WQ6X Negotiates Walls of Noise and Radio Blackout during a Minor Contest Weekend.

While this weekend was not one destined for the radiosport record books, I was hoping to at least get a dozen+ hours of REAL OPerating time - something that for all the variety of efforts extended, simply didn't happen.  Thanks to our Sun going thru another round of "PuBerTy" all over again, Earth's atmosphere received Bash after Bash of solar-induced atmospheric-disruptive energy.

The weekend radiosport menu found only 3 GiGs on the list:

1. [X] - The mixed-Mode Russian CQ-M International DX Contest
2. [X] - The Italian VoLTa RTTY Contest
3. [X] - The Canadian Central Provinces QSO Party

Working backward, we have the CPQP; a certainly needed (yet poorly attended) QSO Party event. 
While we can blame the Space-Wx for the blackout and signal levels, if VE stations are calling CQ, they should appear in the bandmap, even if we can't hear them at our operating QTH.

During this time period, signals on 15 & 10 meters were non-existent, leaving only 20-meters
and its whopping 4 Canadian stations on the bandmap.  The pre-decision to run all QSO parties
this year @ the QRP power level, certainly didn't make things easy.  With an 03:00z QSO Party
ending, there was no opportunity to work Canada on 40-meters; just as the band is opening to Canada amidst all the solar noise, the QSO Party was OVER.

Thanks to walls of atmospheric-noise, and radio dropouts, CPQP didn't stand a chance. 
It didn't help that the event itself was not listed in the WA7BNM Contest Calendar.  Ironically,
40-meters came alive around 02:30z, as it usually does - unfortunately, too late for communications
to Canada - no Canadian stations were heard during that last half-hour.

For the VoLTa RTTY contest, investigating the rules discovered this GiG has no QRP category. 
As a compromise, the power was dialed-back to 55-watts when running RTTY (which is largely a
full-duty mode).  The VoLTa GiG is unique in that the sent exchange is a Serial-# AND the CQ Zone#.  I typically send something like: (123  03) (123  03); the Serial# is sometimes difficult to copy, requiring repeats - whereas the CQ-zone is largely deducible from the callsign. 
(In most RTTY contests, if our callsign does not match the actual call area of operation, a portable designator must also be sent (K6AR/4 from Florida or WQ6X/7 if I am operating portable from Nevada.)

Again, thanks to horrible solar conditions, contacts were only possible on 20 & 40 meters most of the time.  NoT hearing many stations calling CQ during the VoLTa and CQ-M contests, I jumped in and called CQ ad-nauseum, making note of the run SPoTS for WQ6X coming in over the RBN (Reverse Beacon) network.  Remember: if everybody is listening and no one is calling CQ, the band will SEEM to be DEAD, when in fact brief pockets of band openings are there to be had - with the proper timing.

Typical of extreme solar conditions, certain signal paths often have a hollow sound. sometimes sounding like buckshot has poked holes in the signal as it travels over the polar regions.  Listening
to the Russian Military "K" beacon (E. Russia) on ~7.039, that shotgun effect was clearly in evidence.

Thanks to the HORRIBLE Space-WX this was one of the WORST radiosport weekends on record
for some time.  Luckily, it was not the weekend of the upcoming WPX (Weird Prefix) CW Contest.

What about You?  DiD YOU attempt radiosport activities during the 2nd weekend?

HoW DiD it turn out for YOU?

What I like about the Yaesu FT-2000 (in contrast w/the FT-1000mp)

Having upgraded the WQ6X station from a Yaesu FT-1000mp to the newer [sic] (2009-model)
FT-2000, I can tell you that while both radios are state-of-the-art, contest quality and WaY beyond
the competition, aesthetically the color screen FT-2000 is clearly a step up over the amber Monochrome screen predecessor.

Many features built-in to the FT-2000 were more-or-less optional add-ons with the 1000mp predecessor, such as 6-meters, CW and DVK playback memories, a more robust DNR, DNF
and Contour facilities.  The 2000's VRF (essentially a front-end preselector), far exceeding the capabilities of most external preselector units I have tried.  In addition, the noise blanker (NB)
facility actually noise-blanks.  The NB1/NB2 circuits easily subject to (what is known as) "AGC pumping".   Similar to ICOM's dual IF notch, the dual-knob notch filter in the 2000 makes it
easier to eliminate electronic device/RFI "squiggles".

The dual-RX facility is more refined in the FT-2000, altho like the 1000mp, there is no DSP-facility
or shift/notch features in the Sub-RX - those are implemented properly in the FTDX-5000 - another reason having a pair of Autek QF-1A filters (one for each RX) is so useful.  The aux. notch filter in the QF-1A - on par with the Yaesu notch circuits - produces audio improvement that even the FT-2000 itself cannot.

The roofing-filter for VFO-A is incredibly effect, selectable down to 3-khz, is incredibly effective.  Putting the Sub-RX (VFO-B) on the same frequency, the contrasting interference levels between
the two receivers is quite dramatic.

The screen icons atop the color VFD display make it easy to determine which front-end
and I-F options are selected and in which order.

The meter knob, IPO button and QMB (Quick Memory Bank) facility are a step above the
FT-1000mp, while the many additional functions built around the VFO-B knob truly take things
to the next level, altho require some practice to get an intuitive feel for making things work - this
is where reading the comprehensive manual (for BOTH the FT-1000mp and FT-2000) comes in.

When it comes to RTTY, both Yaesu transceivers can run full-duty 100-watts, altho the FT-2000
built-in heatsink system allows the electronics to run even cooler.

With the exception of the Digital Notch Filter (DNF) which is audio-based, the remaining DSP features all operate at the I-F level.  While both the FT-1000mp and FT-2000 sport dual-RX capabilities in the same band, the FT-2000 seems to operate more robustly when using CW from one VFO and Ssb from the other VFO.  This makes running multi-mode contests (like FD, the IARU GiG, CQP and
the ARRL 10-meter contest run more smoothly.

The subtle but REAL ergonomic difference between the FT-1000mp and the FT-2000 comes from
the FT-2000's VFO knob, essentially stolen (at least in concept) from the FTDX-9000 Series of transceivers.   One thing I really like that was not continued onto the FT-2000 was the Shuttle-Jog mechanism found in both the FT-920 and FT-1000mp series transceivers.  With that exception,
the FT-2000 knob-central is far-superior, especially in the heat of radiosport operations.

While I still love the FT-1000mp, the FT-2000 has truly won over my aesthetic sense and become
truly a joy to operate.  The features that are still left lacking in the FT-2000 are of course implemented in the FTDX-5000 (originally ~$4800).  Ironically, I paid $1200 (2016) for the fully-loaded FT-1000mp picked up in So. California, while the FT-2000 purchase in 2021 was only $1025 shipped direct.

What about you?  Are You or have you been a fan of the Yaesu FT-1000mp and/or FT-2000 series?

WQ6X Works Another WEIRD Cinco-de-Contest

While the actual WPX Weird Prefix Contest is 3-weeks away, the "Weird Factor" has been building
up for weeks, partially influenced by some of the most pleasantly tumultuous Space-WX encountered
in this here 21st Century.  A recent Blast-from-the-Past retrospective blog entry regarding Cinco-de-Contest reinforced my amazement over successfully orchestrating a 5-contest weekend - year over year.  Chronologically, each of the 5-events flow perfectly in/out of one another.

• [X] - 1200z - The Italian ARI DX Contest
• [X] - 1300z - The 7th Area QSO Party
• [X] - 1500z - INQP - Indiana QSO Party
• [X] - 1700z - DEQP - Delaware QSO Party
• [X] - 2000z - NEQP - New England QSO Party

With the exception of the ARI contest (which has no QRP category),
all other events during the weekend were run at the 5-watt power level.
When there is no QRP category, I am going to run the allotted 100-wats in the LP category.

For NX6T's multi-Single operation, a surplus of operators offered me the opportunity to focus
on the 7QP and NEQP QSO parties, while looking for European openings during the ARI DX contest running "behind" all of this.  I even got to run the NEQP final hour on Sunday for NX6T, after finding
no more "new" stations/counties that could hear my QRP signal over the elevated solar-induced, medium-level noise-wall.  I felt kinda-like a cleanup pitcher, bouncing 20 & 40 meters, looking
for 20-meter stragglers and a hoped-for 40-meter opening (which occurred in the last 15-minutes).

For NX6T operations, 15 & 20 meters (respectively) were the HoT bands to run.  For WQ6X, the HoT bands were 20 and 40 meters (respectively).  Overall, in So. California, 10-meters "kinda" opened on Saturday and was a complete DuD on Sunday.  While 10-meter condx. were marginal for QSO Party activity, the benefitted from the usual afternoon opening to South America.

This year, the NEQP GiG surprised us with a new change.  Connecticut, instead of counties,

"Note that in CT, stations will use Regional Councils of Government (2024)" for 'County' entry".

New England was a REAL PAIN.  After the contest, I manually edited the log correcting the county/council spelling.  7QP ended at 07:00z (midnight PDT) found me boosting the power
level back to 95-watts, working the 20-meter opening to Europe during their late morning. 
Missing the 40-meter shot to Europe, the ARI log was submitted as single-band, even tho
they no longer have a single-band category.  

Sunday was the typical desperate "looking for multipliers" day. I called CQ a LoT signing /QRP to get people's attention.  Unfortunately, Billy-Bob, his brother Barney and their cousin Bubba called in from the Southeast - NoT from New England.  Do you know what "CQ NEQP" means?  If NoT, then you should not call me.  If you DO know what it means and you are NoT in New England, then you
should NoT call me.  I have written about this ad-nauseum.  ([CLICK HERE] to read about it.)

When it was all over, it would seem that WQ6X and NX6T made a number of 1st-place wins.

BLASTs From the Past: Cinco de Contest

The first radiosport contest weekend in May brings us the CINCO de Contest: The ARI DX

Contest + USA State QSO Parties.  I have worked a variety of different approaches to running
this weekend, many of which resulted in 1st-place plaques.  This is what has been done so far.

• [X] - 2023 - WQ6X Reminisces about Cinco-de-Contest
• [X] - 2022 - WQ6X Wangles a Weird Cinco-de-Contest
• [X] - 2021 - WQ6X Works another CINCO-de-Contest WeeKend
• [X] - 2020 - WQ6X Wanders Weirdly thru another Cinco-de-Contest
• [X] - 2019 - WQ6X prepares for another Cinco-de-Contest Weekend
• [X] - 2019 - WQ6X prepares for Cinco-de-Contest Weekend - Pt. 2
• [X] - 2018 - WQ6X runs another Cinco DE Contest as WQ6X & NX6T
• [X] - 2017 - WQ6X Survives another 5-contest Weekend
• [X] - 2016 - WQ6X runs 5 contests simultaneously
• [X] - 2014 - WQ6X joins Team NX6T for a 4-Contest Weekend

wOw!  That is a LoT of randomly run GiGs.

Many of the successes in the above events can be summed up simply as:

WHEN in DOUBT: CHEAT!  (But w/in the Rules....)

What about YOU?

Have you ever run the Cinco-de-Contest weekend?

What have YOU Learned?