Some Mixed-Bag Comments about mixed-Bag contest weekends

This past weekend (2nd weekend in March) presented us with 7-HF radiosport contest events,
of which I put in op-time for six of them.  Every mode combination from Ssb, Cw and RTTY were represented at some time during the weekend, as our geomagnetosphere (Planet) hurtled thru
the effects of several medium (yet equally annoying) geomagnetic storms. 
([CLICK HERE] for Part 1 of this story.)

Things contributing to the character of this last weekend's 6/7 radiosport weekend include:

• Space-WX Anomalies
• Stereo Ssb and Stereo RTTY
• The current antenna directionality of the 160-meter "Tri-Square" vertical array.

Space-WX Anomalies

Looking at the above Space-WX stats from WQ6X Beacon Tracker demonstrates that while the SFI remained at 147, geomagnetic storms came and went throughout the weekend, making 10-meters nearly worthless on Sunday, with 15-meters not much better.  The REAL upside (if you can call it that) came at 00:00z (Sunday afternoon) when 40-meters opened just enough to the Midwest to work 4 WIQP stations before the QSO Party ended at 00:59:59z.  One of the reasons I chose to run the contest weekend from WA6TQT's QTH was the 40-Meter stacked-yagi array up on the hill in Anza.

Stereo Ssb and Stereo RTTY

Running QSO parties and the SA-10 GiG mixed mode offered the opportunity to explore the Stereo Ssb adjunct to the already ubiquitous Stereo Cw approach.  The different South American dialects
in the SA-10 contest can be difficult to comprehend w/o the ability to adjust the Left and Right ear passband characteristics provided by the pair of analog Autek QF-1A audio filters.

For RTTY operation MMTTY decoding success can be markedly improved by using the QF-1A controls to PEAK the individual RTTY tones (170 Hz apart).  The frequency knob on the QF-1A
filters declares the FREQUENCY for each tone, while selectivity knobs enable separate amplitude adjustment for each RTTY tone individually, accounting for any gain differences between the individual channels.

The current 160-meter "Tri-Square" antenna directionality.

For this season's Stew Perry TBC contest, my only goal was to say I wuz there and attempt to map
out which directions the stations worked actually are versus the 3-direction switch on the so-called
Tri-Square array at WA6TQT's hilltop QTH in Anza.  Allegedly, the phasing cable for S-E has one side disconnected/dangling in free space.  

Notice the near-random distribution of GRID Squares of these 4 QSOs

• ZP9CW (FK09) - with antenna pointed S-E
• W1RCR (EL96) - with antenna pointed West
• KM6FWT (DM04) - with antenna pointed West
• K7GK (CM87) - with antenna pointed West

Evidently, the ends of the Tri-Square are not on a pulley system, otherwise this 3-yr old
problem woulda been fixed long ago.  LooKs like more signal correlation research is in order. 
Just another of the never-ending challenges in radiosport.

DiD YOU work the March 8/9 contest weekend?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoGs?