Blast from the Past: California QSO Party (CQP) - Part 2

With CQP 2024 safely behind us, scanning back to October 2019, it would seem that a "Blast from the Past" post for CQP was published reflecting on all the CQP events from 2000 - 2018.  This little ad-HOC Blog post is to revisit the CQP events from 2019 thru 2023.

To make it easier to find the Blog post to each event, let's begin with summary links to those Blogs.

• [X] - Original Blast from the Past Blog
• [X] - 2019: K6C #1 CCOS and NX6T #2 SDIE
• [X] - 2020: K6A #1 SDIE  and  K6C  #1 CCOS
• [X] - 2021: K6QLF #2 ALAM
• [X] - 2022: Confirming CQP: Some ThoTs on MaKing it All Happen
• [X] - 2022: Confirming CQP (Part-2): Contingency Plans for Contingency Plans
• [X] - 2022: WQ6X #1 CCOS QRP and K6Q #1 CCOS LP and NX6T #1 RIVE
• [X] - 2022: Some CQP After-Thoughts about CQP
• [X] - 2023: W6R #1 SDIE and WQ6X #1 CCOS and NX6T #1 RIVE
• [X] - 2024: WQ6X Successfully Navigates a 5-Way California QSO Party
• [X] - 2024: Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) runs a CQP Training Exercise

CQP 2019 - WQ6X as K6C "Kicks-it" for another California QSO Party [X]

For this 2019 CQP event, I decided to take the easy way out by registering the K6C callsign and repeating last year's dual-OP with NX6T from W7AYT's QTH in Contra Costa County.  

K6C (Kilowatt Six California) was used for state-recognition variety.

CQP 2020 - WQ6X Dual-OPs another CQP as K6C & K6A [X]

From the beginning, something about the 2020 California QSO Party (CQP) event seemed attractively different.  Heading to Concord Thursday evening, I did a thorough "inventory" of WQ6X's portable setup at W7AYT's QTH in Concord.

CQP 2021 - K6QLF Runs a Memorable 1st-time ever CQP Event [X]

For 2021, a new set of opportunities made possible a unique Multi-Operator operation introducing members of the Amateur Radio Club in Alameda (ARCA) to the world of Radiosport (in general)
and the California QSO Party (in particular).  LooKing for a SAFE location to run the 30-hour
event, it was suggested that we coordinate with the California Historical Radio Society (CHRS),
whose museum JUST happens to be 2-blocks from my office in Alameda.

CQP 2022 - WQ6X Triple-OP's yet another California QSO Party [X]

From the beginning, making this weekend happen was clearly an embodiment of what I call the WB6ACU school of contest organization (even tho I believe Joe rarely works radiosport events). 
The original idea was to organize the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) as K6QLF.  Unable
to secure a secure location for 40+ hours eventually the deciding factor, suggesting that ARCA can always come back in 2023.

CQP 2023 - WQ6X as W6R Runs a Routine QRP Triple-OP CQP [X]

It really does seem 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?

WQ6X Successfully Navigates a 5-Way California QSO Party [X]

The 2024 California QSO Party (CQP) was LOADED with participatory possibilities.  My personal operating goal(s) included engaging with as many of those opportunities as could be effectively experienced over a 30-hour contest operating period.  Having access to a Catalina-42 sailboat
before, during and after the CQP added yet another dimension to CQP as an operating event. 
My time was divided between 5-Events:

Do YOU ever work the CQP California QSO Party?

How many Counties are in YOUR LoGs?

Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) runs a CQP Training Exercise

I recently wrote a BLOG entry describing the 5 Different Ways I put callsigns on the air during the 2024 California Qso Party (CQP) - [CLICK HERE] to read that.  One of those WaYs was working with members of ARCA to learn more about what CQP is and how to log contacts using the Ssb mode. 
(Later, I operated W6R remotely, running mostly CW - GO Figure!)

We ran a portable ICOM 7300 around 75-watts into the Oakland Yacht Club's horizontal J-pole strung atop the Yacht club building.  The purpose of this exercise was 3-fold:

1. Introduce members to what it is like to run a radiosport contest - CQP in particular.
2. Give a thorough test of the horizontal J-Pole during a period of AWEsome Space-WX Condx.
3. Demonstrate how N1MM logging software is used to log contacts during an event like CQP.

It didn't matter how many contacts we made using the K6QLF callsign, only that we actually DiD it,
posted our score on the 3830 Scores website and submitted a K6QLF.Log file to the CQP website.
All of those were accomplished well before the log submission deadline.

Now that the preliminary results are in, one thing stands out surprisingly Clear:

K6QLF TOOK 1ST PLACE OVERALL IN CALIFORNIA FOR THE 1-DAY EXPEDITION.

DiD YOU work the California QSO Party (CQP)?

Is K6QLF in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Successfully Navigates a 5-Way California QSO Party

The 2024 California QSO Party (CQP) was LOADED with participatory possibilities.  My personal operating goal(s) included engaging with as many of those opportunities as could be effectively experienced over a 30-hour contest operating period.  Having access to a Catalina-42 sailboat
before, during and after the CQP added yet another dimension to CQP as an operating event. 
My time was divided between 5-Events:

1. Running as W6R to set a San Diego (SDIE) county QRP record.
2. Activate K6QLF w/the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) on Ssb.
3. Activate WQ6X using an ICOM-7000 from a boat in the OYC Yacht Harbor.
4. Run the 1am to 4am shift remotely from Anza (RIVE county) for NX6T
5. Activate WA6OYC (Oakland Yacht Club) M/S QRP, to set an Alameda County record.

At 5pm Sunday, CQP had been over for 2 hours.  Using the SNAP-Shot screen capture software, each of the 5 log stat screens were saved to the local hard drive, becoming a part of the Blog repository used to create the pictures used in this (and future) blog write-ups on CQP.

It would seem that the best way to explain some of what happened is to simply present pictures 
which showcase what was posted in the 3830 Score submission(s).  The goal of setting a NEW
San Diego County QRP record was easily accomplished.

When the internet was down I put WQ6X on Ssb from WB6RUC's Catalina-42 sailboat.
NoT having a CW paddle handy for the ICOM 7000 this operation became a SSB only operation.

I ran the 1am to 4am Sunday morning shift for NX6T running remote from Anza in Riverside (RIVE) County.  It would seem that NX6T took a resounding 1dt-place for the Multiple-Single category.

The 5th and Final event on the operating calendar was to put the Oakland Yacht Club (WA6OYC)
on the radio running QRP giving us the M/S QRP record for Alameda County - just for showing up.  Overall, we took a 2nd-place for California

DiD YOU work the California QSO Party (CQP)?

Is K6QLF, W6R, WQ6X, NX6T or WA6OYC in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X wRangles a Remote QRP CQ W.W. RTTY Contest

Of all the CQ W.W. GiGs each year, the September RTTY event is actually the most satisfying,
for 4 Reasons:

1. No Morse code to Copy or Send.
2. No SSB necessary - saving my Voice.
3. Successful QSOs with USA stations not only count for 1-point
   (2-points w/Canada), States & Provinces count towards the overall multiplier total.
4. The RTTY interface offers over a dozen additional pre-programmed button sequences
   to customize the look/feel of the RTTY data display (on BOTH sides of the QSO).

The REAL challenge this year was to run the event at the QRP power level (5-watts). 
During this year's event, WQ6X managed to work approximately 75% of all stations heard.

Because the solar conditions were so favorable, more time was spent on 15-meters and
on Sunday, especially 10-meters, leaving 20-meters to become "the" under-utilized band
(80-meter RTTY is a world unto itself).

The downside to this weekend was the inability to properly CAT-control the RRC-1258 K3/0-Mini interface unit, requiring the manual entry of the radio operating frequency into the N1MM+ software.  Using VOX, the computer's audio could be routed through a RigExpert Plus RTTY interface unit.

What was "notable" about this particular RTTY contest was the numerous instances of intentional QRM and/or incompetent running of a RTTY installation.  Let me explain:

1. I choose run frequencies to be EXPLICITLY WEIRD (Ex: 21086.86).  Therefore, when
   you end up on my run frequencies EXACTLY Zero-Beat and start calling CQ, that is NO ACCIDENT; especially if I shift to another WEIRD frequency and you follow/zero-beat
   me there as well.
2. At 07:58z, 10:58z and 11:12z Calling CQ on 7067.67 find WQ6X not only flooded with FT8-swarms, but one or more are SPECIFICALLY zero-beat with my MARK Frequency - HuH? 
   NO Accident.
3. The IQ2 station who called CQ on my run frequency, then frantically gave me a call.
   When I sent him an Exchange, he promptly DISAPPEARED.
4. A VE3 calling CQ on my run frequency.  I shift up 2kc - his CQ follows me.
5. Also on 21082.82 a GURGLE-BUZZ sound came on frequency that luckily was
   removeable using the [NB] filter.

When it was all over, I submitted the score to the 3830 Scores Website as WQ6X and checked
into WQ6X's standing on the Contest Online Scoreboard.

What about YOU?  DiD YOU Play Around in the CQ WW RTTY GiG?

What Kind of WEIRDNESS DiD YOU Encounter?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?