WQ6X runs another Cinco DE Contest as WQ6X & NX6T

The begining of MaY opens with two important things: Cinco de Mayo and Cinceo DE Contest.

For 2018, we had the RARE occurance of BOTH events happening on the SAME Day.

How cool is THAT? As with years past, this weekend brought us: 7QP, NEQP, INQP, DEQP & the ARI Dx contest.

Similar to 2016-2017, the principle QSO parties for the Cinco de weekend are the 7QP and NEQP, altho last year, WQ6X squeaked in a 1st-place for CA in the INQP GiG - Go Figure.


In years past I have joined up with the NX6T gang onsite.
In 2016 WQ6X won the 7QP 1st-place plaque from W7AYT's
QTH, followed by a 3rd-place finish in 2017. For 2018 I did something completely different: WQ6X remoted in to NX6T for several operating sessions at station #1, interspersed with running WQ6X/6 at W7AYT's QTH in Concord, Ca.

Prior to the May 5th contest weekend I spent time with the FT-1000mp tuning the bands and noting signal conditions.

 Unfortunately, while the
A & K Indices were low,
so was the solar flux
(SFI) - Bummer Dewd.


Amazingly, Friday evening using the onsite CH-250 vertical, it was possible to copy WWV signals on ALL of their frequencies: 2.5, 5,
10, 15, 20 & 25 mhz - not BaD considering we are at the bottom
of the sunspot cycle.

Antennas @ W7AYT's QTH

Running either the Comet CH-250 vertical or the WQ6X Lazy 8JK Sloper allowed for Horiz/Vertical propagation comparisons.

Amazingly, sometimes
the vertical was quieter than the sloper. 
In some cases, the sloper produced stronger signals, some w/increased noise.


To resolve this seeming conflict, on my next trip to W7AYT the MFJ-1026 noise canceller (languishing on the closet shelf) will be placed inline as I re-learn the art of antenna noise reduction.

Due to a lack of operators, the morning QSO Party shifts were
poorly manned. WQ6X fired up STN#1 @10 am, working mostly 20 with a brief stint on 15. 10 meters produced no openings, up on the hill, or in Concord, altho KK6NON alerted me to a 10-meter opening
in Oceanside (approx. 6 miles away). That opening never made it inland and never materialized in the SF bay area.

Eventually live operators trickled into the shack @NX6T,
allowing me to run as WQ6X via the FT-1000mp in Concord.

AI6O - NN6X - W6ZAR

The afternoon / evening shifts brought in a handful of operators,
some new to the NX6T operation: AI60 and W6ZAR. They helped expand the 20-m stats and put some SSB QSOs in the log as well,
I was temped to patch in the Electro Voice 664 into the laptop's mic jack for running some SSB remotely from NX6T, but eventually decided against it; too many variables to deal with I did NoT need.

Had I not been so Lazy, it could have been tested the 664 on Friday evening and be all ready to go. OH Well - one thing at a time.

7QP Ending Stats

ARI contest participation was never heard @ NX6T OR W7AYT. 

While I saw an occasional "9" spot, no INQP QSOs ended up in the WQ6X log either; likewise for DEQP.



From the Concord location, oddly enough, no SSB stations were heard in the State QSO Parties, only Cw. 

All complexities aside, 7QP and NEQP were the only contest events out of Cinco DE Contest that were actually worth spending any real time pursuing.

Because 7QP ended at midnight and NEQP was (per the rules) on hold until Sunday morning, neither of the operations (NX6T or WQ6X) had to contend with the obligatory intentional 40-meter QRM usually experienced after 07:30z - I guess, a blessing in disguise.

Filing a 3830Score for WQ6X AFTER N6KI submitted the NX6T
score exposed a design flaw in the WA7BNM contest calendar.

Shortly after I reported it to Bruce Horn the problem was resolved.

Now in the WQ6X 3830 Statistics BOTH score submissions appear
on the list; at this rate, WQ6X might even surpass last years contest submissions.

Did YOU participate in 7QP or NEQP?

Is WQ6X or NX6T (or Both) in YOUR Log?

　05-29-18: This JUST In - NX6T took another Multi-OP 1st place.