WQ6X Wanders Thru another ARRL Dx Contest



In preparation for this contest weekend I made a quick review of past ARRL Dx Cw GiGs
that I have [literally] "fallen" into, one way or another; some of them even winning operations.

[x] - BLAST's from the PAST: WQ6X in ARRL
DX Contests

• [x] - WQ6X Teams up with NX6T for 2018 ARRL Dx Contests
• [x] - NX6T Nixes ARRL Dx Left Coast competition (in 2019)

For this year, a number of operators were cobbled together; some of them even achieving B-i-C (Butt In Chair) status, altho most operations were run remotely.

An advantage of my running NX6T remotely is that the local (Alameda) external audio filters can be brought into enhancing receive signal quality; an Autek QF-1A (L. Ear) + MFJ-751 (R. Ear).


Frequently while running a frequency the individual filters created a listening experience where certain signals appeared in the middle-left of my listening experience, or in one case the "lower right" in my listening experience; this creates a listening separation that actually aids in untangling the individual signals.

Remember, this is Analog Audio Enhancement, nearly 25 years before the concept of DSP ever became a possibility in radio amateur equipment.  The filter combination helped BOOST specific signals while at the same time attenuating those nearby; while the QRN-levels were low, the QRM-Jumble levels were immense.



Morning operators are often presented with the dilemma of leaving a running-20 in the hopes
of an emerging-15.  Because the stations share a common log file, it is possible to do a form
of SO-2R as WM6Y demonstrates (above).

As the contest proceeded, either out of boredom or chronic I-Don't-have-a-Clueness, stateside and even VA7 stations were calling me.  HuH? Dewd, this is a DX contest, go LooK for DX.  Lemme address the reasons they call me, explaining this to my mythical friend DEWD - WD6EWD

• Hey Dewd, if you don't know this is a contest, then YOU should NoT call me.
• Dewd, if you DO know this is a contest, then you know that you can't work me in this event; therefore YOU should NoT call me.
• Dewd, do you know this is a DX contest? If so, then YOU should NoT call me.
• Dewd, just because you're BORED doesn't make a QSO valid; therefore YOU
  should NoT call me.

Are amateurs really as Clueless as WD6EWD?  WoW!  I thought EVERYBODY knew this was
a contest weekend; they're either busy participating in it or openly BITCHING about it in their
mindless Ragchews.  Or, am I missing something?....
To refresh your memory, here are links to what I wrote about this "Problem":

• [x] August 2019 - 7 Reasons You [probably] Should Not Call Me - Part 1
• [x] September 2019 - 7 Reasons You [probably] Should Not Call Me - Part 2

Now that We got this all straight....

Remembering that this is a DX contest, everyone in North America should be LooKing for DX,

not domestic contacts.  At NX6T we managed to EASILY accomplish DXCC during the weekend;

101 countries on 20-m and 93 countries on 40-m - AmaZing!



N X 6 T  @  G r e y l i n e  - S u n s e t

While 15 & 10 meter band conditions were all but deplorable, we were rewarded with AMAZING band conditions on 160 - 20 meters.

I am used to thinking of 40 meters as
a band which opens to the East coast well after 01:00z (5pm).  For this ARRL DX contest, I was putting EU contacts into the NX6T log at 23:35z.  HuH?

That never happens.

 

What made our 39 hours of operation so effective had a LoT to do with leveraging techniques, equipment and operators into a relatively cohesive whole.  Because I have been pushing myself heavily in the days leading up to this GiG, I found a need for more sleep and was not able to contribute as much to the after midnight activity as I usually do.

 

Nevertheless, our 5-operator crew did an outstanding job of handing out NX6T QSOs.  It will be interesting to see how the Ssb GiG of the ARRL contest will turnout.  With the slowly improving

Solar Flux (SFI), if there are no solar-belches, we should experience an even more outstanding

event.

 

What about YOU? 

 

DiD YOU work the ARRL Dx Cw Contest?

 

Is NX6T in YOUR LoG?