WQ6X JoTs a Few ThoTs about Juggling BoTs in IOTA

The RSGB IOTA (Islands on the Air) contest is a unique radiosport GiG in
that we are looking for RSGB Island-designators, not countries; altho some countries are also made up of islands.

Last year, I ran my BEST EVER IOTA GiG.  ([Click Here] to read about it.)  While this year was actually a LoT more fun, it turns out I didn't do nearly as well as 2019.  Go Figure.

Running Fallbrook's STN-1 remotely
(via RCForb), I chose to run Cw only
and not mixed-mode.  In looking at the after-scores on the 3830Scores website, it seems to have been the correct choice.

Running from Alameda allows me to process the RCForb audio thru a pair
of Autek QF-1a filters, one coupled with
an old MFJ-751 Signal Enhancer.


Being an RSGB contest, the IOTA GiG of course starts at 12:00z (NooN) in the U.K., which of course is 5am on the Left Coast - oh the sacrifices we make in order to play radiosport.  From the beginning,
I noticed not enough Island stations calling CQ; I took it upon myself to remedy the dearth of CQ's by spending much of my operating time running frequencies.

Lack of Island participation is always a problem, however I had hoped this year would be different.  Unfortunately, an e-mail from K9NW explained it like this:

"Given that RSGB nixed multi's and island expeditions this year, it's little wonder there were less islands active.  There was no incentive to go out. "

Bummer dewd.  I would've thot that as long as the activities were conducted indoors on those
islands there would be no problem.  I guess knot.  For us Left-coasters, fortunately, Japan represents 5 different islands.  Qsos with Island stations are worth 15 points (not to mention the multiplier value) instead of just 2-points per land-lubber station. 

The distinction between Island-designators and CQ or ITU zones is best explained as follows:

Searching the Internet I came across the above picture that allows us to look at Islands around the globe.  [CLICK HERE] to look at that website.

For the IOTA weekend I found the band conditions to be quite interesting. 
While 15-meters produced very little QSO content, it turns out there  a couple of openings
on 10-meters.  Later after 20-meters seemed to have closed, after running out of 40/80
meter stations to work, another look on 20-meters put another couple of QSOs into the log.

Normally, when I am working JA stations, adding "Billy-Bob" from the Southeast U.S. is worth nothing.  For the IOTA GiG Billy-Bob (off the back of the Shorty-40 yagi) is at least worth 2-points; Cuba (just beyond that) was worth a full 15 points.

Noticeably missing from this IOTA GiG (as well as 2019 & 2017) was South America.  Except for stations in Brazil, no S/A stations were worked; much less any Southern Hemisphere Islands from that area.

 

While I ran in the high power category, for shack heat considerations I kept the power down to about 660 watts throughout the contest.  Because 160 meters is not allowed in this contest, I did not have

to be concerned with BOMBING the internet connection on 160 (as we have done in years past).

 

When it was all over, the 3830 Stats indicate that WQ6X took 10th-place worldwide,

2nd-place for North America and 1st-place for USA - who woulda figured THAT?

 

DiD YOU work the RSGB IOTA contest?

 

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

 

Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters - Part 3: The Value of Elmering and Mentoring

This 3rd installment is an outgrowth from the previous Blogs I have written on the

subject of Creative Competition.  In case you missed Parts 1 & 2, here they are:

• [x] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters
• [x] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters - Part 2: The 6 P's

In Radiosport (in particular) and Amateur Radio (in general) we have Elmering; in Toastmasters
we call it mentoring.  Elmers and Mentors have enabled me to discover innate abilities in radiosport and speech competitions, I never thought attainable.  When I didn't think I could take it to the next level, they encouraged me forward and then stepped out of the way, giving me the space to make it all happen.

As I said in Part 2, in order to deliver our best performance we should consider the 6 P's; namely: PLANNING, PREPARATION, PRACTICE, PERSISTENCE, PRESENTATION & PROTOCOL. 
In all these areas, mentoring can allow me to perfect each of the P's, taking things to the next level.

However, in order for mentoring to work, I must be worthy of being mentored; meaning, I must demonstrate a commitment to performance-betterment, being willing to invest the time/effort to
be the best I can be.  I repay my Elmers and Mentors by not giving up and getting with the program. 
As I said in Part 2, would-be winners often give up too easily, too early in the game.

Another way to repay is to "Giveback to the Community" by mentoring/Elmering the next generation
of upcoming competitors.  During recent years @NX6T in Fallbrook, a number of under-18 operators have learned and perfected the art of radiosport; included in that list are: Axel KI6RRN and Levi KK6NON (now W6JO) who have ascended to contest greatness.  While they learned from elder operators (21+) - often by watching and listening - they have individually taken it to the next level.

In the future , should I be brave enough to brave the world of SO2R, I like to know they will be available to answer all MY Questions when I am in one of those confused states.

In radiosport another way to discover how to take things to the next level is by being a part of station setup and maintenance, not JUST an operator.  In Toastmasters the equivalent is to volunteer in the production of a speech contest; become a ballot counter, a judge, or a contest organizer.  Doing so will give you a deeper appreciation for what it takes to become the Best of the best in the actual competition.

Additionally, as you mentor others you will discover what is lacking in your understanding of each aspect of the Art.  When I know that I don't know then I know there is more that I need to know in order to continue being the best of the best.  Mentors/Elmers should form their own association, allowing us to help each other as we help others.

Now, in order to set an ethical example for those you are mentoring, don't be a hypocrite - practice what you are proclaiming to be the correct operating behavior.  You've heard me say "When in doubt, CHEAT (but within the Rules)".  Don't enforce rules on those you mentor and then turn right around and violate those very rules you just proclaimed are at the heart of the competition.

Winning by breaking the rules is no win at all.  In radiosport once in awhile it is announced that WL6LID ran as unassisted when in fact they used internet spotting, or filed as a Single-OP station when in fact there were 4 operators behind the key, keyboard or microphone.  In Toastmasters once-in-awhile a speech contestant will claim to meet the entrant requirements when in fact they do not;
or their speech/evaluation goes overtime and they are not correctly time-disqualified. 

These are not actual wins; they are atrocities that CHEAT the REAL Winners from being accorded
the win they rightfully deserve to win.  They invest weeks, months and years only to have the rug pulled out by rule violations that are allowed to go unchecked.  Speech contests and radiosport competitions are all about improving our capabilities and skills.  At best, cheating encourages mediocrity, not excellence.

Speech contests and radiosport competitions allow us to take our skills to the next level; especially when we give-back to the competition process itself.  From time-to-time it may be determined that
the rules are lacking or in some way inadequate.  This does not give us permission to break the rules just because we don't like them; instead, it encourages those of us in the know to petition the contest organizers to have the rules upgraded to reflect the changing world we live in.  Until that happens,
we play within the rules the way they are published.

While individual contestants will in the end be competing alone on the playing field, remember:
"It's takes a village" to assist that individual to the place of Excellence that in-the-end can only
come from individual effort.

Do you like engaging in contests and competition?

How does Mentoring and Elmering figure into YOUR plans?

WQ6X Works a slippery-slope NAQP RTTY Contest

This has to be one of the strangest (if not THE strangest) NAQP RTTY contest in July EVER.
It came out of nowhere and almost didn't happen TWICE.  At the very least, this weekend was
an embodiment of how important sticking to your original plan REALLY is.  The world around us
is of course still loaded with chaos; the reason I used Dilbert to headline this Blog entry.

Yesterday it seemed like I rolled out of bed - on the wall side.  A radio club bored meeting and a Toastmaster's training, for disconnected reasons did not materialize.  That seemed to pave the way for beginning the NAQP RTTY promptly at 18:00z (11am) and work the 1st ten hours of the GiG.  Amplifier problems with STN-1 (in Fallbrook) and no easy access to STN-2 from my Elecraft K3/0 setup in Concord seemed to be an off-the-air proclamation.

At 21:00z N6KI called to say that STN-1's amp problem had mysteriously been resolved. 
AWEsome.  Except unfortunately IP internet access in/out-of Fallbrook was not responsive - at
BOTH stations.  After nearly an hour of troubleshooting we resolved all this by restarting BOTH computers and I did the same on my end - Hurrah!  problem solved: 92 watts output - except,
not quite.  After making 4 QSOs on 15-meters and switching to 20, the Expert 2KL amplifier
was again non-responsive - Zero output. 

Bypassing the amplifier, the K3 was dialed back to 55 watts for the rest of the contest. 

As it turns out, there was a pipeline from Fallbrook to the E. Coast - being heard was

not a problem; however hearing back was a REAL problem.  I probably clicked the

"UR CALL AGN?" button 500 times in the 6-hour operating period.

Once on 20-meters (@00:05z) WQ6X settled in on 14114.14 for nearly an hour until some
joker moved in on top of me relegating a move down to 14113.93 for another hour.  At 01:36z the move was made down to 7087.87 until the Ssb crowd moved in, relegating a shift further down to 7083,83.  At 03:53z it was time for 80 - 3582.82 and then 3597.97.  I was hoping to work many of
the same stations from 40 & 20 again on 80.  Unfortunately, only a handful of stations actually followed me there - Bummer Dewd. 

At 05:10z it was back to 40 (7095.95) just in time for an FT-8 heckler (at 05:26) who made FT8-Squeals every time he heard a station call me.  This clown was followed up by K5LY working me (after several repeats) and then IMMEDIATELY calling CQ on my run frequency, attempting to steal QSOs with MY calling stations.  HuH?  WTF is THAT all about?  By 05:30z as quick as it

all started, they both got bored and disappeared (presumably to hassle someone else).

When it was all over 246 QSOs (w/87 Multipliers) actually made it to the log - amazing when
you consider it was originally suggested that WQ6X was to be off the air all weekend.

How about YOU?  Did YOUR callsign materialize during the NAQP RTTY GiG?

Is WQ6X in YOUR Log?

How Long Do We Hafta DO 5-9 & 5-9-9?

While I Love Computer Assisted Transceiving (C.A.T.) for radiosporting, if we are to rescue it from

possible degeneration into a Repetitive Colossal Bore, the exchange delivery needs to be updated

to reflect the world of Radiosport 2000 and beyond.  Back in the day (50 - 60+ years ago) as radio sport contests came into the mainstream, a received signal report ACTUALLY meant something. 

During the DX contest for example, if the DX station was (to me) RST 5-2-9, I sent him 5-2-9

(although he probably logged it 5-9-9).

 

The purpose of this Contest Blog entry is to pitch a case (several cases, actually) detailing why sending signal reports in radiosport contests is an utter and COMPLETE waste of time that should

be replaced with something more useful.

 

The way *I* understand the spirit of radiosport, the idea is to convey relevant information Quickly & Accurately.  Notice I said RELEVANT.  I don't consider the transmission of 5-9 or 5-9-9 to be relevant anymore, it never really was; in my mind sending it is a COMPLETE waste of time and in no way contributes towards demonstrating superior operating skill.

 

My FAVorite contest exchange is used in ARRL's November Sweepstakes - for example: 

WA6LKB NR 123 U WQ6X 69 EB. 

Notice there is no signal report; we already have enough to send as it is.

 

I propose the notion that certain contest exchanges can and should be transformed into something more relevant and therefore more enjoyable (or at least one that's less prone to boredom - BoreDumb as I sometimes call it).  Here are (to me) some of the more obvious ways to restructure a typical contest exchange: 

• Instead of 5-9 or 5-9-9 + Zone - how about Name + Zone -or- Name + State/Section - similar to NAQP and State QSO parties  - no need for a signal report.
• Contests like the RTTY RU send Serial # + Section - again no need for a signal report.
• In RTTY contests, how about Serial # + Zone  - again no need for a signal report.
• A composite exchange could be: Zone + State/Section.
• Or even: Name + Zone + State/Section - alternating Alpha / Numeric/ Alpha.

While there are many other possibilities, the above 5 suggestions demonstrate how easy it is
to replace the signal report with something more usefully relevant.

The purpose of radiosport competitions is the demonstration of a superior ability to accurately communicate specific, relevant pieces of information in a timely manner over a limited amount

of time.

What do You think of eliminating 5-9 & 5-9-9 from radiosport contest exchanges?

I would like to hear YOUR views.

WQ6X Wanders Incredulously thru 2020 IARU

This was a weird weekend; not a BaD weekend, just different, a bit out of the ordinary; 'cept that
when it comes to "ordinary" in Radiosport, I don't Really know what that means.  In recent months people world-wide have found their lives discombobulated from being indoors for long stretches of time.  In the World of WQ6X, know 2 things:

• I'm ALREADY staying indoors - problem already solved.
• I'm wearing a Mask so I don't infect myself - what more Do I NeeD? 

You heard me claim that radiosport events actually qualify as emergency-preparedness exercises. 
In the midst of a disaster (hurricane, bombing, tornado) you may be forced ("coerced") to operate from an underground radio installation, being the ONLY means of communication with the rest
of the world for the next 48 hours.  Are you READY?  Can you deliver crisp, precise but BRIEF communications for the next 2 days? (Daze?)

For me, the "shutdown" has required little change to my schedule; at least on weekends. 
On weekends, I am either operating from Alameda or in Concord; in either case I am ALREADY indoors for most of the weekend anyway (A/C permitting of course).  This weekend was just one
more weekend of what I have already been doing with my weekends: staying indoors and playing radiosport.  The "shutdown" just gives me more justification (if I actually needed any) to play with my radio; not JUST during contest events, but afterwards when I find "excuses" to retrofit some cabling, or shift antenna wires for "more optimized" performance - Gotta keep the wheel turning.

This last weekend I kept the wheel turning by FORCING Myself to stay indoors playing in the
IARU contest - sheer torture!  I know sometimes when you hear me yelling at some IDIOT! on my
run frequency it may sound like torture, but is in fact, just one more annoyance to contend with in the world of the open-field we call the amateur frequency spectrum; altho sometimes, some bands just seem WORSE than others, probably I'm just overreacting and should just take a Chill-Pill

For this year's IARU GiG NX6T had quite an array of operators; each contributing their genius
(and wizardry) to the overall NX6T effort including (but not limited to):  K3PS, N6ERD, N6KI,
N6NC, W6JBR, W6ZAR, WB6NBU, & WQ6X.

N6ERD (Dan) and WQ6X opened the contest running the 12:00z 2 hour shift (5am to 7am);
Ron running Cw and on the 1/2 hours Dan running Ssb.  After WB6NBU ran a DYN-o-MITE
2 hour session, I came back at 16:00z for 2 more hours.  At 18:00z I handed STN-2 over and
it was time to put WQ6X on the air in the 2020 IARU Contest.

Having resolved the keying-cable debacle from the Marconi GiG weekend, IARU via the Yaesu
FT-1000mp ran quite smoothly.  I didn't think to create a set of IARU-specific .Wav files for this contest and elected instead to run CW-only, not mixed-mode. 

While the QSO count was a mere 121contacts, there were some interesting calls in those 121; including a surprise 10-meter opening from 19:07z to 20:08z, netting stations in: VE7, WA, OR,
CA, CO & KS.  The RBN stats said WQ6X was CERTAINLY being heard throughout the Northwest. 
If a station is transmitting but no human-ears are hearing the signal, can we consider the band to be open?  Today's Answer is an emphatic: YES!!

K2GMY (just north of me in Benicia) must've been utilizing some sort of Spectrum Display,
because within 30 seconds of my 1st CQ on a new band, Richard's call would flood my speaker;
not necessarily the 1st QSO on the new band, but certainly worth the 1 point 5x - Thank You!

From all around the USA it is agreed that there were EXCELLENT openings to Europe on 20 & 40 meters, that were accompanied by LoTs of atmospheric noise.  Unfortunately, while I could hear many EU stations, only SN0HQ made it to the WQ6X log.  Otherwise, the longest distant stations were KL7, KH6, KH2, ZM1, JA & RT0 - the W7AYT location sure is a DX-vortex; or, am I doing
something wrong?

I heard stations say that Asian signals were lacking.  While that is true, there were a surprising number of Chinese and Thai stations worked @ NX6T, altho they were not heard in SF East Bay - Bummer Dewd!  Hoping to glean insight from Asian propagation information on 40 meters, turning to the Russian military beacons, it was evident the "K" beacon has been absent for over 10 days now.  Should we be jumping to conclusions as to its demise?  OR?.....

Playing around with the STAT screens gives us all kinds of information, IF we can understand what the different charts are referring to (individually and in conjunction).  Being a statistics JUNKIE, I am always looking for that last bit of insight that will shed more light on the causes behind this year's success and (possibly) what can be expected for next year (given similar circumstances).

During this contest event, I was surprised by the lack of intentional QRM; at least on 40-meters anyway.  Instead we were plagued with stations who didn't know what an ITU zone was.  I would ask them for their state (ex: OK) and let them know which ZONE they were in (I.e. Zone-7), altho I dunno if some of those stations even understood what I was trying to explain.  Remember my motto: When in Doubt, RTFR (Read the Rules).  I'm beginning to wonder if the internet has dumbed some people into thinking that rule-reading is a special (aka "Advanced") skill.

When it was all over, NX6T took 16th place worldwide, 12th place for USA/N.A. and 1st-place for San Diego and the Southwest Division.  WQ6X ended up near the bottom of the SOAB(A) list; at least the callsign is in 100+ logs.

What about You?
DiD YOU participate in the 2020 IARU Hf Championship?

Is NX6T or WQ6X in YOUR Log?

WQ6X Reflects (here and there) on IARU: from Donuts to Dual-OP

I tend to think of the IARU Hf Championship GiGs as the mid-Summer Dx contest; sort of
a cross between the late-Winter ARRL Dx contest and the mid-Autumn CQ W.W. contest GiGs.

While I always bemoan this event's relatively short 24-hour OP-time (the ARRL & CQ GiGs are a FULL 48 hours) the IARU GiG is certainly am exciting challenge.  There are No 2nd-chances in the IARU GiG; if a band-opening is missed, we can't "pick it up tomorrow" - there IS No Tomorrow in this contest - 24 hours is all we get.

As I said in the IARU Blast-from-the-Past Blog, while I miss the stop at Randy's Donuts enroute
to Fallbrook, I DON'T miss the drive.  Running Dual-OP from Concord affords me more operating opportunities.  Now, if Randy's Donuts can deliver some of their delicacies via FEDEX or Amazon,
I will have the best of ALL THREE worlds.

While NX6T took a pair of 1st-places last year, because we are STILL in the bottom-dregs of the
solar sunspot cycle, it is expected that we will be relying on the lower amateur bands (160 - 80 - 40 & 20) as we did last year; any 15 & 10 meter QSOs will be BONUS points, relative to the overall GiG.
([CLICK HERE] to read the write up on last year's operation.)

The IARU contest is somewhat unique in that it is a multi-mode contest.  When running as a single-OP (aka WQ6X), I have the choice of running Cw only, Ssb only, or Mixed-mode (same as the ARRL 10-Meter contest).  Multi-OP setups are considered mixed-mode, no matter what modes are used.

Last year, altho the 8JK was different than it is now, amazingly, European QSOs made it to the WQ6X log; not an easy accomplishment from such a Dx-Vortex location.  In general, last years' IARU GiG was loaded with surprises.  Always a surprise is when odd-ball IARU zones are activated at the last moment, with virtual no advance-warning.  It is for this reason alone that operators should stick it out on each band. 

If your antenna(s) are rotatable, put on your listening-ears and LooK for those illusive Zones; and even (horror of horrors) call CQ once in awhile.  You might be pleasantly greeted with calls from some of those illusive zones; it has happened to me MANY times.  To make your job easier (and less voice-taxing), use a voice keyer, or even a digital / tape player.

For now, it's bedtime - I am due to join Dan (N6ERD) for the 12:00z (5am) starting shift. 
What about You?  Do YOU ever play in the IARU Hf Championship?  If NoT, WHY Knot?

WQ6X Dual-OPs the DL-Dx RTTY & Marconi Cw Contests

What do you do on the 4th of July weekend when most celebrations have been sidelined?  If you're a radiosport contester like me, the answer is quite simple: play around in two European radio contests: The DL-Dx RTTY contest and the Marconi Memorial Cw GiG.

My original plan was to dual-OP both contests.  Cw keying problems sidelined running the Marconi GiG from Concord as WQ6X.  Of course, AFTER the weekend is over I resolved the keying problem in under five minutes - GO Figure.  Altho RTTY operation ran well for WQ6X, I was so preoccupied with running contests remotely as NX6T that only 2 RTTY QSOs made it into the WQ6X log in Concord;
at LEAST I can say "I WuZ THERE!"

Since the Field Day sailboat operation is a week behind us, I brought back the ICOM 7000,
this time along with its 7" video monitor, making it even more useful in the shack; especially
when it comes to SWL'ing - it's main function right now.  Before this weekend I wrote up a BLAST from the Past Blog entry about the Marconi Memorial contest - [CLICK HERE] to read that.

Throughout the weekend, a number of different anomalies were noted - including:

• Throughout the day (18:20z & 20:18z in particular), the 14111.11 run frequency
  seemed to bring out the multi-mode-digital boys with all manner of creative sounds to QRM "those pesky contesters" - as one Ssb critic once called us.  At one point, the digital interference sounded like a SICK Chicken; actually it was a Sick CHICKEN who chose to deliberately QRM a thriving run frequency.

• 15 Meters was CLEARLY open, yet nearly 30 minutes of CQ time dispersed throughout the afternoon produced a WHOPPING 2 QSOs.  I've written about the importance of Calling CQ ([CLICK HERE] &[CLICK HERE]), yet CQ calls are worthless if my intended audience just ASSUMES that 15 meters is going to be DEAD and don't even look for REAL.  One thing I know about radio wave communication is that openings can occur
  at anytime, on any frequency, for any reason, OR, for no apparent reason at all.
• Next up is the case of juicy ZL3P.  Not only would he be a GooD catch, but an
  incredible feat for that time of day.  The catch: he was ZERO-BEAT with the NCDXF beacon frequency - Tsk Tsk - HE should know better.  If I work him I sanction JAMMING Beacon transmissions just because I want 2-points and a multiplier.  <<S I G H!>>
  About 20 minutes later he called in on my 14089.89 run frequency; I got my 2-points
  and multiplier and retained my ethical stance that beacon frequencies should be given PLENTY of ROOM to operate.  There is 50-khz of RTTY-available spectrum ABOVE 14.100 - give the beacons some room!
• The DUP QSO Boys were out in force during BOTH contests.  I JUST wrote about this problem and now it seems to be getting worse (or am I becoming more sensitive to it?).  Nothing worse than having a station repeat his call 5 times (he changes the letters on each sending) and then on the SIXTH repeat he sends it correctly: W6-DUP - and it
  shows up as a Dupe - DuH!  Mr. W6DUP just wasted 40 seconds of run time from his being out in la-la land and calling me for the FIFTH time that day (after working me in
  the morning).  By the time we sort it all out, all the other calling stations got impatient
  (or bored) and moved on to find stations they don't have to wait around for.

• Here is a FACT that is HARDLY an anomaly: calling stations GIVE UP TOO EASILY. 
  In general, it seems that after the third call to me many stations just give up and move on.  If you don't mind my asking: WHERE ARE YOU GOING?  Do you have other QSOs more important than working MY station?  You invested 3 calls to me; you may as well keep going.  All too often I finally piece your call together send you an exchange, and you are LONG GONE.  I repeat the exchange 3 times - if no response from you then it's Ctrl-W
  to the rescue (WIPE) and I move on; only to have you call in again 5 minutes later and
  we get to try it all over again.
• Probably the Dingle-Dork of the weekend award is the guy on Cw who jumped onto my 7062.62 run frequency telling me QRL (the frequency is in use); yes, it IS in use Dewd
  and I have been using it for nearly 1/2 hour.
  I guess 7062.62 was his Saturday morning RAGCHEW frequency and he didn't like sharing it.  He pointed his wimpy Rota-Dipole in my direction and realized I had been there all along.  Could he not move up/down 5kc and send his buddy a TEXT message that he is QSX on 7067.62?  Is it really all that difficult?

• The 40-meter Russian military beacons were a bit of an anomaly this weekend. 
  The "F" and "M" beacons were easily heard both evenings.  The "K" beacon was nowhere to be found.  Sweeping the Shorty-40 yagi from 270-degs to 0-degs and parking it at 300. nothing was heard from the "K" beacon.  Awhile back, I wrote a couple of Blogs about these beacons ([CLICK HERE] and [CLICK HERE]), noting that the "K" beacon has been exhibiting what I will call "fickle" behavior in recent weeks.  If you ask me, being OFF the air is just more fickle behavior.

It is amazing the different kinds of experiences that can come out of a minor-contest weekend,
when it coincides with a USA holiday like July 4th on a weekend.

Did YOU work the DL-Dx RTTY and/or Marconi Memorial Cw GiGs?

Is NX6T in YOUR LoG?

BLAST from the Past: Memories of Marconi Memorial

As the July 4th weekend nears, I am gearing up for my 3rd entry into the Marconi Memorial Cw contest, along with the DL-Dx RTTY Contest GiG.  While these European-based radiosport GiGs are relatively new to me, what brings me back is the relative ease in making it all happen in 2018 & 2019, even taking a Single Band-40 1st-place in last year's Marconi event.

Here is what I originally wrote about the Marconi Memorial (MM) and DL-Dx Contests:

• [x] - WQ6X Runs another DL-Dx RTTY & Marconi Memorial Contest Weekend
• [x] - WQ6X Dabbles in Marconi Memorial & DL-DX RTTY Contest

In both events, the QSO totals were disappointingly low.  In fact, during the 2019 DL-Dx GiG,
no German stations ever made it to the log; not that the bands weren't open to Europe. 
What good is a European opening, when no one in Europe is participating in their own
contest?!  (I have the same complaint with State QSO Parties - except CQP of course).

Because more people are staying indoors worldwide, I am postulating that there will be an EXCESS of operators on the air during BOTH of these radiosport events.  Now is NoT the time to be staring at a powered-off radio.  Now is the opportunity to use these two radiosport GiGs as a way to check out your amateur station performance.

The above picture from my Alameda remote-operating location shows the latest audio filter combination being test-run: an Autek-QF-1A for the left ear and a QF-1A cascading into an old MFJ-751 (the single-filter predecessor to the MFJ-752 series).  While the 751 will probably never make it to the Concord portable operation, running cascade from the RCForb radio-control software
is better than running wide-open.

At least we have quiet geomagnetosphere for
this weekend.  While the WHOPPING SFI of 70
isn't much, indications are 20/40 will be the bands to pay attention to.

While in Concord, I will
be putting the ICOM 7000 (used during FD) back in operation @W7AYT's QTH, allowing me to troubleshoot its COM2 radio keying problems.

Overall, the ICOM 7000
is an Excellent CW performing radio.


Do YOU anticipate operating in the Marconi Memorial and/or DL-Dx RTTY GiGs this weekend?

LooK for NX6T and/or WQ6X on BOTCH Cw and RTTY.

WQ6X Floats another Field Day as K6QLF

Despite all the challenges, with a few compromises Field Day 2020 not only happened, the bands seemed more jammed than ever.  As part of the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA), last year

I ran much of K6QLF's HF activity from a sailboat in Alameda's Aeolian yacht harbor, while other operators enjoyed the luxury of running 2 stations indoors at the yacht club. 
([CLICK HERE] to read that write up.)

The decision was made to run my ICOM-7000 from WB6RCU's 42' sailboat, moored out at the end
of Alameda's Aeolian Yacht Harbor.  A pair of antennas radiated the RF:  the on-board Sloper-wire (tuned by an SGC-257 feeding the wire directly) and a Butternut HF2-V vertical I bungee-corded to the boat's main mast (with 6 groundplane wires hanging over the boat into the water).  The vertical was tuned for all bands via the old vintage Dentron Jr. Monitor (It is an antenna tuner - I never DiD figure out what it is monitoring), 

Thinking we had an SGC-257 tuner problem we removed it and brought in a replacement. 
While waiting for the replacement, a kludge was improvised using bypass clip leads and red tape
so we could at least test-tune the sloper with the Dentron tuner.

Almost more than any single radiosport event, Field Day (FD) requires a considerable amount of advance setup, when the setup is portable; whether it be on land or aboard a sailboat.  I like to setup on Friday allowing me to test the radio(s) on all bands - 75-meters in particular - on Friday evening.

Throughout the Field Day weekend there were a number of WEIRD anomalies, including:

• A large majority of stations were in some way operating indoors; probably 80% of the classifications were 1D/1E or 2D/2E.  It would seem that my 1A classification actually confused many operators; until of course they hear I am running from a sailboat.
• The LOUD MOUTH on 7.164 (03:54z) loudly complaining about how WE are QRMing
  him, making him run 1500 watts in order to have a ragchew.  The fact is, his random complaint about QRM was in fact - QRM  He Didn't have to worry about whether or not
  His LOUD MOUTH was being heard.  He needs a BETTER RECEIVER not More Power.
• While attempting to copy the Field Day bulletin on 7.0475 and 14.0475, both frequencies were BARRAGED with Field Day stations, making copy all but impossible.  Those Dingle Dorks should realize that a correctly copied message would be worth 100 points to them.  That is the equivalent of 100 Ssb QSOs or 50 QSOs on Cw.  What FOOLs!
• There was the slow Cw station who [allegedly] didn't understand Field Day so I explained it to him and gave him his 1st QSO.  After working me he moves up ~150 Hz and starts calling CQ FD - HuH?  WTF?
• While the QF-1A and MFJ-752 filters looked good in the photo, all they accomplished was in giving the laptop a place to sit (like last year).  I guess I've never run the ICOM 7000 into a QF-1A before; the ground-loop hum was intolerable.  The MFJ-752 was also sidelined when it was discovered there was no power cable to match the weird power jack on the back (one of my BEEFs with the MFJ-752b). 
• Throughout the day and evening, I was hearing (very weak) BDCST stations in the middle of the 3.5 Mhz Cw band.  HuH?  The signals were heard with BOTH antennas, ruling out antenna-created false resonance.  When setup in Concord, the ICOM 7000 has never heard these kinds of signals.  I wonder what being in a boat harbor has to do with things?
• When running Ssb, it was quite apparent that many OPs don't know how to tune in a Ssb station as they were frequently off frequency (usually too low), requiring the R-i-T to tune them in.  While I don't mind using RIT when I have it, when I run remote there IS NO RIT, so we have to FAKE it.  The REAL answer to always be on frequency before you call.

According to the 3830 Scores Website, my K6QLF operation from the sailboat took 1st-place

for California and 4th place for the USA and Canada.  As for how the ENTIRE K6QLF operation
fared in comparison to the rest of Field Day is yet to be determined.

This is it, in summary.  For me this Field Day was no different from any other in that it is guesswork
all the way as we turn all the pieces into some sort of coherent radio operation for 36 hours.

How about You?

Were YOU part of a coherent Field Day?

Is K6QLF in YOUR LoG?

Tell me about it.

You're A DUP OL' Man...

During Wednesday's Canadian RAC contest, I must've sent over 25 callers the "QSO B4" message from N1MM+; it was necessary for several callers - TWICE!  HuH?  Am I MISSING Something? 
I shall explain......

Every radiosport GiG has a LIMIT to the number of
times I can work you in the contest.  For November Sweepstakes it's ONCE - Period!  In most other contests, it's once per band and/or once per band-mode.  How do you know what is allowed in any given contest?  Very Simple - READ the CONTEST RULES.

 Once you have reached that quota with regard to my callsign, then, very clearly, "You should NoT Call Me".  I've written about this phenomenon many times in this contest Blog.

7 Reasons You [probably] Should Not Call Me:
[Part 1]  [Part 2] & in May [Part 3].

Evidently I'm not getting the message across.


SO, what does it mean that you can only work me once, once per-band or once per band-mode? 
It means you can only work me once, once per-band or once per band-mode.  What is so difficult to understand about that?  Reading the contest rules will identify which is allowed in that particular contest.  If you're STILL not sure, an e-mail to the contest host (BE-4 the contest) will get your
answer straightened out.

The above 7 ways of saying it, essentially say the same thing: DO NoT CALL ME!
There is almost nothing worse than a LOUD station, slightly off frequency, with chirpy or choppy
Cw who keeps calling (obliterating the other legitimate callers) and in the end, the IDIOT turns out
to be a DUP; in fact, he just made a QSO with me 12 minutes ago!  HuH?  Where is your BRAIN? 
Am I missing something?

Here's the REAL problem.
- Are you calling in again because you simply don't have a clue?
   (If I work you again, I signal to you that DUP QSOs are ok.)
- Are you calling in again because you forgot to log me or because you logged my call incorrectly
   the first time?  (Therefore if I DON'T work you again I won't be in your log.)
- I can send you an exchange (to shut you up) and then not log you, only to later discover that
   you didn't log me properly to begin with so the LCR robot DINGS my original log entry as N-I-L
   (Not in Log).

The REAL way to solve this problem is to Read the Contest rules before deciding to call me.  Otherwise we're back to one of the reasons you should not call me. 

In the case of the Canada RAC contest, if you don't know what RAC means, then you should NoT

call me.  If you don't know that I am expecting "5NN 001, etc.", then you should NoT call me.  Except for NAQP and State QSO parties, during radiosport, I don't CARE what your name is or what city you reside in.  I certainly don't care what your power-level is, your antenna configuration or the name of your Beagle dog.

It's ALL about Listening.  I recently wrote a Blog describing why we should listen BE-4 we transmit.  Have you READ that?  If not [CLICK HERE] to check it out.

BTW, in case you wonder why I send "You are a Dup OM", it's because YL's do not seem to make this mistake - only OLD MEN.  So WAKE UP OM.  Radiosport events run more smoothly when we first read the rules and log every callsign correctly.

What about YOU?

How do YOU deal with DUP Qsos?

WQ6X RACs Another One up for Canada

The Canada contest is quite unique in that it can happen any day of the week that July 1st
happens to fall; not necessarily a weekend affair.  The 2020 RAC Canada Event happened
on Tuesday-Wednesday this year.

After the fact, I remembered that WQ6X Contest Blog entries have been written about the events
for 2017, 2018 & 2019.  Here is what I had to say about them:
= [x] - (2019) - WQ6X RAC's One Up - 3 years in a Row
= [x] - (2018) - WQ6X Says: Happy Birthday Canada!
= [x] - (2017) - WQ6X Racks one up in the RAC contest

The 2020 Canada Day Contest was TRULY
a last minute (5 minutes actually) event. 
Running from Alameda (via RCForb & VNC Viewer) gave me the opportunity to test a pair of Autek QF-1A filters to process the remote K3 audio. 

For the right ear an old classic MFJ-751
was cascaded preceding the QF1-A. 
A simple switchbox allowed running with
and without the filters in the audio line.

The filters worked reasonably well except on Tuesday evening when atmospheric noise hit 20, drove me down to 40 & eventually down to 160 & 80.  The K3's NB (Noise Blanker) was worthless for this noise and the NR (Noise Reduction) circuit distorted the
signal more than the noise.

I ran NX6T's STN-1 remotely to the tune of about 850 watts (to keep shack heat down) into

a 3-el Stepp-IR for the high bands, a 2-el Shorty-40 and a pair of droopy Coaxial inverted Vees.

15 meters was open most of the day and yet my CQ calls yielded few takers - wassup with that?!

 

Shortly after 18:00z 20 meters was FLOODED with stations running a CWT event.  Normally CWT folks stay above +.040 on the bands.  Unfortunately, they surrounded me as I was running 14036.36, forcing me down to 14032.32, 14029.29 14027.27 and finally down to 14022.22 for "protection". 

I guess they never heard of sending "QRL?" before calling CQ on an unknown frequency. 

Wassup with THAT?

 

My biggest beef came from the nearly 50 stations calling who were already

in the log for that band (i.e.. DUPEs).  Here are my thoughts about the DUP

situation:

- If you KNEW I was a DUP, then what was the point in calling me
  (only to receive the "QSO B4" message in return)

- If you DiD NoT know I was a DUPE then either you are not logging the QSOs,
   you logged the wrong callsign or your logging software is defective.

- You just don't care one way or the other that you are wasting everyone's time. 

   Others waiting in line to work me now have to wait even longer; or as they often

   do, find someone else to work, other than me.

 

I've written ad-nauseam about this problem; recently in fact [CLICK HERE] to read this.

 

Aside from the above issues the RAC Canada Day ran relatively smoothly.

When it was all over I immediately took screen shots, created a Cabrillo file and sent it in, but only after posting the score on the 3830 Scores website.  It would seem that WQ6X took 2nd place for

W6 (California), 3rd place for USA and 5th-place for North America - not bad for just screwing around.

 

What about YOU? 

DiD YOU work the RAC Canada GiG?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?