RADIOSPORT and TOASTMASTERS: Decision(s) of the Judges is FINAL

Thus far 10 Blogs (and a Blast from the Past) have been written contrasting/comparing
Toastmasters' speech contests and radiosport contest operations.  Behind the scenes of both
activities is a judging system, the specifics based on the structure and layout of each contest event.
I've written about contest judging before ([CLICK HERE]) altho it was rather brief.

One thing common to BOTH forms of competition is:

"DECISIONS of the JUDGES is FINAL"

Whether we like it or not, the bottom-line is the bottom-line.
Here are a few examples:

• In a recent California QSO Party radiosport, the San Diego Contest club (running
  as NX6T) took 2nd place in the Multi-OP category to a single-OP station who admitted
  he ran solo and yet submitted a Multi-OP log.  Had he not said anything his 1st-place would've been uncontested.  However, when he admitted being a Single-OP, members
  of our team filed a grievance with the CQP contest committee.  They eventually award
  him the 1st-place and suggested that next year would be different.
• Several years ago, the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) running as K6QLF thought we had a slam-dunk 1st-place win for Alameda County until W6TCP also submitted a log for Alameda County.  Their station was on the hills overlooking the bay area; however, I thought the actual station location might just be over the county line
  in Contra Costa County and filed a grievance. The powers that be did their geographical research and said their hilltop location was in fact, in Alameda County.
• In a recent Toastmasters Division-level speech contest, it was clear that my speech delivery clearly won the audience over way beyond any of the other contestants. 
  ([CLICK HERE] to see the video).  However, from the point-system used for scoring speech contests, my delivery technically made a number of errors which got me marked down pointwise giving my presentation a 2nd-place.
• Years ago, for the Islands on the Air (IOTA) contest, I attempted to persuade the RSGB contest committee that Alameda qualified as an island - 100 years ago it was called Alameda Island.  Unfortunately, in 100 years' time, all manner of geopolitical changes
  can occur to an area, changing its [island] status.  Near Alameda is of course Alcatraz
  and Angel Islands.
• Then again, it can sometimes work in our favor.  In recent years I have been competing in the QRP classifications during such GiGs as the CQP, NAQP and Sweepstakes.  Posting my score to the 3830Scores website often listed me in 2nd-place.  Then when the contest results are released, WQ6X ends up taking a 1st-place.  Either my competitors posted a fictitious score on 3830, or the Log Checking facility dinged enough of their contacts to significantly reduce their score below the WQ6X submission.

If I dig back far enough, over a dozen similar kinds of occurrences can be found. 
That would only serve to make me right about how I had been wronged.  Those events
are LONG GONE.  The real lesson(s) to be learned in all this is for us to do the best we can
during each contest event.  Radiosport and Toastmaster speech contests are highly ethically run. 
No matter what my "monkey mind" may have to say about things, the way it turned out is the way
it turned out.

Will I do it all again next year?

YOU KNOW I WILL!

Still Continuing Reasons why YOU Should NoT Call ME

Often, when I run a contest frequency I get:

• the WEIRDSET Calls at

• the WEIRDEST Times for

• the WEIRDEST Reasons

• Creating the WEIRDEST Results

Why would stations literally BLINDLY call me? 
Are they:

• DRUNK?

• UNCONSCIOUS?
• OBLIVIOUS?

• 1/2 Asleep?

• LoST?

• ConFused?
• Under Hypnosis?
  
•  FILL-IN the BLANK

One thing is certain, even if they send me the WRONG exchange information, I will enter what it SHOULD BE into the log.  They are so clueless that they will never figure out how to submit a log.

Let me be clear here: I love putting VALID QSOs into the log - 1-point is better than 0-points.
However, it often seems like the stations who don't have a clue require 2x to 3x the time and
effort to get that QSO point, then it does with callers who call-in, send a QUICK exchange and
then quickly move on.

I have written about this Ad-nauseam ([CLICK HERE]) and yet new variations on the theme
manage to surface in nearly every contest weekend.  And then of course we have the Tune-Up
turkeys who are always oblivious to who is actually using a frequency and for what purpose.

The OP's who really amaze me, are those who reply to my contest CQ and then go into RAGCHEW mode.  I at least am usually able to determine "Name and State" which we are looking for in GiGs like NAQP and some state QSO parties.

Successful radio communication all begins with listening.  Before calling CQ, we should first listen for the frequency not being in use and then ASK if the frequency is in use.  With no reply to our query the frequency is available for whatever purpose we choose.

When calling other CQ'ers we need to first ask what we are looking to accomplish by initiating communication.  When we hear a station calling CQ we should ascertain what that station is looking for.  Assuming the two goals are compatible then give them a 1 x 2 call (their callsign once, and your callsign twice).

If the station is calling CQ for a contest intriguing but not known to me, if necessary, I will look
the event up on the WA7BNM Contest Calendar.  Using N1MM+ to run contests, after first reading
the rules, the next step is to setup a new contest event under the logger.  With logging ready to go,
I type the caller's callsign into the callsign field and press F4 to send my callsign announcing myself. 
All this can happen in under 5-minutes.

Over the years I have encountered a plethora of Japanese (JA) stations who always tune-up approx. 500-Hz offset from my run frequency - at LEAST they give me a QSO after the annoying carrier.  

Because I utilize a pair of Autek QF-1A filters to create the Stereo-CW method, the Aux. Notch filter in each unit can manually take out the carrier w/o disturbing CW copy - something DSP DNF (Digital Notch Filter) units cannot do w/o obliterating the Cw as well.  So-called "analog" technology is still quite viable in modern day radio installations.

Let's consider the other side of working WQ6X.  Occasionally a station will call-in asking what the contest is all about.  

I am quite willing to make time and explain the procedure - what I get out of doing that is a QSO-point and possibly down the line another callsign has been added to the radiosport world - future QSO points.

Bottom-line is to take each situation as it presents itself and then move forward. 
There is a time and a frequency for you to call me.  I look forward to adding your callsign
to my contest log - just doit in the right way at the right time.

QRZ?

WQ6X TipToes through another NAQP RTTY ConTesT

Because NAQP contests allow us to operate only 10-hours out of the full 12 for the event,
the question is always WHEN to take those 2-hours.  Some operators start an hour or two later
and then end an hour or two earlier.  Some operators take an hour break when the propagation gets
dicey, on the hopes that it will again improve, or QSY'ing to the next lower band will make up for it.

In my situation, client commitments kept me out of the char for nearly 4 hours.  I started up in the afternoon just as 15-meters was closing-out for the day.

With the starting time "pre-ordained", the major focus became how to maximize the more-or-less
~8-hours remaining in the contest event.  For this remote operation, the decision was made to use
an MSI gaming-oriented (4-Ghz) laptop, with its relatively stable internet access.  The downside to
this approach is that N1MM+ was unable to establish CAT control of the RRC-1258 interface unit, requiring that operating frequencies required manual entry, an encouragement to run frequencies
as much as possible.

A goeswith in remoting to Ramona was the periodic drop in internet signal levels from the remote
end, creating a sort-of "internet jitter" effect.  Similar to running remote-Cw a couple of weeks earlier was the need to be able to decode signals in between the dropouts.  

 

I frustrated a number of S-9+ calling stations by asking for multiple repeats.  I lost count of the stations who weren't waiting around for a "mere W6" station, altho I really dunno what their hurry really was.  Adding a 2nd RTTY decoder is of no use when the difficulty is due to dropped audio.

Switching to Search & Pounce (S&P) mode enabled entering the other station's exchange
(name and state) into the N1MM+ entry screen BEFORE calling in.  This at least insured the
correct data made it into the log when the QSO was made.

Thanks to a significantly lower Solar Flux Index (SFI) 20-meters became THE band - same
as in the NA SPRINT contest which usually opens on 20-meters, working down to 40 & 80 later.  Around 02:30 it was time to make the transition downward running 40-meters until no new stations could be worked.  The rest of the evening was spent "leapfrogging" between 80 & 40 and then back again.

Using a Shorty-40 yagi allowed slowly sweeping between 30- and 100-degrees azimuth. 
On 80-meters the inverted-vee (@55') offered reasonable coverage between Illinois and Texas
(and all points in between).  On the higher bands the 3-el Stepp-IR offers the option to instantly
switch a N-E pointing antenna 180-degrees to pick up a quick KH6 multiplier or run BI-directional.  With the Shorty-40, a F/B ratio of 20db means that my 69-watt RTTY was often heard somewhat
off the back end.  (The Front/Side ration of yagis are usually quite exceptional.)

By the 06:00 contest end, only 142 QSOs made it into the log on 80 to 15-meters after 7+ hours
of OP-time.  Let the 3830Scores score entry document the actual operation.  While an 8.7k score
isn't much, it keeps WQ6X callsign recognition very much alive.

 

As much a struggle as the contest, a side-benefit of operating physically from the Concord location
was the availability of the necessary filters required to run what I call Stereo-RTTY.  The essential idea behind Stereo-RTTY method is to utilize the peaking function of both external audio filters to specifically PEAK the MARK/SPACE tones (effectively deemphasizing the frequencies surrounding the tones).

When running AFSK, my choice of MARK frequency is quite low: 915-Hz (with a SPACE frequency
of 1085-Hz). Running S&P early in the contest enables the opportunity to determine the best L/R filter settings providing the most legible/intelligible RTTY decoding.  When running a frequency the aux. notch control in those filters can knock-out single tones from joker's attempting to disrupt legible copy.  Also when running a frequency, using the R-I-T control, the desired signal can be centered between the "goal posts".  Stations calling slightly off frequency will be shifted away from the goal posts.  

When 2 or more stations are perfectly aligned
with the MARK frequency, their tones often "collide" resulting in garbled copy.  By shifting the R-I-T, one of those signals might "jump out of the jumble"
just enough to be copyable over the other callers.  

Each station worked will reduce the layered jumble somewhat unless new stations show up and add more jumble to the jumble.  Because the internet dropouts were so annoyingly problematic, w/o Stereo-RTTY things would've been utterly hopeless.  

Theoretically Stereo-RTTY could be applied to the transmit audio eliminating the potentially troublesome 2nd-harmonic (1830-Hz).  A multi-band equalizer slipped in the transmit audio line
can make for a simple yet effective approach to cleaning up transmit audio.  However, remember
to check the audio drive BEFORE and AFTER the filtering - overdriving will of course create new
(and potentially worse) harmonics.

When it was all over, WQ6X submitted a 142-QSO Low Power Log - enough to say we wuz there.

What about YOU?  Were YOU there?

Is WQ6X in YOUR Log?

WQ6X Waxes and Wanders Wondrously thru 2o26 Radiosport

As we slide thru the middle of July, looking back to January 1st through the myriads of 60 all-different radiosport events that in some way involved the WQ6Xcallsign, I am amazed by the operating results accrued from all those near-unique contest events. 

Because I don't run FT4/FT8 and use VHF only for repeater access, we can break all contest operating down into 3 overall categories:

• CW Contests (my overall Favorite).
• RTTY Contests (my 2nd Favorite).
• SSB Contests (often FUN yet can become quite tedious in DX contests).

CW Contests

CW contests (especially when running remote) have numerous advantages.  To begin with, Cw contests are largely run by computer., sparing my voice.  Because the Cw code is sent from the remote side of the connection, brief internet dropouts don't disrupt the logging software from properly keying the radio

To make it work properly, after setting up a new contest under N1MM+ the function key macros are customized for this contest event and then saved in the function key macro folder, to be automatically invoked next year when a new run of this contest is setup under the software.

Properly run, Cw contests enable me to slip into a sort-of meditative contest flow.  Often during such a flow, I can switch to various screens on the computer, checking things such as Space-WX anomalies or recent RBN stats.  Doing this helps reduce what I call ACB (Acute Contest Boredumb) syndrome.

RTTY Contests

RTTY contests are somewhat similar to Cw GiGs in that they can be largely computer-run and my voice is again saved.  During remote runs to Ramona (KN6NBT) or Anza (WA6TQT) because they are technically not RTTY equipped on the remote side of the connection, the RTTY tones must be generated on the control-side of the radio connection.  Internet disruption while transmitting RTTY tones will garble the message.

When a contest sends a fixed exchange of information (such as that sent in the NAQP RTTY contest), before the contest those messages are pre-loaded in the remote K3 radio's Voice Keyer memories with the proper RTTY tones to call CQ, send an exchange, send a TU message and send the WQ6X callsign.  Running the contest is largely a function of function keys.  Other macro messages are sent "live" and are subject to internet jitter.

RTTY decoding on the control side of the connection is accurate to the degree that the data coming down the "internet pipeline" is jitter-free.  Utilizing a 2nd RTTY demodulator is of no value when the data has been corrupted enroute to the control site during transfer.

SSB Contests

Ssb contests are a mixed-bag overall.  More than any other mode, running Ssb remotely relies
heavily on the remote side of the connection.  When utilizing voice memories on RTTY or Ssb,
the initial recording must be jitter-free.  My issue with Ssb contests largely involves worldwide (DX) contests where English is often people's 2nd or 3rd language.  All too often the least understandable voices tend to speak way too fast.  Operators need to dial it back a bit and speak S-L-O-W-L-Y. 
I have much the same issue with Cw operators (mostly European) who think that 35+ wpm is
the way to run a frequency and then wonder why very few stations come back to their CQ's.

Domestic Ssb contests (such as NAQP, Sweepstakes or state QSO parties) can be a lot of fun because we are often working stations who are likely known to us and who can be reasonably understood, unless the Southern Twang makes that difficult.  Assuming the Space-WX factors are compatible with running QRP, I dial the power down to 4.9 watts.  This works reasonably well during Sweepstakes and NAQP Ssb contests in particular, but also in many state QSO parties.

DX ConTesTs

Throughout the 1st-half of 2o26 there were a variety of so-called DX contests - some more involved than others.  The ARRL DX and CQ WPX contests are both 48-hour events, even tho I rarely work anywhere near all 48-hours.  I put in many hours for NX6T (running from Anza) in these contests in conjunction with running as WQ6X single-OP QRP from the Ramona location, altho if band condx.
are not conducive to QRP, the power is pumped to about 95-watts.

While not specifically stated in their name, the WPX contests are truly worldwide DX contests.

Running single-OP, there is a variety of barely 24-hour Gigs such as the CQM, the CQMM,

the ARI Dx contest, the King of Spain (K-o-S) contest and the Marconi Memorial to mention
only a few.

State and Area QSO Parties

In the 1st 6 months, there were various state and area QSO party GiGs.  It is through these contest
events that we can work the numerous counties and provinces needed for various operating awards.
NX6T has taken 1st-place in the NEQP for BOTH 2o25 and 2o26, while WQ6X has taken 1st-place running mixed-mode QRP in the 7QP QSO party for those years (while putting in numerous hours
for NX6T in NEQP).

Running Multi-OP Radiosport

In addition to running Single-OP modes from Ramona (and sometimes Anza), during key contests
I join team members from the San Diego Contest Club (SDCC).  Running as NX6T usually happens from WA6TQT's superstation in Anza.  With the exception of NAQP GiGs (which are 100-watts max.) the team tends to run just under 1.5Kw into the wide array of stacked array antennas and vertical arrays for 80 & 160 meters.

Major contests run as NX6T include NAQP (Cw and Ssb), ARRL DX (Cw & Ssb), WPX (Ssb and Cw), All Asian (Cw and Ssb) and of course Sweepstakes (both modes).  We used to run 160-meters contests as a team, altho in recent years I have run the 160-GiGs as an assisted Single-OP.

In previous years, NX6T has taken 1st-place in the JIDX and All Asian contests. 
As you can see from the above collage, the JIDX contest committee has labeled us
the TOP MoP.

Have you worked some of the above radiosport contest GiGs?

IS NX6T or WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X offers further ThoTs on the IARU HF Championship

It is difficult for me to fathom that the once far-off IARU contest is now several days behind
us. 10 days ago, the Solar Flux Index (SFI) soared briefly to 208.  Then, for the IARU weekend,
the SFI was 1/2 that (109), altho allegedly the A&K indices were quite low - tell that to the geomagnetic noise that was a constant weekend backdrop.

The IARU GiG revolves around the UTC time clock.  The 12:00z (NooN) starting time was perfect
for the WRTC competition, unlike the 2o14 WRTC Boston-event which began at 5am local time.  During multi-OP contest weekends, I am often running the 2am to 5am shift, going to bed @12:00z, instead of just starting out.

At 5am on the left coast, 40-meters is open to Asia for another hour or so. Twenty meters is "wandering around" looking for an opening, while the MUF has not climbed high enough to enable
15-meters.  By 14:30z, 40-meters was back to "local" communications while 20-meters was showing inklings of propagation possibilities to EU.

Unusual for a radiosport weekend, my OP-time was shared with a 4-hour Zoom conference. 
Due to the way the various segments of the conference were organized, I found plenty of opportunities to work 20-meters and exploit the 15-meter EU opening.  

A success secret for IARU GiGs is
to start on the highest band providing
QSO-runs and work our way down as the MUF drops throughout the day
or the A/K indexes increase.  

For this IARU GiG, 10-meters
was a no-show. 

Perusing the 3830Scores submissions,
it would seem that most operators
(in the USA at least) shared my experience.

While there is already a contest online scoreboard ([CLICK HERE] to go there), because the WRTC station callsigns are assigned just minutes before the contest starts, the unique one-time callsigns did not figure into that system, altho those callsigns eventually made their way onto our spotting band maps.

Instead, the World Radio League (WRL) maintained a separate leaderboard dedicated to the
50 WRTC stations updated every few minutes as each station added new contacts and multipliers
to their ever-increasing scores.  I was so hyper-focused on operating and the separate online conference that by the time I first checked the leaderboard (some 8-hours into the event), the top
10 contenders had already settled into the top-10 - the only real question was what final place these teams will finally land.

After the IARU event was long over, was determined a picture was published detailing the WRTC callsigns which had been assigned. As you can see, the callsigns all shared an "MB" prefix

In all honesty, while the idea of being one of the 100 competitors sounds intriguing, what is required and involved to make it all happen is way out of my league.  While I certainly possess advanced contesting skills, what is required to operate at the WRTC level, requires commitment, time, money,
and nearly obsessive hyper-focus.  To begin with, just getting radio equipment through customs is only one of many things to resolve even before the operating period commences.

Each team is randomly assigned a callsign and an operating location, which as I understand it
they were like Field Day tent setups. Additionally, a referee is randomly assigned who validates
their  setup before the event begins and monitors their operation with audio from both stations split between the Left/Right ears.  After the 12:00z ending, teams have only a short amount of time to reconcile the log before turning it over to the contest committee.

The WRTC event is several days behind us.  Overall, the top 5 teams are I guess no real surprise.
The 2030 event location has yet to be determined.  It will be interesting to find out where that will actually be.

DiD YOU work the 2o26 IARU contest?
How many WRTC "MB" stations are in YOUR Log?

WQ6X runs another Mixed-mode Mixed-BAG IARU Contest

My only beef with the annual IARU HF Championship event is that it is only 24-hours;
Then again, this is what makes it into a championship event.  As there are no 2nd-day
DO-overs, every band/mode choice needs to be considered carefully.

Prior to this event, I wrote up some of my thots on IARU.  ([CLICK HERE] to read that.)

This year's IARU contest event was parallel run with the 2o26 WRTC Team Championship
competition with 50 teams (and hundreds of support personnel) converging in England for
this every-4-year event.  Just before the event began, the 50 teams were randomly handed
a randomly assigned British callsign, along the lines of "MB" and "MD" prefixes. 
The rest of the world anxiously anticipated hearing the first WRTC callsigns on the air. 

 

For those who were interested, the World Radio League maintained a scoreboard enabling
us to watch the progress.  Bye the time I brought up the scoreboard, contenders for the 1st
7-places had been established - it was simply a question of which order they would end up.

The IARU GiG commenced at 13:00.  After a couple of logistical screwups, I made the 1st
contact at 13:30z and ran rather seamlessly until the start of a Zoom conference I was involved
in @9am local time.  Because much of the material was mundane, I was able to position the Zoom screen next to the VNC viewer (VPN) screen and slip a few QSOs into the log during presentations. 
Openings on 20 & 15 meters into Europe made the time spent doubly productive.

After an hour break, the focus was on 15-meters, with marginal but adequate openings to Asia
and even down under.  Unfortunately, 1-second internet jitter made calling CQ not very productive.  Most of the afternoon and evening was spent searching and pouncing on 20-meters.  

At 01:00z, running out of stations to work on Cw, the switch was made to 20-Ssb where eventually
35 Ssb QSOs made it into the log.  Thanks to loading up the K3/0 voice memories before the contest,
all Ssb contacts were made by using function keys - no microphone was needed.  Later, while tuning around 40-meters and then on 75-meters no IARU Ssb activity was heard.  Even later, returning to 20-meters produced no more Ssb entries for the log.

Just before 07:00z, the internet connection failed requiring a restart, after which the internet dropouts
all but disappeared.  Band openings
to Asia made running frequencies very productive once again.

 
At 09:30 with 20-meters all but
gone on the west coast, it was time
to move down to 40-meters, just in
time for the first of several JA pile-ups throughout the early morning until the IARU contest ended at 12:00z once again.  

With the east coast waking up, many USA QSOs made it to the log even tho the Yagi was pointed
at 300-degrees azimuth.  A handful of VK stations also called in, yet surprisingly, no ZL stations
were ever heard - seeing internet spots (only 2) is not the same as actually working them. 
Amazingly, an LU5 station called in via long path - wOw!

When it was all over, capturing the 3830 stats and contest scoreboard, it would seem that WQ6X managed a 4th place for the USA and North America overall.  The details on how the WRTC competition turned out have yet to be announced.  I may well post a follow-up blog on this very topic.

Meanwhile, DiD YOU work the IARU HF Championship?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Offers ThoTs on the IARU HF Championship WeeKend

Being that the IARU is "subsidiary" to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the IARU HF Championship is a reminder that we should leverage the upcoming IARU HF Championship into an opportunity for global interconnectedness between all countries.  As I recall, there are teams competing from Ukraine and Russia and about 30+ other countries.

In brief, we could say that the IARU HF Radiosport contest is a perfectly unique 24-hour compromise between the 48-hour CQ WW and ARRL DX contests events.  Some of the differences include:

• IARU uses the IARU zones instead of the 40 CQ-Zones, states, or power levels.
• Being a 24-hour contest (instead of 48), there are no 2nd-day "Do Overs" - if we miss something, we miss it.
• The IARU championship leverages BOTH Cw and Ssb in one 24-hour period.
  Of course, one of the IARU contest challenges is which operating mode to use and when.
• Every 4-years the IARU contest coincides with the WRTC championship (the Olympics
  or World Cup of radiosport).

Because this is a worldwide
event, solar disturbances will distribute unevenly around the globe, favoring
(or disfavoring) different areas at different times. 

The REAL challenge for radio operators worldwide is navigating the geomagnetic effects by changing antenna direction(s) or making a sudden band change to leverage current ionospheric conditions.  

We often rely on reasonably consistently predictable propagation shifts to specific areas of the world at specific times - solar disturbances can either shift the shift or distort it altogether.

Running a multi-mode event offers the opportunity to leverage both Stereo-SSB as well as Stereo-CW methodologies.  Having decided to reprise the Ramona QTH again this year, the question becomes what power level (5-watts or 99-watts) to run. The influencing factors behind the decision include Propagation, Space-WX and Antenna settings.  

Even when they are available to me I don't turn on KW amplifiers when running Single-OP. 
For me, amplifiers are just one more thing that can go wrong.  At Anza, occasionally an amp has failed during an NX6T multi-OP run, requiring we switch to the backup station or revert to Low Power (LP); however, once you begin with HP, that is the classification the log will be submitted in after the contest.

Whenever possible in ARRL contests, I am always looking to be a part of setting Section and/or Division records.  In the IARU contest, in recent years, I have been a part of 5-records, with some
of them from running Single-OP of some sort.

This year, for me, plopped in the middle of Saturday morning is the first Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) Zoom training session during 16:00z to 20:30z of the IIARU contest - some screen juggling may be in order.  Thanks to a 32" monitor, the goal will be to position the VNC viewer and Zoom windows next to each other during those 4+ hours.  I guess we can call this SO2E (Single-OP 2-Events).

Prior to the contest, the 4-voice memories ion the remote K3 have been loaded, such that theoretically, we can Search & Pounce (S&P) w/o needing a microphone during the entire 24-hour contest period.

To use more than four voice memories,
I can turn on the VOX and use a locally
run copy of N1MM+ to play out local .WAV files, offering 8-to-12 additional verbal expressions.

When running Ssb, the N1MM function
keys F1 to F4 map to the M1 to M4 buttons
on the K3 radio series.  Voice memories
are recorded during a time when there is no internet jitter during the recording process.  Later, when jitter sets in, the memories will play correctly anyway.

Having a microphone connected to the radio along with a foot switch enables saying things that were not pre-recorded.  However, in general, using the voice memories most of the time reduces voice fatigue - especially near the end of the contest.

For Cw, the function key macros become a set of 12 messages that like the voice memories
will play out correctly even if there is internet jitter on my side of the connection.  Notice some
of the more unique function messages like "ROGER" and "WEIRD".  When operators do dumb
things, I salute them with the "W E I R D" key.  On Ssb, function key F-12 can play out the WEIRD.Wav file.  When asked if they got my exchange correctly, function key F9 sends: "R-R-R"

as in "Roger, Roger, Roger".  Otherwise, the necessary correction is sent and we go-round again.

With barely 13-hours remaining before contest start, it would seem that WQ6X is ready for yet another annual installment in the on-going saga of the IARU HF championship, with this year's attendant WRTC 50-team competition.

Are YOU geared up to run the IARU HF championship?

LooK for WQ6X on HF bands EVERYWHERE.

 

WQ6X Walks the Alameda Parade & Runs Marconi Memorial ConTesT

The Marconi Memorial Contest (MMC) is always run the 1st weekend in July which this year
happened to coincide with USA's 4th of July 250th Anniversary celebration.  My weekend goals
included participating in the Alameda 4th of July parade and participate in the Marconi Memorial Contest to eclipse last year's meager MMC score.  ([CLICK HERE] to read about last year's attempt.)

In case you are not aware of the fact, Alameda's 3.2-mile-long 4th of July parade is the longest distance parade of its kind in the USA.  Being a club officer in the Alameda Tongue Twisters (A-T-T) Toastmasters club, I joined other members and other Alameda Toastmasters clubs making that hefty
3.2-mile jaunt as we passed out cards and flyers and even interviewed parade spectators using wireless microphones and a mini boom box.

Before the parade line-up I turned the remote Ramona radio on to 20-meters hoping to hear a flood
of stations calling "CQ MMC" (or some such thing).  Over nearly 90-minutes, 2 Southeastern stations and a single VA3 station made it to the WQ6X log.  As it turned out over the weekend, Space-WX anomalies created havoc with band propagation.  This resulted in 10- & 15-meters being DuDs, while 40-meters never really got started.  In the end, a 20-meter (only) log was submitted.

After the parade a commute to W7AYT's Concord QTH gave me access to the robust array of audio filters that makeup the cool Stereo-CW method I have implemented for running DX pileups and Cw contests.  At 03;19z propagation on 20-meters hadn't really improved and 40-meters had not yet warmed up, affording me the needed time to double-check the recently revamped stereo audio
setup wiring - it all checked out.

As the evening progressed, calling CQ resulted in some informative RBN (Reverse Beacon) stats, confirming that the radio and antennas on my end were bouncing RF off the ionosphere.  Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, EU stations began calling in, many sounding like they were "next door".  The decision was to remain fixed on the same run frequency (14019.69) and keep the CQ's going,
which at the least provided more RBN spots.

Even tho the QSO rate was poor, eventually QSO #50 made it to the log before 20-meters finally faded for the final time.  With a 14:00z ending time, the Marconi Memorial Contest was effectively over in Ramona.  Because all QSOs were made on 20-meters, it made sense to submit a SOSB20 log entry after the contest.  Thanks to Stereo-CW, frequency running during t hose final hours was made more effective (and therefore more fun), making it easier to stay awake as the evening progressed.

When it was all over, those 50-QSOs in 21 countries was worth a whopping 1,050 points. 
While this was hardly much of a score, amazingly, it DiD surpass the previous 2 years. 
If it weren't for the openings to Europe (and a brief shot to SA), the MMC contest woulda
been a complete DuD, as very few USA stations seemed to be actually playing in this event. 
The USA stations who were playing all ran high power (HP), leaving WQ6X to be the lone
submission for SOSB20LP.

DiD YOU work the Marconi Memorial (MMC) contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Wangles a 160-Meter TRI-Square Vertical Array RBN Evaluation

After a recent QSO party weekend, I switched remote access to WA6TQT's STN-1 in Anza. 
to run a series of 160-meter directional-determination tests. At the last minute, it made sense
to write-up the experiment as a separate Blog.

With the recently refurbished 160-meter "TRI-Square" array, theoretically, there should be some
noticeable differences in signal levels between Northeast (N-E), Southeast (S-E) and West (W)
directions.

To measure this, test messages were sent on 1.816 (NE), 1.818 (SE) and 1.820 (W), then again
on 1.822 (NE), 1.824 (SE) and 1.826 (W).  Because I could not discern any real directional patterns,
I fed Ashley @A-I a the above picture of the antenna layout and the RBN stats from the above tests for a more detailed evaluation of the actually directional characteristics
of the TRI-Square.  Here are the essentials from her system evaluation:

"What you actually have is a 3-element vertical phased array for 160 meters, consisting of three 100-foot towers arranged in a triangular pattern, with three phasing lines running to a central relay/phasing mast. The towers themselves are the radiating elements."

"The antenna was configured in three directional modes:

• North-East
• South-East
• West

The reported Signal-to-Noise (dB) values provide a good indication of pattern performance."