BLAST from the Past: ARRL 10-meter contest - Part 2

Some years ago, I published a Blast from the Past Blog entry about the ARRL 10-meter contest ([CLICK HERE] to view that).  In preparation for this weekend's ARRL 10 contest, reviewing that blog and the 2022, 2023 & 2024 blog entries it was time to document those events in a Blast from the Past.  This is how those events turned out:

• [X] - 2022 - WQ6X reprises K6T for a 10-Meter triple-OP Operation
  
  
  This was a FUN operation reprising the K6T callsign from 10-years prior, while also putting WQ6X on the air running QRP, in addition to putting in some hours for the NX6T effort running from Ramona.  Overall, it was a productive weekend as long as I remembered what callsign I was using where/when.
  
  
• [X] - 2023 - WQ6X Wields a Wild & Wooly QRP 10-Meter Contest
  
  
  This was another DUAL OP running NX6T from Anza and QRP as WQ6X from the Ramona location.  When it was all over, NX6T took 2nd-place to the Arizona Outlaws (AOCC) for Southwest Division, WQ6X QRP took 1st-place for the division.  While I made more QSOs than the overall winner (KA4RRU), is multiplier count was HUGE giving him
  a 50k point edge.
  
  
• [X] - 2024 - WQ6X Conducts a QuainT QRP 10-MeTeR ConTesT
  
  
  This event was a unique Quad-event operation leveraging remote operations from Ramona and Anza as well as running QRP Ssb as W7AYT in the East Bay (EB) section.  By putting 4 different callsigns on the air operators were given more stations to work.  Because this is a single band contest, more callsigns takes the place of working stations on multiple bands.

With these events properly documented, the door is open for what to do for this year's ARRL
10-meter GiG.  Stay tuned to find out the results.

WQ6X wangles a different sort of ARRL 160 contest

wOw!  It's hard to believe that the ARRL 160-meter contest is already now behind us.
In preparation for making some sort of showing in the 2025 GiG, I published
part 2 of a Blast from the Past blog on the ARRL 160 contest operations. 
([CLICK HERE] to read that compendium).

The ARRL 160-meter contest sports a WEIRD starting time (22:00) which would seem to favor Eastern time zone and EU time zone stations.  Altho amazingly, I noticed that there were pockets
of band openings that I would not have expected (such as hearing PJ2T in So. California @23:30z
on Saturday).

For this event, my goal was to run NX6T (w/N6KI - Dennis) to set a section (ORG) and a Southwest Division record for the multi-OP Low Power entry.  Somewhere in the middle of that, my 2ndary goal was to put WQ6X on their from Anza station #1 running QRP to submit a score that by default will
be a a simple 1st-place for the QRP category in the ORG section and maybe even SW Division. 

Technically, each contest event teaches us new operating skills - if we are alert enough to recognize what there is to be learned.  One of the advantages of running remote from the Concord location is having access to a bevy of audio filters for running Stereo-Cw, useful especially during pileups (whether I am running one or trying to break into one).

Station and remote setup testing found everything to be ready in time for a typical 00:00z starting.
The goal was for me to operate for approximately 4 hours and then hand it off to N6KI and make
the drive to Concord to continue operating at around 06:30z.

We used DXLog to run the contest using the crippled Tri-Square 160-meter wire antenna (one
of the phasing lines is only partially connected)
so technically we never knew what direction our
signal was broadcasting to.  

During S&P I would switch to the direction that seemed to produce the strongest signal on receive.

 To get an idea as to where we were being heard, DXMaps was used to display the signal paths from Anza to all points from Northwest and Northeast
to East and Southeast.

 

I could not determine any specific pattern to the switching, so most of the time it was simply
guess-and-try - good enough to put 325 QSOs into the log.  The record we sought to break was
250 QSOs and 69 multipliers for 35,100 points.  By the time for the Saturday startup, the record
was nearly accomplished.  With that behind us, the goal was to take it significantly beyond that
to insure the record stands for at least a few years: 325 QSOs - 71-Mults = 46,647 points.

Thanks to the Dennis (N6KI) thorough knowledge of utilizing DXLog, we ran the software about
as efficient as I have ever encountered.  However, a weird software bug identified the SJV section
as JV, requiring that we enter it as "JV" - requiring that I hand edit the Cabrillo file before submitting
it to the contest reflector.

When it was all over, it would seem that NX6T took 5th place overall and 1st-place for ORG
section and SW Division - not bad for just winging it all the way.  WQ6X took 1st-place for QRP
by only 20-points - any QSO entry mistakes in that log could eventually relegate the score to
second place.  However, either way, 1st-place for the ORG section is a slam-donk.

DiD YOU work the ARRL 160-meter contest?

Is NX6T (or WQ6X) in YOUR LoG?

 

WQ6X Blast from Past: ARRL 160-Meter Contest - Part 2

Earlier this year, I published a Blast from the Past Blog entry about the 160-meter contest ([CLICK HERE] to view that).  In preparation for this weekend's ARRL 160 contest, reviewing the 3830 scores
and WQ6X contest Blog postings, it would seem that the period 2015 - 2017 were not represented.
This is what happened 160-wise during those years.

• [X] - 2015 - WQ6X runs 2015 ARRL 160 contest remotely
  
  
  For the 2015 ARRL 160-Meter contest I was unable to make it to Fallbrook f
  or an NX6T multi-OP GiG.  Evidently neither could anyone else, so Dennis N6KI
  opted to run solo.  He offered up STN#1 for me to run remote after 1am local time. 
  Using the RCForb software I managed 6-hours OP time.
  
  
• [X] - 2016 - N6KI & WQ6X Dual-OP 160 Contest as NX6T
  
  
  This was one of those "winging it" operations
  on 160-Meters that netted us a 1st-place for the San Diego (SDG) section - not bad considering a barely functional coaxial inverted V @70' high.
  
  Overall, making this contest work was a function of persistence and clever operating to outwit the nitwits who like to blindly jump on run frequencies and claim them for themselves.  The irony is that because they are nitwits, they actually NEVER make any QSOs (our 1.3kw
  signal overpowers them).
  
  
• [X] - 2017 - WQ6X joins N6KI for ARRL 160 Contest
  
  
  This was an early rendition of operating NX6T remotely from my Alameda office.
  Like 2016, this GiG was all about dealing with LID operators.  What they quickly
  learn is that our 1.3kw signal easily overpowers them, however their intrusion is
  certainly an annoyance.
• [X] - 2021 - WQ6X Walks a Weird ARRL 160 Contest
  
  
  
  
  This was our 1st ARRL 160-meter contest from the WA6TQT Anza location.
  While we didn't make any amazing score, it was a great training exercise.
  
  
• [X] - 2022 - WQ6X Survives another 160-meter (barely) dual-OP Operation
  
  
  This was another dual-OP ARRL-160 contest using the newly acquired FT-2000
  transceiver to run locally while joining NX6T remotely from the Anza location.
  
  
• [X] - 2023 - WQ6X Works Another W00LY 160-Meter Contest
  This was another ARRL-160 Dual-OP operation making use of the recently acquired MFJ-993B auto tuner, which made the 8JK cobra antennas more-or-less resonate on 160-meters.  NX6T put in a good (but not award-winning) operation.  In both cases we could say we wuz there.
  
  
• [X] - 2024 - WQ6X Wings yet another WEIRD ARRL-160 Contest
  
  
  
  This was a 1st-time WQ6X QRP effort on 160-meters running from the WA6TQT Anza location. The goal was to set a QRP record for the ORG ARRL section and the Southwest Division - both of which were accomplished.  Running only 5-watts, sometimes even a crippled antenna can make itself heard when its wires are 100' above ground.
  
  

Overall, while the San Diego contest club has never leveraged a SUPER 160-meter event, our callsign is well known - enough to make it worthwhile enough to put a team together nearly every year.

Do YOU work the ARRL 160 contests?

Is NX6T or WQ6X in THOSE Logs?

WQ6X Wangles another QRP CQ WW Cw Contest

November months that sport 5 contest weekends bring us the 48-hour CQ W.W. Cw contest during
a weekend set aside exclusively for this event.  Operators who do not work Cw were probably oblivious to the 10,000+ station pandemonium happening at the bottom of every HF radio band.  Behind the scenes was remnants of solar storms happening during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Logistically, this year's contest GiG was a not-insignificant challenge.  Getting permission to run
from Anza STN-1 (@WA6TQT) offered the first opportunity to test a new SD-100 antenna controller box for a 40-meter Stepp-IR yagi.  (While it worked flawlessly during the contest, according to N6KI,
it failed shortly after the contest ended.  DiD I "wear it out"?)  All that aside, the plan was to run the CQ Worldwide Cw contest using QRP power (5-watts), leveraging the wide array of stacked-yagi arrays, available at the Anza QTH.

The first four hours of the contest were run using the K3/0-Mini from my Alameda office. 
An "exploding toilet" in the building (a long story) ruined that last hour, motivating me to pack
up early and move the setup to W7AYT's Concord QTH.  Altho the internet there has been "jittery" lately, at least there were no odiferous smells to contend with.  (As it turns out, the internet held up quite nicely until just after the contest end.)

Starting at 00:00z (4pm), the operating goal was to open on 10-meters, moving down to 15, 20 & 40 as the evening progressed.  While the SFI was only 120 (it jumped to 160-190 immediately after the contest), the upper bands (on the West Coast at any rate) were quite productive.  The variety of stations encountered was truly amazing, putting 78 countries overall in the WQ6X contest log.

Being a 48-hour contest, there were numerous opportunities to leverage each HF band (including 160).  Running QRP power, I often open each band with Search & Pounce (S&P), picking up the
easy "juicy" DX stations before a wide-open run frequency (is there really such a thing?) can be found. 

Unfortunately, QRP signals invite unscrupulous operators to "move-in next door" and fire-up their KW+ CQ calls (HELP!)  Several times I had to shift frequency 200hz and use the F-11 key
("QRL QSY") to wake them up.

After the contest, reading the various SOAPBOX submissions found numerous different
takes on the quality of band conditions and propagation.  

During the contest, a number of offbeat things occurred, including:

• RTTY signals were heard in pairs:
  03:14z on 14001.64 and 14002.50
  12:04z on 3503.61 and 3504.45
• Dozens of CW spots were actually FT8 mode stations - HuH?
• Dozens of known callsigns were purposely incorrectly spotted resulting in DUP QSOs.
• VE2IM while running a frequency with a dozen+ callers left us all STRANDED
  by setting up a sked with a station for 15-meters, not for later, but for then and there.
  Checking back on the frequency a few minutes later found it to be empty, so I called
  CQ and picked up many of the earlier-stranded callers.
• Stations calling CQ on 7000.50, technically splattering outside of the band limits.
• Dozens of LOUD stations who frantically call out of turn - then when I send them
  an exchange they have disappeared.
• Stations who reference my callsign "WQ6?" or "Q6X?" and then work KB6LID
  who (calls out of turn) instead.  I never DiD work those stations.
• Dozens of stations made dozens of QSOs w/o signing their callsign
  (a violation of the rules, btw).

When it was all over, preliminary indications are that WQ6X took 5th-place over all

and 2nd-place for USA & North America.

DiD YOU work the CQ WW DX Cw contest?

How many Countries and Zones did you work?

Is WQ6X in YOUR Log?

WQ6X Celebrates a 3x Win in the California QSO Party

Thanks to the use of Cabrillo files, producing CQP contest results happens in 60 days (instead of
3 - 6 months).  For the 2025 CQP GiG I managed to orchestrate being a part of 4 unique radiosport operations, 2 from Alameda County and the "main event" W6R from Ramona (San Diego County),
as well as the NX6T multi-OP from WA6TQT's QTH in Riverside County.

To make it all work required precise timing of each operation in relation to the other events. 
The goal was to be part of 4 1st-place operations.  Due to a multi-OP technicality, NX6T took
2nd-place, while the other GiGs all took a 1st-place in their respective categories.

Because the plan was to run as W6CF from Alameda County in the multi-OP Low Power category, before accomplishing that, I put WQ6X on the air from the W6CF station running QRP to surpass
the record set by WQ6X and WB6RUC in the 2024 CQP GiG.  While I was pleased with the W6CF operation, little did I know the operation would take 1st-place in the multi-Single Low Power category.

Putting in several hours for NX6T, our goal was 1st-place for Muli-single HP.  N5ZO (a single operator) claimed the multi-OP win, relegating NX6T to 2nd-place.  We challenged the single-OP
win in a Multi-OP category to no avail, being told that our challenge would be considered for 2026. 
For 2025, as they say "decisions of the judges is final".

The more important 4th event (running as W6R remote from Ramona) accomplished the goal
of setting another QRP record for San Diego County.  Also surprising was W6R's overall win for
the Single-OP [unassisted] QRP category.

DiD YOU work the 2025 California QSO Party?

Is W6CF, NX6T, WQ6X or W6R in YOUR Log?

Some ThoTs on CQ W.W. Cw

The CQ W.W. Cw contest has been a mixed-bag over the years.  In 2019, I published the equivalent of a Blast from the Past blog about the CQ W.W. Cw GiG  ([CLICK HERE] to read that.  As the 2025 GiG fast approaches, I found myself in reminisce mode regarding this event.  Here is what I came across:

• [X] - 2020 - WQ6X Dual-OPs the CQ Weird-wide Cw Contest
  
  
     Nothing fancy/eventful.  NX6T took 1st-place for San Diego.
  
  
• [X] - 2021 - WQ6X Wrangles a Wild CQ World-wide Contest
  
  
  With SFI=108, this was another HO-Hummer World Wide Contest.
  
  
• [X] - 2022 - WQ6X works another dual-OP CQ WW Contest
  
  
  Another Dual-OP with both NX6T & WQ6X taking 1st-place for W6.
  
  
• [X] - 2023 - WQ6X: Why I like 48-Hour Contests
  
  
  For some reason, WQ6X & NX6T did not play CQ W.W. Cw this year.
  
  
• [X] - 2024 - WQ6X Creeps thru another QRP CQ W.W. Dx CW ConTesT
  
  
  Running QRP, WQ6X managed a 2nd-place for the W6, even after
  having the score reduced by 18% due to logging errors - OUCH!

While the CQ WW Cw contest is a lot of fun, I will never set any records or post any real high scores. The GiG IS a lot of fun and enables the possibility of accomplishing DXCC (100+ countries) n one weekend.  More than for the ARRL Dx contests, the CQ WW GiG brings us numerous DX-pedition operations that occur JUST for this event.

Do YOU ever work the CQ W.W. DX Cw contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X sprints thru 1st-time QRP SPRINT from Anza

Because this is a 5-weekend month, the 4th weekend is relatively quiet (unless you are playing
in the LZ contest in Europe), there is only the NA SPRINT Ssb (4-hour) contest on Saturday afternoon/evening (depending on timezone).  A meeting of the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) and clients brought me to Alameda on Saturday.  

Rather than pack up all the remote access
equipment to run (an only) 4-hour contest in
Concord, the decision was to run the event from
my office, which sports a better internet connection anyway.  

Discovering the Ramona remote location to be
utilized by someone else, checking Anza STN-1 (@WA6TQT) found nothing happening, giving me access to the stacked yagi's on 20 & 40 meters
as well as an 80-meter 4-square array.

Also available was a 40-meter Stepp-IR which can
be run separately or in phase with the stacked yagi's,
providing simultaneous coverage when unsure which
direction propagation is favoring.
It would seem that the antenna switch software failures from last weekend never materialized during the SPRINT contest - Whew!.

Running ANY domestic contest QRP is a challenge unto itself, however the SPRINT contest makes
it an even more daunting operation.  Having access to stacked yagi's make all the difference (kinda), however with no internet spotting in this event, in the beginning it was not easy for stations for hear WQ6X calling CQ, relegating me to calling other stations at first.

Nearly 2-hours netted only 47 QSOs in the log on 20-meters while waiting for 40-meters to open up well enough for a QRP signal to make a reach eastward.  During the next hour, only 12 QSOs made
it to the log on 40-meters - pretty pathetic.  The next 1/2 hour scouting 75-meters produced only 3 QSOs with CA, AZ and CO - switching the 80-meter 4-square between NE and SE seemed to make little difference.  Reluctantly, I spent 20-minutes on 40, moving back to 75m for the last 10 minutes only to snag one more station in CO.

While my original goal was 100 QSOs, considering the weakness of the band conditions,
I am resigned to the fact running QRP (even with an antenna farm), 76 QSOs is a reasonable accomplishment, considering that I was "winging it" throughout the entire SPRINT contest.

DiD YOU work the Ssb NA SPRINT?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Negotiates a Weird, Tricky Quad November Sweepstakes

wOw!  It doesn't get any more difficult than this!  This last weekend's Sweepstakes phone
contest provided the opportunity to operate four different style Sweepstakes operations:

1. Run QRP as W6R from Ramona (SDG Section)
   
2. Run LP as WQ6X from the SF Bay area (EB Section)
3. Run LP as K6QLF briefly from EB section.
4. Put hours in for NX6T's Multi-OP operation from Anza (ORG Section).

Starting @21:00z (1pm), the decision was made to begin by running WQ6X from the East Bay (EB) section.  10-meters was open domestically encouraging swinging the yagi to different directions and calling CQ.  

The usual $13 eBay purchased
hi-fidelity mic developed a cable problem.  The question was how to replace it with the Heil-Pro headset without having to wear it as a headset considering that I prefer wearing classic OWNZONE wireless headsets.

This being an Ssb contest, I mounted
a classic Heil-Pro headset on a classic Electro Voice 664 turned into a cute microphone stand.  Because N1MM plays .WAV files, most of the contest was run by function keys.  Eventually,
54 QSOs made it to the log.

About the time 10-meters was fading, the Ramona station became available for operating as W6R
to fire-up on 15-meters running QRP.  The goal was to S&P and then run frequencies when it was clear that W6R was being heard.  A recent addition to Sweepstakes allows us to self-spot our callsign in order to be seen on the bandmaps.

Starting @01:00z (5pm) I took over the operator spot for NX6T, running remote from the WA6TQT
site in Anza.  Everything ran fine until I attempted to rotate the KT-36 yagi to work KP2M at Radio Reef (where we won the ARRL RTTY-RU contest in 2014).  The antenna switch software dropped
out, requiring a complex restart.  It turns out a recent software update was poorly tested.  The switch server (on STN-1) would randomly terminate itself - first the RX would go silent, then the SWR would skyrocket.  Time lost troubleshooting this problem made for a barely productive operating session.

At 03:00z (7pm), it was back to W6R from Ramona on 40-meters - a huge relief from the
previous 2-hours.  The evening was spent bouncing between 40-meters (2-el. Shorty-40)
and 80-meters (Inverted Vee) - both @55' atop the hill in Ramona.

By 07:45z, most of USA was sound asleep so I also caught some sleep to be ready for a 1-hour operation @11:00z (3am), ideally looking for mults.  Just like the CW Sweepstakes 2 weekends ago, my operating stint was a complete HO-Hummer except for VE9KK calling in on my CQ, giving us the NB (New Brunswick) multiplier.

After another sleep break, because the Ramona station was committed to a new operator, I found time to put a few QSOs in the log for WQ6X before taking the 18:00z (10am) to 22:00z (2pm) shift for NX6T.  

The goal during running NX6T was to run frequencies and then S&P when no one was calling in.  10-Meters was quite open as was 15-meters when 10 was worked out.  A few S&P QSOs on 20-meters made the quiet periods at least a bit productive.  Unlike the early morning, 120 QSOs made it into the NX6T log during my 4-hour shift.  

About every 25 minutes, the antenna software server would stop working requiring going through the restart procedure which we had down to approximately 2-minutes, altho occasionally a couple of stations were stranded in the process.

Afterwards I made a brief Sweepstakes entry as K6QLF putting 4 QSOs into its log before discovering that the Ramona site was again available to wrap the contest as W6R.  

Starting at 00:34z (5:30pm) W6R finally made an appearance on 20-meters. 
Within an hour, after 20 QSOs the band "went long" encouraging the exodus down
to 40-meters, where after an hour only 7 new callsigns made it to the log.  At 02:38z there
was just enough time to call CQ on 3779.79 for 8 west coast QSOs in the log and snag SB section (Santa Barbara) as a final multiplier (#45).

The amazing thing is how many stations told me that W6R was their 1st (and maybe only) contact from San Diego (SDG) section.  Likewise, when running as NX6T, I was also amazed at how many times we were the 1st-station for the Orange (ORG) section.  Other "rare" sections in California were LAX and SF - HuH?  wOw!

When it was all over, it would seem that W6R took 1st-place for San Diego (SDG)
section, while NX6T took an overall 1st-place for Multi-OP running low power.

DiD YOU work the 2025 November Sweepstakes phone contest?

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

BLAST's from the PAST: November Sweepstakes Ssb (Part 2)

The days preceding the 2025 ARRL November Sweepstakes ssb contest, I got to looking back in the Ssb Sweepstakes past, since I wrote Part 1 of this Blog.  ([CLICK HERE] to reread that Blog entry.)
Since then, I have written numerous Blogs about Ssb Sweepstakes.  Here is what I found looking back in the archive:

• [X] 2018 - WQ6X Signs up for another SSB Sweepstakes
• [X] 2019 - SS-Ssb 2019: The Radiosport GiG that Faded into Obscurity
• [X] 2020 - WQ6X Survives another Frazzled Dual-OP Sweepstakes
• [X] 2021 - WQ6X Wanders thru a Weirdly Wonderful Ssb Sweepstakes
• [X] 2022 - WQ6X dual-OP's another ad-HOC Ssb Sweepstakes
• [X] 2023 - For WQ6X SS-Ssb is FULL of Surprises
• [X] 2024 - What Do We SaY about Ssb November Sweepstakes?
  
  

1. 2018 - WQ6X Signs up for another SSB Sweepstakes
   
   It is amazing to look at the Solar Flux Index (SFI) in 2018 which was coming up to 75.
   The antenna system @W7AYT's QTH underwent a complete overhaul enabling WQ6X
   to operate from EB section when not putting hours for NX6T.  While the 3000-point score
   won no awards, at least the new antenna configuration got a thorough workout.
   
   
2. 2019 - SS-Ssb 2019: The Radiosport GiG that Faded into Obscurity
   
   
   This Blog post accomplish a pre-blog look back at Sweepstakes events I have run in the distant past.  Overall, the operation that weekend was a tough run, with bands fading out prematurely.   I bitched about the time wasted by saying "PLEASE COPY", made it necessary for repeats of Check and Section.  The final result was a 1st-place for EB section and a 2nd for PAC Division.
   
   
3. 2020 - WQ6X Survives another Frazzled Dual-OP Sweepstakes
   
   
   The 2020 Sweepstakes was not much to get excited about other than taking another
   1st-place for EB section and a 2nd-place for PAC division.  I would've expected more competition, but evidently not.  On the NX6T end of the contest, it would seem that we
   took a VERY CLOSE 2nd-place behind WW4LL with a possible S-West Division win if
   the Arizona Outlaws (AOC) were "asleep at the wheel".
   
   
4. 2021 - WQ6X Wanders thru a Weirdly Wonderful Ssb Sweepstakes
   
   
   This Sweepstakes was not super exciting, however NX6T and WQ6X both turned in super adequate results.  NX6T claimed 3rd-place overall and took a 1st-place for the Southwest Division and San Diego section, while WQ6X earned 2nd-place for PAC Division and another 1st-place for East Bay (EB) section.  Almost more important was enhancing the use of stereo Ssb audio to make frequency running more effective.
   
   
   
5. 2022 - WQ6X dual-OP's another ad-HOC Ssb Sweepstakes
   
   
   While this was truly an ad-HOC Sweepstakes operation, there is nothing ad-HOC about the results: NX6T took another 1st place for ORG section and Southwest division.  Not only did WQ6X take 1st-place for East Bay (EB) section, but surprisingly received a PAC Division
   winner plaque in the mail nearly a year later.  Another ad-HOC aspect of this operation
   was turning an Electro Voice 664 into a mic stand for the Heil headset microphone.
   
   
   
6. 2023 - For WQ6X SS-Ssb is FULL of Surprises
   
   
   For this event the goal was to run QRP remote from Ramona and set a Southwest Division section record, while assisting NX6T to a similar division win.  When it was all over NX6T DiD take the division and a strong 2nd-place to WX4W.  WQ6X of course won the division but set
   a division record.  The BiG surprise was finding out that the measly 46k point score was #1 Overall in the SOU (Single Op Unlimited) QRP category.  wOw!  How cool is THAT?
   
   
   
7. 2024 - What Do We SaY about Ssb November Sweepstakes?
   
   
   This year's November Sweepstakes event was a hopeful reprise of last year's division
   wins and maybe more.  It was also another opportunity to perfect the art of Stereo Ssb,
   a hardware technique I have written about several times ([CLICK HERE]).  When it was all
   over, NX6T took 4th-place as a multi-OP while WQ6X took 3rd in the SOU QRP category.  However, BOTH operations scored wins for the Southwest Division - how COOL is THAT?

With all of this behind me, there are now plans to run yet another triple-OP operation for this year's November Sweepstakes phone contest.

Have YOU run the November Sweepstakes phone contest?

Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Weaves a Weird WAE + JIDX Contest Weekend

Between the two Sweepstakes weekends, is a tri-cluster of disparate radiosport events that
are [theoretically at least] worth spending OP-time engaging with.  The classic trio of GiGs is:

• [X] - WAE RTTY Contest
• [X] - Japanese JIDX Ssb Contest
• [X] - OK/OM Cw Contest

An unfortunate under-pinning to the weekend were numerous Space-WX storms, that altho short
in duration, left geomagnetic artifacts (short-fading in particular), creating an extra challenge for readable copy.

Because the decision was to run remote from the Anza (WA6TQT) QTH, I had to provide radio
control and RTTY decoding on the client side of the connection.  This was tricky as the MSI gaming laptop used for the weekend has only a single combined mic/headphone socket.  To enable split audio for running RTTY, I moved an old Toshiba Dynadok  port replicator from its home computer
(an ancient Windoze-7 Toshiba laptop) to the USB line on the MSI laptop.  At the Concord location, using swapped audio requires the use of audio isolation blocks to prevent ground loops. Using the Dynadok provides the necessary isolation w/o signal degradation.

Plugging a classic RigExpert PLUS unit into the MSI USB line provided computer control but no PTT (I was too lazy to patch the RigExpert ACC PTT-line connection to the footswitch jack on the control head - VOX to the rescue, altho getting the mic/vox settings adjusted properly required delicate menu settings.

A significant advantage of running radiosport from the Anza location is having access to stacked Yagi's on 40 thru 10-meters and a 4-Square vertical array for 80-meters.  All these antennas resulted in 31 countries being worked in only 17 CQ Zones.  Other than Brazil, most of South America was poorly represented in the WAE contest (they were prolly futilely looking for non-existent JA stations
in the JIDX contest).

While STN-1 is generally more complex to navigate, because most of the time was spent running RTTY, most of the complexity was on the local end.  Another advantage to controlling the radio locally is being able to put N1MM in auto-CQ mode.  We have a policy of NoT running auto-CQ when we run N1MM from the remote end - if the internet connection were to disappear, the radio would be calling CQ on its own, theoretically forever.

During the WAE contest operating period, until the 07:00z JIDX start, solar storms obliterated band conditions, even on 40-meters and delayed an opening to Japan, prompting me to seek some sleep.  Somewhere around 10:00z, I heard many JA stations conversing amongst themselves, with very few actually calling CQ JIDX.  In the last year, this has become a noticeably increasing phenomenon.

To the JIDX contest committee's credit, they FINALLY have introduced a web log-submission page, eliminating the need to attach our log files to e-mails.  Unfortunately, clicking on all the other links (allegedly to view results of past contests and print certificates), took us to a BLANK page - evidently the rest of this website upgrade need LoTs of WORK.

The OK/OM contest was even worse, altho this was largely a function of poor propagation conditions leftover from the solar storms.  Because only 40-meter contacts were made, it made sense to submit a SOSB/40 LP log.

When it was all over, it would seem that WQ6X took 23rd place overall, 10th for NA, 9th for
USA and 1st for W6 - not bad for cobbling together a workable RTTY equipment conglomeration.

DiD YOU work the WAE-RTTY, JIDX-Ssb or OK/OM-Cw contests?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Wings yet another Triple-OP CW Sweepstakes

Typically, before a major radiosport contest, I visit the hosting website for the upcoming
event, reviewing scores from recent years and investigating the possibility of setting a
new score record - which becomes more difficult each year.

For Cw Sweepstakes 2025, I created 3 operating goals:

1. Reprise WQ6X's Southwest Division win, while taking a shot at besting the all-time
   high score for the Southwest Division set by WQ6X in the 2024 Sweepstakes event.
2. Operate the FT-2000 from W7AYT's QTH, taking 1st-place for the East Bay (EB) ARRL section.
3. Put in some op-time with team-NX6T, securing a repeat of last year's surprising overall
   Multi-Single LP win.

Leading (leaning?) into the contest weekend was a series of geomagnetic storms contributing
to higher noise levels, as well as some devastatingly slow-fading; add to that randomly increasing internet dropouts, made Sunday a long, overall frustrating operating period on Sunday.

If I suddenly disappeared on you, only to come back a minute later, that was due

to randomly repeating internet drop-outs at the Concord location I was running from.  

During several pileups the station would come back to me only to have my internet drop 

at that very moment and I would miss the QSO - Bummer Dewd.

As a warmup exercise, K6QLF was activated mainly on 10-meters, sweeping the 3-el. 10-meter Long John yagi while calling CQ.  To best last year's SOULP score for East Bay required making 50+ QSOs in 33+ ARRL sections, which was accomplished later in the day on Saturday.

After a short break, it was time to dial the radio in Ramona down to 5-watts for an SOUQRP run, putting WQ6X on the air once again from San Diego (SDG) section.  By the time I got started, 10-meters was largely over for the day.  15 and then 20-meters became the afternoon sanctuary looking for an early solid opening on 40-meters - which occurred from 02:00z to 04:00z. 

 
For the rest of the evening, it was a switch off between 40 and 80-meters.

My biggest beef was stations who moved in on my QRP signal 100-Hz away and called CQ. 
Just because I sport a weaker signal does not mean the frequency is open. If they had sent "QRL?" FIRST, they woulda hear me instantly reply "QRL QSY", but that rarely happened.

team-NX6T had enough capable operators that WQ6X wasn't needed until my usual 3am
(11:00z) shift (6am on the East coast) for 2-hours.  While my QSO count was hardly impressive,
a call from VE9KK (NB section) on 7031.69 @12:42z made my shift worth the early morning operation.  Looking at the after contest submitted scores, it would seem that for now, NX6T
squeaked out a 1st-place.

When it was all over, it would seem that WQ6X managed another 1st-place for SDG & S-West Division and a 4th-place overall - NoT BaD for dividing my time between three different operations.

DiD YOU work the CW November Sweepstakes?

Is WQ6X, K6QLF or NX6T in YOUR Log?