WQ6X Wobbles thru a WEIRD CQ-160 + NAQP RTTY WeeKend

Somehow, this contest weekend was SO Weird, that it almost slipped thru the cracks when it
comes to Filing a 383Scores.com score, submitting a .Log file and finally ad-HOC'ing this Blog entry.

Two major radiosport GiGs and two Ho-Hum QSO Parties were on the agenda for the weekend.
The 4th weekend of the month meeting of the month for the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCAHam.Org) kept me in Alameda for Saturday morning and afternoon.  Because of the complex RTTY configuration being used ([CLICK HERE] to read about it.  The decision was to not begin the NAQP RTTY GiG until arriving @W7AYT's QTH in Concord.  Altho two SCQP contacts previously made it to the log, the first RTTY QSO wasn't logged until 02:22z (shortly after SCQP's early QSO
party ending).

To run the CQ-160 contest, my op-time was 2nd priority for access to ANZA Station #1 when other OPs were doing other things.  With the still crippled 160 TRI-Square and the late station access on both evenings, only 10 QSOs made it to the log - enuf to say "I Wuz THERE!"

Altho the NAQP RTTY is a 12-hour affair, I only managed 96 QSOs for nearly 4-hours of op-time.
While I was one of 3 OPs in the SCCC contest group, we all had compromised situations, so I didn't expect super scores from any of us - only that our team was on the list.

While the SCQP was a bust (with an 02:00z ending, 40-meters is JUST opening to SC), on Sunday, the North Carolina variation (NCQP) at least put 18 QSOs into the log.  Like the SCQP GiG, ending this one at 01:00z is WAY too early.

When it was all over, WQ6X submitted 4 mediocre logs - at least I participated that weekend.

DiD YOU work, the CQ-160 Ssb, the NAQP RTTY or the NC/SC QSO Parties?

Is WQ6X in YOUR Log?

WQ6X Blast from the Past: CQ 160-Meter Contest

In preparation for the upcoming 160-meter Ssb contest, I went to the CQ-160 web page and DiD
a search on my WQ6X callsign, refreshing my memory of all the CQ-160 Meter contests (Cw and Ssb) I have participated in since 2013.  The span of time includes coming off the peak of Solar Cycle 24 and into the current peak of Solar Cycle 25.

Since 2018, it would seem that WQ6X has participated in 11 CQ 160-meter contests, Ssb and Cw,
with NX6T and Solo, remote and even local operation.  Here is the list:

1. [X] (2018) - N6KI & WQ6X run another miraculous CQ 160 contest
2. [X] (2019) - WQ6X joins NX6T for CQ-160 with a few Surprises
3. [X] (2020) - WQ6X joins KI6RRN & N6KI for CQ-160 CW Contest
4. [X] (2020) - WQ6X Slips into a Slippery CQ-160 SSB Contest GiG
5. [X] (2021) - WQ6X Dual-OPs 1st-Ever CQ-160 Cw Contest
6. [X] (2021) - WQ6X survives a massive Turkey Shoot-Out during a Triple-Contest Weekend
7. [X] (2022) - WQ6X Wanders Wonderingly thru the CQ-160 Cw contest
8. [X] (2022) - 160 METERS: A Whirrrl'd Unto Itself
9. [X] (2022) - 160 METERS: A Whirrrl'd Unto Itself - Part 2
10. [X] (2023) - WQ6X Wanders through a Weird dual-Contest Weekend
11. [X] (2024) - WQ6X Weasels a Weird Multi-remote Radiosport Weekend

The years 2018 to 2024 sport a number of divergent solar cycle periods.

(2018) - N6KI & WQ6X run another miraculous CQ 160 contest

This was a combination event with N6KI running BIC in Fallbrook running remotely.

After the weekend was done a reporter from a local San Diego TV station interviewed
N6KI about his use of Amateur Radio when stationed in Vietnam back in the day.

(2019) - WQ6X joins NX6T for CQ-160 with a few Surprises

This was another 160-meter remote operation with N6KI and WM6Y doing B-I-C operation.

I often joke, the reason NX6T lets me play with them is cuz I am willing to do the night shift.

(2020) - WQ6X joins KI6RRN & N6KI for CQ-160 CW Contest

KI6RRN and N6KI are two of the hottest CW operators I have had the pleasure of working with.
While I worked the night shift for NX6T, prior to that I found time to run WQ6X from W7AYT's
QTH using an ad-HOC 8JK-Cobra array - just enough to say that WQ6X was there.

(2020) - WQ6X Slips into a Slippery CQ-160 SSB Contest GiG

With the CQ-160 Cw GiG safely behind us, the CQ-160 Ssb GiG was yet another world.

There was no multi-OP operation planned for NX6T, so I was given permission to run a remote-run Single-OP GiG from Fallbrook.  To make this a dual-OP I also put WQ6X on the air from W7AYT's QTH in Concord - again just to say I was there.

Being 5-years ago, we were ending Solar Cycle 24 and beginning Solar Cycle 25.

(2021) - WQ6X Dual-OPs 1st-Ever CQ-160 Cw Contest

Technically, this was a Triple-OP operation as I joined NO6T multi-OP operation from WA6TQT's
QTH in Anza.  I also ran NX6T remotely from Fallbrook and on a whim reserved the "W6C" callsign
to run 160-meters from Concord.  While triple-OP's are common these daze, in 2021, it was a new concept for me.

(2021) - WQ6X survives a massive Turkey Shoot-Out during a Triple-Contest Weekend

To say this weekend radiosport involved a bunch of turkeys is an understatement - at one point,
the back yard was literally SWARMING with over a dozen turkeys, for real.

The calendar layout for this weekend combined the CQ-160 Ssb GiG, NC & SC QSO Parties
and the NAQP RTTY, making for a BUSY Saturday.  while none of my posted scores were very spectacular, at least I can say that WQ6X was there in all respects.

(2022) - WQ6X Wanders Wonderingly thru the CQ-160 Cw contest

This was yet another dual-OP operation, except that now a Yaesu FT-2000 has been added to the
WQ6X portable setup at W7AYT's QTH in Concord - East Bay (EB) ARRL section.  While no turkeys joined us during this weekend, it was surely an exhaustive slugfest.  Again, at least I was able to say
I wuz there, in more ways than one.  The FT-2000 figured nicely into the Stereo-CW setup that has worked for many years now.

(2022) - 160 METERS: A Whirrrl'd Unto Itself - Parts 1 & 2

This was a 2-Part write-up detailing my overview thoughts regarding operating 160-meters - a whirrrrl'd unto itself, that for sure.

(2023) - WQ6X Wanders through a Weird dual-Contest Weekend

While K6PO and N6KI ran the WA6TQT Anza station most of the time, there were down periods enabling me to run WQ6X from Anza station 2 using QRP for the 1st time in a CQ 160-meter contest.

(2024) - WQ6X Weasels a Weird Multi-remote Radiosport Weekend

This was another of those contest weekends where several divergently different events happen on the same weekend.  Sharing the 160-meter section of WA6TQT's Anza station didn't leave me much time for 160, however it DiD give me practice running QRP on Top Band - this will be good preparation for upcoming QRP events.

Do YOU evert work CQ 160 Cw or Ssb contests?

Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR LoG?

You're A DUP OL' Man... (Part 2)

While working the latest ARRL DX Cw contest, I encountered a frequent phenomenon that occurs in almost every contest - operators calling in on my run frequency when we've already made contact. 
Other than the November Sweepstakes (which allows working a station only ONCE during the entire contest), most contests allow working a station once on each band and/or mode.

In preparation for this Blog entry, I took a look back at relevant posts it occurred to me that there are two directly opposite conditions:  stations who call me when they shouldn't, as well as stations who call in and then disappear.  Three particular Blogs come to mind:

• [X] - Where'd Y'all GO?
• [X] - Where'd-ja GO? (Why do You Disappear?)
• [X] - You're A DUP OL' Man...

This Blog entry is a variation on the third write-up - stations who call in under the seeming assumption that we have not worked before or on that band/mode.  In this contest, a station called with a LOUD signal from which we exchanged information - they sent me their power level ("KW" in this case) and
I sent then my QTH ("CA" in this case).  Satisfied that we had made a valid QSO, they moved on, while I again called CQ, continuing to run the frequency.  Less than 10 minutes later, the same station called in again.  HuH?  WTF?

Because DUP QSOs don't penalize me for 2nd (and subsequent) entries, I entered the 2nd QSO
into the log (receiving 0-points for that entry).  AFTER the contact was made, I mused over why
they called in the 2nd time.  I came up with the following possibilities:

• The OP forgot to enter me in the log the 1st time, in which case the LCR (Log Checking Robot) will ding my log with a "NoT in Log" error for that 1st contact.  Logging the 2nd contact will at least insure they are in the log.
• The OP originally logged my callsign incorrectly the 1st time.  Entering my callsign correctly the 2nd time guarantees they are now correctly in the log.
• The OP doesn't actually log contacts, so they have no way of determining whether
  we have worked before.
• The OP never reads the rules of the contest and assumes that DUP contacts are ok.
• The OP is new to radiosport contesting and needs all the considerations we can offer.
• The OP is DRUNK (or under the influence of something) and doesn't have a clue what
  they are doing.
• The OP simply doesn't care one way or the other.
• The OP is simply an IDIOT - and Idiots can't be reasoned with.

In DX contests, non-USA/Canadian operators often have a limited grasp of English, so trying to explain the concept of a DUP QSO to them is simply a waste of time - just log it and get on with it.

Holy Moley!  What do we do?

Bottom-line, the answer is to work the station (several times if necessary), especially
if they are a MULT (multiplier) contact, or risk losing that multiplier altogether.

The REAL solution is to log every contact precisely and let the other station deal with their mistakes.  As it is, they may well not be submitting a logfile for the contest to begin with; in which case you will receive credit for the 1st entry, while the 2nd (and subsequent entries) are labelled as DUPs.

All that is important is THIS:

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Wings Yet another WEIRD Weird Prefix Contest

There is something about the RTTY running of the WPX (Weird Prefix) contest, RTTY or non-RTTY.  While I truly enjoy the January RTTY-RU, the weird prefix aspect and multi-tiered point strategy
(1-pt, 2-pts & 3-pts) place the WPX RTTY GiG in a class all by itself.  In preparation for the 2o25
WPX weekend, I researched the last 5-years of WPX RTTY and published another "Blast from
the Past"  Blog.  ([CLICK HERE] to read it).  And of course, there is also a "Reminiscing RTTY"
Blog ([CLICK HERE] to read it.)

While this year's GiG was a conglomeration of different components, each component was previously arrived at after trying numerous cable combinations involving the Yaesu FT-1000mp (in my office) and the FT-2000 which comprises the portable setup I main in Concord (EB section).

As detailed in recent Blog posts, for some reason, I am unable to fully CAT control the Elecraft
K3/0-Mini remote control locally via Windoze COM ports.  It worked once, and now it doesn't.
HuH?  WTF?!

Recently, the solution has been to bring the RigExpert PLUS back into the configuration. While
it can't control the remote radio frequency knob and mode buttons; it CAN properly rout the RTTY audio and indirectly key the PTT switch by way of the FT-1000mp (office) or FT-2000 (Concord) to
the PTT jack in the control head unit.  For safety reasons, both PWR and the MIC knobs are turned
down to Zero.

While audio and PTT can be controlled w/o the RigExpert PLUS, running the laptop audio then requires a messy array of cables with DC isolation transformers inserted as needed to keep the ground loops out of the audio paths.  Instead, the RigExpert provides all the necessary voltage/signal isolation necessary between the Yaesu transceivers, the Windoze-7 laptop and the K3/0-Mini control head to produce cleanest RTTY audio possible.

The main drawback to this approach is remembering to type in the operating frequency to the N1MM+ software before logging a contact on thew Windoze-7 laptop.  This offers additional reasons to run frequencies whenever possible.

Space-WX was reasonable throughout the contest, altho Sunday afternoon things began to worsen with a number of solar storms that "waited" until after the contest before manifesting - WHEW!

During radiosport contests which begin at 00:00z on Friday, I rarely start at the starting time; this GiG was no exception.  My 02:15z starting time found 10 and 15 meters "done for the day", relegating my start to 20 meters; an increasingly less populated RTTY band, thanks to the Solar Cycle 25 sunspot peak which we are in the midst of.  From Ramona, it seems there is more relevant RTTY action on 40-meters than on 20.

In the WPX contest, while we receive 2-Points for other North American countries outside USA and
3-Points for working other continents, there are no country multipliers.  Instead, we can accumulate multipliers for each unique PREFIX we work.  Nevertheless, it's always interesting to note the individual countries worked.  N1MM+ displays this reasonably well.

Out of the 48-hours of the WPX contest according to the N1MM software, I managed to work 25.3 of those hours, altho there was closer to 28 hours spent at the operating desk, doing things to make the 25.3 hours more productive.  While there are a lot of significantly insignificant details relating to this weekend operation, I will leave that to the soapbox comments I wrote immediately after the contest when I posted the score on 3830Scores.Com.

DiD YOU work the WPX (Weird Prefix) RTTY contest?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Blast from the Past: CQ WPX RTTY - Part 2

In preparation for this upcoming weekend's WPX RTTY contest, I took yet another look back at the WPX RTTY GiGs WQ6X has been a part of.  ([CLICK HERE] to read Part 1.)  The GiGs from 2020
to 2023 we miracles unto themselves.  These include:

• [X] 2020 - A SOAB(HP) remote run from Fallbrook as NX6T
• [X] 2021 - A SOAB(HP) remote run from Fallbrook as WQ6X
• [X] 2022 - A SOAB(LP) operation from Concord as WQ6X
• [X] 2023 - A SOAB(QRP) operation from Concord as WQ6X
• [X] 2024 - A SOAB(QRP) remote run from Ramona as WQ6X

For the 2020 WPX RTTY GiG, a call for operators produced no takers.  With that in mind, the goal was to run SOAB using the ACOM-2000 amplifier dialed back to around 770-watts.  With over 1100 QSOs in the log, NX6T placed 2nd for W6 and 1st for San Diego section and the Southwest.

For the 2021 WPX RTTY GiG, while the internet access had become more stable, the actual submitted score was considerably less than for 2019, probably because I ran fewer hours. 
Being at the BOTTOM of the sunspot cycle certainly didn't help matters.  Nevertheless,
it was a fun run, supplemented by Russian military beacon tracking.

For the 2022 WPX RTTY GiG the FT-2000 ran its first WPX RTTY contest.  In an attempt to
combat fading, while running the high bands, the 8JK-Trapezoid wire antenna was hooked to the ANT-2 connector allowing it to be switched in at any time.  In the contest Blog for this GiG I also railed against the ridiculousness of still having to send 5-9-9 (or in my case "5NN). 
Running at 95-watts (full duty), the FT-2000 was "as cool as a cucumber".

For the 2023 WPX RTTY GiG, the decision was to run QRP remotely from KN6NBT's QTH in Ramona California.  According to the WPX website results, WQ6X took 6th-place for NA and 2nd-place for W6 (California).  A newly added MFJ-993B Intelli-Tuner to the FT-2000 installation turned the 3-el Long John 10-meter beam into a rotatable dipole for 15 & 20 meters.  The transceiver easily ran full-duty RTTY @95-watts, while keeping its cool.

For the 2024 WPX RTTY GiG

Any thoughts of repeating a RTTY run from Concord (East Bay section), were dashed during the previous weekend's Mexican RTTY GiG (which I ran remote from Ramona) when severe winds took out the antenna mast at W7AYT's QTH.  That returned WPX RTTY operations to running remote - this time QRP from Ramona.

Because of the crude (yet effective) interface cobbled together to run remotely, the score reduction reflected the difficulties of making it all work.  According to the WPX website results, WQ6X took
7th place for NA and 1st-place for W6 (California) - NoT bad for just faking it.

Bottom-line is that the last 5-years of WPX RTTY have indeed encapsulated WEIRD - in all respects.

DiD YOU run the WPX RTTY contest GiGs during 2o20 thru 2o24?

Is WQ6X (or NX6T) in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Wings a Kludgey 6+ Radiosport Weekend.

At the beginning of the year, as I was pre-loading my [physical] desk calendar (remember those?).  Somehow only the Mexican RTTY contest made it into the Feb 1st slot.  Friday afternoon, while testing the RTTY Kludge for running remotely from Ramona, rummaging thru the WA7BNM Contest Calendar, I noted 5 other events (6 if you count the private FOC contest).

In time-based order, those events are:

1. [X] - Vermont QSO Party (VQP)
2. [X] - European Union (EU) DX Contest
3. [X] - Mexican RTTY Contest (XE-RTTY)
4. [X] - Minnesota QSO Party (MQP)
5. [X] - British Columbia QSO Party (BCQP)
6. [X] - NA SPRINT Cw Contest

For starters, I have mixed emotions about the Vermont QSO Party (VQP).  Time-wise starting
at 00:00z (4pm PST) gives us early access to VT counties on 15, 20, 40 and hopefully 80-meters
before Friday evening is over.  It also has a long duration, ending at 4pm (PST) on Sunday. 
What it does NoT have is a plethora of operators in Vermont.  Overall, the same stations were
worked on multiple bands, CW and Ssb.  The last VT station made it to the log at 22:54z on Saturday.

Running QRP DiD NoT prevent me from working every VT station heard, the difficulty was NoT
hearing VT stations to work in the first place.  I could hear Europe and work England (M4T) using
the Stepp-IR yagi @55'.  I really don't think VT stations were skipping over me.  There were no
VT stations to skip over me - if there were, they would show up on the spotting networks and
SDR receivers (which they didn't).

In a similar way, the MNQP (Minnesota) QSO Party GiG was also a disappointment.  It starts at 14:00z and 10 hours later it's over.  Ending at 4pm (PST) deprives West Coast stations from working Minnesota on 40 and 80 meters.  With a yagi array @100' I MIGHT be able to work Minnesota on
40-meters in the afternoon.  While I can get access to the WA6TQT 4-Square vertical array in Anza, that superb directive antenna is worthless before around 6pm (PST) - 02:00z.  Needless to say,
I submitted a log with less than a dozen contacts.  Other QSO parties solve this problem with a
2nd run on Sunday, which still does not give us access to 40 and 80 meters.

For the Cw SPRINT GiG, a misunderstanding of the evening's
social schedule induced me to call it quits at 02:02z (6:02 PM). 
Altho I was pre-assigned to an SCCC contest team (#2), luckily 
only WA6URY was the only one on my team - he got to "suffer" from my dismal 69 QSO log submission.  Normally in the SPRINT contest, I've never had an opportunity to bemoan "I coulda been
a contenduh", altho running QRP has changed all that; at least according to results published in recent National Contest Journals.

In the middle of it all, was the EU DX contest and the aforementioned XE RTTY contest. For RTTY, using the recently documented remote-PTT method ([CLICK HERE] to read that), 
the same thing was accomplished using the FT-1000mp (a backup transceiver) in Alameda as the K3/0-Mini PTT switch.  It's ironic that while I discovered this method using the FT-2000 transceiver, this weekend's use attempt (with the FT-2000) was a complete DuD
(a dismal failure).   With no QRP category, I dialed the power down to 55-watts and ran Single-OP Low Power (SOLP).

The EUDX contest was also a DuD!  Throughout the weekend we were plagued by geomagnetic storms (K-Index = 4) most of the time.  What few hearable EU signals had a disruptive [polar] flutter
to them, or (in the case of OM2VL) a weird buzzing sound caused by the geo-storm, not anything wrong with his transmitter apparatus.  Being unable to run mixed-mode in this GiG, I upped the power to 88-watts and put KA8JBK followed by M4T into the log.  Submitting a 4-point score and a 2-QSO Log is enough for WQ6X to say "I Wuz THERE!".

Bottom-line is that using the WB6ACU (Joe Walsh) method, 6 different radiosport events were engaged in.  Sunday afternoon found me in San Jose attending a family birthday party with throngs
of people.  Once the morass of people made their exit, I found space on the rumpus room floor to setup the K3/0-Mini and RRC-1258 interface box for a demonstration of running the Ramona station remotely.  

Tuning around 75-meters just before 10Pm I checked into the Western Country Cousins net (W6CCN) on 3.970.  Later listening on 3.785 there was W2VP working Europe and encouraging others to join in.  He could hear the EU stations that I couldn't thanks to being on the E. Coast - EU is just "a skip across the pond".  Suddenly, the laptop battery died, taking the internet connection with it - end of demonstration.

This last weekend demonstration demonstrates once again the advantages of Utility vs. Futility
during radiosport weekends.  According to the 3830 Stats, WQ6X took a 1st-place in the QRP Assisted Mixed-mode category.  Amazing, from complaining to 1st-place - who woulda thunk it? (certainly NoT Me).

DiD YOU work the 6-contest radiosport weekend opening the month of February 2025?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

P.S.  On June 11th the QSO Party results were published.
        It looks as if WQ6X took 1st-place mixed-Mode QRP.

WQ6X Wings yet another Weird Winter Field Day

In the overall scheme of things, the Winter Field Day (WFD) is relatively new to me, last year being the 1st time I played around in that GiG.  Similar to ARRL FD, WFD is a 30-hour event beginning at 18:00z (Sat.) and ending 18:00z (Sun.).  However, WFD is different in that it is more of a world-wide affair than the ARRL GiG which focuses mainly on North America, altho DX stations are not excluded.  (Technically, ARRL Field Day is a 21-hour event, IF you don't begin ANY form of equipment/antenna setup before the 19:00z starting time on Saturday.)

Wrapped around WFD is the CQ-160 CW contest which begins at 22:00z on Friday and ends at 22:00z on Sunday.  N5ZO (Marko) ran the CQ-160 Friday afternoon/evening from WA6TQT's Anza location.  Checking it out at 06:00z found STN-2 quiet once again.  Because Marko had been using the N1MM+ software, my choice was to run CQ-160 using DXLOG, dialing the power level down to
5-watts (QRP).   Unfortunately, a failed phasing cable somewhere in the configuration seems to have converted this Tri-Square array into 3 independent dipoles, altho the N-E direction has a FlaT SWR, while the other directions measure at around 1.7:1.

The goal was to put 69 QSOs into thew log and then quit.  Saturday evening, after logging QSO
#69, the K3/0-Mini was switched to Ramona (KN6NBT's QTH) to continue the Winter FD event
begun earlier in the afternoon.

Saturday was also the monthly club meeting for the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA). 
Steve (K6OIK) gave us an informative dissertation on wire antennas for HF.  Afterwards, a handful
of contacts as K6QLF (the ARCA club callsign) was made for the WFD event, demonstrating the recently installed horizontal J-Pole wire antenna atop the roof of the Oakland Yacht Club (OYC) building.

Arriving at my Alameda office, at 21:30z I began remote WFD operations as WQ6X running QRP remote from Ramona.  Out of sheer laziness, the decision was to run a CW-only operation.  After several hours in the chair, I moved on to W7AYT's QTH in Concord to continue the Winter Field Day GiG.  Later that evening, with WFD activity winding down I remembered there was the 24-hour BARTG SPRINT RTTY contest.  

I hastily reconfigured the audio per a recent WQ6X contest Blog entry to that effect ([CLICK HERE]
to read that).  By the time I got to 40-meters, the EU opening had disappeared, and most east coast OPs were [probably] already in bed.  Putting NJ4P into the log turned out to be the only QSO made
in the BARTG contest.  

Shortly after, while desperately tuning the bands for RTTY signals, on of the key USB COM ports stopped working.  After a considerable amount of time troubleshooting the problem, with no easy solution, the decision was made to call it a night (around 08:30z), considering that the event would end at 12:00z (4am).  Nevertheless, I submitted a 1-QSO log and posted the 2-point score on the 3830 Scores website.

After some sleep it was time to rejoin the Winter Field Day at 16:25z for the final 90-minutes of the event.  There was a brief yet noticeable EU opening on 15-meters which disappeared around 17:00z, from which the move was made to 10-meters making a few contacts until the band closed-up around 17:25z.  That left moving down to 20-meters the only viable option left to finish the WFD contest.  When it was all over, 93 QSOs made it into the WQ6X QRP Log.

For some reason I got it into my head that the WFD GiG ended at 18:00z instead of its 22:00z end.
Moving onto other things in the ham shack, I missed out on breaking the 100-QSO goal and beyond. 
Oh well, I can't get EVERYTHING right.

DiD YOU work the CQ-160 or Winter Field Day?

Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

BLAST from the PAST: 2024 Radiosport in Review

Next to 2O2O, 2024 produced the 2nd highest count (135 entries) of specific, individual, WQ6X radiosport event operations for a single calendar year.  Correlatively, the number of Blog entries somewhat mirror the number of actual events run.  In BoTH cases, the high counts had a LoT
to do with dual-OP'ing, triple-OP'ing and even a Quad-operation of this year's ARRL 10-meter
contest.

Unlike 2020, a major difference is the large number of contest events which were run using QRP power.  During the last two years, I have spent countless hours perusing the all-time high scores for CQ and ARRL contests, as well as other worldwide contests and even the 4 QSO Party weekend in May, the MOQP the end of July and of course, the California QSO Party (CQP) the 1st weekend of every October.

What I discovered was very low score submissions for many of the contest QRP categories. 
Being an opportunist who cannot pass up on an easy accomplishment, since mid-2023,
one-by-one, WQ6X has been replacing those all-time QRP records.  LooK thru some of
the records pages and you will see WQ6X littered throughout.

Most notable for this year have been the ARRL RTTY RU, DX Cw and DX Phone GiGs and
of course the November Sweepstakes (both Cw & Ssb), not mention numerous county records running solo with N6GEO or NX6T.  Unfortunately, some contest events do NoT have a QRP category, requiring a different strategy to make a high score.

Software updates to the WQ6X Beacon Tracker software now make it easier to follow Space-WX
and track beacons.  With its built-in SNaP-SHoT camera, screen shots can be saved for inclusion
into Blogs like this one.

I have learned to leverage the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) to calm my anxiety that builds up
when no stations reply to my "CQ TesT" calls.  If RBN receivers can hear my QRP signal, then at least I know the Xmtr and antenna system are reasonably functional and capable of generating RF out into space; finding an actual OP to actually HEAR my signal is of course, another thing altogether.

Using the RBN on multiple bands gives me insight as to which band to operate at any given moment.  It's also useful for antenna rotation tests, checking signal levels in different directions, all in preparation for upcoming radiosport GiGs.

One notable evening I was running a rotation test from the Ramona QTH in preparation for an upcoming QRP event.  I was purposely calling "CQ DX de WQ6X WQ6X" to get RBN stats while turning the  yagi, w/o having to accept calls from statesiders like Billy-Bob and his brother Barney.  After 20+ minutes with the yagi pointing ~350-degrees, a call came in from VY1CO, certainly qualifying a "DX".  His 589 report was the final information needed to confirm the efficacy of
running QRP power into a 3-el. Stepp-IR yagi @ 55'.

First and foremost, before all significant radiosport events, I not only read the rules thoroughly
(being clear on what is allowed and what isn't), I often look at previous years score results and
as mentioned earlier the high-score records (when available).  

[CLICK HERE] for a write-up on that.

It was a year ago that a change had occurred to the JIDX contest, dis-allowing an individual operator from participating in more than 1 operation (I used to put in hours for NX6T and run as WQ6X from some other location).  The days of dual-OP'ing the JIDX contest are now ancient history.  

Fortunately, JIDX Ssb pairs-up w/the48-hour WAE RTTY contest which essentially "wraps around"
the JIDX GiG.  In 2024, that weekend I was either running Ssb to JA for NX6T, or as WQ6X running into EU and all continents beyond, not to mention the Ssb SPRINT contest for 4-hours on Saturday.

December was double and triple busy period thanks to Triple-OP'ing the 10-meter contest,
bracketed by a pair of 160-meter contests and of course the RAC Winter contest, to wrap it all up.

Bottom-line - 2024 was a BUSY radiosport year - expect 2025 to run much the same way.

What radiosport GiG DiD YOU run in 2024?  Would you care to share some tales?

WQ6X Wangles another NAQP-Ssb QRP Dual-OP

NAQP Ssb and Cw GiGs are in worlds that are quite different from each other.
This weekend is a perfect demonstration of that fact.  For NAQP-Cw, NX6T had
a nearly different bunch of operators, whereas for the Ssb GiG, it was a similar
but different, yet just as dedicated team.  The difference is I was assigned to 8-hours
of OP-time with only 4-hours available to run as WQ6X - the exact opposite of the
previous weekend.

I was assigned to run STN-2 at WA6TQT's Anza QTH for the first 6-hours.  I opened on
10-meters and after 140 QSOs in the first hour, I handed it over to N7NR to add a nearly
400 QSOs to that log while I mopped-em-up on 15 meters and eventually 20 when 15-meters
was "worked out"

Because this was an SSB-only contest, I made use of an array of different audio filters to produce more intelligible voice reproductive audio.  As you can see from this earlier picture of the audio filter array at the W7AYT QTH, there were many filter combinations separately available at any given time by way of a classic RockVille 4-device stereo mixing panel.  The array included:

• A classic Radio Shaft 16-channel stereo equalizer (with Low Cut filters).
• A pair of Autek QF-1A analog audio filters for creating the initial Stereo Cw/Ssb audio.
• A pair of previous generation MFJ 752 analog audio "Signal Enhancer II" units.
• An MFJ-784 DSP unit (for Left channel) and a pair of JPS NIR-10 & NIR-12 DSP
  units (Right channel).
• The 4-channel RockVille stereo mixer to blend the above-4 combinations into a mechanical 4-position output switch for sending the audio to a Yaesu SP-6 speaker, Sharper Image video display speakers, a pair of LEKATO dual-stereo speakers, or two pairs of OWNZONE wireless headphones.
• A 4-channel USB mixer is employed to combine audio from an ICOM-7000,
  a Yaesu FT-2000 and the audio line from the K3/0-Mini control head, as well
  as audio from a Windoze computer.

The PEAK filters built into the QF-1A make for superior Stereo-Cw, whereas the wider MFJ-752's seem more suited for the wider Ssb audio, such as that encountered in the weekend's NAQP Ssb GiG.  Being cascaded, the NIR units offer a more tailored shape of the audio passband.  

Because many of my run frequencies were ALSO the National Tune-up Frequency (NTF), the Auto Notch Filter (ANF) built-in to the K3 transceiver does a reasonable carrier reduction, altho leaving
it in causes an artifact disruption to voice signals.  Unfortunately, being an audio-based Dsp, the carrier remains in the IF-passband, causing the AGC to reduce signal levels of already weak signals
(NoT a GooD thing).

Also, on for the weekend was the Hungarian DX contest, a mixed-mode Cw/Ssb affair.
After the 06:00z NAQP contest ending, a log was hastily convened for this GiG, with the
decision to run CW only.  Thanks to weird propagation conditions, 20-meters to Europe was 
not happening on the West coast.  Moving down to 40-meters and pointing the Shorty-40 towards
Europe, only 2 stations were heard, only one of them being an HA8 (Hungarian) station.  After working DL202SS (Germany), it was clear that this GiG was not going to happen any further. 
That did not stop the posting of a single QSO score and submitting a Log file for the contest.

After the contest, reviewing the 3830 contest scores, I came across the QRP submission
submitted by Dave K7SS  ([CLICK HERE] to read it).  His take on what it takes to run QRP
contests near-exactly mirror my own experience.  I sent him an e-mail thanking him for sharing
those comments.

When it was all over, it would seem that both WQ6X and NX6T took 3rd-place in
their respective operating categories, as well as 1st-place for the Southwest area
of the North American continent.

DiD YOU work the NAQP Ssb contest event?

Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR LoG?