WHY I Do Radiosport: PT. 6 - When in Doubt CHEAT (but within the Rules)

2 0 1 2  F I E L D  D A Y  - 20M - CW

Nearly 2 years ago, I advocated Cheating, but within the Rules.  [CLICK HERE] to re-read that. 
In Part 5 of the "Why I do Radiosport" series, I described how I use E-E-G monitoring to improve
my radiosport performance.  Is using Neurofeedback "Cheating within the Rules"?

Technically, neurofeedback is not all that different from focus-Meditation, along the lines of Za-Zen. 
I am hardly the first radiosport operator to sit some sort of meditation before taking on an operating shift.  Are we cheating within the rules?

2 0 1 3  F I E L D  D A Y  - 20M - CW

A few operators choose to be "roaringly drunk"  during radiosport activities.  Is it a help, or a hindrance?  Some years back, during my stints as 20-CW operator during W6SW's Field Day operations, the "oil can" sized Foster's Lager made it more fun and therefore kept me going. 
Is "artificial" cheating?

3 - E L  2 0 Meter  Y A G I (being raised)

During that Field Day event, WQ6X made over 600 20-Cw QSOs for W6SW in under 10 hours.
To what degree can we attribute this success to running an FT-920 transceiver into a 3-element
wire yagi 20mh?  (Adding more variety, WQ6X then put 150+ 75-m Ssb QSOs in the log.)  I only remember that I did all this; I don't remember the details.

As it turns out, based on E-E-G brainmap data, it is confirmed that coffee consumption is actually beneficial to my brain.  Not everyone's brain is the same as mine; just because caffeine works for
me is no guarantee it is good for you.  Remember: any/all diet introductions should be monitored
by health care professionals.

Certain Lo-impact movement exercises quietly channel oxygenated blood through my system;
most importantly to the pre-frontal areas of my brain.  When the front of the brain is purposefully activated, one's ability to focus and hyper-focus is dramatically improved.

I've been known to utilize Light-Sound devices for enhancing brainwave hemispheric balance. 
Is the use of Light-sound before/during/after a radiosport event "cheating within the rules"?

In recent years we have seen the emergence of alleged brain-enhancement supplements that promise improved memory and or enhanced stamina.  Is use of such supplements "cheating
within the rules"?  What about mega-doses of B-Vitamins, such as B-1, B-6, B-12 and Niacin?

Bottom-line: It's easy to label any idea that is new to you as cheating - only because you have not thought of it before.  Before you trash an idea as cheating, how about taking a close look at it first.  You may be able to utilize the idea to your advantage and/or modify it to suit your needs.

What about YOU? 
Have YOU cheated within the rules?

How did it turn out?

IT Ain't Over Until....

In many competitive endeavors there is a saying something on the order of "it ain't over until the paperwork is finished".  The WQ6X Contest BLOG while purposefully made publically available,
is nothing more than glorified contest activity-related musings in "Diary" format.

In contemporary radiosport activities we [somehow] find out about a radiosport event, put in long
operating hours (influenced by a numerous number of disparate variables), make pictures/videos
of relevant happenings in the event, file the score on 3830Scores .Com and finally submit a log file (with a detailed SOAPBOX, of course) to the contest sponsor.  Several months to a year later we [somehow] discover the contest results and either:  Gloat,  Yawn,  Or  CRY.

Notice how JUMBLED the above description is. 
Let's make it a little more understandable.

To begin with, how do we find out about the different contest events each weekend? 
While there are dozens of ways to find contest activity, my top-3 favorites include:

1. The WA7BNM Contest Calendar
2. CQ Magazine's Contest Calendar
3. QST Magazine's Contest Corral

Once you have found a contest that interests you, go to the website relating to that contest and
READ THE RULES OF THE CONTEST!!!  When you come right down to it, this is arguably the
most important step required BEFORE the contest starts (not afterwards when you try to decipher why things went wrong).

Having read the rules first we often need to decide which operating mode to use: Single-OP,
Assisted or Unassisted, Multi-OP, multi-Mode (as in Field Day, the 10-Meter contest and the
State QSO Parties), High Power, Low Power or QRP; etc.

Next (in advance of the contest) set up a log entry in the contest logging software to be used during the event.  At W7AYT's QTH, WQ6X uses N1MM+ and WINTEST to run every contest imaginable (and some you have probably not even heard of).  Software like N1MM+ offers weekly updates
which should be installed/tested by Thursday of the upcoming contest weekend.

a T y p I c a l  W Q 6 X  B a n d  P l a n

If it is to be a lengthy contest, you should decide in advance what the operating hours will be and on what bands.  Some years ago I wrote of an operating band/hour plan for CQP activities, which turns out to work well for most other radiosport events.  ([CLICK HERE] for a close-up example of that.

While a contest progresses, I keep a scribble pad next to the operating position allowing me to note things of interest along with the time & radio frequency of each occurrence.  Many of those notes are eventually written up in an after-contest blog entry for this WQ6X Contest BLOG system.  In some cases, I have devoted entire web sections on the WQ6X.Info website for specific contest events:

• [X] - November Sweepstakes
• [X] - California QSO Party (CQP)
• [X] - CQ WPX (Weird Prefix) Contest
• [X] - Japanese International DX (JIDX) Contest

Writing up  soapbox entry (on 3830Scores.Com and in the log you submit) is a way to reflect on the recent contest period, analyzing what went well and what didn't. The Role of Respect in Radiosport BLOG series came from those after-contest reflections.  Consider this: The end of each contest event can actually be the beginning of preparation for next year's incarnation of the event.

Filing a contest log (no matter how few QSOs are made) with the contest host is an important aspect of radiosport activity, providing many benefits.  Receiving a log from as many participants as possible is a BiG help to those people working on determining the outcome results of that event.

A surprise benefit  is that - once in awhile - our seemingly-trivial score can turnout to be greater than any other valid log submitted in that category.

Over the last 10 years, WQ6X has received numerous "1st-place for the 6th call area" certificates in a dozen state QSO parties.

As you can see, a mere 2 QSOs qualified
for a 3rd place in the HIQP.  The truth is,
I worked the same station twice; once on
20 meters and then once on 40.

For the 2016 7QP event, overall, I was just screwing around testing various equipment configurations @ W7AYT's QTH.  When the little package appeared at my P.O. Box,
I was more shocked than anyone to see
that it was a 1st-place plaque.  I'm sure that plaque woke up the competition as I've yet
to reprise a 7QP win from W7AYT (altho I HAVE made serious runs since then).

There is one FINAL step to engaging in a radiosport event - checking-in on the results many months later.  Most major contest organizations are now allowing us to print our own contest certificates, saving them the cost and us the wait-time to find out how it all turned out.  There's nothing like a
1st-place certificate (seemingly out of nowhere) to brighten my day, week, or even a whole month.

Do YOU play in radiosport events?
Do YOU submit logs and write up your results.
If not, WHY Knot?

WQ6X Dual-OPS another WPX-Cw Contest

It seems less than a month ago that I was dual-OP'ing the WPX Ssb contest; in fact it's been nearly 60 days.  One of my favorite aspects of the WPX GiGs is the plethora of truly "Weird" prefixes that come about as a result of this 48 hour contest.

Being a Cw contest, my vocal chords are spared wear/tear.  The real challenge was attempting
to set up the Elecraft K3/0 on Thursday evening.  In the end, the K3/0 sat here "looking pretty"
while I utilized the tried/true RCForb remote radio software to give remote K3 access. 

As always, it "pays" to have several levels of backup plan for each level of operation. 
Arriving @ W7AYT Thursday afternoon allowed thorough testing of the onsite antennas:

• a Comet CH-250 vertical
• a Cobra Sloper (pointing N/W to Asia)
• The "infamous" WQ6X Lazy 8JK Sloper
• a Hy-Gain 3-el "Long John" 10-m yagi.

Thanks to a revamped ground cable between the
FT-1000mp and the MFJ 949-E tuner, RFI SEEMS to be a thing of the past (altho we will conveniently ignore the "BLUE Screen" crash Saturday afternoon).

While the WQ6X setup @W7AYT was relatively trouble-free, the remote connection to NX6T was fraught with problems.  A couple of STN-1 re-Boots
@ NX6T was necessary before remote access finally settled in.

Friday afternoon while testing each of the onsite antennas, the RBN (Reverse Beacon Network) allowed me to call CQ on each band, rotating through the array of antennas, confirming signal strength differences and directional parameters.  While the RBN provided no info on 10 or 15
meters this weekend, 20 & 40 meters provided several dozen signal reports.

One of the obvious delights of every WPX contest (be it Ssb or Cw) are the wild/weird prefixes that are invented JUST for this contest.  No other contest encourages unique callsign creation than WPX GiGs.  For the 2019 radiosport event, some of my favorite callsigns include: 9H6A & 9L1YXJ,  9A73A, 9K2NO, SX1T, P33W, P44W, 4Z4AK, ZL4YL, T40CW, HI0LT & J35X

From USA: NW0M, KN0WCW/2, KE0UI & AA0AW & WI0WA & W0QQQ, KU1CW, KR1DX & WR1ST, KH6ND/NZ7,  KD5DD, KM4FOC, KC5RGQ, KN7NV, AC2OC, AC5O & AD5A, AA6PW.
From Canada were: VA6WWW, CK9ML, CJ7DZO, CK7CC.
 
From Europe, my favorites include: DD0CC, S50K & S55T & S55DX, 9A1A, TM70E, TM29X, OM7RU, S573G, HB90TOC, IZ2FLX, LM450C, LY800SP, LZ60KAA, OH10X, S59ABC, Z35F, Z66W & Club Stations: MX3W & MX0SNB

From Hawaii: WH6RE & AH6RE 
From Asia my favorites include: BA8BA & BI8FZA & BI4VIP &BH6KOK, 8J1ITU, JA6ZZZ, JR6HK, JP3EXE, RW0AR & UA0CID & RK0UT, XV9PS

What I found MOST amazing during this contest was the virtual lack of "intentional" QRM;
no Data Crankers, no weird RTTY, no chipmunk Ssb and certainly no witch doctors.

Next to 20 meters, 40 was our best band.  Despite the low SFI, openings to Europe and Asia were plentiful.  80 meters was a mixture of fun as well as confusion.  Unfortunately around 09:00z (Sunday) the 80-m inverted vee failed, leaving us to run 40, 160 & 20 meters (in that order).

Many stations discovered several mid-nite 20 meter openings throughout the contest; imagine what it will be like when we leave the bottom of the sunspot cycle (and enter cycle 25).

On the WQ6X end of things I found time to put 191 QSOs into the log.
 
Other than a Win-7
"Blue Screen" mid-Saturday afternoon,
no system problems
were encountered, and, for the 1st time no stray RFI floating around the shack and invading the Toshiba Dynadock hub device. 

Band-wise, 10 & 15 meters were given a lot of attention, even tho the end result was only 3-Q's on 10-m and 5-Q's on 15. 


It was discovered that the 3-element 10 meter "Long John" yagi tuned nicely on 15 meters. 
All 15-m QSOs were made using this antenna.  I was also quite surprised to work EU on 20 & 40 meters using the infamous WQ6X Lazy 8JK Sloper.  Grounding the MFJ 949-E tuner directly to the FT-1000mp eliminated stray RF in the shack, for the first time EVER.

On Sunday I put in a couple of hours remote with NX6T before continuing
to run as WQ6X.

Having a relatively large number of operators available to us made quite a difference to the NX6T score and gave me the opportunity to play around as WQ6X.

LooKing at the NX6T stats, it's amazing to notice that for the most part, # of QSOs/hour were largely on a steady decline as the contest progressed.

Based on the 3830 Scores website, it would seem that we took 2nd place for the Left Coast to the NK7U super station - I didn't even know they were on the air.

Did YOU work the WPX Cw contest?

Is NX6T or WQ6X in YOUR Log?

But the Band is DEAD.....

During radiosport, how often have you frantically searched a band (or a group of bands) only to
find no [new] stations to work? 
Let me ask you this: did YOU make any
CQ calls of your own?  If not, WHY knot?

Remember: If everyone is listening and no one
is actually transmitting, then yes, the bands will appear to be dead, when in fact, communication paths are actually available to be exploited.

One way to check for band open possibilities is by listening to the NCDXF beacons on 20, 15 & 10 meters.  I have written about these beacons before.  ([CLICK HERE] to read that write up.) 

I wrote the WQ6X Beacon Tracker software to synchronize with the NCDXF beacon system. 


On 40 meters we can monitor the Eurasian "cluster beacons" on/around 7.039 mhz.

An even more immediate indication of band propagation tendencies around your operating QTH is
the Reverse Beacon Network - the RBN.  If your callsign is not being recognized by the RBN network, there are 2 most-likely reasons: A) The Xmtr / Antenna system has failed - OR - B) The Band is TRULY DEAD, SO Dead that even the RBN does not recognize any decodable RF.

Make a phone call to radio amateurs in your area asking them to listen for your signal on the air.  Ruling THAT out, we are left with band propagation as the major influencing factor.  Because solar storms can happen at any time, I purposely added the Space-WX sub-window to the WQ6X Beacon Tracker utility.  Assuming solar storms are not much of an issue, we can then focus more on making the propagation work to our benefit.

During the 2019 WPX Cw contest, after verifying the efficacy of W7AYT's 3-el 10-m Long John yagi, I decided that I was going to put some 10-meter QSOs in the WQ6X log - "If it's to BE, it's UP to ME!" 

Pointing the antenna north, I called CQ
for 3 minutes; then if no response, the yagi was turned another 45-degrees and another
call was made.  When 150-degrees was reached, the process was reversed. 

Eventually 3 "local" 10-meter QSOs
were added to the log; enough to say
"I wuz THERE Man....."

If you have a local amateur listen to your signal be sure they follow up by reporting your call and frequency to the DX spotting networks.  Continue calling CQ to be ready for stations to "wake up", see the spot and give you a call.


The major point about all of this is that I don't "wait around hoping" for bands to open, I take a pro-active approach and "force" the issue.  A recent article in CQ magazine raised the possibility that
CQ Dx & WPX contests may actually be responsible for bands "opening up", if for no other reason than more stations are running power amplifiers during those events.

QF-1A's for Left/Right ear - NIR-12 for Right ear

Another reason bands seem open during contests is that operators like me make copious use of DSP filters, as well as external audio processing/shaping filters.  While my FT-1000mp is equipped with an audio DSP, a pair of outboard Autek QF-1A filters (one for each RX) have been added to the audio stream and a JPS NIR-12 DSP for the sub-receiver.  Properly used, the QF-1A's PEAK setting can Boost virtually-faint signals to Q5 copy.  The NIR-12 provides a DNR (Digital Noise Reduction) capability on par with the NR in the FT-1000mp's Main-Rx.

Just because "conventional wisdom" suggests that a band should not be open, does not necessarily make it a fact.  In the "wee hours" of Saturday morning during the recent WPX Cw contest, N6KI worked DU3DW on 15 meters @ 08:38z - 1:38 am PDT.  During the 2018 California Qso Party (CQP), I discovered there was a "pipeline" between the SF bay area and the Colorado area on
10-meters, @05:00z - GO Figure.

Sometimes utilizing antennas in unique ways can send signals that other antenna configurations cannot.  During the 2019 WPX-Cw GiG, I discovered that the 3-el 10-m Long John yagi could
be tuned on 15-meters with a 1:1 match.  5 QSOs made it to the log that could not be heard
on the other antennas (a CH-250 vertical and the WQ6X Lazy 8JK Sloper); 3 of those QSOs
were with Hawaii (KH6).

Bottom-Line: Complaining that none of the bands are open is what I call "loser mentality". 
If we want to excel in radiosport, it is important to locate and exploit band openings when
they occur, despite the conventional wisdom.

Do YOU work radiosport?
How do YOU induce bands to open?

Russian Letter Beacons Rescue 40 meters

Combined Beacon Location Maps

Most DX'ers & Contesters are
familiar w/the NCDXF Beacons. 
Last year I described how I make
use of the NCDXF beacons, leading
to design of the WQ6X Beacon Tracker software.  [CLICK HERE] to read that original BLOG Entry.

I have long wished for a 40 meter equivalent of a NCDXF beacon, ideally, one that signals every second.

It occurred to me that the main use for such beacons would revolve around the middle east - thru Moscow and on to E. Asia.



As a member of the San Diego Contest club, I often joke that the only real reason they invite me to play @ NX6T in Fallbrook, is because I'm willing to run the 1am to 7am shift.  It was during one of my live visits to Fallbrook during a JIDX contest that during an S&P (Search & Pounce) session, pointing the Shorty-40 [yagi] to Asia revealed a series of "Letter" Beacons, on or about ~ 7.039.  Because their origin is various locations throughout Russia, they have been termed the Russian [military] "Single Letter" beacons.

If you have access to back issues of Popular Communications, the December 1984 (P.30) issue contains an excellent write up on "Single Letter Beacons"; the beacon network overall. The January 1985 issue includes Part-2 of this discussion, specifically documenting the SLB-Clusters such as the one(s) on 7.039.  What amazes me is the timelessness of those articles - 35 years later, most of the data is still relatively relevant.

The list (on the right) summarizes the stations more likely to be heard from
the West Coast.

On the Left Coast, the beacons begin
to "appear" around 07:00z @ NX6T, 07:30z @ W7AYT and 08:00z @ N6GEO.   It is not surprising to hear ONLY Letter Beacons but no calling stations. 

If everyone is listening and no one is calling CQ, the band can appear to be dead.  When I hear the beacons coming thru, I find a relevant clear frequency (Ex: 7021.21) and call CQ.

Having access to these Single Letter Beacons (SLB's) is yet another reason for being capable of copying simple-CW.  Many of the letter beacons operate on numerous non-Amateur frequencies which bracket the amateur bands.  Saving these frequencies in the radio's memory allows propagation checking as band openings come and go.

Do you ever use the NCDXF and SLB beacons?
What discoveries have YOU made?

Last year I ran an internet search on the beacons and came up with the following significant entries:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_beacon
2. http://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/982751
3. https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Letter_beacon
4. http://www.thefullwiki.org/Letter_beacon
5. http://www.cvni.net/radio/nsnl/nsnl032/nsnl32mx.html

  

WQ6X turns K-o-S into WPX warmup Exercise

Having submitted a contest log in previous King-of-Spain Cw GiGs keeps me on the mailing list
for up-coming King-of-Spain contest events.  Experiencing exhaustion from 7 straight weekends
of radiosport action, I decided to dial this weekend back using it to make preparations for next weekend's CQ WPX (Weird Prefix) contest.

In recent weeks, I have been experimenting with various ways to combine different external audio filters by way of a switch box and various stereo pin-plug => RCA converter cables.  Doing this brought a number of unexpected discoveries on how certain things are actually wired.

When I bought this switch on eBay, I made the assumption that all switched outputs were separate.  In fact, if you look at the schematic closely, ALL +Lines on each side (L & R) are physically wired together, independent of the switches.  The switches switch ONLY the -Lines.  OOOPs!

In recent months, experimenting
with various "flavors" of audio filter combinations for stereo-Cw, I have relied on short 1/8"-female to RCA plug converter cables to split the input audio - one unit for each ear.  The output RCA connections are then recombined into another 1/8" stereo female jack.

Unfortunately, this configuration wasn't producing the usual left-to-right separation I was expecting - time to bring out the DVM.  Using the DVM's audible-buzzer, an incredible discovery was made. 

Plugging a Male-to-Male stereo jumper into the 1/8" jack, the ring was properly measured to be connected to the red RCA cable.  Surprisingly, the tip of the white RCA plug was connected to the cable ground and the tip of the 1/8" plug was connected to the RCA plug's shell.  HuH?
Thinking it was a fluke, I measured a duplicate splitter cable and found it also wired incorrectly;
not surprising since I bought the two cables together.  I clipped the white plug from each cable and tossed them into the recycle box. 

Luckily there were a set of replacement (albeit longer) splitter cables in the junk drawer, bringing true Left-Right stereo cw back to my ears, allowing me to get down to the business of the King-of-Spain Dx contest.  By my 23:15z contest start, station #1 (@NX6T) had it's long-time ACOM 2000a removed in preparation for a replacement Expert 1.5Kfa amplifier.  I decided to run low power until the Expert amplifier was inline.

While 20 meters produced a few QSOs with Europe (and yes, Spain), within an hour the only thing heard were stateside stations, making it time for a move on down to 40 meters. 

It wasn't until 03:00z that Europe made its way into the speakers.  Finding a run frequency added more QSOs to the log. 


While some stations were handing out 600+ QSO numbers, the actual amount of contest activity experienced on the Left-coast was incredibly lacking.  At 04:25z WM6Y made an appearance in Fallbrook, to put the Expert amplifier into the antenna line.  Within 45 minutes WQ6X was running as a high power entry.  Oh what a difference 1300 watts makes.

Amazingly, it seemed that the minute a switch was made to high power stations moved in on one run frequency after another.

Hoping for an Asian opening (similar to the previous weekend), the Shorty-40 was  turned to 300-degrees. 

Unfortunately, all I heard was the Russian "M & "F" beacons; not a single JA station was heard.

I decided to take a "short nap" and come back for those hoped for Asian stations.  Evidently I needed the sleep - I didn't wake up until 11:55z; with only 5 minutes left in the K-o-S contest.


Did you play around in the King of Spain Cw contest?
Is WQ6X in YOUR Log?

The Role of Respect in Radiosport - Part 5

The outdoor outhouse toilet for WQ6X/6 in OJAI (SB Section)

It has been nearly a year since I began the BLOG series under the moniker of "The Role of Respect in Radiosport".  While this is admittedly a "beef list", because these items have plagued me heavily,
I endeavor to NoT commit these mistakes.  Here are the original BLOG posts from that series:

1. [x] The Role of Respect in Radiosport - Part 1
2. [x] The Role of Respect in Radiosport - Part 2
3. [x] The Role of Respect in Radiosport - Part 3
4. [x] The Role of Respect in Radiosport - Part 4

While I thought everything needing to be said about this was expressed in the previous 4 entries, since that time, a handful of new items have surfaced.

BEEF #21 - W / VE STATIONS WHO CALL IN DURING A CLEARLY DX-ONLY CONTEST - EVEN WHEN I SEND "DX-ONLY" OR "JA ONLY"
On given radiosport weekends, the major activity is some form of a DX contest.  Specific weekends include: All Asian (A.A.), JIDX (Japan), WAE (Worked all Europe) and SA-10 (South America 10 meter contest).
For whatever reason, many stations in those countries fail to plant themselves on a frequency and call CQ Contest; we have do it for them.  During this year's JIDX contest, my calls of "CQ JA" on 40 meters in the early morning resulted in over a DOZEN stateside calls, mostly from the South and Southeast.  The interim solution was to define N1MM's function key F9 to send "JA Only". 
Even with that, many of the stations would call again and again.

Let's be clear how radiosport events should be run:

1. First: READ THE ENTIRE RULES FOR THE EVENT.
2. Second: If the rules say that W/VE stations work JA ONLY, then, please, DO NOT CALL ME.
3. Third: If I send JA ONLY, then, please, DO NOT CALL ME AGAIN and AGAIN.
4. Having read the rules thoroughly, if you are going to send an exchange, be sure it is consistent with that contest event.  If the rules say that we send 5NN + ZONE, then send me 5NN 04; do NOT send 5NN FLA.
5. In contests, where I am allowed to work stateside, then send the CORRECT EXCHANGE. 
   If you don't know the correct exchange then you obviously haven't read the rules. 
   NEVER engage in radiosport without FIRST reading the rules.

 Remember this:  JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN HEAR ME DOES NOT MEAN THAT I AM TARGETING YOUR LOCATION.  Listen to my CQ call; if you don't understand it, don't call me. 
If you DO understand that I am not targeting you then don't call me. 
Is THAT so difficult to understand?

BEEF #22 - THE NATIONAL TUNEUP FREQUENCY
In many radiosport events it seems that I am often plagued by the National Tuneup Frequency. 
In JA & Asian contests I am used to being tuned-up on - at least they give me a QSO afterwards. 
In the past I have been plagued by an N-T-F that likes to follow me around.  WTF is THAT all about?

BEEF #23 - OPERATORS WHO LIKE TO CREATE Ssb MAYHEM
Intentional QRM comes in many flavors.  I've encountered data crankers, witch doctors, rogue
RTTY stations, microphone testers, chronic belchers and feedback producers.  One evening
during an Ssb JIDX contest N6KI was plagued by a relentless playing of a voice shouting
"F  U".  When Dennis turned over the Multi-Single operation to me I was warned about this IDIOT.

When I took over I immediately recognized the recording as one I've heard on the left-coast's rogue 3.840 "garbage dump" Ssb frequency.  Thinking it could be a fluke, I shifted frequency, only to have the monkey follow me.  I spent the next 90 minutes using VFO A & B to switch back and forth.  Eventually the idiot got bored, put on his jammies and skulked off to bed.

BEEF #24 - ROGUE (Squirrel) Ssb STATIONS USING Cw-only SEGMENTS
FOR INCESSANT RAGCHIEWING.
While radio amateur bands like 40-meters are shared resources allowing modes like Ssb & RTTY, IARU regulations do NoT allow non-Cw transmissions below 7.025.  Virtually any contest weekend, pointing the yagi to Asia or South America, Ssb traffic is heard (but w/o the required callsign-ID at least every 10 minutes).  Just because the signals resemble relatively weak squirrels, does NoT
mean they are weak at the receiving end of the stations I hope are copying my signal.
It's TIME to cleanup the mess.  Do YOU have any ideas how to fix it?

BEEF #25 - NoT LISTENING TO THE RUN FREQUENCY BE-4 CALLING CQ CONTEST
When running a contest run frequency it goes without saying a major focus should be the efficient utilization of time.  Because making a CQ call requires a not-insignificant amount of time, if stations are lined up to work me, a CQ call is unnecessary - I simply press F3 ("TU  WQ6X") and wait for the next caller to make themselves known.

In many cases while S&P'ing I encounter a run station who finishes a QSO and IMMEDIATELY calls CQ.  If the Run station had waited 1.5 seconds (allowing me to send him my callsign) there would have been no need for a 5 - 10 second CQ call; in fact, during that time we could have exchanged info sending me on my way, in time for the run station's next caller - ALL w/o the need to call CQ.
BOTTOMLINE: Don't be a hamster frantically running in your run wheel.
                         DIAL-it-BACK a bit. 
                         LISTEN BE-4 You Xmit.

While all 25 items in this BLOG series are listed as BEEFS, remember the context of this series is "the role of respect".  During radiosport events, indeed during ALL my on the air activities, I endeavor to NoT engage in one or more of my 25 radiosport BEEFS.  If it ANNOYS me, it will probably annoy You.

What about  YOU?

How does the role of respect figure in to YOUR radiosport activities?

WQ6X Trips thru another CQ-M Contest

As far as radiosport goes, this last weekend was rather slow; only
3 relevant contest GiGs,
as opposed to 5 or 6
(as in past weekends).  

The agenda included:
[12:00z]  CQ-M International DX Contest
[12:00z]  Volta RTTY Contest
[14:00z]  Arkansas QSO Party (AQP)

Friday evening, attempting to setup the K3/0 for remote access found the internet network used for IP radio access to be non-functional. 

Fortunately access to another network made it possible to run the remote K3 radio via the RCForb software.  For me personally, being president of the Alameda Tongue Twisters Toastmasters club found me at the District 57 conference representing my club.  By the time my obligations were over and I was behind the computer screen it was nearly 04:30z.

By the time I got started, the AQP GiG was long over - done - 1 down, two to go.  Tuning around the RTTY portions of 20, 40 & 80 yielded no RTTY activity, only FT-8; 2 down, only CQ-M left.  Luckily the CQ-M GiG allows working domestic, as well as DX stations - there was an abundance of stations to be worked.

Although running remote, I was able to funnel the RX audio thru an external Autek QF-1A audio filter (for the left ear) and an MFJ-751 (for the right ear) creating in-effect stereo Cw.

I enjoyed the contest but was disappointed by the luck of Russian stations to work. 

The BiG surprise was the number of VK/ZL stations (off the back of the Shorty-40 yagi) calling in while I was looking for Europe.

Not knowing what to expect, the decision was to run high power (990 watts), guaranteeing the signal could reach just about everywhere (except, I guess, Africa).



Pointing the Shorty-40 to 330-degrees yielded a plethora of JA stations, each worth 2 points.  Normally when working Asia I am annoyed by stateside callers off the back of the yagi; in the CQ-M contest they are most welcome - as long as they read the contest rules and know to send 5NN + Serial #.  When they didn't send a number "001" was entered in the log. 
Not knowing the rules, they certainly won't be sending in a log.

Intentional QRM-wise, things were rather quiet until a data cranker showed up at 05:15z on 7.033.  After a pause, the cranking resumed and then erupted into a jamming sound; sounding like the kind used to jam SWBC stations.  Moving to 80-meters gave respite from the "cranker"; that is, until I discovered there was little CQ-M activity on the lower bands.

At 07:30z, 2.5 hours of sleep took over.  By 10:00z, with the assistance of some strong KONA coffee, 40 meters for the last 2 hours was the proper way to end a last minute contest.

Did YOU work the CQ-M contest?
If not, WHY Not?
If so, did WQ6X make it to YOUR log?

WHY I Do Radiosport - PT. 5 - FEEDBACK: It's ALL about Feedback

As a Bio/Neuro feedback therapist, in a nutshell, my work is about Performance Enhancement.
Not surprising, more sports fitness trainers are beginning to include feedback modalities as part
of their regimen.

A number of years ago (summer of 2011) a series of videos were made during the Cw NAQP contest.  The idea  was to track my left pre-frontal E-E-G while I ran various aspects of this contest; first S&P'ing then running frequencies.  In total, 5 video segments were produced.

2. Part 2 - Running a frequency
3. Part 3 - Running a frequency
4. Part 4 - Running a frequency
5. Part 5 - Running a frequency

Because the above exercise was done during a Cw contest, in order to enjoy a fuller understanding
of the implications of these videos, you need to be able to copy Morse code.  If plans hold up I am looking to repeat this experiment (now 8 years later) in the upcoming NAQP Ssb contest.
I am hoping that the many things I discovered/learned from this E-E-G exercise will be
similarly confirmed by repeating this exercise via Ssb or RTTY.

A measurement similar
to E-e-g - namely GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) - is another bio-indicator that, properly monitored, can assist us in improving operating performance.

At the heart of every GSR device is a circuit familiar to most radio amateurs - namely, a Wheatstone bridge.

GSR measurement provides an important yet indirect look at our base-level emotional state. 


During periods of intense operating, our negative-emotion state can rapidly rise.  Similar to the relaxation often experienced from meditation, we can learn to control our GSR-levels and remain calm, while at the same time remaining focused on making QSOs.

While use of GSR-readings can be incorporated immediately, to obtain maximum benefits from e-e-g feedback, it is more effective to begin with a baseline evaluation of relevant areas of the brain.  I call this a QEEG "Brainmap".  The Hemisphere Viewer (which I wrote for NeuroLogiK Solutions) turns
raw e-e-g data into useful evaluations for each hemisphere. 

FEEDBACK: It's all about Feedback.

NEUROSKY  Mindset

Based on these recommendations, a custom-tailored program of neurofeedback therapy can be utilized to "balance" brainwave activity, which for the radio amateur translates into more efficient/effective operating ability; exactly what
top-notch radiosport players are looking to do.

Combining neurofeedback with meditation, proper diet, mild-exercise and properly developed sleep cycles offers up the possibility for taking the radiosport experience to the "next level".

"Exercise" equipment doesn't necessarily have to be complicated and/or expensive; likewise with neurofeedback - a single-sensor NFB headset
can be the start of a new beginning in radio sport.




What do YOU do to maximize YOUR radiosport performance?
I would like to hear about it.