Further Investigations into those ubiquitous Russian Military Beacons

Over the last 9 years, I have written extensively about the ubiquitous Russian military beacons.  Recently, using those beacons during numerous radiosport contests, it occurred to me that due to recent Russian military escalations, we are overdue for an update on the status of these beacons,
at least the Eastern Asian ones.  ([CLICK HERE] to read some of those Blogs.)

In my thinking, there are two groups of Russian beacons: those based in North/Central Europe
and the beacon trio operating in Eastern Asia ("F", "M" & "K").  I first heard the EU beacons on the University enTwente Dutch SDR.  In doing research for this new Blog entry, it made sense to return
to that SDR during the EU evening/nighttime hours to discover which ones could be heard.

On the Asian end of things, while I frequently rely on the Eastern Asia beacons
("F" (Vladivostok), "M" (Magadan) and "K" (Kamchatsky)), frequently for whatever
reason, one or more of those beacons appear on the west coast to be AWOL.
To investigate that situation, a search was made to find web SDR in and around
Asia solely for the purpose of listening for this trio of beacons.

For some time, only the [relatively LOUD] "K" beacon could be heard in California. 
Recently, the "F" beacon could be weakly heard, altho the "M" seemed dormant. 
Having bookmarked over a dozen Asian-based web SDR sites, late in the morning
(evening in Asia) I cycled thru the SDR list noting which beacons were being heard
when / where at times when the bands should be open to those areas.

As it turns out, all 3 Asian beacons are active, altho the "F" and "M" beacons are clearly
running on reduced power (compared to past years) or there are antenna problems (or both). 
Being geographically closer to California, the "K" beacon is always reasonably LOUD. 
The fact that we have difficulty hearing "F" and "M" beacons may have less to do with lack
of propagation, then it does with the beacon installations themselves.

Tuning around, it was noticed that the "A" & "P" beacons seem to be off the air.  Near those frequencies an "I" beacon and "L" beacon were heard. The "I" beacon was very weak, while
the faster "L" beacon was relatively strong.  The PRIYOM.org website is where I first discovered
these beacons.  At this time. it would seem that the "I" and "L" beacons are not yet documented.

Now that the operational status of the Asian beacons have been [relatively] confirmed, attention
can be given to Europe - the missing "A" and "P" beacons and the arrival of the "I" & "L" beacons.
Then again while writing this Blog entry, listening one the 10.871 frequency, the "A" beacon was heard, albeit barely - very weak.

This brings us to a final conclusion.  While signal levels from each of the individual beacons are certainly affected by atmospheric propagation (the main reason we listen for them), remember that these beacons are what I call self-autonomous - a human being initiates their operation and then comes back every few years to check out the hardware.

With the Japanese JIDX Cw contest coming up on April 11th, closer attention/scrutiny will be given to the East Asian beacons ("K", "F" and "M").  Awhile back, with the assistance of the Gemini A-I facility, I unearthed the mysteries regarding the "DW" (Desert Whooper) beacon. 
([CLICK HERE] to read that.)

Whether we pay attention or not, the HF radio spectrum is LITTERED with propagation beacons
that we radio amateurs (especially radiosport contesters) can take advantage of.

Have YOU ever listened to the above mentioned propagation beacons?

What Discoveries have YOU made?

Creating an Audio Odyssey via Analog and Digital

It is no secret that I like to knob twiddle; adjusting controls enables me to maintain the illusion that

I can have some sort of influence over transmitted and received signals.  When it comes to received signals, there is always the desperate hope of being able to reduce/notch minute (but nonetheless annoying) bits of noise or carrier remnants.

Before owning my first radio w/some sort of DSP filtering (the classic Yaesu FT-1000mp), a JPS
NIR-12 external DSP unit was brought into my operating configurations for it and the ICOM 7000.
Later, because the FT-1000mp possesses only minimal filtering in the Sub-RX, inserting the NIR-12 into the R-channel audio line provides DNF (Digital Notch Filtering) and passband contouring for BOTH ears. Eventually, a JPS NIR-10 was cascaded into the right channel after the NIR-12.

Next up, a pair of MFJ-752 (Signal Enhancer II) units made the scene.  I inserted the 752-C into
the left channel audio.  For the right channel, a modified 752B was added.  The 752-B modification
was the addition of an old MFJ CW-1 filter board, providing 180 / 80 HZ Cw filtering.  

Even later, an MFJ-784 was picked up, offering even more knobs and buttons to play around with.
The MFJ-784 is unique in that the settings can be saved in a sort of local memory - a crude sort of
e-prom.

The REAL breakthrough came when I discovered the vintage Autek QF-1A analog filters. 
Front-ending it with a classic Radio Shaft 16-band stereo equalizer, shaping the desired passband BEFORE sending the audio to the QF1-A filters.  Cutting off the extraneous frequencies before/after
the desired receive passband reduces the possibility of harmonic overload.

Along the way, a passive mixer unit brings audio from the different radios into one input line,
splitting the audio amongst the various filter units.  The output of the units is then blended into
selectable audio using a classic Rockville 4-channel stereo mixer box.

As you can see, the above filter combinations offer a plethora of knobs to twiddle.

Do YOU make use of external audio filter units?

What Discoveries have YOU made?

For WeeKend 4, for WQ6X it's all about speaking

In radiosport, we know at least a year in advance the upcoming date of a given radiosport
contest event - case in point, the WPX Ssb contest runs during the 4th full weekend in March.
In Toastmasters, Division-level contests are scheduled for some day/evening at some time in March.  Occasionally, those dates / times collide/intertwine.  The weekend of March 28 brought us the WPX Ssb GiG starting @5pm PDT (00:00z), with the District-57 Division-A contest commencing @12:30pm PDT Saturday afternoon.

Because the WA6TQT superstation in Anza was already reserved by K6JO and problematic
internet jitter conditions @KN6NBT (in Ramona), after the speech contest I lazily made the journey
to W7AYT's Concord QTH where a fully external-filtered FT-2000 can deliver a potent 90-watt signal into the weird antenna system languishing at the East Bay (EB) QTH.

With over 1/2 of the WPX GiG already over, setting up around 10pm (05:00z), 40-meters seemed like the obvious band to open w/Ssb operation.  

Unfortunately, the leftover shack RFI problem had yet to be resolved.  Because the Toshiba Dynadok docking port is less than a foot away from the MFJ-993b IntelliTuner, induced RF was literally taking the Dynadok unit offline.  

Putting a magnetic donut on the coax out accomplished nothing; wrapping the Dynadok USB cable around that same donut and **PooF!**

Quitting at midnight, the operating goal switched to SOU-10 - a single band entry (with a dose of 15-meters to test the 3-el yagi as a roto-dipole).  

While listening for a 10-meter opening Sunday morning, the microphone system switch box arrangement was re-cabled allowing the following inputs:

1. A $13 eBay special full frequency broadcast microphone.
2. A classic 70's Radio Shaft tape recorder stereo microphone.
3. A HEIL PRO-Set headset.
4. A generic audio-in for playing WinDoze .WAV files

If for some reason it is desirable to actually mix the microphones, a generic usb-powered
Mix unit shares a really identical footprint", using the same cable configuration.

This year's WPX Ssb contest gave us some of the highest QSO numbers EVER.

After a lunch break, the 1st QSO finally made it into the WQ6X log @19:28z.  One of the advantages
of 10-meters is that it can often be very quiet (noise wise), so much so that the band can sound DEAD.  Then, out of nowhere, a dozen stations BLARE in from South America - GO Figure.

Running as Assisted allows us to enable TeLNeT and look for stations spotted in the bandmap while looking for stations in between those spots.  The rotor turning the 10-m Long John yagi got a workout this weekend.  Being used to running a Stepp-IR @Ramona (or stacked yagis in Anza), I had to get used to actually turning the aluminum in the direction of the signals themselves.

Eventually 10-meters was worked-out as far as what I could hear. 
Thanks to the MFJ Intellituner, the 10-meter yagi tunes nicely 15-meters 

(and sometimes even 20).  After 5-QSOs it was back to 10-meters for a 

languished finish.  It would seem that WQ6X took 1st-place for W6.
(In the Division-A speech contest, Ron Fitch took 2nd-place.)

DiD YOU work the WPX Ssb contest?

How many unique prefixes made it into YOUR Log?

WQ6X Runs a Raucous BARTG RTTY Rendezvous

Prior to this weekend's annual BARTG HF RTTY contest, in checking the contest website,
the discovery was made that last year's QRP entry from Ramona resulted in a 1st-Place for
W6 and NA (North America) - who woulda thunk it could happen, considering limited resources available.  ([CLICK HERE] to read the write-up on last year's BARTG RTTY contest.)

One of the things I like about the BARTG event is its 02:00z (7pm PDT) start time.  Cobbling the proper cable configurations for RTTY is a challenge considering that each computer on the network
(2 on WinDoze-7, 1 on WinDoze-10 and 1 on WinDoze-11) each come equipped with a unique soundcard configuration.

The settled-on configuration was to run the K3/0-Mini unit from the WinDoze-7-1 laptop at my office
to open the contest.  Then later, the operation can continue on the WinDoze-7-2 laptop in Concord by transferring the settings back and forth by way of a .ADI file.  The file was made but never used - the internet at the Concord QTH was so horribly unstable that effective communication was all but impossible.  As it turned out, Concord was just a place to sleep.

This of course reiterates the one inherent weakness in running remote - poor internet
connections can undermine the best of operator intentions.  It became very clear that cobbled experimentation would be the operating backdrop for the rest of the weekend; luckily there was
36-hours left to make an attempt at surpassing last year's 1st-place win.  Unfortunately, HORRIBLE Space-WX compounded the situation.

The commute from Concord to my Alameda office is just over an hour (plus equipment packing/unpacking/setup time).  It's better to invest 90-minutes in a commute than to spend
the rest of the weekend fighting internet connectivity that might never be resolved.

In the Blogs on Stereo-RTTY, I have documented the cable configurations needed to make
RTTY work (stereo or otherwise) -([CLICK HERE] to read those write-ups.  Because there is a risk
of DC "ground loops" creeping into the audio lines, there is a judicious use of audio isolation blocks, altho they sometimes introduce an approximate 6db insertion loss.  This isa small price to pay for more-or-less "clean" audio - essential for satisfactory satisfying RTTY audio in both directions. 
To reduce receive signal levels, a USB mixer box was put in the RX audio line.

Unable to run RTTY from the Concord QTH, I was bummed by the prospect of missing out on
all the 40-meter JA multipliers.  If Saturday night is any reflection of Friday night (and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise), the flood of JA stations were all ragchewing on Ssb, not running RTTY or the RUS DX contest.

While the Russian DX contest began at 12:00z (5am PDT), I didn't connect with it until 13+ hours
into the event (01:30z).  Because the Space-WX numbers were so dismal, the idea of running QRP
was certainly not a consideration.  Running BARTG and VAQP made sense, however for RUSDX,
the power level was upped to 92-watts.  As it turns out, there were few Russian callsigns actually heard during the event and only a handful were actually seen in the bandmap.

At 01:45z, an interesting occurrence occurred when I started calling "CQ RU TEST WQ6X WQ6X"
on 7008.68.  Some IDIOT started sending "STAHLIN" after each CQ call.  Later (@02:07) on 7017.17 STAHLIN was back followed soon after with "PUTIN".  When I took the "RU" out of the CQ call, the IDIOT gave up his tirade.

Other weird things that occurred included:

• At 05:20z we had a new variation on the "A-Beacon'
• At 08:30z, 40-meters was LITTERED with JA ragchewing - they used to be dedicated contesters on 40-meters.  Now they are dedicated ragchewers.
• At 09:10z, tuning around 40-meters a numbers station was heard on 7184.11 @17-wpm sending an incrementing number followed by Question Marks.
  EX: 9912XX??8????.  Later at 13:30z the station was weaker sending 9916XX??8????
  The direction seemed to be Northwest from Anza (i.e. Asia)
• N7ESU works me and then moves up 1KC to call CQ - HuH?  The WHOLE band is open, why right next door?
  
• N6AR/4 worked me and then moved DOWN 1KC to call CQ.  REALLY?  WTF?!

Sundays in radiosport contesting are often
a mixed bag - they either allow us to "catch up"/pick-up on where we left off, or they can
turn out to be dismal DuDs, this one due to
the ongoing onslaught of geomagnetic noise.  

With WQ6X as an often-desirable callsign
to work, I often spend a not-insignificant amount of time calling CQ on Sunday afternoons.  

While there is often a dearth of responses to those calls, what else do we have going?

While we had until 02:00z to accomplish
(if you will) self-redemption, that mostly accomplished nothing other than to prolong
the agony.

The contest weekend may have ended Sunday evening however, the funky Space-WX
conditions were with us for another 36+ hours.

When it was all over, WQ6X managed just under 100 RTTY QSOs - enough to make a 2nd-place showing in this classic RTTY event.

DiD YOU work the plethora of March 14th weekend radiosport contests?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

LeVeRaging Callsign Recognition in Radiosport ConTesTs

During radiosport contests, it could be argued that NOTHING is more important than callsign recognition.  Virtually anything you can think of that will put your callsign before people's eyes
and ears will silently come to your aid in the heat of a contest event.

Here are some randomly ordered ideas worth exploring:

• Work multiple/numerous contest events throughout the year
• Call CQ a LoT
• On CW and RTTY verify that your CQ calls are actually generating RBN spots.
• When allowed by contest rules, take advantage of self-spotting (Ctrl-S in DXLog).
• ALWAYS send/say your callsign SLOWLY and SUCCINCTLY.
• Sending at 25WPM creates more callsign recognition than 35WPM.
• Promote your callsign on social media
• QRZ.com
  
  
  
  
• FACEBOOK
  
  
  
  
• YouTube
  
  
  
  
• 3830Scores.com
  
  
  
  
• WQ6X.Blogspot.com
  
  
  
  
• ToasTmaster meetings and RADIO CLUB events
• Using 1x1 callsigns (for specific events) can create an autocorrelation 
  which we can "cash-in" a year from the current event.

The above thoughts and musings are just some of the more obvious callsign recognition ideas.

What Do YOU Say / Do to bring about Callsign Recognition?

WQ6X Wangles 2 Speech & 5 Radiosport ConTesTs

For 2o26, the 2nd weekend in March brought us its near-annual cluster of early March radiosport
contests, front-ended this year by a Toastmasters Alameda Area Speech and Table Topic contest. 
I was representing my club - the Alameda Tongue Twisters (A-T-T).

Prior to the drive to Union City Public Library, I pointed the 10-meter yagi-stacks to ~120-degrees
(S. America) and began operations in the SA-10 South American 10-meter contest.  To make things
easier, the morning run was made on Cw.  Running QRP, the yagi-stacks were rotated between 105
and 141 degrees, depending on whether the stations in Argentina (LT/LU) @141-degrees or Curacao (PJ2) @104-degrees.

For the International Speech contest event, I had been rehearsing delivery all week up until Friday evening.  As I point out in the 6 Ps of contesting ([CLICK HERE] to review that), successfully contesting involves: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

By noontime, Toastmasters contest results found me with a 2nd-place in the Table Topics contest
and a 1st-Place in the International Speech contest. (In 2-weeks I will compete at the Division-level
for the speech contest to be held in Fremont California.)

After the Toastmasters GiG I returned to my office to add Ssb QSOs to the SA-10 contest log before the band dropped out (in my mind) prematurely.  At that point the tripe was made to W7AYT's QTH to continue the remote run, taking advantage of all the audio filters enabling Stereo-Cw and Stereo-Ssb operation.

By the time things were ready to go in Concord,
10-meters had already closed for the day. 
For the West coast that was the end of the SA-10 contest (which officially ended @ 12;00z - 5am Sunday).  With pre-setup for RTTY, I missed
out on the 4-hour RTTY Sprint contest GiG. 
Focusing on the state QSO parties eventually
settling in one the Stew Perry (SP-160) contest.

The 160-meter TRI-Square wire array @WA6TQT recently had the broken phasing cables repaired
with the hope of returning "normal" operation(s)
to the "Top Band" activities in Anza. 

Until the actual performance is confirmed, the decision was to forgo running QRP and run ~90-watts for this GiG.  What is important is simply being there and submitting a log to enable further WQ6X callsign recognition.

Sunday morning, we got a new GiG - the Wisconsin QSO Party (WIQP).  Unfortunately, similar to the IDQP and OKQP GiGs this year, turnout was almost non-existent - Bummer Dewd.  Bottomline with all of these QSO parties, at least I can say that I played in their event.

What about YOU?

DiD YOU play in any of the above events?

Is WQ6X in YOUR Log?

SSB in Radiosport: LEARNING the ART of HoW to Listen

It is no secret that in radiosport I prefer CW contests 1st, RTTY contests 2nd and Ssb contests
a distant 3rd.  I have previously written about what makes Cw contests my favorite ([CLICK HERE]
to read about this).  With CW/RTTY contests, speaking dialects are NoT a problem - we use limited variations on English to get the message thru.  (The use of Q-Codes makes a HUGE difference.)

While it is true that Crappy Cw and off-frequency RTTY signals can make for tricky copy, RTTY signals can be tuned in using the R-I-T (Clarifier) control, and we can ask for repeats on Cw until
we get it right.  With Ssb (voice), in DX contests, repeats are all too often necessary. 
As I mentioned in the write-up on the ARRL DX Ssb contest ([CLICK HERE] to read that),

Non-English-speaking stations often think they heard me say:

• WQ4X - Whiskey Quebec Four Xray - HuH? - How does SIX become FOUR?
• Whiskey Quebec Six Foxtrot - HuH? - How does XRAY become FOXTROT?

I would then say "California - Charlie Alpha" - transl. "Charlie Alpha" is in the SIXTH (6th)
call area.  In retrospect, I should have used several of the pre-recorded .WAV files to say
my callsign in four different ways. As they say - maybe next time.

Things to do for an improved Ssb radiosport operating experience include:
For RECEIVE

• Leverage the filter systems built-in to the radio itself.
  Example: the FT-1000mp and FT-2000 transceivers I use are equipped with
  some form of a CONTOUR facility (the FT-2000 Contour control is linearly-variable)
  
  
  
  
• Implement external audio filters to contour the audio passband to improve the listening experience.
• I utilize a pair of audio mixers:
  - A USB powered unit for processing 1/8" cables to blend the input.
  - A Rockville 4-channel stereo unit supporting RCA cables.
  
  
  
• The Rockville unit combines audio from a number of different filter units:
  - A pair of Autek QF-1a units to run Stereo-Cw and Stereo-RTTY
  These filters are front ended by a Radio Shaft 16-band Stereo Equalizer
  - A pair of MFJ 752 "Signal Enhancer" units for Stereo-Ssb
  
  
  
• An MFJ-783 Super DSP filter to supplement Ssb audio in the left channel.
• A JPS NIR-10 cascaded into an NIR-12 to supplement filtering in the right channel.

For many operators the above layout may seem daunting.  In fact, once a "sweet spot" is found,
these settings can then be left for future operations.  Altho I don't use one, you might find it useful
to create an audio filter "cheat sheet" to record the ideal settings for each approach used, similar to the way we do with manually adjusted antenna tuners.

I am a hopeless knob twiddler, living under the probably delusional illusion that proper knob
twiddling can make a hopelessly unreadable signal to become readable.

It's one thing to improve Ssb reception to reduce the number of repeats.  However, if the quality
of your Ssb audio is questionable, repeats will still be necessary.  Once we have the receive-side of the equation worked out, next up is to optimize the transmit side of the operation; first mic filter wise, followed by perfecting how we actually use the hardwire to get our vocal communication thru.

The choice of microphone(s) makes all the difference.  Using a simply 4-port switch box
the following can be switched into the transmit audio line:

• A $13 Ebay-special full frequency microphone
• A Heil PRO-set
• A Radio Shaft stereo microphone (intended for reel-to-reel tape recorders)
• RTTY transmit audio from the laptop sound card

While many of the newer design transceivers come equipped with (usually menu driven) equalizer capabilities, we can front-end older transmitters and transceivers with equalizers similar (if not identical) to the ones we use on receive.  Different microphones offer different frequency response curves and output levels; a stereo equalizer can be set for two different microphones (or audio sources).

Using an audio switch box or audio mixing unit to select the microphone appropriate to the operation at that time (Ex: ragchewing, net control work or contest running).  

Of course, the efficacy of proper equalization can easily be undermined by having the mic gain and/or speech processor settings set exceedingly high.

To gain certainty on how our transmit audio sounds, listen to the audio via
the MONI circuit built-in to many transceivers. 

However, if "distortion products" enter the PA amp after the Moni circuits, the only accurate way
 to know that is an external receiver (w/the RF gain turned down to prevent front-end overload distortion). 

Another approach is to listen to your signal by way of a webSDR that can hear the signal at a decent level.  Many SDR's sport "waterfall" spectrum displays offering a visual representation of signal quality.  Additionally, many SDRs support signal recording for replay and analysis later.

The final step in perfecting Ssb audio is to rehearse/practice what you will be saying in advance of
the contest event.  While you're at it, recording .WAV/.MP3 files will not only save your voice later,
it will capture and repeat perfect pronunciation (when you eventually do get it right).

As you can see, successful listening isn't JUST about listening - there are many factors involved.

Do YOU run Ssb radiosport contests?

What do YOU use to improve audio continuity?

WQ6X Wangles a WEIRD-ly Different ARRL DX Ssb ConTesT

Two weekends back, WQ6X ran a uniquely unique ARRL DX Cw contest, purposely operating
the in-house Yaesu FT-2000 transceiver I maintain at W7AYT's East Bay (EB) ARRL section QTH in Concord.  For the Ssb counterpart of the ARRL DX contest pair, permission was granted to run QRP Ssb from STN-1 @WA6TQT's Superstation on the hilltop in Anza California.  As it turns out, this was
a mixed blessing.

Having access to ~100' towered stacked-yagi arrays (40m thru 10m) makes a 5-watt QRP signal sound more like 400 watts - operators frequently don't believe I am running QRP until they lookup WA6TQT on QRZ.Com.  During the contest weekend, the downside of ~100-ft towers was manifest when 75-mph winds whipped through the Radio Ranch Real Estate Saturday & Sunday afternoons.  To protect the yagi-stack elements, the masts were all positioned @ more-or-less ~49-degrees, which of course while great for working Europe, was nearly useless when it came to quality communication with Asia and Hawaii.

While there was access to a KT-36 rotatable yagi pointed 300-degrees azimuth, at ~50-feet high, its performance hardly compares with 100-foot yagi stacks.  Essentially, it was either antenna safety at the risk of antenna destruction or risk it and take a chance.  The KT-36 safety method won out - as it turns out, Asian participation was significantly less for this year's contest incarnation.,

Behind the scenes, Space-WX anomalies of various flavors riddled (or should I say whittled) the operating experience.  Depending on which operators (at different locations across North America), EU was wide-open or non-existent.  At WA6TQT is was a mixed bag.  On Saturday, working into EU was an unfilled dream, only partially realized on Sunday morning.

DX Ssb contests are actually my least favorite of all radiosport events.  Stations around the world know just enough English (the predominant language used in radiosport contests) to more-or-less make 2-way QSOs a possibility.    Many OPs think all they need to be able to say is "5-NINE Kilowatt" and understand things like "5-NINE CALIFORNIA" - would that it would be that easy.

In the past, I have written a number of Blogs detailing my MAJOR Beefs during radiosport.

It would seem that the 2o26 ARRL DX Ssb contest has brought them back to the surface with
a few additional specifics.

• Stations often copied my callsign as Whiskey Quebec FOUR (4).  HuH? 
  How do you get QUEBEC-4 out of 6-XRAY?
• Otherwise, stations copied my callsign as Whiskey Quebec 6 Foxtrot? 
  HuH? REALLY?
  How does X-RAY become FOXTROT?  The don't sound anything alike.
• Operators spoke their callsigns WAY to FAST - the caveat being they were
  often mis-spotted Fast but Unintelligible. actually slows EVERYONE down. 
  The solutions is to STFD - Slow Down!
• Similar to Cw and RTTY contests, are stations who turn my uniquely chosen RUN Frequency (Ex: 21377.77) into their own run frequency.  HuH?  Wassup with THAT? 
  I understand coming somewhat CLOSE to my run frequency (Ex: 21377.00 21378.00) however, when they are EXACTLY zero-beat, I know that is no accident. 
  AT the very least, it is RUDE and poor operating ethics.
• During Ssb DX radio contests, the after midnight (local time) periods are often littered
  with bogus RTTY-type signals, such as the one heard on 7141.41 @09:58z.  
• Earlier (08:15z), there was what I call the "wind noise jammer" on 7144.44,
  with high-speed RTTY heard way in the background - HoW WEIRD is THAT?!
• Later, back on 7144.44, out of nowhere JA stations went into ragchew mode on 7143.09,
  creating UNBEARABLE SPLATTER!   Obviously, they are NoT going to move - time to yet again find a new run frequency, good until Billy-Bob and his brother Barney show to enjoy their cross-town ragchew, exactly zero-beat with my latest run frequency.
• Near the contest end, we were frustrated by 5Z4A (Kenya) who would call CQ despite already having 50-stations calling him on 14.172.  To make matters WORSE, this frequency also became a National Tuneup Frequency.  In the course of 30 minutes,
  I believe he work less than a dozen stations.  REALLY?  Am I missing something? WTF?!

When the contest weekend ended, just under 24-hours OP time made it into the WQ6X QRP LoG.
According to 3830Scores.com, WQ6X took 2nd-place of USA/NA in the event; not bad for just
winging it all the way.

DiD YOU work the ARRL DX Ssb contest?

If you were DX, is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Wings a WEIRD NAQP RTTY GiG and NAQP QSO Party

The 2o26 contest weekend brought us a radiosport weekend bridging Saturday (in FEB) and Sunday
(in MARCH).  The 12-hour NAQP RTTY contest always runs the 4th weekend of February, which
this year scheduled it in heel of the month of February, with the NAQP QSO Party always on the
1st Sunday of March, which occasionally follows NAQP Saturday?  Sound complicated?  I guess
it all depends on your point of view.

The weekend brought us 3 radiosport GiGs, only 2 of which were available to me.

• [X} - CQ 160 Ssb Contest
• [X} - NAQP RTTY Contest
• [X} - NCQP North Carolina QSO Party

The Anza superstation was already claimed for the weekend, so there was no CQ 160-meter
activity for WQ6X on this weekend, which is fine by me - even with a simple exchange as "5-NINE CALIFORNIA", over two evenings, one's voice can be seriously compromised over the coarse of two contest evenings.

Saturday morning, a meeting of the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) pre-empted an early NAQP RTTY start.  When I finally got behind the radios @W7AYT's Concord QTH, the remote location in Ramona was experiencing internet dropouts making remote running all but impossible.  Similar to the weekend before, the decision was made to run RTTY locally from the Concord location using the onsite Yaesu FT-2000, running about 75-watts RTTY.  

For 20 & 15, the 10-meter Long John yagi was tuned as a rotating dipole.  On 40-meters, a classic 8JK Cobra dipole wire array more or less did the job.  Unfortunately, signal levels were so low, in the end, only 26 QSOs (16 Multipliers) made it to the WQ6X Log.  At least it can be said that WQ6X made the scene.

For Sunday, the day opened running 16:00z TO 18:00z until there were no new callsigns to work.  Because I had a biofeedback client scheduled for my Alameda office, a break was made to get to Alameda to take care of business.  At 21:20z I was back at it, again finding new stations to work. 
On a whim, @21;34z the radio made it to 40-meters with the stacked 40-meter yagi's at the Anza location pointed directly at North Carolina to put 2-QSOs in the log - amazing for so early in the afternoon.

At 23:54z, with just over an hour left, the decision was to end the NCQP running on 40-meters. 
After nearly an hour with only 11 40m QSOs in the log, the decision was made to Call CQ NAQP. 
As it turns out, only ONE out of 6 callers was actually in North Carolina.  Out of frustration, another installment was made in the Blog series detailing why you should not call me.  ([CLICK HERE] to
read that Blog entry.)  Aside from the single NC QSO in the log, at LEAST there was a plethora of RBN SPoTs.

When it was all over WQ6X managed a 1st-place for CW-only from California.

DiD YOU work the NAQP RTTY or NCQP QAO Party?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?