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?