For WQ6X it's JARTS - Pacificon - JARTS

During recent weekends, WQ6X has been back in RTTY run-mode, which can ONLY happen

using the FT-2000 @W7AYT's QTH in the SF East Bay.  48-hour contests like the JARTS RTTY
affair offer-up numerous opportunities for band openings as well as plenty of time for things like
sleep and the Pacificon HamFest, just a few miles away in San Ramon.

Being a Japanese sponsored contest, the operating exchange is identical to the All-Asian GiGs in June and September: 5NN + AGE.  Not surprisingly, the mean-age for Japanese amateurs was 72+.  To make things more easily read visually WQ6X sent: 5NN (55) (55).  Enclosing the age in (parens) makes it easier to double-click JUST the number and paste it into the Age data-entry field of the N1MM+ logging software.

The JARTS radiosport contest brings several ways to earn contest points:

• 3-points each for QSOs on different continents
• Country Multipliers (M1)
• Prefix Multipliers (M2)

Running the N1MM+ software enables all 12 function key macros, while the RTTY decoder window provides another 18 more macros for less-used character strings.

When in frequency-run mode, I chose frequencies that are so unique that other OPS won't pick by accident (Ex: 14088.88, or 21.111.11, or 28092.92).  Therefore, when a station's CQ call lines up perfectly between the "goal posts" w/perfect decoding, I know that choice was intentional - NoT a FLUKE.

One of the ways to reduce RTTY congestion is to run from frequencies above the +100-Kc mark in the bands (Ex: 14.101+, 21.100+ & 28.100+).  These frequency areas not only often quieter QRM-wise, it often seems that atmospheric noise is less at these frequencies, altho admittedly this is a subjective observation.  Unfortunately, it doesn't occur to some operators
that there might be stations "above 100".

In between RTTY GiGs, I found a few hours to wander over to the PACIFICON Event held nearby
at the Marriot Hotel in San Ramon.  It's always a kick to meet up with friends old and new, see the vendors newest radios up-close and personal and schmooze with representatives of nearby radio clubs, being that I am President of the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA).

When it was all over WQ6X put in a reasonable showing - most notably on 10-emeters. 
Oh, how I love high SFI periods of the sunspot cycle - especially for RTTY operations.

DiD YOU work the JARTS RTTY contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR log?

WQ6X as W6R Runs a Routine QRP Triple-OP CQP

 

 

As I explained in the previous CQP Blog, it seems like from the beginning, CQP offers up an expansive playing field to play on (radiosport-wise) - each year I discover here-to-for undiscovered
(for me anyway) ways to play the CQP game.  When it's ALL over, the Question becomes, DiD the CQP contest overall adequately activate all 58 California counties [nearly] all of the time?

The original idea was to put together a club-run multi-single operation for the Amateur Radio
Club of Alameda (ARCA) using our club callsign - Kilowatt 6 Quebec London Foxtrot (K6QLF). 
Too many variables derailed running an event for 30 hours at the Oakland Yacht Club (in Alameda).  Scouting the CQP website, I happened onto an alternate approach to CQP-23 that eventually ended
up in a triple-OP operation for WQ6X, setting 2 county records in the process.

With careful planning, it was determined that a CQP triple-OP could be accomplished by:

• Putting in hours for NX6T (RIVE) remotely on BOTH Ssb and CW.
• Run remotely from Ramona as W6R (SDIE) assisted QRP on BOTH Ssb and CW.
• Run unassisted QRP as WQ6X (CCOS) on BOTH Ssb and CW.

The goal was to be part of a high score in ALL-3 operations, while at the same time

setting QRP county records for BOTH WQ6X and W6R - all from three different locations:
Anza, Concord and Ramona.  Because each QTH had its unique propagation characteristics,
the operating-strategy was different, NoT only for each time of day, but for each callsign
(I.e. different operating QTH).

When it was all over, those goals were ALL accomplished.  More than anything,
this is a testament to the importance of operating CQP with an advance plan,
physically documented, open to modification at any time.

Along the way, Space-WX effects on propagation were always a consideration.
The days leading up to CQP, the solar conflicts were many and varied. 
By Saturday, things had calmed down considerably.  

I guess really, the easiest way to describe things is to post the 3830
Soapbox comments for these GiG operations, beginning with W6R:

wOw!  What a Bizarre CQP weekend.

When the original plan to operate QRP from a sailboat in ALAM

county de-materialized, a triple-OP operation was created running

from W7AYT's QTH in Concord.

W6R (R=Ramona) was run QRP remotely, giving access to a Stepp-IR,

Shorty-40 and 75-meter Inv-Vee @ 55-feet on the hilltop in Ramona (SDIE).

In between, WQ6X made some QSOs also running QRP from CCOS and even put

in a Sunday early-morning shift for NX6T running remotely from Anza.

If calculations are correct, W6R set an SDIE county record for 

SO(A) QRP, while WQ6X set a CCOS county record for SO QRP.

The 3830 Soapbox comments for WQ6X are similar, yet different.

wOw!  What a Bizarre CQP weekend.

When the original plan to operate QRP from a sailboat in ALAM

county de-materialized, a triple-OP operation was created running

from W7AYT's QTH in Concord.

While the antenna system @W7AYT is marginal it was enough to make 

a significant presence from CCOS.  The band condx were AWEsome overall.

In between, I ran as W6R remotely running QRP from SDIE and even 

put in a Sunday early-morning shift for NX6T running remotely from Anza.

If calculations are correct, W6R set an SDIE county record for SO(A) QRP, 

while WQ6X set a CCOS county record for SO QRP.

N7NR submitted the CQP Score for NX6T and had this to say:

Our entry in CQP went very well thanks to the excellent efforts of all of our ops.  It helped that a majority of our ops took the time Friday evening to test out their internet connection and our logger with a few practice Qs during a ZOOM training session.

We invited a couple of guest ops this year -- KC7V and KL7SB -- both of whom helped us a bunch.  Thanks Mike and Steve.  In addition to all of the ops, I especially want to thank the station owner, John, WA6TQT, for allowing us to use his great station.  Also, John saved the day for us when the first shift op noticed a high SWR on 10m.  In less than an hour John was able to bypass the troublesome Stackmatch so that the 10m stack could be used for the remainder of the contest. 

THANKS JOHN!!

Finally, a huge thanks to all the callers who made this such a fun event.

73, Dave, N7NR

The bottom-line for me is that I managed CQP operations from 3 different California Counties and was a significant part of each of those operations scoring a 1st-place for their respective counties (RIVE, SDIE & CCOS) while setting a new county record for San Diego (SDIE) and Contra Costa (CCOS) counties.  How do we ToP THAT for CQP 24?  At this moment, I DUNNO.

DiD YOU work the California QSO Party (CQP)??

Is NX6T, W6R or WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Cobbles together a Weird 6-GiG October Radiosport weekend

On my blotter desk calendar, I've had the October 14th weekend filled w/shorthand notation
for some time, altho I had no idea what order the individual events would best produce a result. 
The only certainty was the fact that the MAKROTHEN RTTY GiG could only be run using the Yaesu FT-2000 installation @W7AYT's QTH in the SF East Bay.  The BIGGEST challenge was overcoming my laziness to make the drive to Concord Friday evening along w/morning commitments in Alameda
on Saturday - a compromise was indeed necessary.

Friday evening I remoted-in to Computer #2 in Concord; the laptop which controls the FT-2000 by way of a (Ukranian-made) RigExpert TI-5000, except, the RTTY transmit audio path somehow doesn't key the radio properly.  In the spirit of "When in Doubt CHEAT (but w/in the Rules), a patch-cable was run between the laptop headphone jack and the front-panel microphone plug into the FT-2000.

For general use of the Yaesu radio, the FT-2000RC software can be run remotely enabling
a crude form of knob-twiddling.  However, hew N1MM+ contest logger doesn't share the
COM port.  Until a com-port bridge is setup, either program can be run, but NoT BOTH together.

While there were six GiGs running that weekend, except MAKROTHEN, they all ran more-or-less
the same.  To make it easier to get the track of all the GiGs in context with one another we simply
need refer to the soapbox comments I posted on the 3830Scores website.

MAKROTHEN
Scheduling conflicts required that I run the FT-2000 in Concord
remotely from Alameda on Friday evening.  Saturday afternoon & early
Sunday morning, I was able to sit behind the radio and knob twiddle.
The space-WX was VERY accommodating for this GiG.  Working into EU
on 10-meters at 15:00z from California is QUITE a rarity - 'cept in radiosport.
The FT-2000 was run at around 70-watts into a droopy 8JK Cobra array
and a 3-element 10-m Long John yagi, which tunes nicely as a dipole
on 15-meters - Amazing.

OCDX - QRP
This was another ad-HOC QRP operation from Ramona.
The Elecraft K3/0-Mini ran a K3 in Ramona at 5-watts
in to a 3-element Stepp-IR yagi @55-ft on the hilltop.
Virtually all OC stations heard eventually heard WQ6X

PAQP - QRP
This year's PAQP made up for no-shows from SD and NV and dismal AZQP.
While I would've preferred MORE PA stations to play in this GiG having
access to another QP run on Sunday makes all the difference.
Altho only running QRP, it is safe to say that I was able to work
every PA station heard.  Using a 3-el Stepp-IR @55-feet certainly helped.
The internet spots for PA stations were more than plentiful.

NVQP - QRP
I have run many enjoyable NVQP events however, this year's NVQP GiG
was completely PATHETIC.  There were NO NV stations heard and NO NV
stations on the spotting nets.  I just happened to be looking for PA
stations (plenty of them) on 40-meters and stumbled onto W7ZR in Vegas.
Ramona is NEXT DOOR to Nevada, and yet - NOTHING  HuH?  W-E-I-R-D.

AZQP - QRP
This year's AZQP made up for no-shows from SD and NV.
While I would've preferred MORE AZ stations to play in
their own GiG, it is safe to say that while running QRP,
I was able to work every AZ station heard.
There were NO internet spots for AZ stations.

SDQP - QRP
I have run many enjoyable SDQP events - even one loading
the rain gutters on an Alameda house to work 20+ SD stations. 
However, this year's SDQP GiG was completely PATHETIC.
There were NO SD stations heard and NO SD stations on the spotting nets.
I just happened to be looking for PA stations (plenty of them) on 10-meters
and stumbled onto W0OJY.

DiD YOU work any of the above events.

HoW DiD it turn out for you?

WQ6X Survives another CQ Weird Wide DX RTTY Contest

I've been running SO many radiosport contest GiGs remotely recently that I had sorta-lost touch
with the ergonomic wonder that is the Yaesu FT-2000 transceiver setup @W7AYT's QTH in Concord (EB section).  Like its predecessor (the FT-1000mp), the transmit section can run full-power, full-duty RTTY, no problem; altho this weekend, 85-watts seemed to be the .707 point.

This was another ad-HOC CQ WW RTTY Contest from W7AYT's QTH in Concord.
In recent weeks, the WQ6X radio operation being run another, more bare-bones Windoze-7 system interfaced with a recently added RigExpert TI-5000 transceiver control unit.  Overall, the TI-5000
is an exceptional unit - EXCEPT the computer can't specifically trigger the unit in FSK and the Xmit audio (in AFSK) never makes it into the radio, necessitating a stereo patch-cable between the laptop headphone jack and the Xcvr mic socket.

With that ad-HOC arrangement in place, it was possible to limp thru the 48-hour contest weekend. 
The next frustration came from RTTY-RFI emanating from the ladder-line fed 8JK-Cobra array.

However, two often unacknowledged tools are in the background of the operation:
[KEYBOARD Macros] and RBN STATS.

Altho I was able to load the 3-el 10m yagi on 15-meters and briefly even on 20-meters,
(kinda like a gigantic BuddiPole), I was just playing around in the contest until I encountered
a 2nd-day-in-a-row occurrence of 10-meters being wide-open much of Saturday/Sunday. 
That is when I decided to make this a 10-meter only LoG submission.  Luckily, there was
a pipeline to JA Sunday afternoon.

Depending on how the CQ end-of-things classifies the submitted log,
WQ6X either took 1st-place or 2nd-place in a 10-meter QRP category. 

I'll let the contest committee sort that out later.

DiD YOU participate in the CQ W.W. RTTY Contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?