WQ6X Works a Weirdly Noisy QRP NAQP Ssb Contest

For several days leading up to the NAQP Ssb contest, Space-WX condx. have been all over the chart.  The question was, how would NAQP fit into all of this.  The decision was to run the Ramona radio remotely from my Alameda office using the K3/0 mini remote-control head.  Arriving after the 18:00z starting time, the decision was made to forego the 1st hour of the contest - 1/2 of the required 2-hour off period for Single-OP stations.

That 1st off hour offered the opportunity to triple-check the RRC box cabling and the N1MM+
keyboard macros, as well as re-recording the K3 voice memories w/heavier audio "punch",
helping the QRP signal to sound MUCH LOUDER - the caveat was fast-fade QSB.

At 19:00z, ten meters was more-or-less wide-open.  The operating plan was to work 10-meters
until no more "new" stations were left, moving down to 15-meters and eventually 20-meters. 
Later, coming back to 10-meters found it gone and as it turned out 15-meters was also dead. 
That relegated operating strategy to running 20-meters, while looking for an "early" opening
on 40-meters.  The backdrop for all this was varying levels of geomagnetic noise and fast-fading
on all bands.

Some overall highlights regarding the 2o26 NAQP Ssb contest come to mind.

• Obnoxious Space-WX plagued the 12-hour contest.  The upside (if you can call it that) is that Space-WX conditions became horribly WORSE in the 2-ays after the contest event, with a K-Index as high as8 and an A-Index as high as 73.  wOw!
  
  
• The 04:00z to 05:00z time period produced a flood of purposely obnoxious QRM, such as Mr. BELCH on 71.82.82 and FAX/SSTV QRM which followed me from 7175.75 to 7177.77 and back to 7175.75 again.
  
  
• At 05:23z signal level suddenly "jumped up" by over 20db and stayed way til the end
  of the contest.  At first I thought it was some sort of anomaly with the transceiver or the
  Shorty-40 yagi, except that he was also noticeable on 75-meters.  Since then, the radio and yagi have not manifested any hardware anomalies.
  
  
• While we are used to unique names as part of the exchange in NAQP GiGs, the Ssb
  mode makes it possible to utilize totally computer-generated voices in away somewhat analogous to logging software auto-sending Cw.  On 40-meters Saturday evening N3QE was running a frequency using the name "Tina".  The voice was clearly AI-generated.
  In either case, a human operator is needed (indeed required) to interpret the response
  on both ends of the QSO.
  
  
• The usual NAQP disappointments included the lack of hearable (much less workable) stations on 75-meters.  By the time the band opens on the West coast, many stations eastward have already made their 75-meter QSOs and are winding down during the
  final 2-hours of the contest.
  Then again, equally lacking was participation by West coast and Northwest stations overall, as well as a dearth of VE stations.  We could argue that on the high bands
  my signals skipped over those areas, but not on 40 and 80 meters with solar noise
  as the background.  On those bands, it makes no sense that I can work the East
  coast, but not the Northwest.

When it was all over, depending on what screen(s) you look at, WQ6X either took 3rd, 4th
or 5th place for the Single-OP Assisted QRP category.

DiD YOU work the 2o26 NAQP Ssb contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?