WQ6X runs an Ethics-oriented Contest Weekend

As it turns out, this contest weekend & the Monday-after was ALL about contest

Ethics in Radiosport and Lighthouses lacking radios.  Let's begin with the Lighthouses. 

 

I LOVE the concept of the International Lighthouse and Lightship weekend (ILLW). 
Unfortunately, virtually EVERY Lighthouse weekend, I hear NO (count-em) NO Lighthouses
on the air - Wassup with that?  To "solve" this problem, in 2012 I created my OWN Lighthouse operating event using the callsign W6L (L = Lighthouse).

While I could hear NO Lighthouse operations, at least at 04:00z I COULD hear Hawaii (KH6) in the Hawaiian QSO Party (HQP) and Ohio Saturday morning at 16:00z.  The goal was to play around in both events - AFTER giving a ZOOM presentation to the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA).

When the DO You QRL presentation is edited out of the overall meeting video, I will post it in the WQ6X YouTube channel along with the other presentations I have made for ARCA meetings.

Past ARCA presentations include

[x] - WQ6X on Contesting
        (June 2019 meeting)

[x] - The Role of Respect in Radiosport
        (March 2020 meeting)

Other videos in the WQ6X Channel document several of the operations I have been a part of with the crew at NX6T.

There are also videos of WQ6X/WP2 running pileups (on Cw & Ssb) during the hours "around" the ARRL RTTY RU contest - for which we took 1st-place for DX.  ([CLICK HERE] to read about that.)


As it turns out, the subject of Ethics in radio was VERY relevant to this weekend's state QSO Parties; beginning with the Ohio QSP Party (OQP).  During this event, an Ohio station  (who shall for now remain Call-less) was technically violating "exchange" protocol by sending only LAKE county,
omitting the signal report, which is required as part of the exchange. 

Now, while I am in favor of eliminating the sending of worthless 5-9 & 5-9-9 reports (I recently wrote
a Blog about this), if the contest rules dictate we send it, whether we like it or not, that is what we do.  If I can get away with NoT sending the report and yet YOU are required to send it, then I have an unfair advantage, because theoretically, I can make more QSOs per hour by sending a shorter exchange.  In checking the 3830 Scores for the Ohio QSO Party, while this station hardly
reported an overall 1st-place, He/She might be claiming a top score for Lake county.

The Hawaiian QSO party presented us with an altogether different situation. 

In past HQP events (most notably 2012 / 2013), WQ6X garnered Cw-Only

2nd-place certificates.  While I skimmed this year's contest rules, I failed to take

notice of the fact that there are no longer any separate Cw/Ssb/Mixed categories,

only ONE SOAB (Single-OP All Band) category. 

 

Evidently somewhere along the line, FT8 QSOs have been allowed as part of the contest. 

If there are more FT8 stations than Cw/Ssb combined, then by default were are pre-empted

by a mode which should (by all rights) have its OWN category.

 

This is no different than my BEEF that SO2R stations should be in a category of their own;

with SO2R I am in competition with people who have more money and can therefore purchase

a more competitive station.  Let FT8 and SO2R modes continue - I have no problem with that. 

However I should not have to compete with them.  My complaint about this to the HQP contest coordinator brought about the following reply:

-----------------------------------------------------------

FTx has been part of HQP for at least four years, maybe longer. It was there before I took over the management. So, it isn't anything new. One of the things that I did was to simplify the rules and that

meant eliminating the single mode categories. This is more of an operating event rather than a contest

and as such I was hoping to stretch the limited KH6 stations to do more rather than less.

That said, some of us (me included) take the contest view seriously.

You're right about FTx being more popular than CW or SSB. Nothing new about that either. Last year NH6Y won the HI side SOHP category with 100% FT8. So your fears are confirmed. However, FT still has significant problems when used by QSO Parties. That is, FT can't exchange state info. That's why I tried getting everyone to use the Field Day exchange. WSJT is so hamstrung that this turned into a complete fiasco. I'm not sure how to go from here next year.

-----------------------------------------------------------

 

In my mind, the fact that FT-8 can't exchange STATE info makes it incompatible with the QSO party format, whether it is a contest or not.  The tipoff that something is incompatible is having to use the format from another contest in an attempt to shoe-horn it into an already existing exchange format.

The mode should ADAPT to the Event; the Event should NoT have to adapt to the mode.

 

Recognizing that running Cw only would not be enough I decided it was necessary to put some Ssb QSOs into the HQP log to have any chance at all.  Unfortunately, the internet connection in Fallbrook was SO unstable, attempting to record Voice Keyer memories in the remote K3 remotely ended up with all the memories full of dropouts - completely unacceptable.

Remembering there is a copy Audacity on the local hard drive, the decision was made to create .Wav files for the 4 keys.  Unfortunately, there was no easy way to upload them.  Then I remembered that
I had stored a number of .Wav files in the WQ6X folder on STN-1.  Properly configuring the N1MM+ F-Keys, the F2 (EXCHG) and F4 (WQ6X) keys were pointed to their respective .Wav files allowing
me to Search & Pounce on Ssb.

Altho I had originally said I would not call CQ in the QSO parties this weekend, during the last
2 hours of the HQP there was really no other choice in the matter - not enough Hawaiian stations were participating in their own contest.  The reward for this all this effort on Cw was a WHOPPING
4 more QSOs added to the Log.

After ALL that effort, it didn't make a difference anyway and technically was a waste of my time/effort; this is an operating event, not a contest - remember that.  Therefore if it is not a contest, why issue any certificates at all?  (Instead, how about making participation certificates available to anyone who submits a log.)

DiD YOU work the HQP and/or OQP QSO Parties?

If NoT WHY Knot?

For you Hawaiians and Ohioans is WQ6X in YOUR Log?

WQ6X works a Woefully Weird NAQP Ssb contest and RTTY Rookie Roundup

Normally I find it relatively easy to write-up a radiosport weekend after the fact.  However for the NAQP GiGs this last weekend, from the beginning, everything was just a bit ODD (or is that off?), initially leaving me with nothing coherent to say.

The original plan was to attend an online Toastmasters meeting at 8am (why so early?), slip in an appearance at an ARCA (Amateur Radio Club of Alameda) board meeting (a good idea since I am vice president), continue with the Toastmasters until 1:00 and then spend the rest of the day/evening working the NAQP Ssb contest, interspersing my WQ6X operating time in Concord with a couple of remote stints into NX6T in Fallbrook.  It kinda went like that, if you ignore all the visits from Murphy throughout the weekend.  In preparation for this weekend, I wrote a "Blast from the Past" Blog about the NAQP Ssb contest.  ([CLICK HERE] to read this.)

I mistakenly thought the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend event would also be running this weekend as it used to always coincide with the NAQP Ssb contest.  Evidently this year, the ILLW GiG is a week later than I am used to.  That is actually exciting as I have a second shot at finding Light Houses - AWEsome Dewwwwd!

At NX6T, we started the contest with a well laid-out operator plan.  By the time of my 6pm takeover shift it had been tweaked and twisted, almost to the point of no recognition.  At NX6T that happens
a LoT; especially with remote operating being more-or-less the norm these days.

Murphy was ALL OVER this contest, on both ends of the circuit for me; in Concord as well as Fallbrook.  In Concord, the signal-suck vortex was clearly in effect, as you can see from the dismal WQ6X stats on the right - sorry about that SCCC Team #2.  In Fallbrook, we had internet hiccups (requiring rebooting Stations #1 & #2 twice) as well as some last-minute operator re-shuffling. 

The internet outage prolly cost our Multi-2 operation 100 QSOs from the overall downtime

needed to resolve it.

This was one of those contest weekends wherein Sunday sometimes brings us one-more-shot at "radiosport glory".  Seeing the ARRL Rookie Roundup RTTY Contest on the calendar, I thought it would be a good gesture to spend some time with rookie operators.  Not only was I a rookie in my Novice days, it wasn't until 2010 that I had the courage to attempt RTTY; in 2010 I was clearly a RTTY Rookie.  Thanks to my partner (er, operator) in crime N6GEO, I found RTTY contests to

be an incredible JoY!  When you come right down to it, we are ALL Rookies at various points

in our Amateur Learning Experience - chronological AGE has nothing to do with it.

This guy could be 10 years old, 20, 30, or even 65 years old - we've ALL had that bewildered look while sitting in the operators chair.  Repeated radiosport operating allows us to perfect our innate operating abilities, becoming the best that we can be.  Before you know it, the space clears and
You da-Man!  (or, You da-Gal!)

Unfortunately, the overall station turnout for the ARRL Rookie RTTY GiG was HORRIBLE.
A Sum ToTaL of 7 QSOs made it to the 20-meter log, and only 2 Rookies.  Near the end of the contest, one of the Rookies worked me again on 40-meters for a ToTaL of 8 QSOs for the entire
5.5 hours of operating time.  HuH?  We are more than happy to play with the Rookies but they have to let us know they are ready to play.  Radiosport is about Actual QSOs, not about smoke and mirrors.

What about You?
DiD YOU work the Saturday NAQP Ssb contest or the Rookie Roundup on Sunday?

If NoT, WHY Knot?

If SO, is WQ6X and/or NX6T in YOUR LoG?

BLAST from the Past: NAQP Ssb Contest

In preparation for dual-OP'ing this weekend's NAQP Ssb contest, I took

a look back at previous Blog entries I've written about this mid-August GiG.

The 5 Blog entries (in reverse order) are as follows:

• [x] - 2019: WQ6X Slips solo thru NAQP Ssb
• [x] - 2018: WQ6X Wings another NAQP SSB Dual-Operation
• [x] - 2017: W6K in NAQP is a STORMY affair
• [x] - 2016: WQ6X Survives the summertime NAQP SSB contest
• [x] - 2014: WQ6X joins the NX6T Multi-2 Operation for NAQP Ssb

 Like the NAQP Cw contest the Ssb events are run twice a year, in January and again in August. 
In August, NAQP Ssb weekend coincides with the International Lighthouse and Lightship weekend (ILLW).  Back in 2012, operating as W6L I combined the 2 events visiting lighthouses from Vallejo to Santa Cruz, using the NAQP as the vehicle to make QSOs.  [Click here] to see the overview webpage made about this operation.

When I run NAQP Single-OP, I am "RON in CA".  Because we have OM's and YL's behind the microphone at NX6T, we are "PAT in CA".  Technically, you can use any name you like.  Over the years I have heard some WILD names, some to honor deceased (SK) hams and some chosen just
to be ridiculous and/or silly.

Multi-OP operations are allowed to run the FULL 12 hours of the contest.  Single-OP operations are allowed only 10 out of the 12 hours; the strategy question being which 2 hours should we "sacrifice"?  When I dual-OP the NAQP GiGs (like I'm doing this year and as I have done in previous years), the time I spend "in the chair" at NX6T easily covers the 2 hour mandatory off time as a single-OP.

N 6 K I elmering new contest OP  K N 6 D L G

One of the things I like about the NAQP Ssb GiG is that it brings together operators off all ages, genders and skill levels.  In recent years, Ssb GiGs from Fallbrook have brought in many new operators, as young as 14 & 17, and as new to ham radio as barely 6 months. 

One of the best ways to "get hooked" with amateur radio is to participate in a Multi-OP contest Ssb event.  Licensed or not, we can/will put you behind the microphone once you are able to navigate the contest logging software.  YL's have a marked advantage in Ssb contests for obvious reasons, so we endeavor to bring them into the operation.

With people sequestering themselves this summer, it would seem that NAQP contests should have an increased number of operators; many of them running NAQP for their 1st time.

What about you?

Do YOU ever work the NAQP Ssb contests?

Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR LoGs?

WQ6X Weirdly but Wisely Works another Wicked WAE Contest

Based on this weekend's events I can truly attest the WAE contest is certainly the most minutely-complex radiosport GiG happening in the 21st century (with the ARRL November Sweepstakes coming in a close 2nd).  For those OPs who are bored with JUST 5-9-9 + Serial-#, Sweepstakes
and the Worked All Europe (WAE) events take radiosport skill to a more competitive level. 
Last weekend's WAE event turned out to be a perfect demonstration of that fact.

 While WAE exchange begins with 5-9-9 + Serial-#, it doesn't end there.  Making basic contacts is just HALF
of the goal for a successful WAE operation.  Sending QTC messages back to European stations is where
the other half of the ending score comes from. 

During November Sweepstakes GiGs,
the exchange we send is actually a radiogram Message Header.  During the WAE contest, QTC messages document QSOs made earlier in the event.  (Can we send a QTC message about sending QTC messages?)

Back in the Olden Daze after sending/receiving radiograms, operators would send a message summary to their traffic manager.  The QTC message was devised for that purpose.  Essentially,
a QTC message is a radiogram summarizing a radiogram message sent/received.

While putting this BLOG together I got to looking back to previous WAE-Cw GiGs
I've played around in.  There seems to be FOUR attempts at this contest:

• [x] - (2019) - WQ6X runs a Quicky Yet Quirkey WAE Contest
• [x] - (2018) - WQ6X Stumbles Thru WAE Cw Contest
• [x] - (2017) - WQ6X survives 12 computer crashes to work WAE
• [x] - (2016) - WQ6X dabbles in WAE-CW 2016

 Operationally, this was my best WAE-Cw operation ever; I guess I've learned a few things over
the last 4 years.  Nevertheless, I still considered operating in this event to be a "training exercise";
as such, I was not concerned with my actual score result in comparison to other stations.

Due to shack heat considerations, the Expert-2k amplifier was dialed back to 550 - 670 watts.  Repetitive CQs (with no takers) and sending books of 10-QTCs would take the heat index up, requiring every excuse to not transmit for a minute or two w/o actually giving up the run frequency.

To make band switching easier, I used a fixed-pointed C-31 yagi for the high bands.  Unfortunately,
15-meters hardly delivered much in the way of EU activity during this contest.  On 40-meters, the
2-el Shorty-40 yagi produced an amazing result, considering that from the Southwest, WQ6X signals had to pierce the N/E wall of U.S./Canada stations.  The biggest problem on 40 was an annoying noise level, that the K3 noise blankers could not remove.  The local QF-1A filters helped, however much of the time it was not enough.

Running NX6T in Fallbrook remotely from Alameda offers nearly the same audio

filter complement available from my operations @W7AYT in Concord.  Both locations

rely extensively on a pair of Autek QF-1A analog audio filters; one for each ear.  Adjusting

the filters directing lower-pitch signals to the left ear and higher pitches to the right ear makes

it easier to sort out multiple stations calling simultaneously when running a frequency to Europe. 

I wrote up how to do this in a previous Blog entry ([CLICK HERE] to read this).

 

Not knowing what to expect for the weekend, I decided to engage in a combination of frequency running and Search & Pounce.  The biggest hassle came NoT from running European stations but from the "Billy Bob" operators (mainly from the Southeast USA) who would call-in after my "CQ EU Test" call.  If they had read the WAE rules, they would already know NoT to call me. 

Sending "EU Only" usually sent them "packing".

 

Late Saturday evening, running out Europeans to work a switch was made to a still-open 20 meter band allowing 11 QSOs and 9 QTC messages to be added to the log.  When the band finally folded an hour later, it was time for 7 hours of sleep.  By 14:30z WQ6X was back, running 14008.08 for nearly 90 minutes.  This run resulted in 60 QSOs and 54 QTCs delivered during that period.

 

On Sunday afternoon while attempting to work a new multiplier some IDIOT began a 5 minute continuous tune-up process.  When he would pause for 5 seconds I would send "QRL QSY";

he would ignore me as if he couldn't hear me.  When he was finally done I sent "QRL QSY LID",

to which he immediately replied with 3 F-Bombs in a row - HuH? 

So much for NoT being able to hear me.

 

When it was all over it would seem that WAE-2020 was my best operation in this GiG thus far.

 

DiD YOU work the 2020 WAE Cw contest?

 

How many QTC messages did YOU Send/Receive?

 

Is WQ6X in YOUR log?

 

Leveraging the Art of Dual-Receive: Yet Another LooK

Over the last (approx.) 5 years, I have been playing around with nearly a dozen different
combinations of switches and filters in conjunction with the (20 yr. old) Yaesu FT-1000mp. 
After a recent station revamp of the WQ6X setup in Concord, I was prompted to take yet another
look at the ideas being tried out @W7AYT; some of them have worked admirably, while others have Bombed HORRIBLY.

While it all began with the original article, a dozen different Blogs were eventually added
showcasing the Dual-Receive capabilities being exploited to improve WQ6X operations from
the SF East Bay.  A bibliography of the related Blog entries appears at the end of this Blog entry.  Those Blog entries represent the various combinations of external audio filters I have been combining in various combinations over the last 8 years.

Although the Yaesu FT-1000mp is over 20 years old, it has been my choice for leveraging the most efficient radiosport operations from the San Francisco East Bay; however NoT without the addition
of an array of switch boxes and external audio filters.  Because I love to knob-twiddle, external filters offer up plenty of adjustments for tailoring reception during the different radiosport
events I play around in nearly every weekend.

While I could produce a hand-drawn block diagram to document the different

hookups, sometimes a picture conglomerate can accomplish the same thing.

Currently, the Main-RX runs through an Autek QF-1A into an MFJ-784 DSP Unit. 

Additionally, the Sub-RX runs through an Autek QF-1A into a JPS NIR-12 DSP unit.

The output of BOTH units is run through an inexpensive Rockville Line Mixer.
The Rockville mixer can accommodate four "stereo" devices, allowing
the operator to "blend" any combination of the following devices:

1. CH-1 - Audio from the ICOM-7000
2. CH-2 - Audio from the Elecraft K3/0 (for NX6T remote)
3. CH-3 - Audio from the FT-1000mp without any filtering.
4. CH-4 - Audio from the FT-1000mp via the DSP filters.

Output from the Rockville mixer box is routed thru a 4-device stereo audio switch,
sending the audio to either Wireless headphones or powered stereo speakers.
Having a pair of unused outputs on the switch box enables the possibility of
routing audio thru a pair of wired headphones or a different speaker system.

Prior to the introduction of the Autek QF-1A audio filters, I utilized a pair of MFJ-752B & MFJ-752C filters.  While operationally the Autek & MFJ units are similar, the efficacy of the QF-1A completely surpasses the MFJ units.  Then again, MFJ-784 DSP unit outperforms the NIR-12 in most cases.

The WQ6X Contest Blog contains a number of BLOGs on the subject of external audio processing, including:

• [x] - LEARNING the ART of LEVERAGING DUAL RECEIVE
• [x] - The DR. Validates Cascading Filters
• [x] - WQ6X SOUND PROCESSING: Stereo-CW - it's EASIER than You Think
• [x] - Some Further Thoughts regarding Stereo CW
• [x] - WQ6X SOUND PROCESSING: SOUNDING OFF about SOUND
• [x] - WQ6X SOUND PROCESSING: Maximizing the Art of Experimentation
• [x] - Analog or Digital Audio - Which should we choose?
• [x] - Q-Filtering for Fun and Profit
• [x] - Q-Filtering for Fun and Profit - Part 2: What I've Learned So Far
• [x] - Q-Filtering for Fun and Profit - Part 3: The Journey Continues
• [x] - Learning to PLAY in 2020

Do YOU make use of external filters and switches?

Tell me about YOUR results.

WQ6X Reprises another NAQP Cw Dual-Operation

NAQP is a unique contest as domestic-style contests go.  Being a 12 hour contest (10 hours for Single-OPs), it often seems over shortly after it begins.  NAQP GiGs have a 100-watt limit and

single-OPs are not allowed to run assisted.  Altho NAQP is largely a North American contest,

we can work any DX stations who happen to call in; altho we get no multiplier credit for working

them.

 

For this NAQP event, I chose to run another Dual-OP operation from Concord.  Having 6 operators

for NX6T allowed me to run a pair of 2-hours sessions remotely and put in nearly 8 hours as WQ6X from W7AYT.  Before/during/after the event, time was made to revamp wiring/cabling behind the scenes in Concord.  While things more-or-less look the same from the front, rerouting the equipment cabling and antenna/coax runs helped resolve many of the audio RFI problems I've been dealing with during the last couple of years.

 

Overall, operations in Concord ran nearly flawless, with the exception of 160 meters.  No matter how the antennas were tuned, on 160 near-vicinity RFI would BOMB the internet router barely 10 feet away from the operating table; an estimated dozen potential QSOs were lost due to this problem.  After the contest, rerouting the cables seemed to resolve the 160 problem; unfortunately by then,

it was too late. 

 

This situation brings back unpleasant memories from NX6T (about 4 years ago) when our 160-meter operation would take Fallbrook's internet router offline.  Back then, our solution was to enclose the router unit inside a pair of aluminum baking pans that were electrically sealed shut - the ultimate Faraday cage.  My question is whether or not something akin to an MFJ Artificial Ground unit (essentially a ground tuner) can eliminate any stray RF floating around the Concord hamshack.

 

Lately, NX6T has been experiencing "little" hardware failures, here and there.  During the last 2 GiGs the problem was an intermittent connection with the Expert-2k amplifier.  For the NAQP RTTY GiG

I had hoped to run the amp at EXACTLY 99.99 watts (full duty).  Instead I ran the K3 (full duty)

at a (significantly cooler) 50 watts.

 

This weekend the problem was an aging WX0B antenna switch box.  Inside, the relays were either sticking or not engaging at all; the solution being frantic band switching leaving us on an ailing 15 meters.  When 40 meters became "worthy" we got only one (i.e. a coin-flip) chance at switching

there - for good during the NAQP; no going back.  Luckily the 2-el "Shorty-40" made up for any hassles we may have gone thru.

 

When it was ALL Over, NX6T put 1279 QSOs into the log while WQ6X made a WHOPPING

69 QSOs - Dewd!  All that matters to me really is that another Dual-OP operation was accomplished from my portable location in Concord.

 

DiD YOU work last weekend's NAQP Cw contest?

 

Is NX6T and/or WQ6X in YOUR Log?