7 Things I do after EVERY Radiosport Weekend

After running another dual-contest weekend
(this one being the DL-Dx RTTY and Marconi Memorial Contest), it occurred to me that there are several things that need to be done before I can say that a given contest (or group of contests) is a wrap.
Here are the raw notes I scribbled from this inquiry.

Frequently during a radiosport weekend I will snap a dozen or more "live action" pictures (and video-clips) with my cellphone and use my SNAP-Shot software
to screen capture things that are significant on my computer or happening @ NX6T (in Fallbrook),
when I am running contest GiGs remotely.

There was a time when I was too lazy to make those things happen; I wanted the Peanut Butter Stout but didn't want to work for it first; altho sometimes I drink the stout DURING the contest operations.


In an overall sense, the seven things needed to wrap a contest event include:

1. Checking all the log settings.  Is my entry properly categorized? (Single-OP, Multi-OP; Assisted, unAssisted; High Power, Low Power; In-State, outside-State; fixed, portable
   or rover; which IOTA island; which CQ/IARU Zone or GRID-Square, etc.)
2. Producing a CABRILLO Log file and double checking that the above settings are properly indicated.  Every log I submit includes a SOAPBOX that at the very least, contains a
   link to WQ6X.Blogspot.Com.
3. Produce contest-related color statistics from the software being used.  These screenshots will
   be used to create BlogSpot BLOG entries and webpages, as well as e-Mailed to those who are interested in such things.  If more than one program is being used (such as N1MM+ AND DX-Log) then two sets of stats will be produced.
4. Document the contest operation at 3830Scores.Com.  This allows others to find out why my operation seemed so flaky to them.  In every contest entry I include one or more links to my musings here on WQ6X.Blogspot.com.
5. Submit the log to the contest host affiliated with each event.  If the submission is via e-mail,
   I file the submission-email along with the acknowledgement reply when my log is received.
6. If I haven't yet done so, I scribble BLOG notes that will eventually be incorporated into BLOG entries here.  During contest operations I keep a notepad handy next to the keyboard allowing me to bullet-item major points as they happen; along with time/frequency, where relevant.
7. Write one or more BLOG entries about what just happened.  Usually I produce one BLOG entry per weekend.  Then again, events like the 2019 Field Day need 3 (or more) entries to really illustrate what-the-hell happened. 
   For the Jan-2014 WP2/WQ6X operation from St. Croix, there were a total of 5 BLOG entries written about the different aspects of our operation there; including the RTTY RU results comments about our unique operation.

WP2/WQ6X  Lounging  after  2014  RTTY RU

I mentioned earlier that I allowed "laziness" to stand in the way of making the above things happen.  When I realized I was missing out on a LoT of winners plaques and 1st-place certificates, I rolled off my hammock and did something about it.  As of July 1st, the certificates binders contain 145 winner certs from the biggest contest events, to "little" contest GiGs you may have never heard of before;
like this last weekend's DL-DX RTTY and Marconi Memorial contests. Currently 4 Winners plaques adorn the wall.  While I/we have qualified for another 10-plaques, because no one sponsored them,
I will have to shell out $75/plaque to put them on my wall.

What about YOU?

What things do YOU always do after a radiosport event?

WQ6X Floats a 24-hour Field Day w/K6QLF - Part 3

W Q 6 X  R u n n I n g  20 - Cw

In Parts 1 & 2 of this BLOG series I gave more of an overview of running Field Day with the K6QLF crew.  In this next installment I want to share some technical details of what the boat operation was
all about.  It was all made possible by combining the working parts of two semi-working ICOM 7000 transceivers into one wholly functioning radio.

As I often do before Field Day, this year I ran the All Asia contest; this time not once, but 3-times
as W7AYC in Concord, NX6T remotely & WQ6X from WB6RUC's 42' Catalina sailboat then moored in the Oakland harbor.  While the operating demographics of the All Asia and Field Day GiGs couldn't be more different, the equipment needed to make it all happen is virtually the same.

Because this was to be a more-or-less public event, a 5" monitor was plugged into the back of the unit for better radio screen viewing.  A "Y" connector on the audio allowed the use of a speaker so visitors can hear what I hear in the wireless headset or Heil headset microphone.

Having two antennas (an auto-tuned sloper wire and a goofy hamstick dipole into an old Dentron manual tuner) required a coax switch to use the best antenna at any given moment.

For computer keying Cw an old classic West Mountain Radio (WMR) Plug-n-Play device was used.  The P-n-P is actually older than this laptop, yet still runs on COM2, just as it did 10+ years ago when
I first configured it.  The WMR touch keyer also worked as well as it did 10+ years ago.

A solar flair going into the FD weekend littered the lower HF bands with interminable static; only
half-of-which could be routed out with the Icom's DNB & DNR noise filtering circuits.  While the
IF-DSP circuitry in the ICOM 7000 is quite amazing, I am so used to Stereo Cw that I brought along Autek QF-1A and MFJ-752C external audio filters.  In this configuration the filters
provided a place for the laptop screen to sit; an external keyboard made it easy to type.

Field Day brings such a jumble of signals, after the I-F DSP has done, it's job the audio is fed to
the two filters, with the lower frequency sounds more-or-less routed to the left ear and the higher frequency sounds more-or-less routed to the right ear.  If you are not familiar with audio frequency splitting, at first it may seem a bit unnerving.  After a while you will wonder how you ever survived without it.

Unfortunately, while the Icom CAT cable identified itself as COM-143, it was unable to control the radio.  This required me to type frequencies manually into N1MM+ in order to store callsigns in the band map as well as run a frequency in the "traditional" manner.

The 7000 having a built-in CW Keyer and Voice Keyer (four channels each), was an end-around
to not having CAT control from the N1MM+ software.  Using the 4 playback buttons allowed calling
"CQ FD", sending "3A EB" for the exchange and "TU K6QLF" without using the computer keyboard. 
It's always good to have a backup plan.

Lacking internet access on the boat it was not until AFTER the FD event that I was able to view the RBN (Reverse Beacon Network) stats and confirm that we were well being heard throughout the USA and Canada.  Altho the signals were much weaker, a number of KH6/KH7 signals managed to "skip across the pond" and into the log.

As the evening wore on time was rotated between 40-meter then 80- meter Cw, followed by time on 
40 & 80 meter Ssb.
By 07:30z (12:30am) I ran out of stations to work, giving me a reason to get some sleep for 3+ hours.

At 11:00z (4am) I was back on 80 & 40 working the Midwest and east coast stations who were getting back on the air after their morning coffee.

At 6:30am it was back to bed, waking up to a strong Kona coffee at 9am. 

By 16:30z 20-meters was open and then 15 meters briefly.  When 15 failed to produce anything further it was back to 20 meters and then even down to 40 meters to finish the FD event from Alameda.  The above section map documents the coverage K6QLF enjoyed from our event at
the Aeolian yacht harbor.
In case you are interested, there is a 4th part to this Field Day BLOG series.

Did YOU work the 2019 Field Day?

Is K6QLF in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X RAC's One Up - 3 years in a Row

I Love radiosport contests that encourage communication between the USA and Canada;

two favorites being: NAQP & November Sweepstakes.  The Canadians give us two more

GiGs each year in the form of Canada Day (July 1st) and the Canadian Winter Contest.

While the winter contest is on the same weekend each year, the RAC Canada Day GiG

is often NoT on a weekend, such as this years' event which ran on a Monday (UTC).

This is my 3rd year as a serious contender in RAC GiGs.  In 2017 WQ6X took 1st-place (for W6)
in both events.  According to the .PDF file results for 2018 WQ6X took another 1st place (in W6)
for Canada Day, altho it would seem that no certificates have been issued.

For 2019, if 3830 Scores are a predictor of the end-result (as was the case for 2017 & 2018), WQ6X will take yet another 1st-place (for W6).  For 2019 Canada Day, running from Alameda found me without access to my Elecraft K3/0 for remoting in to NX6T (in Fallbrook).  A not-yet-solved keying interface anomaly seemed to randomly occur throughout the weekend.  If my keying seemed to cut out mid-transmission, that is why.

As you may know, I've become quite a fan of "Stereo CW".  Because I was running Cw-only, the RAC GiG presented yet another opportunity to test-run the Stereo-Cw concept, using an easily tunable
Autek QF-1A for lower frequencies [largely] fed to the left ear and a largely fix-tuned MFJ-752C
for the higher frequencies [largely] directed to the right ear.

Running stereo-cw allows me to PEAK the left ear around my sidetone frequency. 
When stations tune me in properly they PEAK in my left ear; when off frequency they appear
in my right-side periphery audio making them easy to differentiate.

A reminder: I work stations who tune me in properly FIRST.  You may recall one of my BEEFS in the Respect for Others in radiosport series are people who call so far off frequency they end up out of my passband by 80% or more.

It may be that off frequency calling stations are using an Ssb-width (2.7kc) filter in the I-F.  Because they can hear me (albeit high-pitched in their ears) they
call me, even tho they are out of my passband - I
don't even know they are there,  Or, they are so
weak, attempting to CLAR them into the passband may end up losing the signal altogether.

Remember this: It is the CALLING STATION's responsibility to call in on frequency.

If I call a loud station and he does not come back to me, I begin shifting my transmit frequency on the assumption that I may be calling outside of whatever his receive passband is set to.  In most cases, at some point he comes right back to me.  Because I want the QSO, I take whatever steps necessary to properly facilitate a proper 2-way communication.

While I got a late start, finding and running RUN frequencies brought momentum into the game. 
I recently wrote a Blog detailing the importance of calling CQ during radio sport events ([CLICK HERE]); the RAC GiG validated the need to call CQ.  Evidently, not enough Canadian stations
call CQ RAC and not enough USA stations are aware that they can too.  If you don't doit, then I will.

As you can see, there were some nice runs.  When we look at it from an overall summary perspective we get this:










A considerable number of CQ calls were made on 160 & 10 meters, netting three 160-m QSOs.  Was it worth it?  YES!
Band openings are often unpredictable.

One of the more surprising surprises had to do with the Russian military Single-letter Beacons (on 7.039).  Pointing the antenna towards Asia, I am used to hearing the "M" & "K" beacons regularly and the "F" beacon only occasionally. 

For the RAC GiG, "M" & K" were nowhere to be found, yet the "F" beacon was loud and clear. 

This would explain why I heard no signals from UA0 and were called by UT6, UT7 and of course a bunch of JA & 7K stations.

I have written about these letter beacons and their usefulness on 40 meters.  The RAC contest made excellent use of their signals, similar to the NCDXF beacons on the higher HF bands.  Tracking these beacons honors my "When in Doubt CHEAT - but within the rules" edict.

One of the things I like about the N1MM+ software is the myriad of stat variations that can be cobbled together using some sort of graphics cut/paste facility; for my needs, the Windoze 7 PAINT program is adequate - no need for fancy Photoshop-style software.

From this combined graphic alone it is easy to determine that 40-meters was the best band for the RAC contest, followed by 20, 15, 80 & 160.

Simple but expressive graphics make it easier to compare stats from year to year.

As you can see, the QSO breakdown in 2018 was quite different from this year, with 20 meters being the dominant band over 40.

This illustrates the point of the importance in being on the right band, at the right time and for the most effective amount of time.

In the BLOG entry about using feedback to provide overall direction for a given radiosport event, statistical feedback is a
big part of all that.


Evaluating stats from previous years and comparing it against current Space-WX predictions allows me to surmise what bands should be considered and at what time in the contest.

In summary, for WQ6X, the RAC Canada Day contest isn't just about Canada, it is about radiosport evaluation as well.  Unless we win overall 1st-place, it can be said that we are not perfect, just improving our skills.  Even the 1st-place winners make mistakes; they simply make less mistakes
than the 2nd and 3rd place competitors.

What about YOU? 
Did YOU work the RAC Canada day contest?
Is WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Floats a 24-hour Field Day w/K6QLF - Part 2

Part 1 of this BLOG series was actually a "place holder" entry to let the record show that I wrote something up about Field Day soon after it actually happened.  In that BLOG I shared a little bit
of my Field Day past.  While I was bummed-out about not being up to a trip to Mt. Abel with W6SW, because each FD is unique and different, operating with the K6QLF GanG brought some interesting challenges and enjoyment, considering that I was operating from WB6RUC's 42' Catalina moored at Alameda's Aeolian Yacht harbor.

There was a lot of setting up to do for this Field Day GiG; each setup is unique and loaded with its own difficulties. 

The weekend prior to FD, working the All Asia contest from the boat ([CLICK HERE] to read about that), RFI from an old laptop power supply all but wiped out some of the amateur bands; the ICOM 7000's DSP facilities were not enough.

With a new power supply in place, the receivers were MUCH quieter in exchange for a problem with the N1MM+ software that had it LOCKing up approximately ever 2.5 minutes, often right in the middle of a QSO - FRUSTRATING.  After FD was all over, looking over the N1MM+ settings I realized that I had the scoreboard reporting facility enabled, which presupposes one has access to the internet; not reachable from where the boat was docked.  A lot of brilliant minds
(see PIC) tried to help me with the problem.  Not being N1MM+ users, of course the internet factor was not something I could expect them to think of.

Lest we forget what Field Day is all about (I.e. Emergency Preparedness), ARCA has a working relationship with the Alameda Cert team as you can see here.  While I was chained to the sailboat and was not a part of the van it was well placed to attract visitors wondering about the emergency-assistance side of amateur radio.

K C 6 Z Z T  &  K 6 S I D

A GooD Field Day setup endeavors to run as many different bands and modes as possible.  Not only does doing so maximize our participation score, it demonstrates to the public that Cw is still a superior [binary] mode of communication and Digital (in use since the 1930's) is superior to their texting via cellphone - we can communicate worldwide w/o cellphone service providers.

Because the K6QLF operation was available for public viewing, we had a "Welcome table" peopled by KG6HM Al and his XYL.  As president of the Alameda ARCA club, Al is always in a good position to proselytize for amateur radio; club membership is up - he must be doing something right.

WQ6X (Op) & Zach (Logger)

Meanwhile back on the sailboat, WQ6X was the designated HF Ssb operator, altho being a Cw operator at heart 191 Cw QSOs (worth 2 pts. each) VS. 97 Ssb QSOs (worth 1 pt. apiece) made
it to the log for a total of 288 QSOs from the boat; far from my personal best, but certainly an accomplishment when you consider that the antenna was nothing more than a tuned sloper wire.

A number of visitors braved the trip below deck.  At one point I even coerced Zach into doing
some  of the logging duties allowing me to focus on the actual operation of the radio.  Assisting
with antenna raising and logging duties is often how newbies get their first exposure to amateur radio.  Do you remember YOUR first Field Day operation?

There is much more to say about my below-deck operations running through the night until the
FD end at 18:00z Sunday morning.  LooK for a detailed write up (with color stats and everything)
in Part 3 of this 2019 Field BLOG series.

Did you join up with a Field Day group and offer emergency preparedness assistance?

Is K6QLF in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Floats a 24-hour Field Day w/K6QLF - Part 1

WQ6X testing K6QLF Friday evening

It is no secret that ARRL Field Day (FD) is in my Top-5 list of favorite radiosport events each year.  Beyond multi-OP contest events, FD engages the spirit of cooperative effort like no other operating event each year.

From 1985 until I joined up with N6GEO in Twain Harte (in 2016), I went to great lengths to hook up with the crew @ W6SW.  While Geraldine and I made evening appearances on 40 & 75 meter Ssb, my main focus was to put 20-Cw on the air as W6SW himself (and other OPs) made 20-Ssb happen, and Jim W6KC lit up 15-meters on Cw and some Ssb.  Of course there was always a GOTA station to handle the 40-meter Ssb duties; we daytime Cw OPs would take turns putting 40-Cw QSOs in the log.  One year I reserved "K6F" for the GOTA station; or as Geraldine! ID'd it "Kilowatt 6 Foxytrot!".

In 2012 (with some Australian "encouragement") over 400+ Cw QSOs made it to the 20-m log before dinner time and 20-meter's closing. Later in the evening, "Geraldine" assisted me in creating a ruckus on 40-Ssb and later on 75-meters before calling it quits around 09:00z (2am).  Sunday morning, getting up @6AM (I NEVER do that), another 200 20-Cw QSO's made it to the log before FD
ended @ 11am.

While I was new to BLOG writing back in those days some FD events have been
documented, including:

• [o] - W6SW does it's 18th Field Day from Mt. Abel (2013)
• [o] - WQ6X joins team W6SW for its 19th Field Day on Mt. Abel (2014)
• [o] - WQ6X & N6GEO Work 2016 Field Day from Tuolumne County as K6F (2016)
• [o] - WQ6X runs 2017 Field Day solo from W7AYT as W6K
• [o] - WQ6X 2018 FIELD DAY - a dual-OP Solution
          Operation with the ARCA group followed by a solo run @W7AYT

In 2018 (as in 2014) I had the opportunity to be present when one or more ARRL officials made the scene to checkout our operations.  In 2014, none other than SW division director N6VI (Marty Woll) made the drive up the mountain to witness our operation, offering a unique photo-OP opportunity.
In 2018 the visit to K6QLF was considerably easier considering the close proximity of the operation
in Alameda - because I was the photogger, my mug was not a part of the picture.

For 2019, I strongly considered a return to W6SW on the mountain (they did not operate last year).  The drive from San Fernando Valley to Mt. Abel is enough of a chore as it is.  The thought of loading up a vehicle with radios and camping gear followed by a 300 mile drive was not my idea of a leisurely time.  An invite from the ARCA club was all it took to convince me to take it easy.  When I heard that we would be operating from the Aeolian yacht harbor in Alameda (I.e. close to home-base) and that the Ssb station (I.e. me) would be operating from a 42' sailboat in the harbor, the decision became
a no-brainer.

Tom (WB6RUC) provided the 42' Catalina and a "place to park it".  The weekend before FD we
test-ran a cobbled-together ICOM 7000 running thru an SGC-257 auto tuner to a 55' Marconi (I.e. end-fed) sloper-wire to the top of the mast, allowing me to run part of the All Asia contest from the boat.  ([CLICK HERE] to read about that.)  Although the All Asia event from the boat was largely a bust (the antenna favored N, N/E, E & S/E and not Asia) it turned out to be excellent prep for running FD the following weekend. 

The ICOM 7000 is a feature-loaded radio.  Because I haven't played with one in over 5+ years, the learning curve was a bit steep; altho easily remedied by way of the RTFM method using the excellent ICOM manual, as well as the Nifty mini manuals.  Once I got back into the "groove" I thoroughly enjoyed the numerous DSP features built-in to the radio.

Later Friday evening I rearranged the equipment structure on the galley table making it easier to access the computer and the audio filter knobs.  The rest of the evening was spent tuning the bands, checking signal levels and getting used to running "stereo Cw" with the ICOM 7000; something I've never done before.  While the ICOM's DSP is 2nd to none in its class, the addition of stereo cw takes things to the next level, making frequency running considerably more effective than without it.

By Saturday 8am, ARCA members were at it setting up the "land" stations.  As you can see, I helped out with raising an OCFD dipole antenna for the ICOM 7300 station indoors.  It's the least I could do.

Afterwards, it was back to the boat and assembling a goofy hamstick-dipole I brought along as a backup antenna.

Because this year's FD was a more involved event than last year (or even the GiGs on Mt. Abel), I've decided to document the event in several BLOG entries. 

This 1st part takes us right up to the 11am start.  It got WAY more interesting as the day moved forward.  Stay Tuned for Part 2.

Did YOU work the 2019
Radio Amateur's Field Day?

Is K6QLF in YOUR LoG?


Part 2 of this BLOG has just been published.  [CLICK HERE] to read it.

Are Radiosport Contests REALLY Emergency Preparedness exercises?

This little Op-Ed piece is short, and, sweet.

Virtually every Friday/Saturday evening (local time) during a radiosport event, there is always at least ONE IDIOT who is bored out of his mind (YL OP's thankfully are never bored),  Finding nothing else better to do they intentionally QRM my radiosport activities, justifying it by complaining that we take
up too much bandwidth and therefore they can't pursue on-the-air activities that they like; altho what those activities are, are completely unknown to us as well as to them.

One November evening during the JIDX Ssb contest, when N6KI handed over frequency control he warned me that there was an "F - U!" recording heckler S-8+ on the frequency.  Sure enough, the minute I started up he was back at it.  I immediately recognized that recording as one I have heard nightly on the Waste Coast's 3.840 "Garbage Dump" frequency.  While he may well be an IDIOT, unfortunately he DOES have an amplifier - SO2V to the rescue.



Make that a modified SO2V.  Synchronizing the FT-1000mp's VFO's, I found a 2nd clear frequency and overwrote VFO-B.  When the monkey man would make the scene I would SWAP VFO's and continue on the alternate frequency.  Luckily the frequency difference was only 7.17khz apart; eventually, the spotting networks had both run frequencies so internet snoops could find NX6T
more quickly.  After 2-1/2 hours of intermittent playback, he put on his jammies and slinked off
to bed - he was probably EXHAUSTED!

While that IDIOT was a complete disruption to "normal" "peaceful" operating, in fact, this was just another emergency preparedness drill; can I copy vital information amidst horrible QRM and enter
it into the log.

Specific contests have numerous preparedness benefits; for example:

• The North American QSO party (NAQP) and state QSO parties have a simple
  enough exchange that radiosport-newbies can figure it out rather quickly and
  become quite proficient before the event is over.  QSO parties also orient us
  to state/county/province abbreviations; often needed in an emergency. 
• DX contests orient us to world geography, offering up the opportunity to
  study propagation and the effects of space WX.
• RTTY / FT8 contest activities orient us to alternate modes of communication,
  beyond Ssb and Cw.
• Operating from remote/portable locations as I often do is yet another way to be
  emergency prepared.  I've operated from hotel rooms, mountain tops, residential
  stealth setups, card tables in garages and even roadside portable.
• For Field Day this year I joined up with K6QLF operating from a 42' sailboat, running
  a sloping 55' end-fed (Marconi) wire up the mast.  While not much Dx (outside of KH6)
  was had, for North American Field Day, a nearly 272-degree azimuth was made
  possible - exactly what we were looking for.

Outside of Field Day, the original emergency preparedness exercise was none other than the November Sweepstakes contest, with it's simulation of radiogram sending.  No other radiosport contest comes close to this format; except maybe the WAE (Worked All Europe) event with its sending of QTC packets.

Bottom-Line? 
Anyone who believes that properly conducted radiosport activities are NoT to some degree
all about emergency-preparedness needs to get a life and go to bed. 

1 8 . 1  2 8 . 2 8  S S B

If you are looking for quiet non-contest bands, that is what 30 & 17 meters are all about,  I frequently tune 30 meters looking for DX-goodies amidst the peace and quiet.  When operating as WP2/WQ6X from St. Croix (Jan 2014), I spent considerable time on 30 & 17 Cw as well as one afternoon on 17-m Ssb ([CLICK HERE] for the video).  Technically our REAL reason for being on St. Croix was the 1st-Place win (for DX) in the ARRL RTTY RU contest.  ([CLICK HERE] to read about all that.)

WP2/WQ6X running 17-m Ssb (from the video)

Amateur Radio has always been and always will be about Emergency Preparedness. 
Even the 2,004 non-contest QSOs made as WQ6X/WP2 constituted Emergency Preparedness.

So what about you?
What do YOU do for Emergency Preparedness?

For Little Pistols: Why CQ is Important

During radiosport contests, do YOU
ever call CQ during the event?
If NoT, WHY NoT?
If so, are those CQ's effective?

In a recent BLOG entry I made the point "if everybody is listening and no one is transmitting...", a band will appear to be dead when in fact it could well be WIDE-Open.

Despite the low SFI. I encounter this phenomenon regularly on 10 meters. 

In the early afternoon, tuning the band and not hearing anything, pointing the yagi towards South America and calling CQ, I am not surprised to have a half-dozen SA callers returning the call. 
As quickly as they come, the band again appears dead.  When I run radiosport events, depending
on the circumstances, operating time is divided between S&P'ing (Search & Pounce) and calling CQ.

There is a myth that we have to use high power amplifiers if we are going to call CQ and run a frequency, whereas the truth is something else entirely.  During the November Sweepstakes I have called Q-Power stations (QRP) calling CQ, running a frequency for an hour or more; now THAT
takes courage.

Ending this BLOG, I will suggest situations that are ideal for being the CQ-caller, regardless of the power level you are running.  It is manifestly provable that low power stations actually have several advantages that many high power stations don't.

In Part 7 of the "WHY I Do Radiosport" Blog, I suggested that utilizing SO2V as part of your operating-repertoire can improve the QSOs/hr rate considerably.

Essentially, the SO2V method is simply a combination of Search-and-Pouncing and calling "CQ Contest".

In order to run SO2V you must be comfortable with running a frequency, which implies being comfortable with calling CQ.

• In The World of SO2V Blog I explain how VFO A & B are utilized to maximize the hourly QSO-rate.  Doing this requires you to be comfortable with dual (i.e. stereo) receive.
• In the Learning the Art of Dual-receive Blog, I detail the importance of properly processing the audio in each ear as many sub-RX units have poor selectivity (compared to the main-RX) needing outboard filter assistance in order to be effective for SO2V.
• In the WQ6X SOUND PROCESSING Blog, I explore the above problem more thoroughly.

As you can see, I am advocating the use of SO2V and dual-receive. 
Here are some things we can do with SO2V:

• In single-mode contests (SS, NAQP, DX/160-GiGs, WPX GiGs and RTTY contests)
• A) Search & Pounce w/VFO-A
• B) Call CQ (same band) w/VFO-B
• In mixed-mode contests (FD, IARU HF contest, 10-Meter GiGs & state QSO Parties)
• S&P both modes (Ex: Cw w/VFO-A & Ssb w/VFO-B)
• Call CQ in one mode (Ex: Cw w/VFO-B) and S&P using the other mode
  (Ex: Ssb w/VFO-A)

Now, back to the issue of Calling CQ. 
Regardless of power level, there are times when calling CQ is to your advantage:

• When you activate a county in a state QSO party, or a state park.
  One of my beefs with state QSO parties (other than CQP) is that there is not enough
  in-state activity; put simply, not enough people participate in their own QSO parties.
  Several years ago I won the 7QP QSO party because I spent a considerable amount
  of time calling "CQ 7QP".  Most of those stations who called me should have been
  calling CQ for themselves, not me.
• Being in a "Rare" ARRL section such as DE, NNY, VI, NE or NT.  Spend 2/3's of the
  time calling CQ - stations will FLOOD your passband.  Eventually you will have to S&P
  to find the other rare sections; then again, they may find you first.  Many a contest I have been surprised by a call from stations in VE8, VE9, VY1 & 2, VO1 & 2, SC, and yes, even Nebraska (NE).
• Having a "weird prefix" (Ex: WQ6X or NX6T) is an excellent reason to call CQ in the WPX contests.  Each weird prefix adds to the multiplier count which makes calling CQ an obvious thing to do - contest participants are LooKing for us weirdoes.

Some operators are reluctant to call CQ Contest in Cw GiGs because their code speed is slow;
a couple of weeks listening to W1AW code practice bulletins will remedy that somewhat. 
Then again, when you run a frequency, YOU control the WPM speed you are comfortable with. 

Don't be intimidated by 30 Wpm callers; it's ok to send "QRS" - don't apologize for doing so. 
While I personally like to run at 23 - 24 wpm, if you are more comfortable running at 20 wpm or less, then that is what YOU should do.  Remember when you run a frequency, YOU control the parameters regarding how "business is conducted" on that frequency.

You may be ok with faster Cw speeds but are intimidated by running a frequency in a contest. 
There is "pileup trainer" software freely available on the internet that will allow you to work up
your courage-level.  (LooK for a separate Blog entry about this software soon.)

That's all I got for now on this subject folks.
Bottom line: Calling CQ is the heart & soul of radiosport.
Don't let running low power stop you from running a contest frequency.  As it turns out, in
general, there is less competition in most radiosport GiGs running LOW power, than running high. 
Most of my important contest wins have come from running < 150 watts than from running 1300.

When was the last time YOU called CQ and ran a frequency in a radiosport contest?

How did it turn out?

WQ6X Triple-OPs the All Asia DX Contest via Maritime Mobile

As June ROARS on in the direction of Field Day, a lot of interesting things are quickly coming
into being.  For 2019 Field Day a major goal is to operate Ssb from a sailboat at Aeolian yacht harbor in Alameda.  This weekend allowed me the opportunity to operate from W7AYT to open the weekend, remote operate from NX6T in Fallbrook and most importantly, explore the viability of operating from
a boat installation in the harbor.

In years passed, I have run a portable setup for the All Asia Cw contest as a prep exercise for
the FD GiG.  In preparation for next weekend, the goal is to test a "hybrid" ICOM transceiver on WB6RCU's sailboat moored in the Oakland Yacht harbor.  At the same time, NX6T is running a
Multi-Multi operation from Fallbrook, with a mixture of B-I-C (Butt-in-Chair) and remote operators.

Arriving @W7AYT's QTH, the Space-WX report indicated a solar event had occurred moving the K-Index up to 4.  Checking in with VNC Viewer it would seem that NX6T was not much affected by
the storm.  Unfortunately, @W7AYT 20-Meters was all but worthless; all I heard was WH6R working Asia, yet I couldn't hear anything but silence. 

While waiting for 40-meters to "lengthen across the pond", I took the opportunity to test-run the old West Mountain Radio Plug-in-Play Cw keyer and the Touch Keyer units to use during the sailboat operation; both units had been languishing on the shelf for over a year and needed to be verified
as still functional.

To be different, I decided to operate as W7AYT from Dennis' Concord QTH but using my FT-1000mp transceiver, allowing me to operate using the WQ6X callsign from Tom's sailboat.  Around 07:00z, 5 W7AYT QSOs were made on 20 meters.  Then, after a brief midnight sleep N6KI rousted me for the 1am shift (08:00z) @ NX6T.

Dennis had me run 40-meters while he mopped-up 20 and then hit the Sleep-QRT button, leaving
me to run 40 & check for 80.  40 was HoT while 80 was NoT.  Other than LoTs of quick-fading, on
40 meters most signals (except the 5-watt JA's) were relatively quite strong.  5.5 hours later WQ5X had facilitated 200+ QSOs into NX6T's 40-meter log. 

On the letter-beacon front, only the "M" Beacon was heard, which is essentially due-North of Japan in Russia.  Amazingly, the "F" & "K" beacons were not to be heard.

Approximately every hour I switched audio lines back to the FT-1000mp to run S&P as W7AYT, eventually putting 11 more QSOs into that log.  At first I thought the poor/slow response to my calls was due to a weak signal. 

A more logical guess is that they were not used to the W7AYT call because it was not found in any callsign history list.


I called it quits at 13:15z, needing several hours sleep before heading to the sailboat in Oakland. 
For NX6T, other than a handful of JA QSOs on 20-m around noon, things didn't really fire up until 00:00 when a handful of 15-meter QSOs made it into the log; the rest being on 20.

During this time I made it to the boat and began the process of cobbling together the equipment and cables to make a maritime mobile operation possible. 

I brought to the sailboat a classic
25-yrold ICOM R-71 receiver for comparison evaluation.  At the very
least it would serve to put the hybrid ICOM-7000 at eye-level. 

This hybrid 7000 came about by combining the control head from
my defunct ICOM 7000 transceiver
to replace the defunct head on Tom's otherwise working ICOM 7000.  This created a fully functional unit.   The
other unit is headed to ICOM service.

The WMR Cw keyer came back to life on the COM2 port, just like it used to
5 years ago.

The hybrid-Icom's 100 watts out ran through an external SGC-257 auto-tuner at the base of a 55-foot "Marconi Sloper", favoring the N-E - perfect for FD; not so perfect for All Asia.  Remoting in to NX6T Saturday evening, I noticed a strong 20-meter JA presence in Fallbrook - having a 13mh C-31 yagi certainly helps.

With assistance of the ICOM 7000 manual and the Nifty reference guide, all the unique PBT & DSP features came back to me.  Thanks to the unique menu features of the 7000, triggering the SGC-257 to properly tune the Marconi sloper took less than 10 seconds.  Although the antenna more-or-less matched the radio on 80-m Cw, no signals were initially heard.  On Ssb, above 3800 signals were strong and WQ6X was easily heard throughout California and the Northwest.

Having a reasonable signal from Oakland harbor could not makeup for the lousy internet connection on board.  Attempting to run NX6T remotely, calling stations resulted in internet transmit dropouts.  With nothing to resolve the problem, N6KI ended up doing double-duty to cover my non-operation.

With operating time on my hands, it was time to give WQ6X/MM a whirl on 40 meters.  Because the sloper was clearly favoring the Northeast, working Asia turned out to be quite a challenge.  Only 3 out of the ten 40-meter QSOs came about as a reply to my CQ A A calls.  On most of the other QSOs, the /MM suffix evidently confused stations as WQ6X has never signed as Maritime Mobile before.

Because a major goal of the /MM operation was to check signal levels, I took the opportunity to Call CQ on different frequencies of both 80 & 40 meters, giving the RBN network an opportunity to record the signals.  Not surprisingly the antenna was shown to favor the N-E - perfect for radio amateur's Field Day next weekend.

While the All Asia contest is largely a JA-station fest, a number of wonderfully uncommon callsigns made it to the NX6T log including:TA1T, 3W1T, VR2EH, XU7AMG, XV1X, UD8A, UC8U, RU0LL, 9M2ZAK, 9M4DXX & 6K2IXF.  While the 7K, 7L, 7M , HL, HS, and 9V1 callsigns are not necessarily rare, at least they counted as prefix-multipliers.

On Sunday, while I was wrapping things up on the boat, NX6T ops managed to put a dozen JA contacts into the 15-meter log; unfortunately, with an SFI of 68, 10 meters did not exist beyond
500 miles or so, sputtering out of oomph in the D-Layer over the Southwestern Pacific.

While we put in a GooD showing, GooD was only good enough for 3rd-place as a Multi-Multi operation.  The K3EST crew (@N6RO) put in an outstanding performance (with mostly B-I-C operators); reading their 3830 Score report, it is clear that they had a Clear Band Plan devised
before the All Asia event.

While NX6T didn't take a 1st place this year (as we have running Multiple-Single operations in previous years), we did amazingly well considering the horrible noise levels and smaller group
of operators.

For WQ6X, operating maritime mobile was quite a revealing operating experience.

Did YOU work the 2019 All Asia contest?

Is NX6T, W7AYT or WQ6X in YOUR Asian LoG?