Cw GiG 2-weekends before), being an Ssb contest, I wasn't comfortable w/attempting a serious
QRP operation, allowing me instead to focus on perfecting my Ssb Listening and Speaking skills,
w/o the variable of being a super-weak signal.
contest, it was discovered that the YS-007s
cable recommended to run the RigExpert TI-5000
is not downward compatible to the RigExpert PLUS
unit and does not transfer audio properly with the Yaesu FT-2000.
This relegated running the soundcard audio to the
33" SONY monitor and feeding it to the radio via the monitor's headphone jack, which kinda defeats the point. Reverting back to the original YS-2000 cable made for perfect audio transfer.
33" SONY monitor and feeding it to the radio via the monitor's headphone jack, which kinda defeats the point. Reverting back to the original YS-2000 cable made for perfect audio transfer.
With an out-of-order audio cable, the classic Electro Voice 664 microphone was relegated to being a mic stand for a classic HEIL PRO-set giving WQ6X Punchy contest audio.
Reviewing the QSO statistics from the Cw Sweepstakes GiG, it seemed like the obvious approach would be to begin the contest by running frequencies on 10-meters and then working down to lower bands when 10-meters "goes long" (such as when I begin hearing JA's off the back of the yagi).
Sweepstakes began with a BiG flurry and then several hours in [propagation-wise] things began
to thin-out considerably. Overall, we can't blame the thinning out on poor space-WX as solar-wise, things were relatively quiet.
to thin-out considerably. Overall, we can't blame the thinning out on poor space-WX as solar-wise, things were relatively quiet.
I often talk about so-called intentional QRM in the early morning, even in Ssb contests. For this contest, the "intruders" were not the usual bogus RTTY stations on 40-m Ssb, but Cw numbers traffic being passed on 3740.70 @10:46z. Switching directions with the 80-meter 4-Square array, the Cw could ONLY be heard from the Northwest (NW) direction - i.e., Asia (or Asiatic Russia). I have reported Chinese/Russian military activity in the area of 75-meters before. Of course, both
countries deny any use of 75-meters for their traffic handling exercises.
countries deny any use of 75-meters for their traffic handling exercises.
For some reason, Billy-Bob (and his brother Barney) was nowhere to be found on 80 OR 40.
Maybe they slept in late for a change. Or, more likely, they are so intimidated by the complex Sweepstakes exchange that they purposely avoid us, so as not to look the true idiots that they
actually are.
Maybe they slept in late for a change. Or, more likely, they are so intimidated by the complex Sweepstakes exchange that they purposely avoid us, so as not to look the true idiots that they
actually are.
Aside from a handful of QSOs, the only really good thing that came from this operating period was putting TWO RI (Rhode Island) stations in the log for section #83. Section #84 (NL) came later in the morning. Unfortunately, running as WQ6X barely HALF of the 84 sections made it to the log; a clear testament to the efficacy of having directional array antennas for all bands.
When it was all over, it would seem that NX6T took a clear 1st-place for the low power multi-single category, while WQ6X came in 28th overall and possibly 1st-place for East Bay (EB) section and maybe even the Pacific (PAC) division.
DiD YOU work the November Sweepstakes Ssb contest?
Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR LoG?
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