However in past runs of the Winter contest, it has usually matched up with the Stew Perry
160 contest, not the OK RTTY and Croatian Cw GiGs. Imagine my surprise at seeing all
three events intertwined with each other; a couple irrevocably.
Running from Alameda and NoT Concord, the choice was made to NoT run any Ssb mode
operations; only Cw and RTTY (which can both be accomplished more-or-less "silently").
Last weekend I used the ARRL 10-meter contest as a vehicle to test-run various audio cable configurations. The way the equipment was laid out in the beginning is not what it became
by contest end. Along the way, I experienced dozens of "audio-shocks"; while another name
for howling-feedback, audio shock-effects can often be just as severe as an electrical-jolt.
For this tri-contest weekend my goals were to add 3 more contest events to what's left of 2020, taking this year's ToTaL to 140; not bad for mostly just screwing around as I learn new operating techniques and equipment configurations. In the process a lot of attention has been given to maximizing use of the QF-1A filter pair I use in Alameda operations. I dunno which came first, the pair in Concord or
the pair in Alameda; or, was it 1/2 and 1/2? My SPLIT-Brain can't remember when, but certainly
can leverage a pair of QF-1A's together during "fierce" QRM conditions.
The Autek QF-1A filter was meant to be an external add-on to receivers and transceivers
not possessing an APF (Audio Peak Filter). While dual-receive transceivers may come equipped
with an APF or DSP filter, unless you purchase a high-end transceiver like the FTDX-5000, those filters usually apply ONLY to the MAIN receiver, NoT to the SUB receiver. I've written about Stereo Cw many times. If you review those BLOGs, you will notice that I make use of QF-1A filter pairs to make the listening experience more "fluid" (experientially). ([CLICK HERE] to learn more about using these filters.)
While running the remote Elecraft K3 radio at approx 400-hz bandwidth on Cw, within that 400-hz window, stations can actually be WaY OUT of the audio passband, and nearly impossible to copy.
Tuning the Frequency knob with the QF-1A in PEAK mode will JUMP those stations right into the headphones, while atmospheric noise and the other stations (at different frequencies in the passband) are de-emphasized. This weekend alone, the QF-1A probably salvaged 2-dozen+ QSOs.
this weekends RAC GiG shared the SAME time slot as the OK Dx RTTY contest, a simple GiG
I have come to enjoy. In the end, most of my time was dedicated to the RAC GiG; RTTY operation wasn't begun until Saturday morning, over 1/2 thru the OK event.
Alternating between search & pouncing and running frequencies, it was a wonderful surprise to have "rare" provinces come back to my "CQ RAC Test" calls. At other times, the 800 - watts slipped the WQ6X callsign in during lulls in frantic pileup callers, giving me a 1st-in 1st-out. I wish it coulda been this easy last month during the November Sweepstakes.
NoT having a lot of time for the OK RTTY and Croatian Cw GiGs, the decision was made to submit the logs as single-band entries; 20-meters for RTTY and 40-meters for the Cw GiG (I came on too late to work Europe on 20).
need to make use of the Russian military beacons.
Since I wrote up the May BLOG entry on these beacons, the "K" beacon (Kamchatsky) as been AWOL for sometime. Saturday evening in preparation for possible operation in the Indonesian PADANG contest, a sprint thru the ~7.039 area brought us
the usual "F" & "M" beacons. On the "K" beacon's frequency offset over and over was sent:
"T S-E-T-T-T". HuH Wazzat?
I've been planning another installment in the Russian beacon Blog-series; but first, it looks like I have some "homework" to do. Do YOU follow these beacons?
Do you have any idea what the above character sequence is supposed to signify?
Overall, I got out of this weekend what I put into it. Confirming the workability of the audio system
in Alameda was a big PLUS. It is SO nice to have the Radio Shaft graphic equalizer back in action during radiosport activities. What about you? What measures do YOU take to process QRM during crowded band conditions?
DiD You work the RAC / OK RTTY / 9A Cw contests?
Is WQ6X in YOUR Log?
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