WQ6X Wangles a 5.5-Hour 40-Meter HaM SPIRIT Contest

The year 2024 brought us a number of 5-weekend months, altho not all
5th-weekends sported any radiosport activity.  Turns out, the 5th weekend in
November brought a radiosport event I've never seen before: The HaM SPIRIT Contest.

Stumbling onto a lone entry in WA7BNM contest calendar, following the link to the contest
website found it to be a Russian organized/run event.  By the time a log setup for the N1MM
software was created, there were only 7 OP hours left in the event.  Altho it was a multi-band
multi-mode event, the decision was made to run as a LP (Low Power) 40-Meter only Cw station.
This coincided with the morning Greyline period in Russia and EU - which was AMAZING!

Much of the 7 hours was spent calling CQ, encouraging all of the rare Russian
and deep Eastern European stations to call ME for a change, they being rewarded
with the rare "WQ6" prefix - kinda like in the WPX Cw contest.  Skimming thru the log file
after the contest, I am amazed at the different prefixes that responded to my CQ's, including:
RG9, RW9, R8, R2, RL4, RW0, RN3, RM4, HA9, ON6, YP8, Z32, F5, G4, OM5, LB2, DF1,
SP3, & IK0.  The BiG surprise was RD1A/MM operating from ITU Zone 75 and the QR Grid square.  While all those prefixes may not seem a big deal for OPs in the Midwest and the East coast, from Ramona, on 40 meters, those were amazing QSOs.

My BiGGeST beef were the LOUD USA stations who obviously could hear me yet would move 1/2 Kc away and start calling CQ.  I purposely choose oddball run frequencies (7003.69, 7006.69, 7007.77, 7008.88, 7009.69, 7014.14 & 7016.16), so when a station moves in on me, I know it's no accident.

Using Function Key F-11 ("QRL QSY!") a half dozen times usually does the trick. 
With one station station I moved down the 1/2 Kc, called him and made the QSO - he
OBVIOUSLY could hear me.  Notice that NONE of those offenders ever sent "QRL?"
before calling CQ.  Whatever happened to "QRL?" courtesy?

During the last couple of hours, to alleviate bore-dumb, while calling CQ, I began listening
to my calls on various SDR receivers to get a sense for where I was being heard. 
Doing this set the stage for an SDR research project Sunday morning.

The real disappointment in this contest was the final hour as EU and Russia came into daylight,
severing the pipeline with the west coast, just moments before.  The last QSO in the WQ6X
Log came at 06:59, with that remaining hour yawning while desperately calling CQ. 
ToTaL OP time ended up as 5.5 hours, thanks to that inert final hour.

All disappointments aside however, it would seem that deciding to run Single-band
40-Meters Cw found WQ6X in 1st place for that category.  Amazing!
Like has been oft said, "...sometimes just showing up is the major accomplishment".

DiD YOU work the HaM Spirit Contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Creeps thru another QRP CQ W.W. Dx CW ConTesT

The month of November in 2024 brings us 5-WeeKEnds, altho only the first four were scheduled w/radiosport activity.  With the clocks turned back to Pacific STanDarD Time (PST), 20-meters
(and below bands) open an hour "earlier", which is PeRFecT for a 48-hour DX contest.  CQ W.W. began at 4pm Friday afternoon and ended at 4pm on Sunday afternoon, just as the sun was in the process of disappearing behind overhead rain clouds.

While the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was down to around ~150, by Saturday, it had jumped to over 200 (as I type this it is at 221).  While the upper bands were somewhat noisy, 15 & 10 meters were open reliably until past 10pm.  By 8am Saturday morning, 15 & 10 were WIDE-Open to Europe - AMAZing!

(I read numerous reports that there were also EU/AF openings, on Sunday, altho that was HARDLY my experience.)

During the after-midnight time period, the game was to alternate between 2-hours sleep and 2-hours OP-time on 40-meters, which altho open to Asia, was PLAGUED by an OTH RaDaR centered right
in the middle of the CW band - HuH?  WTF is THAT ALL About?

At the Ramona QTH, the 3-el Stepp-IR possesses the advantage of pointing the yagi more-or-less Southeast (towards South America), while switching 180-degrees (in <7-seconds) to work VE7, UAO
and JA stations already coming thru [early] on the upper bands.  It seemed like the bands ALL opened "early" and remained open much "later".

In perusing the scribble-notes made during the contest period, it seems the best way to make scents out of them would be to list them bullet-point style:

• At 10:23z Saturday morning out of nowhere another OTH RaDaR suddenly appeared on 7015.69 (my run frequency).  RoTaTing the yagi while checking signal levels confirms that once again, this intruder is located in Eastern Russia - WTF is with THAT?
• 11:02z on 7007.52 a LOUD HL2WA calls CQ.  Numerous stations call him. 
  He DISAPPEARS.  I send QRL?  receive NO response and Call CQ.  Shortly
  after HL2WA is back calling CQ, again, hearing/working NOBODY - HuH?
• On Sunday morning, BRASH, LOUD BA4II, BH4BFS & BU2EO at different times
  jumped on my run frequency calling CQ LOUDER than ANYONE and then they
  Answer NO ONE - again WTF.
• A DX station calls in.  I work him, putting him in the LoG.  2 - 3 minutes later he
  calls in again.  DiD he log me the 1st time?  If I work him again, it's a DuP (no penalty). 
  If I don't work him again, we both get DINGED for my not logging the 2nd contact.
• Persistently calling CQ on 3516.69 Sunday morning created a perfect propagation
  opening; even if it was only a quicky, it was PERFECT.

Throughout the weekend, WQ6X busted NUMEROUS pileups, simply by slipping my
QRP signal in between the LOUD callers.  On Sunday, a number of the SUPER stations
came back to my QRP CQ calls as they played the S & P game, looking for new callsigns.

When it was all over, it would seem that WQ6X took 4th place overall and 3rd-place for NA.

DiD YOU work the CQ WW Dx CW contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

What Do We SaY about Ssb November Sweepstakes?

 

Around this time last year, I wrote a long overdue Blog regarding CW Sweepstakes ([CLICK HERE]
to read that).  As I check the station setup for the 2024 Sweepstakes phone (Ssb) contest on Friday evening, I am prompted to ask a similar question: "What Do We SaY about Ssb Sweepstakes?". 
While the information exchange is IDENTICAL for BoTH contests, the events themselves operate dramatically differently.

Now, it may surprise you to know that Ssb contests are actually my LEAST favorite event from the BiG Three (CW, SSB and RTTY); however, that's a ToPiC for a separate BLOG Post unto itself. 
For me personally, the Sweepstakes phone contest has a timeline of amazing operating events
dating back to the days when I held the WA6LKB and eventually KX6H callsigns.  One of those weekends got me bitten by a dog in Livermore and in the middle of a Sweepstakes event (back
in the day) found me laid up at St. George's hospital in Cincinatti with a potentially serious hand infection.

Last year, WQ6X took a surprising 1st-place running as unlimited-QRP.  In this year's CW GiG
(2 weekends prior), while I probably took the Southwest Division for QRP unlimited, the East Coast "Professionals" left me eating their E-Coast Dust.

My straight-forward Goals for Sweepstakes phone 2024 included:

• Assisting NX6T (Multi-Single LP) to an Overall 1st-place (altho it looks as if we took 4th)
• Reprising my accidental Unlimited-QRP win from last year (it looks like WQ6X took 3rd)
• Perfecting the Art of Stereo-SSB

For the CW Sweepstakes GiG, Stereo-Cw made an at-times unintelligible pile-up of callers actually quite manageable due to the (more-or-less) 180-degree audio spatial dimension.  With Stereo-Ssb, we can adjust the frequency knob of each QF-1A filter unit to create a more intelligible listening experience.  As high/low pitched QRM moves into the audio fringes of the left or right ear,
the frequency knob can be adjusted to "de-emphasize" the splatter individually for each ear.

Because the high[er] bands were littered with atmospheric noise, the aux. notch control for each
ear reduced the noise-grinding fatigue, way better than the K3's DNR facility ever could - sometimes analog audio shaping still surpasses digital signal processing (DSP). 
 

Then again, it's easy to not remember that the aux. knobs on the QF-1A have altered the passband and I unconsciously settle into that way of listening.  To reduce the possibility of complacency, it's useful to occasionally set both notch knobs fully CCW and "start over" (when in doubt, "ReSeT" is my motto).

My BiGGest beef during this weekend was the OP's who speak WaY TOO FAST - with QRN & QSB, rapid voice speaking rapidly requires repeats of the report.  Before EVERY Ssb contest, I actually REHEARSE saying the exchange(s) properly and then load up the 4 DVK channels in the K3 radio. 
Speaking your callsign SLOWLY is important, because if I type the wrong callsign into the log,
YOU get dinged.

The OP's at NX6T turned in a not insignificant score again this year.  Unfortunately, missing section #85 (VE9) and 100+ QSOs relegated us to a 4th-place, while WQ6X took an overall 3rd place.  However, in BOTH cases, a Southwest Division win was secured.

Here is a random sampling of WEIRD things which happened throughout the November
Sweepstakes weekend:

• Out of carelessness, at the start of the Sweepstakes GiG, I failed to notice that the 3-El Stepp-IR antenna was still pointing 180-degrees from its azimuth heading.  Nevertheless, WQ6X was spotted by TI7W (Costa Rica) - unfortunately not allowed to participate in our domestic contest.
• It was discovered that my 21.358.58 run frequency was ALSO the National Tuneup Frequency (NTF).  Audio DSPs eliminate the tone(s) in my ears, but NoT the passband AGC-affects from the still IF-present carrier signal.
• My near-doppelganger WQ6Q was active during this Ssb contest, often confusing Billy-Bob and his brother Barney (NoT to mention Cousin Bozo).
• While SEARCHhing and POUNCing, on 7.153 I overheard a VA3 station working a VE3 station BOTH using Cw.
• A PULSE RaDaR station suddenly appeared on 14.172 - OBLITERATING 14.150 to ~14.230
• K1KP signed his callsign as Kilowatt 1 Kosher Pickle.
• When I ask for ONLY your Section and you send me all the information before it AGAIN, if signal fading is occurring, by the time you get around to saying "NFL", you will have faded out requiring me to say "AGAIN? AGAIN??".  Just give me ONLY what I ask for and we'll be done in less than 5-seconds.

One COOL thing about Ssb Sweepstakes is getting to HEAR the actual Voices of the OP's I worked earlier in the month on RTTY and CW.  While I always enjoy Ssb Sweepstakes, I am also glad it is OVER, so my ears don't have to listen to lower-pitched or higher-pitched splatter anymore.

DiD YOU work the 2024 November Sweepstakes?

IS WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Sprints thru another JIDX + WAE RTTY WeeKend

The 2nd contest weekend in November always brings us a variety of different activities to wrap
our operating skills around.  Because this is a 5-weekend month, things line up a little differently
than previous years.  This contest weekend brought us 4 radiosport GiGs of varying length:

1. [X] - Worked All Europe (WAE) RTTY - 48 hours
2. [X] - JIDX SSB Contest - 30 hours
3. [X] - OK/OM Dx CW Contest - 24 hours
4. [X] - NA Ssb SPRINT - 4 Hours

One of the things I like about the WAE contest GiGs is that they begin on Friday afternoons and continue for a FUL 48 hours, offering me numerous opportunities to participate, important when
I am also a shift operator for a concurrently run NX6T contest GiG - during this weekend it was
the JIDX Ssb contest.

Massive shifts in Space-WX conditions made for a challenging multi-GiG contest weekend.

Thanks to being a North America GiG, the Ssb SPRINT was largely not affected, except for
some low-level background noise, which we are largely used to.  The Aux. notch filter built into
each QF-1A audio filter (used to create Stereo-Ssb), made it possible to "shape" the passband,
reducing the noise-fatigue.

In addition to freaky Space-WX, this was yet another Ssb contest loaded with intentional QRM
of many different kinds.  For starters, at 11:20z on 3.805 a Cw signal (presumably Russian military) with the callsign 2JL4 made the scene.  With the 4-Square vertical array, it was easy to deduce the signal as originating from Eastern Russia.  Shortly later OTH RaDaR inundated 3.750 to 3.790. 
Then at 11:42z the 40-meter phone band was littered with RTTY QRM.

At 20:36z while running 14089.89 a repetitive chirping RTTY jammer made the scene.  30 minutes
later while running 14096.69, muffled Ssb could be heard, followed by unintelligible Cw and ending
up with FT8 making the scene - HuH?  Later, what I call a "data mixer" signal made the scene on 21098.89.  These kinds of occurrences seem to happen ONLY during contest weekends.

While I still enjoy the JIDX contest, with the rule change prohibiting me from running WQ6X
as Single-OP (i.e. separately) while also being an OP for NX6T, it's NoT Quite the SAME.  Serendipitously, the opportunity was then afforded to spend more time in the WAE RTTY
contest and keep the NIGHT shift alive on 40 and 80 for NX6T.  Somewhere in the middle
of it all, time was found for making CW contacts in the OK/OM DX Cw contest.

Also in the middle of it all, time was found to work the 4-hour NA SPRINT Ssb GiG - this weekend
was a BiG voice contest weekend, that's for sure.  Switching over to RTTY from time to time, gave
the voice (or should I say the voice KEYER) a break.

DiD YOU work the JIDX, WAE, OK/OM or Ssb SPRINT GiGs?

Is NX6T or WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Successfully Navigates another NEAT QRP November Sweepstakes

Overviewing the upcoming contest weekend, THREE Major Goals were on the Agenda:

1. Reprise last year's S-West Division QRP Win from KN6NBT's
   Ramona QTH (SDG Section).
   
   
2. Join up with NX6T's remote-run low-power operation from WA6TQT's
   Anza QTH (ORG Section).
3. FULLY-Utilize the Stereo-CW facility I talk so much about. ([CLICK HERE])

While BOTH operations seem to have produced high scores for S-West Division, it will be contest committee's last-minute log adjudication that determines whether N4QS remains in 1st-Place - it's
THAT close.

CW Sweepstakes is unique in that the contest begins in the PDT time zone and ends in the
PST time zone (USA operators across the continent experience this.)  This was especially tricky
as I had the 3:30am to 5:30am operating shift w/NX6T, offering access to the east coast w/the 80-meter 4-Square vertical array.

10 & 15 meters were [not surprisingly] wide open, which moves a lot of contest activity AWAY
from 20-meters (now viewed as a "Backup" band during moments of disruptive Space-WX activity. 
For WQ6X, 40-meters was THE band to some degree, due to moving down there before 01:00z on Sunday to end the contest.  Hindsight raises the Question of whether operations should have started on 40-meters on SATURDAY as well.

The navigation secret during this weekend's weird propagation and pile-up effects was certainly the virtually-embedded Stereo CW which resides permanently at W7AYT's Concord QTH.  Transceivers may come and go, however, the audio-out of those radios is switch-boxed to the Stereo-CW system.  Being a Cw contest, when running a frequency, calling stations each call-in uniquely-offset from the
run frequency - the higher pitched offsets appear in the upper-left of my listening experience, while mid-offset signals appear "directly in front of me" and lower pitched offsets appear more to lower-right.

Using the R-I-T control, I can "shift" a calling station to a mo-betta physical location, confirmed by the change in signal pitch.  Function Key F3 in the N1MM+ software sports a {ClearRit} macro call, resetting the offset to ZERO.

After it was all over, it would seem that NX6T took an overall 2nd-place and 1st-Place for Southwest Division, while WQ6X ended in 6th-place and also managed a 1st-place for Southwest Division.

DiD YOU participate in the November Sweepstakes?

Is NX6T or WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

BLAST from the PAST: Radiosport and ToasTmasTers

While celebrating 10 years with the Alameda Tongue Twisters, a Blog Search was conducted on Radiosport and Toastmasters.

What surfaced from the Search are the following ("ToP TeN") BLOG Posts:

• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters - Part 2: The 6 P's
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters - Part 3: The Value of
           Elmering and Mentoring
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Have You Read the Rules Lately?
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters Part-5: I Just SiT Back
           and Watch
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters Part-6: Similarities
           and Differences
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Creative Competition in Radiosport and Toastmasters Part-7: Content - It's
           ALL About Content
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Leadership Lessons Learned from Radiosport and Toastmasters
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Rising to the Challenge in Radiosport and Toastmasters
  
  
  
  
• [X] - Toastmasters Leadership Training and Radiosport
  
  
  
  
  

Now, what do we DO with all of this?

WQ6X/QRP Sneaks Around another CQ W.W. Ssb Contest

In recent years, during DX contest weekends that present us with a morass of stations to work
from all corners of the planet, the operating goals have been centered around running QRP Power.  Virtually ANYONE can work the world using 1500 (or even 100) watts of power; the REAL challenge comes from dialing it [all] back to 5-Watts.

For the 2024 Ssb event, we were blessed w/more-or-less cooperate Space-WX conditions with
the all-the-while "threat of the delayed effects due to a CME-ejection occurring just prior to the DX contest.  That CME DiD eventually impact the atmosphere around 22:00z.  Thanks to the SFI peaking yet again and hovering in the 200+ range contributed to experiencing the high bands as WIDE-Open well into the evening - on Saturday, 15-meters was still producing QSOs at 10:30 (05:30z).

15-meters was SO productive that much of the possible 40-meter opening to EU was missed,
due to chasing VK/ZL/KH6 and even leftover S. American stations.  After a sleep-grab, 40-meters
was open to Asia with surprisingly NO RTTY/Intentional QRM to deal with.  Even the Indonesian fishing boat Ssb bootleggers were missing (altho they prolly just moved down to the Cw/RTTY segment of the band).

Listening for the Russian beacons ~7.039, the "K" beacon was LOUD and CLEAR, but with a flaw
in sending its ID:  "D K K K K" - the 1st "K" was NoT being clipped by propagation effects; it was CLEARLY mis-sent by the computer-generated Cw code keying the transmitter.

Saturday morning, I gave a presentation to the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) on radiosport operating. focusing on working all 40-Zones in the CQ W.W. contest, with a brief look at the upcoming November Sweepstakes contest pair (coming in November).

After introducing the Zone map and the [free] N1MM+ logging software, we sat down to make some contacts using the OYC (Oakland Yacht Club) radio club's ICOM 7300 into a roof mounted horizontal J-Pole atop the yacht club building.  10 and 15 meters were wide-open to Europe, altho only KH6 (Hawaii), ED7 (Spain) and WX1USA actually made it to the log - nevertheless, we demonstrated
that it could be done.  A 3-QSO LoG will be posted on the 3830 Scores website and submitted
as a CQ WW contest log.

When it was all over, according to the 3830Scores.Com standings, it would seem
that WQ6X took a 1st-place.

DiD YOU work the 2024 CQ W.W. DX Ssb contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X RuNs a 4-WaY QRP Radiosport WeekEnd

For the 3rd contest weekend in October, the goal was to make it ALL-QRP, All-of-the-Time.
Overall, that goal WAS met - having super-gain yagi stacks certainly compensates for the voluntary reduction in output power.

This weekend brought us a jumble of radiosport events - 3 on Saturday and one on Sunday.

1. [X] - NYQP New York QSO Party - Mixed Mode
2. [X] - SP-160 - Stew Perry 160 Cw GiG
3. [X] - WaG - Worked All Germany - Mixed Mode
4. [X] - ILQP Illinois QSO Party - Mixed Mode

The BiG problem was horrible Space-Wx on Saturday evening, extending into Sunday.

The New York QSO Party seemed to have plenty of stations on CW (altho less so on Ssb).
My biggest BEEF w/NYQP is the 02:00z ending time.  On the Left Coast, we're JUST getting propagation to New York on 40 (later on 80) and they shut the QSO Party down - that SUX.

This is what I had to say about the NYQP QSO Party:

This weekend was ab out running EVERYTHING QRP from the WA6TQT Super Station.

That said, while I always hope for many more participants in their own state QSO parties,

there were plenty of NY stations.  The problem is: ending your QSO party occurs

JUST as the lower band(s) are opening to the NY area.  Gives us just TWO MORE

HOURS and I will be happy.  I ran Anza STN-2 using a 40-meter thru 10-meter

stacked arrays, fix-pointed 60-degrees azimuth.

For the Stew Perry 160 Contest, I had this to say:

This weekend was about running EVERYTHING QRP from the WA6TQT Super Station.

For SP-160, I ran Anza STN-2 into a crippled 160-meter horizontal tri-square (the S-E leg 

is weirded out).  Sometimes pointing the antenna "WEST" gave better signals East than
pointing it "NE", which seemed to work more "SE" - W-E-I-R-D.  

Unfortunately, a handful of solar disturbances made the band HORRENDOUSLY Noisy.

Running QRP, made it even trickier:  I could HEAR W2/W3 (but nothing in between), 
while they couldn't hear my calls (or even the Left Coast) at all.

Because the Illinois QSO Party came and went so quickly, there wasn't much to say,
except that I ran this GiG from the Ramona remote station, not the Anza location.:

It wasn't until I went to file the other weekend 3830 Scores that

the ILQP was noticed on the list.  Anza STN-2 was already shut down,

directing my attention to the Ramona remote - just enough to catch the ending.

The BiG "HiT" of the weekend was of course, WaG - Worked All Germany:

This weekend was about running EVERYTHING QRP from the WA6TQT Super Station.

I ran Anza STN-2 using a 40-meter thru 10-meter stacked yagi arrays, fix-pointed

33-degrees azimuth pointing more-or-less right at Germany.  Running QRP, QSOs
were made with nearly 75% of the stations called.  Near the end, when WQ6X 

called CQ, it was AWEsome to have them come to me for about 40-minutes.

Unfortunately, a handful of solar disturbances put an end to the fun.

LooK for write-ups on this and other GiGs at: http://WQ6X.Blogspot.com

DiD YOU work any of the above radiosport events?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Discovers a "GoldMine" to run the Makrothen RTTY WeeKend

 Have you ever been sitting on a "goldmine" and NoT even know it?

It's no secret that I access radios in So. California using an Elecraft K3/0-Mini remote-control head. 
It is ALSO no secret that the configuration accesses the internet using a RemoteRig RRC-1258 Interface Box.  Now, if you understand how the individual units work, you also realize that only
half of the capabilities of each box was being utilized.

In preparation for the Makrothen RTTY contest, experimentation was done, determining the most effective way to control the K3 radio in Ramona (the "Server") running N1MM+ Software from the client-side of the connection.

A close look at the r-side of the K3/0-Mini control head reveals a USB port.  With the USB cable properly "installed", Com Ports CoM6 and CoM7 suddenly appeared.  To N1MM+, CoM7 was just another K3 Transceiver.  

Once CAT-control is established,
it becomes a simple matter to run swapped audio lines between the laptop computer and the K3/0-Mini control head.  Thanks to the 8-On / 8-Off contest periods, during off periods, cables were re-routed for a much
more aesthetic appearance.

With local USB control of the control head, the local N1MM+ software "sees" CoM7 allowing not
only frequency control, but local AFSK tones which make their way thru the control head to the audio circuits inside the remote K3 radio.  The "Goldmine" USB cable made possible local rig control of a remote radio.  The only downside is internet connection disruption between wherever I am set up to
the remote connection in Ramon (or Anza as the case may be).

While the Space-WX conditions were quite cooperative, In-state participation was severely lacking in all of the QSO parties, not to mention the OC DX Contest.  The 3830 Soapbox comments were nearly all the same.

The Makrothen certainly provided some outstanding worldwide activity.  Rather than using multipliers, contacts in the Makrothen contest are point scored based on the Km distance between the two stations.  For this year, WQ6X managed to surpass the 1Mil Km mark, which is just a "warm-up" score.

Here are some scribbled notes, scribbled throughout the weekend.

DiD YOU work the 4 QSO Parties, OCDX Contest or the Makrothen RTTY GiG?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?