One word sums up last weekend's CQ W.W. Ssb Contest: wOw!
Of the BiG-3 contest types, you've heard
me say that Ssb contests are my LEAST favorite, especially DX contests.
In recent years for WQ6X, the CQ W.W. Ssb GiG has been a Ho-Hummer, leading me to predict a final QSO total of 200 - 300 for this year's event.
Had I been operating from our old Fallbrook location, that woulda probably have been
a reasonably accurate number.
For 2021, I received the Go-ahead to run STN-2 @WA6TQT's super-site on the mountain top in Anza (Orange county), while KI6RRN (Axel) ran STN-1.
Because this was an Ssb contest, any XMIT harmonics fell outside the amateur bands and was not a problem BETWEEN Stn-1 & Stn-2.
For the 1st time (in what seems like FOREVER), we had a reasonable solar flux index of 113 AND
low A & K indexes. In recent years 80 and 160 have yielded a not-insignificant percent of our score. This year, we swapped 80 & 160 meters for 15 & 10.
Recently when I run Ssb w/a K3/0 (or Mini) I use the Super-AWEsome $11 eBay special microphone, which I inadvertently left in Alameda, Through a judicious use of patch cables and junction-blocks, the classic Electro Voice EV-664 microphone ran a flawless Ssb contest. The only difficulty occurred when John (WA6TQT) menu-directed the microphone away from the RRC unit during my sleep break shortly after midnight. NoT realizing it could easily switched back, thanks to previously loaded DVK memories S&P operation was at least doable; just as well as I was sleep-exhausted any way.
15 and 10 meters. Throughout the day the bands seemed to hold promise. At 21:00z switching
to the stacked yagi array aimed at South America, dozens of stations were worked. Eventually
a handful of Japanese stations called (off the back of the KT-36) prompting a switch to the other
yagi stack pointed towards Asia @23:50z. When 10-meters finally ran out, there were 300+
QSOs logged for that band, with 200+ from Asia alone.
On Sunday, more-or-less the same thing happened, this time on 15-meters. Beginning at 19:50z,
a "pipeline" opened up from Anza to South America. As the 2-hour SA-pileup wound down, Asian stations (Japan, Korea & UA0) began to drift in. From that moment until contest end, I kept the
Asian pipeline alive, with an occasional caller from Australia and Central/South America.
Aside from the upper band condx. and running lengthy pileups, there were no other major events. While a solar flare occurred near the end of the contest, for all intents and purposes, it had no major impact on operations from Anza. Then again, a number of disparate significances come to mind.
In past Blogs I have ranted ad-nauseum about the myriads of different-mode QRM experienced
in the evening on 40-meters. Cw contests are often plagued by Ssb QRM, while Ssb GiGs are frequently plagued by errant RTTY. (In recent years RTTY contest operations have often been
plagued by swarms of FT-8 idiots.) For the CQ contest at 06:33z I stumbled onto EI7M on 7.178. Unfortunately, his frequency run was accompanied by systematic QRM that sounded like a motorcycle (with a glass pack muffler) sputtering On/Off at EXACTLY the worst moments;
I.e. this was no Random/Atmospheric Occurrence.
It can be argued that he couldn't hear me, except that similar to intentional RTTY QRM, he was EXACTLY zero-beat on 7149.89. That just does not happen randomly contest after contest.
Other Indonesian stations were hearing WQ6X and calling in for a QSO - this guy HEARD me and didn't care. Typical to 40-meter QRM situations, I simply hold the frequency as if I can't hear the QRM'er; eventually they get "Bored" and go to bed.
QRM can make a voice seem unintelligible. Just as unintelligible are "foreign" stations (often w/an unintelligible accent) who pronounce their callsign ONCE in rapid-delivery mode. This was certainly the case with EA8RM. He was probably wondering why he had no callers. The Answer?: We didn't know who he was - we couldn't make out his callsign. We needed for him to STFD - Slow Down.
At least on Cw I can request a station to QRS. Asking a station to QRS on Ssb would probably confuse the clueless individual even further.
GeT it RIGHT!"
Some years back, I included this as
one of my BiGGest beefs in radiosport contesting.
[CLICK HERE] to read the 4-part series.
NoN-English speaking OPs should REHEARSE saying their callsign BE-4 the contest. Even then, they should record and playback DVK (Voice Keyer) messages calling CQ, giving a succinct contest exchange along with saying the callsign at least twice (but S-L-o-W-l-Y).
Something I've noticed in recent major Ssb contests are the SUPER Stations (usually in the 3rd call area) who PURPOSELY operate right at the bottom of the band on the USB bands. Their antenna arrays are So HUGE and their power-levels So HIGH they end up SPLATTERING 3+ KC OUTSIDE
of the voice band allocation; technically in violation of FCC rules. Technically, FCC rule violations
are grounds for a log submission to become DQ'd (Disqualified), relegating it to CHECKLOG Status. BTW, they always had 3+ KC above them quiet and available. Do you REALLY need to operate on 14.150.89 on Upper Sideband?
We are clearly well into Solar Cycle #25. Increasing solar flux numbers bring with it more frequent (yet usually shorter) solar disturbances. The contest weekend ended with a major solar flare, which fortunately did not enter into things for the WQ6X operation until JUST AFTER the contest ended.
entry as Single-OP Single-Band Assisted - SO(A)SB10 HP operation - the other QSOs become
Checklog QSOs which are still valid nevertheless for all stations who worked WQ6X on other bands.
Looking at the 3830 Score results after the contest event, for the SO(A)SB-10 category, it would
seem that WQ6X took a 19-place worldwide, 7th-place for NA/USA, 2nd-Place for the Southwestern Division, 1st-place for W6 (California) and 1st-place for the ORG ARRL section. When you consider that I was predicting a max of 300 QSOs (for all bands), it's amazing what was accomplished overall.
DiD YOU work the CQ W.W. DX Ssb contest?
Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?
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