WQ6X leverages an off-contest SPRINT weekend to be station ready for WPX

It is a rare weekend that sports no significant radiosport activity.  Except for the 4-hour Ssb SPRINT GiG, this was one of those weekend.  (Note: While there was the FOC QSO party, because it is not listed on 3830Scores.com, I usually ignore it.)  This March brought us 5-weekends, with the 2025
WPX (Weird Prefix) Ssb contest happening on the 5th weekend.

Considering the SPRINT GiG begins at 00:00z (5pm) and I arrived in Concord after 23:00z (4:20 to be exact), the decision was made to revamp the audio setup Sunday afternoon when nothing significant is going on.  SPRINT-wise, while I wasn't super-motivated to run an Ssb contest (my least favorite contest mode), an even greater challenge is running a SPRINT contest using QRP power.

About 25 minutes into the 4-hour contest, I was finally able to synchronize with the NA SPRINT format.  Thanks to mediumly-annoying geomagnetic noise, 20-meters was spotty during the 1st
hour and 40-meters was late to open, relegating me to survive the struggle on 20-meters, longer
then I would've liked, until it was "safe" to finally move down to 40-meters.

Of course, when 40-meters opens up, the foreign broadcast stations (7.200+) are already there. 
This of course induces stations to operate below 7.210.  Because the Advanced/Extra phone band
is below 7.175, General class operators are at a distinct disadvantage; another reason to pass the Extra class license exam.

What began as a slow grind, quietly picked up at a TRoT pace.  Before I realized it, we were down
to the last hour and 80-meters hadn't yet happened in Ramona.  The online scoreboard listed me
as the only QRP entry.  However, afterwards, there were 3 QRP scores submitted, with WQ6X in
the middle taking 2nd place.

Being an overall off-contest weekend, the 4th weekend offered an opportunity to revamp the power cabling, along with the stereo audio lines.  Since the last revamp (2+ years ago), last minute ad-HOC cable changes have created a jumbled morass of wires behind the scenes.  Considering that there are 9+ filter devices making up the audio structure for WQ6X's [so-called] portable setup @W7AYT's Concord QTH, it's relatively easy to confuse Left/Right channel audio, generating unintended ground loops between the similar yet disparate electronic devices.

There was a day ("back in the day") when the use of computer software during radiosport contests was somewhat frowned upon - some OPs considered it CHEATing.  Fast forward 20 - 40 years and
it is easily said, without using computer software, you have only a minute chance of turning in a high score.  Browsing the Ssb Sprint website, I happened onto a page detailing the different software apps compatible with the SPRINT Contest approach.  

As you can see the list is extensive.  To the left of the list are Space-WX screenshots during this
chaotic SPRINT weekend.  The Space-WX Tracker screens are from a Beta-test version of the upcoming WQ6X Space-WX Tracker.

DiD YOU manage to navigate the March NA Ssb SPRINT Contest?

Are YOU on of my 58 logged contacts?