WQ6X Dual-OPs the CQ Weird-wide Cw Contest

Usually, I reserve the "Weird" moniker for the CQ WPX Contests because of all the weirdly-different prefixes.  For this year's CQ W-W Dx Cw contest, everything about it was weird.  "Weird" doesn't necessarily imply anything bad, just wildly different; and it couldn't have been more different during this last contest weekend.  This was a weekend of contrasts.  Thanks to the sudden JUMP in SFI numbers, overall band conditions were all quite alive compared to 2019 - Solar Cycle 25 is suddenly on the move upward.

For WQ6X, November's CQ W-W Cw GiG weekend has been through a number of different phases/places in the last 10 years.  Last year I wrote up this contest with an embedded
Blast-from-the-Past.  Some notable contrasts include:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other contrasts encompassed audio equipment and antenna changes at the W7AYT installation
in Concord.  Operating configurations from year-to-year are one experiment after another, seeing
not only what works (technically) but what "feels right" from the operating standpoint.  Nearly every contest weekend, I make minor changes AFTER the contest weekend - to be more fully enjoyed in the next competition.

This year I decided to try something different.  Because the sloping trapezoid antenna has contributed virtually nothing to contest operations (altho it makes a good "noise antenna for the MFJ-1026), it was temporarily disconnected.  The coax was routed to a temporary installation of a BUDDIPOLE that has been languishing at the W7AYT QTH.  It TOO turned out to be a better less-noise RX antenna, more than a transmit one (altho the SWR was always under 1.2:1).

It also turns out that the 3-el 10-m Long John yagi would tune on 15-meters (probably as a oversized BUDDIPOLE) - a handful of contacts were made that way.  While running the revamped 8JK VEE on 15&20 meters, switching to the yagi on receive would yield a slightly weaker signal, but virtually NO atmospheric noise.

Equipment-wise, in the last year, the WQ6X installation has not only shifted to a larger room,
it has gained a number of additions.  In addition to the ubiquitous pair of Autek QF-1a filters
and the JPS NIR-12 we now have:

• An ICOM 7000 (for now mainly an excellent SWL receiver).
• A "Moscow Muffler" for tuning out the "Woodpecker".
• Introduction of a RockVille 8-Channel mixer (w/internal stereo amp.).
  
• An MFJ-784 super DSP Filter to process Left-Ear audio.
• Reintroduction of a modified MFJ 752-B to process Right-Ear audio.
• Reintroduction of an MFJ-1026 noise phase canceller.
  
• An A/B switchable Yaesu SP-6 speaker.
  

While we had no bodies on site (no B-i-C) San Diego Contest Club members have recently made trips to Fallbrook performing antenna inspections, replacing internet-controlled coax switches in the shack, and even restoring the computer hard drive for STN-1
(rolling configuration settings back to late 2019).

Anticipating propagation improvements to Asia, before and after the contest, I made a number of listens on ~7.039 looking for the Russian military beacons. 
This weekend the "F" beacon was QUITE loud,
the "M" beacon was somewhat loud and the
long-missing "K" beacon is still technically
M-I-A (missing and/or off-the-air).

A loud "F" beacon supported the experience
of DOZENS and DOZENS of Chinese stations,
several VR2/VR6 stations and even a not-insignificant appearance of Zones 21 & 22; normally tough to work, even from the Left Coast.

Thus far, everything seems overtly (overly?) positive and yet as we know "Murphy" has to
make an appearance sometime/somewhere.  This year it happened early Saturday evening. 
I had the 5 - 8pm shift.  After 20 meters finally died (around 02:45z), moving on down to 40-meters Europe was everywhere (not so common from the Southwest USA).  I went on an S&P rampage, claiming dozens of countries and a bunch of zone multipliers.

Then, at 03:25z - WHAM! - the microwave link for our internet connection died.  NX6T did NoT respond.  Internet was not restored until shortly after NooN
on Sunday.  

 

By 20:30z N6KI had NX6T back on the air for a couple of hours while I was seeing clients at my Alameda office.  Returning to Concord, WQ6X made another run on 10 meters, chasing spots and putting a couple more zones into the log.  Unfortunately, I think most of Sunday's 10-m opening was missed - Saturday conditions in Concord were more favorable.  At 22:45z I took over NX6T and ran 20-meters until the end of the contest, with a mix of running frequencies (14010.40) and clearing out the non-USA spots on the bandmap.

Intentional QRM-wise, this contest weekend was incredibly benign.  For some reason, CQ W-W contests rarely encounter intentional QRM, even on 40-meters.  QRM-wise, my major complaint
was the National Tuneup Frequency (N-T-F) on 40-meters during my 320+ QSO run from 10:00z to 16:00z Saturday morning.  Even the Ssb QRM seemed to avoid us.  Maybe everyone was working the Dx contest and had no time for jamming or Ssb ragchewing.

While I was sad for the Weird-wide contest to end, I would assume that the anti-contester coalition was cheering the 00:00z ending time.  Twenty meters was transformed from a panoramic plethora
of pandemonium into complete silence; all in a matter of 10-seconds.

When it was all over it would seen that NX6T took 11th-place for USA and 1st-Place for San Diego Section as well as W6 (California).  Considering the loss of 17 hours, it is amazing that we came
back as well as we did.

DiD YOU work the CQ Ww Dx Cw Contest?

Is NX6T or WQ6X in YOUR LoG?