all this was varying levels of geomagnetic noise and fast-fading
on all bands.

Some overall highlights regarding the 2o26 NAQP Ssb contest come to mind.

• Obnoxious Space-WX plagued the 12-hour contest.  The upside (if you can call it that) is that Space-WX conditions became horribly WORSE in the 2-ays after the contest event, with a K-Index as high as8 and an A-Index as high as 73.  wOw!
  
  
• The 04:00z to 05:00z time period produced a flood of purposely obnoxious QRM, such as Mr. BELCH on 71.82.82 and FAX/SSTV QRM which followed me from 7175.75 to 7177.77 and back to 7175.75 again.
  
  
• At 05:23z signal level suddenly "jumped up" by over 20db and stayed way til the end
  of the contest.  At first I thought it was some sort of anomaly with the transceiver or the
  Shorty-40 yagi, except that he was also noticeable on 75-meters.  Since then, the radio and yagi have not manifested any hardware anomalies.
  
  
• While we are used to unique names as part of the exchange in NAQP GiGs, the Ssb
  mode makes it possible to utilize totally computer-generated voices in away somewhat analogous to logging software auto-sending Cw.  On 40-meters Saturday evening N3QE was running a frequency using the name "Tina".  The voice was clearly AI-generated.
  In either case, a human operator is needed (indeed required) to interpret the response
  on both ends of the QSO.
  
  
• The usual NAQP disappointments included the lack of hearable (much less workable) stations on 75-meters.  By the time the band opens on the West coast, many stations eastward have already made their 75-meter QSOs and are winding down during the
  final 2-hours of the contest.
  Then again, equally lacking was participation by West coast and Northwest stations overall, as well as a dearth of VE stations.  We could argue that on the high bands
  my signals skipped over those areas, but not on 40 and 80 meters with solar noise
  as the background.  On those bands, it makes no sense that I can work the East
  coast, but not the Northwest.

When it was all over, depending on what screen(s) you look at, WQ6X either took 3rd, 4th
or 5th place for the Single-OP Assisted QRP category.

DiD YOU work the 2o26 NAQP Ssb contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Muses over NAQP Ssb Contest Events

For non-RTTY operators, the NAQP Cw and Ssb GGs mark the first radiosport events of the
new year.  Overall, NAQP GiGs are utter simplicity - we just send a NAME and a STATE/Province.  DX stations simply give us their name.

Since 2010 I have been running NAQP GiGs with the San Diego Contest Club.  I used
to make the 450-mile drive to Fallbrook to join up with team-NX6T for a mere 12-hour contest. 
When we moved our operations to Ramona (@KN6NBT) and Anza (@WA6TQT), opportunities enabled me to run a Single-OP operation during hours I am not in the NX6T operator position.

Because NAQP Ssb is largely a domestic contest, weird accepts/dialects are not much of an issue. 
With a fixed contest exchange (Name / QTH), the four radio voice memories can be pre-recorded before the contest starts.  If you are just running Search and Pounce (S&P), theoretically, you can
run the entire NAQP GiG w/o uttering a single word during the entire 12-hours.  (Running a frequency requires verbally saying the calling station's callsign BE-4 play one or more of the voice memories.)

A major feature of the NAQP GiG is to accomplish a multi-band Worked All States (WAS) in a mere 10-hours of Saturday operating.  Working all Canadian provinces is one NAQP contest event is less likely due to the lack of participation on the part of Canadian operators.

Because it is a radiosport contest, you will find the PACE of an NAQP event to be QUICK and SUCCINCT.  If this is new to you, start off by S&P'ing before tackling a run frequency - the first
time you encounter 10 stations calling you simultaneously can be quite daunting.  As you S&P,
listen to how those OPs manage to keep a run frequency under control.

A unique fear of NAQP GiGs is that multi-OP stations are allowed to run all 12 hours, while single-OP stations are limited to 10-hours max.  When I dual-OP or triple-OP NAQP events, the mandatory off time requirement is automatically resolved by operating other stations.  Otherwise, determining which 2-hours to not operate becomes an overall strate4gic decision that can affect you placement in the overall standings.

Do YOU work the NAQP Ssb contest GiGs?

Is NX6T, WQ6X or one of my 1x1 callsigns in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Blast from the PAST: NAQP Ssb - Part 2

In preparation for the upcoming NAQP Ssb contest, I revisited the original Blast from the Past blog written in 2o20.  ([CLICK HERE] to read that Blog).  Since then, there have been 6 (Jan) + 6 (Aug) NAQP Ssb events, many of them dual-OP operations.  Here is what was done starting in 2o20:

• [X] JAN 2o20 - WQ6X Reviews NAQP-Ssb w/NX6T (after-the-fact)
  
  
  For this contest I ran things using the RCForb radio control software.
  Also this weekend we introduced a pair of newbie operators: KK6ZEM & KN6DLG
  
  
• [X] AUG 2o20 - WQ6X works a Woefully Weird NAQP Ssb contest and RTTY Rookie Roundup
  
  
  This was an NAQP event that was riddled and littered with murphy encounters.
  There were LoTs of other things going on that weekend to offset the chaos.
  
  
• [X] JAN 2o21 - WQ6X joins up with NO6T for another NAQP-Ssb Contest 1st-Place
  
  
  For this contest we used the NO6T callsign and confused everybody in the process.
  
  
• [X] AUG 2o21 - WQ6X Works another WEIRD NAQP Dual-OP
  
  
  This was a 1st-time dual-OP joining up with NX6T and in the off time running
  as WQ6X from the SF East Bay.
  
  
• [X] JAN 2o22 - WQ6X runs another NAQP Ssb contest: ad-HOC All the Way
  
  
  This was the 1st time running the NAQP using the newly acquired FT-2000 transceiver
  after first delivering a talk for the ARCA radio club on why they should run NAQP.
  
  
• [X] AUG 2o22 - WQ6X Dual-OPs another NAQP Ssb contest
  
  
  This was another WQ6X Dual-OP NAQP Ssb contest running the FT-2000 again from the SF East Bay.  What made this GiG unique was running a Heil headset using an EV-664 microphone as a microphone stand.
  
  
• [X] JAN 2o23 - WQ6X dual-OPs a 1st NAQP Ssb GiG
  
  
  While this was not my 1st time dual-OP'ing the NAQP Ssb GiG, it WAS the 1st time running QRP with the FT-2000 from the SF East Bay.  When it was all over, WQ6X
  and NX6T made 1st-place finishes.
  
  
• [X] AUG 2o23 - WQ6X Runs a Sizzling NAQP Ssb Dual-OP Operation
  
  
  This was a 1st time running NAQP Ssb using the Stereo-Ssb method.
  WQ6X ran QRP from Ramona while NX6T ran Multi-2 from Anza.
  
  
• [X] JAN 2o24 - WQ6X Dual-OP's another NAQP Ssb contest - running QRP
  
  
  This was another typic NAQP dual-OP running QRP from Ramona.
  Running QRP during dual-OP operations is getting to be quite a habit.
  
  
• [X] AUG 2o24 - WQ6X Wanders around a WEIRD Saturday-contest WeekEnd
  
  
  This was a combined weekend running the International Lighthouse GiG,
  the SARTG RTTY contest and almost as an afterthought - the NAQP Ssb contest. 
  Somehow WQ6X managed a 1st-place for the NAQP GiG.
  
  
• [X] JAN 2o25 - WQ6X Wangles another NAQP-Ssb QRP Dual-OP
  
  
  This was another QRP NAQP Ssb dual-OP weekend with both NX6T and WQ6X
  taking 3rd-place for their events.
  
  
• [X] AUG 2o25 - WQ6X Works a Weirdly disjointed Radiosport weekend
  
  
  This was a multi-faceted radiosport weekend with NAQP Ssb right in the middle of it all.
  Working RTTY, SSB and CW all in one weekend certainly qualifies as a disjointed weekend.

With all of this behind me, it is now time to get ready for yet another (but different) NAQP Ssb contest.

Do YOU run the NAQP Ssb contests?

Are WQ6X and NX6T in YOUR Logs?

WQ6X Wangles a successfully Wonky NAQP CW Contest.

With last weekend's RTTY RU contest safely behind us, it was time to focus our attention on the 1st major CW contest GiG of the new year - NAQP CW.  Similar to other recent CW contests, there two major operating goals to pay attention to.

• Put in more-or-less 8 - 9 hours running WQ6X QRP from the KN6NBT station in Ramona.
• Put in 3-hours on station #2 (STN-2) for NX6T from the WA6TQT super-station in Anza (@4,0000' ASL in the San Bernardino Mountains).

While both goals were accomplished, nasty Space-WX conditions made for a way more difficult operating experience than I was expecting.

A nice beginning for 2o26 is that for the 2nd weekend in a row I was ready to roll well in advance
of the 18:00z starting time.  Usually, after starting a GiG, I discover a number of needed corrections
to the function key macros behind the N1MM+ logging software.  Fortunately, the last NAQP Cw run (in August) left us with everything correctly intact.  For NX6T using DXLog, a number of function key macros were updated on Friday making for a more organized multi-2 operation.

The big caveat this weekend was the spotty internet connections on my end of the operation making
it more tricky to run frequencies.  For NX6T, because we had a bunch of seasoned frequency-running operators, much of my time was spent S&P'ing (especially early on 40-meters) finding new multipliers and putting QSOs in the log sometimes faster than the run frequency operators on STN-1.

The decision to run WQ6X QRP from Ramona was a good one.  The 3-el Stepp-IR and 2-el Shorty-40, along with an inverted Vee for 80-meters (all @55') provided enough directional flexibility to work virtually any station that could be heard, often off the side of the antennas.

In addition to poor Space-WX, some other contest highlights include:

• A noticeably lack of Caribbean stations.  While PY5 and PJ2 are nice contacts,
  they are not multipliers.
• Hearable stations on 80-meters are always lacking on the West coast. 
  I made a first run on 80-meters around 02:30z, finding minimal activity
  on both coasts (and all points in between).
  
• Stereo Cw was an important adjunct in this Cw construct, altho one of the QF-1A filters
  was not properly doing the job and was pre-empted by an MFJ-752b Signal Enhancer.
• There seemed to be a lack of RBN spots for BOTH WQ6X and NX6T. 
  Because self-spotting is currently allowed, that capability was taken advantage of.
  
• Running 100-watts is a challenge for NX6T operators used to running an amplifier,
  altho w/stacked yagi arrays and a 4-square vertical array for 80-meters, the antennas made up for running Low Power (LP).
• Monitoring the contest online scoreboard added some positive tension to WQ6X's
  QRP run.  K5KG was on top of the QRP assisted list the entire run leaving 2nd place
  to alternate between a handful of stations (K4OV, W8MK, KA3MTT, K5NZ & WQ6X).  Eventually the other stations stopped running leaving WQ6X firmly in 2nd place.

When it was all over, WQ6X had surpassed the 300 QRP QSO goal (w/321) taking 2nd-place
for the QRP assisted category, while NX6T logged over 2100 QSOs taking 5th-place overall and
1st-place for the left half of USA.  Between K-indexes of 4 thru 6 and burbbly internet access, the 2o26 NAQP Cw contest was indeed a unique and successful challenge.

DiD YOU work the NAQP Cw contest?

Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR Log?

WQ6X Waxes Nostalgic regarding NAQP CW

As you know, for non-RTTY operators, NAQP Cw marks the 1st radiosport contest of the year. 
Because of their overall simplicity, the NAQP GiG offer themselves as a "warm up" exercise for
merging onto the radiosport onramp for the new year.

Last year's write-up found me reminiscing over running QRP versus running LP (Low Power). 
There is technically no high-power category in NAQP.  If you DO run QRO and submit a log, it will be classified as a checklog.

Because my single-OP runs are largely from Ramona (San Diego - SDG - section), I am often asked to join up with one of the Southern California Contest Club (SCCC) teams.  Even tho I am running QRP, last year's 400+ QSO score was higher than many of the team LP log submissions.

Being a largely domestic contest, using super antenna arrays can find the signals skipping over USA and Canada completely, making the Ramona yagi pair @55' a perfect compromise.  Running into a 3-el Stepp-IR on the high bands enables setting the antenna pattern to Bi-directional enables working KH^ while focusing on the east and northeast stations as well as working the occasional JA or BG station when the antenna is pointed towards the Caribbean. Caribbean stations are part of North America counting as multipliers, which as I recall were lacking in 2o25. GiGs.

A strategic concern for maximizing NAQP performance is to know when it is time to leave
the high bands (10-meters & 15-meters) behind and move down to 20, 40 and eventually
80-meters.  Single-OP operations are allowed only 10-hours of op-time in the NAQP. 
This year, the 2-hours of off time will be used running 1-3pm and 5-6pm for NX6T's
Multi-2 operation from WA6TQT's superstation in Anza.

Will YOU be playing around in this year's NAQP CW GiG.

Keep an eye and ear out for NX6T @100-watts and WQ6X @5-watts.

WQ6X Blast from the PAST: NAQP Cw - Part 2

Back in 2019, I wrote a Blast from the past Blog about the NAQP Cw contest. 
([CLICK HERE] to read that). To review the results for the following years, the
NAQP Results page was consulted - [CLICK HERE] to see that page. 
(Note that the August 2025 results have yet to be posted.)

As we come up on the 2o26 NAQP Cw GiG, I got to look back at the 12 events
which were run since that last Blog was posted.  This is whut we got:

• [X] JAN 2o20 - WQ6X Joins NX6T for NAQP Cw GiG
• [X] AUG 2o20 - WQ6X Reprises another NAQP Cw Dual-Operation
  
  
• [X] JAN 2o21 - WQ6X Helps navigate NX6T's NAQP Navigation
• [X] AUG 2o21 - WQ6X Creeps thru another NAQP Cw Contest GiG
  
  
• [X] JAN 2o22 - WQ6X Opens 2022 Cw Contest Season as a Dual-OP
• [X] AUG 2o22 - WQ6X Dual-OP's another NAQP Cw Contest
  
  
• [X] JAN 2o23 - WQ6X Runs a 1st-ever NAQP QRP dual-OP Contest
• [X] AUG 2o23 - WQ6X Dual-OPs a Solar-SLOGGed NAQP Cw Contest
  
  
• [X] JAN 2o24 - WQ6X Wangles another WEIRD NAQP-Cw WeekEnd
• [X] AUG 2o24 - WQ6X Dual-OP's Yet Another NAQP Cw Contest
  
  
• [X] JAN 2o25 - WQ6X Wangles another NAQP-Cw QRP Dual-OP
• [X] AUG 2o25 - WQ6X Dual-OPs another NAQP Cw contest

JAN 2o20
This was largely an NX6T operation for me.  Running as WQ6X from W7AYT's Concord QTH,
I managed to put a WHOPPING 42 QSOs in the log.  Joining up with N6KI at 01:00z we ran NX6T
until it finally ended at 06:00z.  As I noted in the Blog, a lot of interesting OP names were used,
in particular "YYZ", as a memorial to the passing of RUSH drummer, Neal Peart.
NX6T managed a 5th-place overall.

AUG 2o20
This was another DUAL-OP operation running 8-hours as WQ6X from the W7AYT Concord QTH and putting in two 2-hour shifts for NX6T.  In BOTH setups, our internet routers were RFI plagued: WQ6X on 20-meters and NX6T on 160 meters.  When it was all over, WQ6X put 63 QSOs in the log while NX6T managed a 6th place overall.

JAN 2o21
This event was one of the few NAQP GiGs that I did not dual-OP, for reasons that I can no longer remember.  We had plenty of operators requiring only two 2-hour stints on my part.  When it was
all over, NX6T took a distant 11th place.  At least we can say we were there.

AUG 2o21

This was another NAQP Cw GiG that was not a Dual-OP.   For reasons I no 
longer remember, NX6T could not muster a team together leaving me to run 
Single-OP from W7AYT.  When it was all over 192 QSOs made it into WQ6X's log.

JAN 2o22

For 2022 it was back to dual-OP'ing with WQ6X running from W7AYT's QTH using a newly
acquired Yaesu FT-2000 transceiver, which fit in quite nicely with the Stereo-CW method in use there.  When it was all over WQ6X managed 158 QSOs into the log and NX6T took a 9th place overall.  While nothing spectacular, it was nice to give the FT-2000 its first taste of the NAQP Cw contest.

AUG 2o22

This was the 2nd-time thru using the Yaesu FT-2000 in the NAQP Cw.
Most of the WQ6X op-time was spent cycling between 20-15-10-15-20...
In the Blog about this event I suggested that NX6T might have taken 1st place
for the Multi-2 category.  When it was all over WQ6X made a respectable (but not
award winning) 331 QSO log entry.  As predicted, NX6T DiD INDEED take a first place.

JAN 2o23

For this contest event, this was WQ6X's 1st-time running QRP (from Ramona) during
an NAQP Cw contest.  Thanks to a solar flux of 209+, this was a good time to be running
QRP The Space-WX was reasonably quiet until 01:30z when geomagnetic noise creeped
in (2+ days later, a CME hit and knocked the ionosphere around quite a bit).  When it was
all over, WQ6X had 225 QSOs in the log and NX6T took a lowly 10th place.

AUG 2o23

As it turns out, the Blog for this event was also a reverse chronological Blast from the
Past for NAQP Cw GiGs up to that point.  Therefore, this Blog is a reiteration of what was
said 3 years ago.  While the SFI was at a respectable 175+ the event was littered with Space-WX
storms giving us a K-Index of 4 throughout the event.  Despite all that chaos, NX6T managed to
take a respectable 3rd-place and out of nowhere, WQ6X's QRP run took 1st-place in the assisted
category.  GO FiGure!

JAN 2o24

This was a relatively uneventful NAQP event (as NAQP events go), with internet stability problems
(in BOTH Concord and Anza) being our biggest operating variable.  When it was all over, it would seem that BOTH NX6T and WQ6X took 8th place in their respective categories.  GO FiGuer.

AUG 2o24

By the time of this event WQ6X was getting quite used to running QRP from Ramona.
Putting in 8-hours for WQ6X and 4-hours (2x2-hour shifts) was enough to fill the 12-hour
contest operating period.  Overall, nothing outstanding was worth of note.

 JAN 2o25

This was yet another QRP dual-OP event.  Overall, nothing outstanding was worthy
of note, altho there had been a series of solar storms in the days leading to the NAQP
weekend.  When it was all over, NX6T took 7h-place while WQ6X took 3rd-place in
the QRP assisted category.  Another SFI-209 weekend certainly help things run more
intensely.

AUG 2o25

This was another QRP dual-OP with a surprise ending, altho until the results
are officially published we will not know.  This event found me dabbling in RBN
Stats and DXMap screens, looking to understand what was going on from a more
analytical angle.
When it was all over, the 3830Scores website suggested that NX6T took a 5th-place
and WQ6X manage a 2nd-place for the QRP assisted category.  We wait with bated
keyboards to know how it actually turned out.

Do YOU work the twice-yearly NAQP Cw contests?

Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X SaYs: "Train Your Brain... Improve Your Game"

It's no secret that becoming a top notch radiosport competitor requires top notch focus and mental acuity.  As a neurofeedback therapist, I often tell people: "your brain does what you repeatedly
tell it to do.  The difficulty is that you don't know how to speak brain".  Fortunately, we have a
process known as neurofeedback (NFB) which serves as a "liaison" between you and your brain.

To some degree, successful radiosport operators already "understand" the concept of distractionless focus.  These operators have found "the focus place" through years of operating contest event after contest event.  For example, DiD You know that Cw operators can virtually eliminate information repeats by learning to "play back in your brain" what you have just heard?

RTTY operators can discover how to "Zip tune" a RTTY signal, quickly make the contact and then
just as quickly move on to the next station.  Ssb operators can learn to properly focus and more
easily understand voices and dialects, even those with noticeable accents.

In all cases, we can learn to reduce contest anxiety, which enables us to successfully improve our operating efficiency.  The "secret" is knowing which areas of the brain to train and in what order to do that training.  As Jim Robbins explains (in A Symphony in the Brain) it's a carefully ordered "balancing act" that virtually anyone (of any age) can "learn", altho the idea of learning is merely a metaphor - it's more like a "shift in one's experience".  At some point in neuro training, people have an "A-HA!" experience, which is then reinforced with further training exercises. 
REMEMBER:  "FEEDBACK: It's ALL about FEEDBACK".

At the gym, we can learn to "train" individual muscle groups.  Various coordinated ways - slow, focused, repetitive exercises are what makes the difference.  In the neurofeedback room, repetitive drills and exercises enable our brain to take our operating performance to the next level.

While neurofeedback is essentially a simple video game, it is unlike the whiz-bang video
games we play at home that often result in mental exhaustion afterwards, instead of the
improved clarity and focus that is obtained from neurofeedback training.

Are you looking to take your radiosport operating skills to the next level?  Learning how to
"Speak Brain" can assist you towards making that goal a concrete, accomplishable reality.

It's Your BRAIN - What are you going to do with It?

Look for an upcoming worldwide presentation on neurofeedback and radiosport - coming
to a neurofeedback Zoom room "near you".  If you would like to know more about this work
and the upcoming Zoom event, e-mail me at: RON@WQ6X.Info".

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• A Symphony in the Brain - Jim Robbins
• Neurofeedback 101 - Michael Cohen
• Biofeedback for the Brain - - Paul Swingle PhD.
• FOCUSING - Eugene Gendlin PhD.

WQ6X Runs a Rickety RTTY RU

RTTY Roundup (RU) is truly a radiosport favorite, like all contest GiGs, things can easily take unexpected twists and turns.  For 2o26, the not so surprising variable was of course the quality
(or lack thereof) of the internet connection.  Just because I can run Zoom sessions w/no "hiccups"
is no guarantee that RTTY communications can run just as flawlessly.  (The Zoom network is prolly loaded w/error correcting features that often conceal continuity problems.)

Client communications kept me off the air for the first 6-hours
(prolly when the internet access was best).

The overall main Operating Goals for the 2o26 RTTY Roundup (RU) event were 2-fold:

1. Register the W6R callsign to set the currently untouched Single-OP Unlimited (SOU)
   QRP record for San Diego (SDIE) ARRL section.  We could say that the "R" in W6R
   can represent: RTTY, RU, RAMONA, REPRISE, or RECORD.
2. Topple the existing 5.1k point Multi-OP single transmitter Low Power (LP) record using
   the WQ6X callsign by having a couple of visitors to my office sit down at the keyboard and (under my supervision) make a couple of RTTY contacts, officially making this a multi-OP operation.

Because the W6R run was a guaranteed win, the decision was to run as WQ6X (@60-watts)
until running out of stations to work and then shift to running as W6R (for QRP).  Carelessly, I had dialed the multi-OP power down to QRP for testing and never upped it back to 60-watts, so the first
10 QSOs (as WQ6X) were truly a challenge.

Some weekend highlights:

By 05:30z it was time for W6R to make the scene.  Essentially starting over, it was fun to work
many of the same stations as 2nd time, with most not realizing the WQ6X connection.  The surprise
of the evening was working PI4DX on 7.088 with only 5-watts - I guess the Shorty-40 yagi indeed makes a difference after all.

Some weekend disappointments:

• Not enough JA station participation
• So. America was also lacking - at the very least a flood of PU / PY stations were expected.
• Stations running on top of the 14.100 NCDXF beacon frequency - wassup with THAT?
• Stations moving in on BOTH side of my QRP frequency.
  The only solution was to find yet another "CLEAR" run frequency and start over.

On Sunday, continuing as W6R had me hopeful to make 100+ contacts until internet "jitters"
made RTTY communication impossible - the last two hours of the RTTY RU were all but a waste
of time.  I self-reminded myself that the SOU QRP record had already been set on Saturday evening. 
Woody Allen was right - just showing up is half of the game.

In retrospect, both operating goals were accomplished making this another successful record setting exercise.  According to 3830 Scores, W6R took 1st-place for USA and WQ6X managed a 1st-place for the San Diego (SDIE) ARRL section - not bad considering all the hassles encountered.

DiD YOU work the ARRL RTTY Roundup (RU)?

Is W6R or WQ6X in YOUR Log?

WQ6X Readies the Radio for another RTTY RU

This year's RTTY Roundup (RU) is remanent of the 2014 DX-pedition to run the RU w/N6GEO
as WP2/WQ6X from the KP2M (Radio Reef) location in that they both happen only a couple of
days after New Years - the difference being no time was spent in airports prior to the 2o26 event.

Checking last year's results and the ARRL contest records page, it was determined the SOU QRP record has yet to be set for San Diego (SDG) ARRL section.  On New Year's Eve Day, the correct cabling configuration was devised to run the RTTY RU GiG remotely from Ramona, again using the registered W6R callsign as was done for the 2o25 RTTY RU GiG.

Because there is no actual RTTY configuration configured at the station in Ramona, the RTTY
tones must be generated by running N1MM+ on my end of the remote connection directly into
the RRC-1258 internet interface unit by way of a vintage RigExpert PLUS computer interface unit,
while running swapped audio cables between the Toshiba Dynadok (docking port) and the K3/0-mini control.

While TesTing the RTTY configuration on 20-meters, VY1CO was also testing, evidently having RX/decode difficulties.  He said my [then] 60-watt RTTY signal was quite loud, despite the 3-el
Stepp-IR yagi pointing towards Europe rather than Northwest Territories., which is more-or-less at
350-degrees azimuth from So. California.  While the RTTY method is considered a full-duty cycle mode, the decision to run, the decision to run QRP will keep the remote K3 radio completely cool.

Altho the RTTY RU runs a full 30-hours, single-OP operations are only allowed to operate 24 out of the 30 hours.  (Multi-OP stations can operate all 30 hours.).  Making all this work requires carefully coordinated off-time periods.  Client commitments will keep me off the air for the 1st 3-hours, partially solving the off-time requirement.

Do YOU Do RTTY ?

Will YOU be running the ARRL RTTY Roundup (RU) contest?

Look for W6R (and later WQ6X) to make this all work.

For WQ6X: RTTY is ALL About Records

While genuflecting over the upcoming ARRL RTTY Roundup (RU), it would seem that
running from Anza, both QRP records were set for ORG section and the Southwest Division. 
As it turns out, for SDIE section, with the SO QRP record already accomplished, the SOU (unlimited) QRP record has yet to be established, creating an opening establishing the 1st record for this section - virtually any log submission will accomplish that goal.

It also occurred to me that the Multi-OP LP (Low Power) record is so low, a specially focused operation can relatively easily topple that record as well.  In preparation for setting the QRP record, the W6R callsign has been reserved for that purpose as was done for the 2o25 SO QRP record.

Being used to running into yagi stacks (and a 4-Square for 80-meters), running just a 3-el Stepp-IR
for the high bands, a 2-el Shorty-40 and only a 55' high inverted Vee on 80-meters is a decided compromise, however it should be enough to secure a win for San Diego (SDIE) section.

Running RTTY^ w/MMTTY into N1MM+ provides numerous function and macro key definitions
to make for an efficient RTTY operation.  Using macro definitions, everything can be "spelled out" (without using abbreviations) with the click of a Button.

Will YOU be running the ARRL RTTY Roundup (RU) ?

LooK for W6R and WQ6X during that weekend.