WQ6X Wonks on the Radiosport WEIRD Side

Whattaya do after bringing a RockVille audio mixer back from the repair bench?  For me,
the WA7BNM Contest Calendar locates a radiosport event that will exercise the equipment
features that has just been given the go-ahead.

This last weekend I did JUST that.  Having recently re-integrated the JPS NIR-10 & NIR-12 units
into the FT-1000mp's Sub-RX audio line, convenient access to 4 QSO parties, the Scandinavian Cw GiG and the NA RTTY Sprint contest exercised and exorcised the external filter equipment and it's cabling, which (as I explained in the previous Blog), allowed re-evaluation of the correct cascade order for the (B) channel (right-side of the listening experience).

Now, in order to adequately test a proper audio configuration, we need numerous signals of sufficient amplitude to energize the various units along each channel's audio path.  A busy contest weekend (such as Sweepstakes or CQP) would be an ideal test-event, altho it is noted that the testing should have already been done PRIOR to these events.

I reiterated in the previous Blog on learning, that behind ALL the audio filtering used @ WQ6X/6 is the Stereo-Cw concept.  In general, I prefer the filters to be adjusted in such a manner as to more-or-less encourage lower-pitch signals to appear on the more-or-less Left-side of my listening experience, relegating the more-or-less higher-frequency signals to appear more-or-less on the Right-side of
the listening experience.

During the NA Sprint contest (where stations frantically frequency-jump right on top of other stations), Stereo-Cw "spreads" those signals across an approximate 150-degree ARC, creating a unique spatial experience that cannot be accomplished using a MONO audio configuration.

Use of Stereo-Cw was the factor which enabled discernment of signals fluttering over the North pole from Scandinavia during their Cw contest.  The FT-1000mp's narrow Cw filters begins the process of singling -out stations to work.  By synchronizing VFO (A) ==> (B) and invoking the transceiver's
dual-RX mode offers up a form of stereo diversity reception for difficult to copy polar-fluttered signals.  

What was slated to be a non-Event at the Concord location became a 4-QSO log submission,
adding yet another contest event to the WQ6X 3830 Scores list for an early-Autumn contest total
of 94 events - made possible largely by way of Stereo-Cw.

Off-contest weekends allow testing different filter combinations, in readiness for important
up-coming contest events like CQP, JIDX, WAE-RTTY and the November Sweepstakes.

What about YOU?

What preparations Do You make for maximizing radiosport performance?