FOCUS: It's Alll about FOCUS

During radiosport events, our overarching goal is to accurately complete as many QSO
exchanges as possible during the operating period.  Accomplishing this requires sustained
focus anytime we are sitting at the operator's position.  Effective Focus is mental, neurological
and physiological forces, all coming together, effecting "a happening"; in this case, the initiation
and proper completion of as radiosport contest exchange.

Focus is something that happens (noun) as well as something we do (verb).  As a neurofeedback therapist, my work is Alll about Focus and Feedback.  Research findings to be released (in 2022)
will demonstrate the correlation between the Neurological and Physiological aspects of the Focus Experience.  This correlation is hardly a new idea in the world of Amateur Radio; in the early 1950's Katashi Nose' (KH6IJ) conducted motion studies at the University of Hawaii, bringing us some surprising conclusions on how to go about improving radiosport operator performance.

10 years ago, out of curiosity, I wore an old Neurosky Mindset headset to monitor E-E-G activity
at location FP1  (Left Frontal), while running the NAQP Cw contest.  If you can copy Morse code, watch those videos and notice the brainwave frequencies which activate at different periods of the operating period.

• [PART-1]  - WQ6X monitoring EEG during NAQP CW Aug-2011
• [PART-2]  - WQ6X monitoring EEG during NAQP CW Aug-2011
• [PART-3]  - WQ6X monitoring EEG during NAQP CW Aug-2011
• [PART-4]  - WQ6X monitoring EEG during NAQP CW Aug-2011
• [PART-5]  - WQ6X monitoring EEG during NAQP CW Aug-2011
• [S&P'ing] - WQ6X monitoring EEG during Searching & Pouncing

The above exercises (from which the videos were made) taught me indirectly the importance
of engaging proper Focus when in the midst of a busy radiosport contest, such as the NAQP
Cw GiG - a 12-hour North American frenzy.

I wrote more about this recently regarding Brain and Body.  ([CLICK HERE] to read that.)

What about YOU?

HoW does FOCUS figure into YOUR radiosport activities?

WINning It is ALL About WINGing It

Toastmasters is NoT JUST about speaking; the other half of the program is about making it all happen, running clubs, club areas and Districts.  Every Toastmaster member has at one time ran a meeting from beginning to end, making them the Toastmaster [for the evening].  Where do we LEARN to do that?  At best, we learn by watching others run a meeting and then making the process our own.

This approach I call the Joe Walsh (WB6ACU) method - act like you know what  you are doing
and those around you will come together to make it all happen.  For the 2021 California QSO Party (CQP) I used the WB6ACU method to activate the ARCA - Amateur Radio Club of Alameda's - K6QLF (K-Six Quebec London Foxtrot) callsign from Alameda County, for a 2nd-place CQP finish.

I attribute my abilities to making this all come together to what I learned from doing Toastmaster's
HPL (High Performance Leadership) Program.  K6QLF ran an Expedition-style event for CQP, meaning that we brought equipment and antennas to the site, eventually taking everything down @3:00pm on Sunday.  

To make this all happen, an operating relationship needed to be established w/CHRS (California Historical Radio Society).  As president of ARCA, I sought out the president of CHRS - Steve Kushman.  Volunteers at CHRS went out of their way to assist us towards making it all work;
having access to a kitchen and restroom gave us "all the comforts of home", while running
a FD-style expedition event from their back patio.

10+ days later, looking back, I smile in amazement over what we accomplished (in such a short amount of time) applying the Walsh method.  A 2nd-place win for 1st-timers speaks for itself.  As it turns out, we ALSO took a 1st place for the Expedition category - sometimes just showing up is enough.

As it turns out.... Winging it is not necessarily a BaD thing.

Do you ever WING IT?

How DiD It Turn Out?

WQ6X Works a Whimsy Radiosport Weekend

The weekend before the CQ W.W. DX contest is always a slow one radiosport-wise. 
With that in mind, this weekend became an opportunity to re-evaluate behind-the-scenes
wiring which enables integration of the two radios (a Yaesu FT-1000mp and an ICOM-7000),
7 external audio/DSP filters, a RockVille 4-device stereo mixer and two audio switch boxes.

Contest-wise, there were two events worthy of my time:

• [X] - The Stew Perry SP-160 contest - starting @15:00z
• [X] - The 4-hour NA SPRINT Ssb contest - starting @00:00z

A 3rd GiG the UKEI Ssb contest is all but impossible to make happen from the Concord QTH. 
Had I thought it through, WA6TQT's Anza location (where NX6T ran the 160 contest that evening) with 5-over-5 stacked yagis for the high bands would've been an ideal QTH from which to work into Western Europe;.  Then again, as I say about the UKEI GiG every year: "Maybe next year" - maybe begets maybe, begets maybe.

For the SP-160 GiG, by the time the event begins, daylight has already shutdown 160 meters for
the morning.  To make use of the time while waiting for 5pm (00:00z) to open the band for (approx.) 14 hours, STN-2 was our choice to run 160.  While I played around in the NA Sprint contest for 2 hours (my shift @NX6T was to begin at 7pm) N6KI (Dennis) managed 50 QSOs into the log.

Ironically, after putting my friend George (N6GEO) into the SP-160 log, STN-2's computer crashed. 
(George texted me "I DiDn't Do It".)  A switch was eventually made to STN-1, costing us a precious prime-time hour of 160-meter OP time.  Band condx. were OK 'cept the atmospheric static (caused
by raging rainstorms) was HORRIBLE.

After settling in, 65 QSOs made it to the log, before my 7 to 9 shift was over.  Absolutely the best QSO made during that period was NoT NP2X, it was G4AMT, altho it took two separate attempts
to make it happen.  Because we were sending Grid-Square #'s, completing a QSO can be tricky. 
On the 2nd call-in, I copied Terry's info the 1st time.

Too wired to sleep, I put WQ6X on the air from Concord (SF East Bay).  While BOTH antennas
(the 8JK Cobras & a CH-250 Vertical) tuned 160 meters OK,  their radiation efficiency was probably HORRIBLE.  Nevertheless, a WHOPPING 8 QSOs made it to the LoG.  With a whopping 90 minutes of sleep, the midnight to 4am shift came up real quick.  As an NX6T operator, what amazed me overall was the number of DUPE callers during BOTH operating shifts.

During high-static levels, OPs need
to learn that by sending unnecessary information first, by the time they finally get around to sending the GRID #, it is once again static-obliterated, requiring multiple repeats. 

To combat this problem on our end,
we defined the [F2] Key to send ONLY DM13.  When I ask for your NR (NR?),
I DON'T want, your callsign, my callsign, "5-9-9" or anything else - I JUST WANT YOUR NUMBER!  (Is it Really that complicated?) - Just in Case - I wrote this up sometime ago ([CLICK HERE]).

The BiG surprise were the two Japanese stations who called in after the sun went down in their part of the world.  At 4am, WM6Y (PJ) relieved me to finish off the contest.  There were few non-DUP QSOs left to make.  Phil's patience added 22 QSOs to the log during the last 4 hours.

One of the advantages of running NX6T remotely from Concord is that audio from the K3/0 unit can be switched thru the QF-1A and NIR DSP filters in stereo-Cw configuration.  (I've written many Blogs about Stereo-Cw - [CLICK HERE] for the latest installment.)  When it's used to run pileups, stations
(of different pitch) appear at different locations in a 180-degree arc from Left (low-pitched signals) to 

Right (high-pitched signals).

When it was all over, it would seem that NX6T took 2nd-place for the HP Multi-Single classification; which is pretty good when you consider what we had to work with.

DiD YOU work the Stew Perry 160-meter contest?

Is NX6T or WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Asks: Is Amateur Radio OBSOLETE?

  People often think Amateur Radio is obsolete, having been superseded
  by Satellites, Cell Phones and Internet.  Remember THIS:

"Governments can at ANY TIME shutdown your cellphones
 and silence internet access.  They can't silence ME and MY
 Radio - they have to FIND Me FIRST"

- Ron Fitch (WQ6X)

Some years back, after the hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico, while Donald Trump was busy throwing rolls of paper towels as a gesture that USA is behind them all the way, radio amateurs were spearheading actual relief efforts, providing communication (dozens of cell towers were knocked out), flying in Food/Supplies/Medicines, and, equally important emotional relief that they will be alright.

Valerie (NV9L) was named "Amateur of the Year" for her leadership participation in the Puerto Rico relief effort.  While the U.S. government promised adequate funds/people to rebuild the devastation,
to my knowledge, much of the money disappeared quietly due to congressional quibbling.  (Note to higher-ups in the U.S. government: Providing money and relief resources should be a NON-partisan activity.)

When it comes to EM-Comm training, we don't care about your religious or political affiliations,
our only concern is having proper training, to be ready when the next disaster strikes.  A BiG part
of MY preparedness is participation in Cw/Ssb/RTTY radiosport contests, trying out operations from different locations and using a myriad of different equipment configurations; some work well and
some don't - better to find out NOW before the next disaster strikes.

Do YOU participate in radio sport contests?

If SO, Tell me about your activities.

If NoT, WHY Knot?

WQ6X Wanders Thru a Wobbly Radiosport Weekend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After putting in several weeks of radiosport and time in the office,
this weekend was [s]elected to be a lazy one.  Enjoying extra sleep
was such an over-arching goal that I failed to realize that the JARTS
RTTY GiG actually began @5pm (PDT) on FRIDAY (NoT on Saturday).

This weekend there were 3 radiosport events worthy of investigation:

1. [X] - The JARTS RTTY Contest
2. [X] - The New York State QSO Party (NYQP)
   
3. [X] - The Illinois State QSO Party (ILQP)
   

Luckily on Saturday morning the NYQP gave me an event to run while "waiting for the JARTS GiG
to begin".  While it is true that W7AYT's Concord QTH represents a noticeable receive-signal vortex, the number of internet band spots was disappointingly low, leading to my low turnout conclusion.

Things were even WORSE for the ILQP GiG on Sunday.  I ALWAYS declare N1MM+ to run mixed-mode for QSO parties.  All too often, lack of hearable/workable Ssb signals relegates the eventual
log submission to a Single-OP Cw-Only entry.  For the NYQP, one Ssb station finally made it to log
on 20-meters.

The JARTS GiG gave me the opportunity to play radiosport without having to decode code, or ruin
my voice.  Considering that most 100-watt radios can only manage to run RTTY @50% power levels,
I am routinely doubly-amazed that the Yaesu FT-1000mp can produce a clean 100-watt RTTY signal consistently throughout a 48-hour contest weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because WQ6X Loves to run frequencies in RTTY contests, the radio better be able to handle
the heat.  The MP's massive heat sink and fan ventilation system makes this a no-Brainer.

By contrast, the (onsite) ICOM-7000 must be dialed back to 45-50 watts during RTTY GiGs
lest it "FRY the Finals".  The REAL answer of course is for the 7000 to run @5 watts to drive
a 100 - 150 watt LP amplifier; depending on the power level(s) designated got a given contest.

In an attempt to understand the propagation patterns to/from the receive-signal vortex in Concord,
I routinely rely on the Reverse Beacon (RBN) Network for more information, altho I often end up more confused than confident from the data.  There were consistently FOUR stations that ALWAYS heard me, and yet, no live operators called in from those locations.  

Calling CQ NYQP, no RBN spots were made from the east coast area (except KM3T in NH)
and yet, New York stations (when I could hear them) quickly returned my calls to their CQ's.

The LoGs have all been submitted along with the scores posted on the 3830scores website.  DiD I actually learn anything?  YES!  I learned that more than ever - I LOVE SLEEP.  I ALSO learned that need for SLEEP can sideline an effective radiosport competition entry.  Uh OH.  the upcoming CQ W.W., November Sweepstakes, JIDX Ssb and WAE RTTY GiGs are ALL lengthy affairs.
What am I to Do about SLEEP?

StaY TuneD for the Answer.

WQ6X Wings a Wild, but Weird Radiosport Weekend

From the beginning, my focus for the October 9th-10th contest weekend was to wing-operate
(operate sporadically) the various radiosport GiGs littered throughout the 40 contest weekend. 
When I think about it, I am amazed & amused over how several divergent radiosport events can intertwine themselves in one weekend.  As a multi-mode (Ssb, Cw & RTTY) contester, this weekend offered a variety of different GiGs to dabble in.

• There were 4 QSO parties, each with a different style of exchange:

1. [X] - NVQP - 5NN EB
2. [X] - AZQP - 5NN CA
3. [X] - PAQP - 5NN EB
4. [X] - SDQP - 5NN CA

There were ALSO non-QSO Party events:

• [X] - The OCDX Cw contest: 5NN - 1234
• [X] - The Makrothen RTTY GiG - GRID Square

The Makrothen-style of radiosport uses a unique operating-time framework: 0000z to 08:00z,
16:00z to 00:00z and finally 08:00z to 16:00z - three 8-hour operating periods with two 8-hour
off periods in between.

 

As a RTTY contest, also unique to Makrothen - QSO points are calculated by the KM distance between the grid squares each station resides in.  Altho I used the onsite ICOM-7000 for listening, full-duty RTTY at full power (100 w.) makes the FT-1000mp superior for barefoot RTTY.

With the state QSO parties that weekend (excluding PQP), there was the usual problem of POOR participation from the states themselves.  Responders to my previous blogs on this topic have suggested that the problem is POOR receiving apparatus on my end.  

 

I MIGHT agree w/them, IF there were DOZENS of internet spots and I just could not hear them; when the TRUTH IS there were virtually NO QSO Party spots - EXCEPT for the PQP QSO Party.  I guess the REAL way to properly adjudicate this matter is to listen from several SDR's around the country,
to determine how many stations are actually on the air.

Having recently reconfigured the outboard filter order with the Concord setup.  For Ssb operation,
the MFJ-752 filters offer the best readability overall, altho the QF-1A filters (set to LP/HP) provide more adjustable settings.  The best setting of the MFJ-752's is to turn the r-hand FREQUENCY
knobs to (approx.) the 4 O'clock position.

For the National Tuneup Frequency (NTF), the auto-notch capabilities of the FT-1000mp's EDSP
(for the left ear) and the ANF circuits in the JPS NIR-10 / NIR-12 units resolve that "problem" reasonably well.  For Cw, the PEAK filters in the QF-1A units are unsurpassed.

If you had read my past blog comments on the various QSO party events around North America
(CQP excepted), you probably remember that I call out the QSO party organizers for continuously POOR turnout in their events.  In recent weeks, I have received two e-mails in response to my complaints.  These are worth exploring.  The 1st comment came from N6GP regarding my
writeup on the Kansas QSO Party (KSQP).:

I enjoy your commentaries on 3830.  
However, I think your analysis of last weekend was a bit unfair to Kansas.

The KSQP Rocks!   Rovers everywhere, and NO in-state multipliers.  
N6MU worked 104 of the 105 counties, just missing his 11th sweep. 
I think KSQP runs second place to CQP as my favorite.

 

Recently, I received an e-mail from Bill W0EJ, demonstrating that there is another
way of looking at this situation:

GM Ron, I received your SDQP log and while processing, I read your Soapbox input. We at PDARC recently took over SDQP as enthusiasm was waning in the group that ran it previously. Thank goodness State QSO Parties Group is trying to rally participation in all the state QSO parties.

I have sent your comments with warnings to PDARC club officers along with a suggestion to garner In-State operators to jump onboard. I will also be canvassing members as to how we can incentivize In-State operators to get on the air for SDQP even if they don’t submit a log.

Thanks for your input and we hope that you’ll give us another chance next year.

While it is true I hold other QSO parties to the same standards as the California QSO Party (CQP), it is for GooD Reason.  What good is it to host a QSO party when in-state potential-participants don't participate.  Also lacking is in-state stations calling CQ.  All too often we out-of-state OPs end up calling CQ because we've run out of in-state OPs to work.

While I appreciate out-of-state operators setting up operations in a neighboring state's QSO party, the BETTER solution is for amateurs who LIVE in that state to put their counties on the air, even if (like Alameda county in California) they are not a "Rare" county.  Having MORE in-state operations brings in more out-of-state callers when they hear dozens of in-state stations calling CQ for their QSO party.

What about YOU? 
Do YOU participate in state QSO parties (and in particular your OWN)?

If NoT, WHY NoT?

If so, keep calling CQ for your party and I will eventually end up in your log.

CQP as EM-COMM Training

Awhile back I wrote a Blog detailing how participation in radiosport contests can serve
as EM-COMM (Emergency Communication) training.  During an emergency the quality of our communication (be it Cw, RTTY or Ssb) MUST be crisp, concise and quick.  

Prior to the 2021 CQP, I wrote the following comments during a BART train commute
and somehow, never published them.

Handling  traffic by way of 2-m and 440 repeaters is a world unto itself; you either
have full-Quieting, or you don't.  For regional communications (such as the entire state of California), using the HF frequency bands provides greater geographical coverage.

Because we activate all CA counties, CQP creates a 30 hour long EM-Comm event.  

While digital modes and VHF are not allowed for CQP, Ssb and Cw are.  Running as a multi-single operation requires that operating shifts be setup, coinciding with what bands are open at the time. [CLICK HERE] to see a typical overall band plan for any given 24-hour period in CQP.

Remember that altho Cw QSOs are worth 3 points (versus only 2-points for Ssb), BOTH modes are
important.  When a given band/mode runs out of new stations to work, switching modes or going to a different band allows us to in-effect "start over".  While Alameda is HARDLY a difficult county to work during CQP weekend, ALL California stations (and their individual counties) are the desirable goal for stations outside of California.

To make things more interesting, 1x1 special event callsigns can be registered (as I've done with: W6C, K6C, K6M, K6S, K6T, K6U, W6E and W6K), allowing for faster and snappier exchanges.  However for 2021, because the CQP event was being run on behalf of the Amateur Radio Club
of Alameda (ARCA), the decision was made to use the club callsign: K6QLF.

When it comes to sending a QSO party exchange, the CQP format (QSO# + State/Province/County) makes the most sense.  Most state QSO parties have us send a WORTHLESS 59/599 signal report; or occasionally, Name/State.  With CQP, thanks to the QSO-Nr we can gauge how We are doing in relation to other stations/operators in our class.

To reiterate, the purpose of CQP is to accurately make as many QSO exchanges in as many different multiplier locations as possible.  QSO parties enable county hunters to achieve their USA-CA awards in [maybe] a couple of years, instead of, say, 10 or 20.

Are YOU ready for CQP?

LooK for the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda
(ARCA) using the infamous K6QLF callsign.

 

Special thanks go to the California Historical Radio
Society (CHRS) on Central Ave. in the city of Alameda.

With their setup assistance, ARCA will be activating the RARE Alameda County giving us a shot at beating
the 10-year old Multi-Single Low-Power score.

You Can't FIX what Ain't There

It's no secret that WQ6X base operations utilize a bevy of external auditor filter units, in addition to the Yaesu FT-1000mp's built-in e-DSP facility.  

These units provide everything from NR (Noise Reduction), MNF (Manual Notch Filtering) and ANF (Auto Notch Filtering), audio AGC & overall bandpass contouring.

Properly adjusted, these filters can literally "PoP" signals above the noise and CRUD Level.  Because of their "binary nature",
Cw signals are the most easily boosted
with this kind of filter arrangement.  

Unfortunately,  no amount of audio processing can counteract the effects
of fading and poor propagation.

With the JPS NIR-12 DSP unit the DYN-Peak function raises the threshold a signal must reach in order to pass thru the filter.  

This approach essentially prevents low-level noise from leaking thru to the mixer or headphones. 
When signal levels are barely above that noise-level, those weak signals will be blocked as well. 
Sometimes switching from a HORIZ to VERT antenna configuration can noticeably reduce signal-fading.  

Sometimes a pre-amp in the receiver front-end can help, altho recognize that atmospheric noise is amplified along with the weak signals.  Alternately, switching the receiver to a different AGC setting can sometimes balance things out.  One of the advantages to running RTTY is that amazingly,
some decoder software can make sense out of audio tones barely audible in the headphones.

Bottom-Line:
No matter how effective the filters and DSP units are, if the signals aren't first somehow
jumping out of the void, there will be nothing to filter.

IF IT AINT THERE, THERE IS NOTHING TO FIX.