WQ6X Successfully Navigates another NEAT QRP November Sweepstakes

Overviewing the upcoming contest weekend, THREE Major Goals were on the Agenda:

1. Reprise last year's S-West Division QRP Win from KN6NBT's
   Ramona QTH (SDG Section).
   
   
2. Join up with NX6T's remote-run low-power operation from WA6TQT's
   Anza QTH (ORG Section).
3. FULLY-Utilize the Stereo-CW facility I talk so much about. ([CLICK HERE])

While BOTH operations seem to have produced high scores for S-West Division, it will be contest committee's last-minute log adjudication that determines whether N4QS remains in 1st-Place - it's
THAT close.

CW Sweepstakes is unique in that the contest begins in the PDT time zone and ends in the
PST time zone (USA operators across the continent experience this.)  This was especially tricky
as I had the 3:30am to 5:30am operating shift w/NX6T, offering access to the east coast w/the 80-meter 4-Square vertical array.

10 & 15 meters were [not surprisingly] wide open, which moves a lot of contest activity AWAY
from 20-meters (now viewed as a "Backup" band during moments of disruptive Space-WX activity. 
For WQ6X, 40-meters was THE band to some degree, due to moving down there before 01:00z on Sunday to end the contest.  Hindsight raises the Question of whether operations should have started on 40-meters on SATURDAY as well.

The navigation secret during this weekend's weird propagation and pile-up effects was certainly the virtually-embedded Stereo CW which resides permanently at W7AYT's Concord QTH.  Transceivers may come and go, however, the audio-out of those radios is switch-boxed to the Stereo-CW system.  Being a Cw contest, when running a frequency, calling stations each call-in uniquely-offset from the
run frequency - the higher pitched offsets appear in the upper-left of my listening experience, while mid-offset signals appear "directly in front of me" and lower pitched offsets appear more to lower-right.

Using the R-I-T control, I can "shift" a calling station to a mo-betta physical location, confirmed by the change in signal pitch.  Function Key F3 in the N1MM+ software sports a {ClearRit} macro call, resetting the offset to ZERO.

After it was all over, it would seem that NX6T took an overall 2nd-place and 1st-Place for Southwest Division, while WQ6X ended in 6th-place and also managed a 1st-place for Southwest Division.

DiD YOU participate in the November Sweepstakes?

Is NX6T or WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

BLAST from the PAST: Radiosport and ToasTmasTers

While celebrating 10 years with the Alameda Tongue Twisters, a Blog Search was conducted on Radiosport and Toastmasters.

What surfaced from the Search are the following ("ToP TeN") BLOG Posts:

• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters - Part 2: The 6 P's
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters - Part 3: The Value of
           Elmering and Mentoring
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Have You Read the Rules Lately?
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters Part-5: I Just SiT Back
           and Watch
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters Part-6: Similarities
           and Differences
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters Part-7: Content - It's
           ALL About Content
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Leadership Lessons Learned from Radiosport and Toastmasters
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Rising to the Challenge in Radiosport and Toastmasters
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Toastmasters Leadership Training and Radiosport
  
  
  
  
  

Now, what do we DO with all of this?

WQ6X/QRP Sneaks Around another CQ W.W. Ssb Contest

In recent years, during DX contest weekends that present us with a morass of stations to work
from all corners of the planet, the operating goals have been centered around running QRP Power.  Virtually ANYONE can work the world using 1500 (or even 100) watts of power; the REAL challenge comes from dialing it [all] back to 5-Watts.

For the 2024 Ssb event, we were blessed w/more-or-less cooperate Space-WX conditions with
the all-the-while "threat of the delayed effects due to a CME-ejection occurring just prior to the DX contest.  That CME DiD eventually impact the atmosphere around 22:00z.  Thanks to the SFI peaking yet again and hovering in the 200+ range contributed to experiencing the high bands as WIDE-Open well into the evening - on Saturday, 15-meters was still producing QSOs at 10:30 (05:30z).

15-meters was SO productive that much of the possible 40-meter opening to EU was missed,
due to chasing VK/ZL/KH6 and even leftover S. American stations.  After a sleep-grab, 40-meters
was open to Asia with surprisingly NO RTTY/Intentional QRM to deal with.  Even the Indonesian fishing boat Ssb bootleggers were missing (altho they prolly just moved down to the Cw/RTTY segment of the band).

Listening for the Russian beacons ~7.039, the "K" beacon was LOUD and CLEAR, but with a flaw
in sending its ID:  "D K K K K" - the 1st "K" was NoT being clipped by propagation effects; it was CLEARLY mis-sent by the computer-generated Cw code keying the transmitter.

Saturday morning, I gave a presentation to the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) on radiosport operating. focusing on working all 40-Zones in the CQ W.W. contest, with a brief look at the upcoming November Sweepstakes contest pair (coming in November).

After introducing the Zone map and the [free] N1MM+ logging software, we sat down to make some contacts using the OYC (Oakland Yacht Club) radio club's ICOM 7300 into a roof mounted horizontal J-Pole atop the yacht club building.  10 and 15 meters were wide-open to Europe, altho only KH6 (Hawaii), ED7 (Spain) and WX1USA actually made it to the log - nevertheless, we demonstrated
that it could be done.  A 3-QSO LoG will be posted on the 3830 Scores website and submitted
as a CQ WW contest log.

When it was all over, according to the 3830Scores.Com standings, it would seem
that WQ6X took a 1st-place.

DiD YOU work the 2024 CQ W.W. DX Ssb contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X RuNs a 4-WaY QRP Radiosport WeekEnd

For the 3rd contest weekend in October, the goal was to make it ALL-QRP, All-of-the-Time.
Overall, that goal WAS met - having super-gain yagi stacks certainly compensates for the voluntary reduction in output power.

This weekend brought us a jumble of radiosport events - 3 on Saturday and one on Sunday.

1. [X] - NYQP New York QSO Party - Mixed Mode
2. [X] - SP-160 - Stew Perry 160 Cw GiG
3. [X] - WaG - Worked All Germany - Mixed Mode
4. [X] - ILQP Illinois QSO Party - Mixed Mode

The BiG problem was horrible Space-Wx on Saturday evening, extending into Sunday.

The New York QSO Party seemed to have plenty of stations on CW (altho less so on Ssb).
My biggest BEEF w/NYQP is the 02:00z ending time.  On the Left Coast, we're JUST getting propagation to New York on 40 (later on 80) and they shut the QSO Party down - that SUX.

This is what I had to say about the NYQP QSO Party:

This weekend was ab out running EVERYTHING QRP from the WA6TQT Super Station.

That said, while I always hope for many more participants in their own state QSO parties,

there were plenty of NY stations.  The problem is: ending your QSO party occurs

JUST as the lower band(s) are opening to the NY area.  Gives us just TWO MORE

HOURS and I will be happy.  I ran Anza STN-2 using a 40-meter thru 10-meter

stacked arrays, fix-pointed 60-degrees azimuth.

For the Stew Perry 160 Contest, I had this to say:

This weekend was about running EVERYTHING QRP from the WA6TQT Super Station.

For SP-160, I ran Anza STN-2 into a crippled 160-meter horizonal tri-square (the S-E leg 

is weirded out).  Sometimes pointing the antenna "WEST" gave better signals East than
pointing it "NE", which seemed to work more "SE" - W-E-I-R-D.  

Unfortunately, a handful of solar disturbances made the band HORRENDOUSLY Noisy.

Running QRP, made it even tricker:  I could HEAR W2/W3 (but nothing in between), while
they couldn't hear my calls (or even the Left Coast) at all.

Because the Illinois QSP Party came and went so quickly, there wasn't much to say,
except that I ran this GiG from the Ramona remote station, not the Anza location.:

It wasn't until I went to file the other weekend 3830 Scores that

the ILQP was noticed on the list.  Anza STN-2 was already shut down,

directing my attention to the Ramona remote - just enough to catch the ending.

The BiG "HiT" of the weekend was of course, WaG - Worked All Germany:

This weekend was about running EVERYTHING QRP from the WA6TQT Super Station.

I ran Anza STN-2 using a 40-meter thru 10-meter stacked yagi arrays, fix-pointed

33-degrees azimuth pointing more-or-less right at Germany.  Running QRP, QSOs
were made with nearly 75% of the stations called.  Near the end, when WQ6X 

called CQ, it was AWEsome to have them come to me for about 40-minutes.

Unfortunately, a handful of solar disturbances put an end to the fun.

LooK for write-ups on this and other GiGs at: http://WQ6X.Blogspot.com

DiD YOU work any of the above radiosport events?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Discovers a "GoldMine" to run the Makrothen RTTY WeeKend

 Have you ever been sitting on a "goldmine" and NoT even know it?

It's no secret that I access radios in So. California using an Elecraft K3/0-Mini remote-control head. 
It is ALSO no secret that the configuration accesses the internet using a RemoteRig RRC-1258 Interface Box.  Now, if you understand how the individual units work, you also realize that only
half of the capabilities of each box was being utilized.

In preparation for the Makrothen RTTY contest, experimentation was done, determining the most effective way to control the K3 radio in Ramona (the "Server") running N1MM+ Software from the client-side of the connection.

A close look at the r-side of the K3/0-Mini control head reveals a USB port.  With the USB cable properly "installed", Com Ports CoM6 and CoM7 suddenly appeared.  To N1MM+, CoM7 was just another K3 Transceiver.  

Once CAT-control is established,
it becomes a simple matter to run swapped audio lines between the laptop computer and the K3/0-Mini control head.  Thanks to the 8-On / 8-Off contest periods, during off periods, cables were re-routed for a much
more aesthetic appearance.

With local USB control of the control head, the local N1MM+ software "sees" CoM7 allowing not
only frequency control, but local AFSK tones which make their way thru the control head to the audio circuits inside the remote K3 radio.  The "Goldmine" USB cable made possible local rig control of a remote radio.  The only downside is internet connection disruption between wherever I am set up to the remote connection in Ramon (or Anza as the case may be).

While the Space-WX conditions were quite cooperative, In-state participation was severely lacking in all of the QSO parties, not to mention the OC DX Contest.  The 3830 Soapbox comments were nearly all the same.

The Makrothen certainly provided some outstanding worldwide activity.  Rather than using multipliers, contacts in the Makrothen contest are point scored based on the Km distance between the two stations.  For this year, WQ6X managed to surpass the 1Mil Km mark, which is just a "warm-up" score.

Here are some scribbled notes, scribbled throughout the weekend.

DiD YOU work the 4 QSO Parties, OCDX Contest or the Makrothen RTTY GiG?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

Blast from the Past: California QSO Party (CQP) - Part 2

With CQP 2024 safely behind us, scanning back to October 2019, it would seem that a "Blast from the Past" post for CQP was published reflecting on all the CQP events from 2000 - 2018.  This little ad-HOC Blog post is to revisit the CQP events from 2019 thru 2023.

To make it easier to find the Blog post to each event, let's begin with summary links to those Blogs.

• [X] - Original Blast from the Past Blog
• [X] - 2019: K6C #1 CCOS and NX6T #2 SDIE
• [X] - 2020: K6A #1 SDIE  and  K6C  #1 CCOS
• [X] - 2021: K6QLF #2 ALAM
• [X] - 2022: Confirming CQP: Some ThoTs on MaKing it All Happen
• [X] - 2022: Confirming CQP (Part-2): Contingency Plans for Contingency Plans
• [X] - 2022: WQ6X #1 CCOS QRP and K6Q #1 CCOS LP and NX6T #1 RIVE
• [X] - 2022: Some CQP After-Thoughts about CQP
• [X] - 2023: W6R #1 SDIE and WQ6X #1 CCOS and NX6T #1 RIVE
• [X] - 2024: WQ6X Successfully Navigates a 5-Way California QSO Party
• [X] - 2024: Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) runs a CQP Training Exercise

CQP 2019 - WQ6X as K6C "Kicks-it" for another California QSO Party [X]

For this 2019 CQP event, I decided to take the easy way out by registering the K6C callsign and repeating last year's dual-OP with NX6T from W7AYT's QTH in Contra Costa County.  

K6C (Kilowatt Six California) was used for state-recognition variety.

CQP 2020 - WQ6X Dual-OPs another CQP as K6C & K6A [X]

From the beginning, something about the 2020 California QSO Party (CQP) event seemed attractively different.  Heading to Concord Thursday evening, I did a thorough "inventory" of WQ6X's portable setup at W7AYT's QTH in Concord.

CQP 2021 - K6QLF Runs a Memorable 1st-time ever CQP Event [X]

For 2021, a new set of opportunities made possible a unique Multi-Operator operation introducing members of the Amateur Radio Club in Alameda (ARCA) to the world of Radiosport (in general)
and the California QSO Party (in particular).  LooKing for a SAFE location to run the 30-hour
event, it was suggested that we coordinate with the California Historical Radio Society (CHRS),
whose museum JUST happens to be 2-blocks from my office in Alameda.

CQP 2022 - WQ6X Triple-OP's yet another California QSO Party [X]

From the beginning, making this weekend happen was clearly an embodiment of what I call the WB6ACU school of contest organization (even tho I believe Joe rarely works radiosport events). 
The original idea was to organize the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) as K6QLF.  Unable
to secure a secure location for 40+ hours eventually the deciding factor, suggesting that ARCA can always come back in 2023.

CQP 2023 - WQ6X as W6R Runs a Routine QRP Triple-OP CQP [X]

It really does seem like from the beginning, CQP offers up an expansive playing field to play
on (radiosport-wise) - each year I discover here-to-for undiscovered (for me anyway) ways to play
the CQP game.  When it's ALL over, the Question becomes, DiD the CQP contest overall adequately activate all 58 California counties [nearly] all of the time?

WQ6X Successfully Navigates a 5-Way California QSO Party [X]

The 2024 California QSO Party (CQP) was LOADED with participatory possibilities.  My personal operating goal(s) included engaging with as many of those opportunities as could be effectively experienced over a 30-hour contest operating period.  Having access to a Catalina-42 sailboat
before, during and after the CQP added yet another dimension to CQP as an operating event. 
My time was divided between 5-Events:

Do YOU ever work the CQP California QSO Party?

How many Counties are in YOUR LoGs?

Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) runs a CQP Training Exercise

I recently wrote a BLOG entry describing the 5 Different Ways I put callsigns on the air during the 2024 California Qso Party (CQP) - [CLICK HERE] to read that.  One of those WaYs was working with members of ARCA to learn more about what CQP is and how to log contacts using the Ssb mode. 
(Later, I operated W6R remotely, running mostly CW - GO Figure!)

We ran a portable ICOM 7300 around 75-watts into the Oakland Yacht Club's horizontal J-pole strung atop the Yacht club building.  The purpose of this exercise was 3-fold:

1. Introduce members to what it is like to run a radiosport contest - CQP in particular.
2. Give a thorough test of the horizontal J-Pole during a period of AWEsome Space-WX Condx.
3. Demonstrate how N1MM logging software is used to log contacts during an event like CQP.

It didn't matter how many contacts we made using the K6QLF callsign, only that we actually DiD it,
posted our score on the 3830 Scores website and submitted a K6QLF.Log file to the CQP website.
All of those were accomplished well before the log submission deadline.

Now that the preliminary results are in, one thing stands out surprisingly Clear:

K6QLF TOOK 1ST PLACE OVERALL IN CALIFORNIA FOR THE 1-DAY EXPEDITION.

DiD YOU work the California QSO Party (CQP)?

Is K6QLF in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Successfully Navigates a 5-Way California QSO Party

The 2024 California QSO Party (CQP) was LOADED with participatory possibilities.  My personal operating goal(s) included engaging with as many of those opportunities as could be effectively experienced over a 30-hour contest operating period.  Having access to a Catalina-42 sailboat
before, during and after the CQP added yet another dimension to CQP as an operating event. 
My time was divided between 5-Events:

1. Running as W6R to set a San Diego (SDIE) county QRP record.
2. Activate K6QLF w/the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) on Ssb.
3. Activate WQ6X using an ICOM-7000 from a boat in the OYC Yacht Harbor.
4. Run the 1am to 4am shift remotely from Anza (RIVE county) for NX6T
5. Activate WA6OYC (Oakland Yacht Club) M/S QRP, to set an Alameda County record.

At 5pm Sunday, CQP had been over for 2 hours.  Using the SNAP-Shot screen capture software, each of the 5 log stat screens were saved to the local hard drive, becoming a part of the Blog repository used to create the pictures used in this (and future) blog write-ups on CQP.

It would seem that the best way to explain some of what happened is to simply present pictures 
which showcase what was posted in the 3830 Score submission(s).  The goal of setting a NEW
San Diego County QRP record was easily accomplished.

When the internet was down I put WQ6X on Ssb from WB6RUC's Catalina-42 sailboat.
NoT having a CW paddle handy for the ICOM 7000 this operation became a SSB only operation.

I ran the 1am to 4am Sunday morning shift for NX6T running remote from Anza in Riverside (RIVE) County.  It would seem that NX6T took a resounding 1dt-place for the Multiple-Single category.

The 5th and Final event on the operating calendar was to put the Oakland Yacht Club (WA6OYC)
on the radio running QRP giving us the M/S QRP record for Alameda County - just for showing up.  Overall, we took a 2nd-place for California

DiD YOU work the California QSO Party (CQP)?

Is K6QLF, W6R, WQ6X, NX6T or WA6OYC in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X wRangles a Remote QRP CQ W.W. RTTY Contest

Of all the CQ W.W. GiGs each year, the September RTTY event is actually the most satisfying,
for 4 Reasons:

1. No Morse code to Copy or Send.
2. No SSB necessary - saving my Voice.
3. Successful QSOs with USA stations not only count for 1-point
   (2-points w/Canada), States & Provinces count towards the overall multiplier total.
4. The RTTY interface offers over a dozen additional pre-programmed button sequences
   to customize the look/feel of the RTTY data display (on BOTH sides of the QSO).

The REAL challenge this year was to run the event at the QRP power level (5-watts). 
During this year's event, WQ6X managed to work approximately 75% of all stations heard.

Because the solar conditions were so favorable, more time was spent on 15-meters and
on Sunday, especially 10-meters, leaving 20-meters to become "the" under-utilized band
(80-meter RTTY is a world unto itself).

The downside to this weekend was the inability to properly CAT-control the RRC-1258 K3/0-Mini interface unit, requiring the manual entry of the radio operating frequency into the N1MM+ software.  Using VOX, the computer's audio could be routed through a RigExpert Plus RTTY interface unit.

What was "notable" about this particular RTTY contest was the numerous instances of intentional QRM and/or incompetent running of a RTTY installation.  Let me explain:

1. I choose run frequencies to be EXPLICITLY WEIRD (Ex: 21086.86).  Therefore, when
   you end up on my run frequencies EXACTLY Zero-Beat and start calling CQ, that is NO ACCIDENT; especially if I shift to another WEIRD frequency and you follow/zero-beat
   me there as well.
2. At 07:58z, 10:58z and 11:12z Calling CQ on 7067.67 find WQ6X not only flooded with FT8-swarms, but one or more are SPECIFICALLY zero-beat with my MARK Frequency - HuH? 
   NO Accident.
3. The IQ2 station who called CQ on my run frequency, then frantically gave me a call.
   When I sent him an Exchange, he promptly DISAPPEARED.
4. A VE3 calling CQ on my run frequency.  I shift up 2kc - his CQ follows me.
5. Also on 21082.82 a GURGLE-BUZZ sound came on frequency that luckily was
   removeable using the [NB] filter.

When it was all over, I submitted the score to the 3830 Scores Website as WQ6X and checked
into WQ6X's standing on the Contest Online Scoreboard.

What about YOU?  DiD YOU Play Around in the CQ WW RTTY GiG?

What Kind of WEIRDNESS DiD YOU Encounter?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?