WQ6X Blasts from the Past: a LooK back at a Look Back - Part 2

Posting Blast from the Past Blogs from time to time makes it easier to look back years later recollecting about past experiences with upcoming radiosport event.  In Sept. of 2019, for the helluvit, I published a compendium of all the Blast From the Past Blogs up to that point.  ([CLICK HERE]
to read that.)  Over a period of 7 years, only 8 B-F-P Blog entries were written.

As a research project, it was determined that since 2019 19 B-F-P Blogs have been posted
on all manner of differing topics. Check out this list:

• [X] Blast from the Past: California QSO Party (CQP)
• [X] WQ6X Blast from the Past: ARRL Dx Phone Contest
• [X] WQ6X Blast from the Past: ARRL Dx Phone Contest => Part 2
• [X] WQ6X Blast from the Past: CQ WPX RTTY
• [X] WQ6X Blast from the Past: CQ WPX RTTY - Part 2
• [X] BLASTS from the Past: The WPX Weird Prefix Cw Contest
• [X] BLASTS from the Past: The WPX Weird Prefix Ssb Contest
• [X] BLAST from the Past: External Audio Filters I have Known
• [X] BLAST from the Past: Memories of Marconi Memorial
• [X] BLAST from the Past: NAQP Ssb Contest
• [X] BLAST from the Past: CQ W.W. RTTY Contest
• [X] BLAST from the Past: CQ W.W. RTTY Contest - Part 2
• [X] BLAST from the PAST: QRP Reconsidered
• [X] A WQ6X as W6J Retrospective
• [X] Blasts from the PAST: Worked All Europe (WAE) Cw contest
• [X] Blasts from the PAST: End of August Contests
• [X] BLASTs From the Past: Cinco de Contest
• [X] BLASTS from the PAST: Stereo CW and it's many Variants.
• [X] Blast from the Past: California QSO Party (CQP) - Part 2
• [X] BLAST from the PAST: 2024 Radiosport in Review

wOw!  Whatta buncha STUFF?!!

1. Blast from the Past: California QSO Party (CQP) - Parts 1 and 2
   
   
   Next to the ARRL November Sweepstakes (SS) GiGs, the California QSO Party (CQP)
   is my favorite domestic radiosport event.  Since 2000 I have NoT missed somehow participating during the 1st weekend of October event.  For county hunters, it is realistic
   and feasible that you can work all 58 California counties in ONE (count 'em "1") WeeKEnd;
   one state done with 49 to go towards your USA-CA (Worked All U.S. Counties) Award.
   CQP is so much one of my favorite events that 2 Blast from the Past Blogs have been
   written about this event.  Before long, it will be time for Part 3.
   
   
   
2. BLASTS from the Past: The WPX Weird Prefix Cw & Ssb Contests
   
   
   What I specifically LIKE about the CQ WPX (Weird Prefix) contest, is THAT - WEIRD Prefixes.  Of course, my "WQ6" callsign certainly qualifies as a WEIRD prefix.  Additionally, it is certainly No accident that I define the N1MM FK-12 Key to send out some form of "W-E-I-R-D" message when people do WEIRD things.
   
   
   
3. WQ6X Blast from the Past: CQ WPX RTTY - Parts 1 and 2
   
   
   The WPX RTTY Contest is one of my overall favorite events - I don't have to copy
   Morse code, nor do I have to strain my voice.  I can often experience the RTTY
   tones as synchronistically soothing.
   
   
   
4. WQ6X Blast from the Past: ARRL Dx Phone Contest - Parts 1 and 2
   
   
   Overall, for me, the ARRL DX Phone contest is usually, overall, a ho-Hummer.
   Then again, coming to each iteration of this event found me exploring new ideas to
   alleviate what I call Ssb-Boredumb.  It is from this, the Stereo-SSB concept was perfected. 
   40-plus year-old technology (the Autek QF-1A) still outperforms most DSP technology built-in
   to today's transceivers.  The proof of perfection came with setting a Southwest Division record
   in 2024.
   
   
5. BLAST from the Past: External Audio Filters I have Known
   
   
   Long before I began seriously working on the Stereo-CW concept, I added a number
   of different analog and DSP filters to the audio lines, experimenting with the different combinations that eventually became the Stereo Audio concept.
   
   
6. BLAST from the Past: Memories of Marconi Memorial
   
   
   Every year, the Marconi Memorial radiosport offers outstanding opportunities and every
   year, it becomes a Ho-Hummer.  Nevertheless, I find time in between the other GiGs that weekend to play around and submit a log.  At the very least, it adds another entry to the number of contests submitted to 3830Scores.com.
   
   
   
7. BLAST from the Past: NAQP Ssb Contest
   
   
   The North American QSO Party (NAQP) makes for a GREAT introduction to domestic
   radiosport contesting.  With the exchange of NAME and STATE, it is EASY and FUN. 
   Back in the day, I used to join the multi-OP crew live in Fallbrook.  In recent years the
   current crew has been running REMOTE from ANZA.
   
   
   
8. BLAST from the Past: CQ W.W. RTTY Contest
   
   
   My first introduction to serious RTTY came from the encouragement provided by N6GEO.
   It wasn't long before I found my groove and we began making high scores in RTTY contests, highlighted by our appearance on St. Croix for the Jan-2014 RTTY-RU contest, operating as WP2/WQ6X.  Around our 1st-Place (worldwide) win, I spent time running pileups from 80 to 10 meters (Ssb and Cw), including the WARC bands.  From an amateur radio standpoint, it was
   a complete success.
   
   
   
9. BLAST from the Past: CQ W.W. RTTY Contest - Part 2
   
   
   In recent years, running RTTY has largely been a remote running affair.
   Then again, because the FT-1000mp and FT-2000 can run FULL-Duty RTTY,
   running RTTY live is still a viable approach.  Even more recently is running the above transceivers by way of the RigExpert unit to accomplish PTT keying for running the K3/0
   and K3/0-Minit control units to make RTTY transmissions remotely, even though the tones
   are generated locally.
   
   
   
10. BLAST from the PAST: QRP Reconsidered
    
    
    Beginning in 2023, WQ6X found it more imaginative and exciting to run as many events using QRP as can be successfully accomplished.  Running remote from Ramona and Anza makes
    it possible to leverage hilltop QTH's as well as the antenna configurations that go with them.
    
    
    
11. A WQ6X as W6J Retrospective
    
    
    
    Over the years, I have registered the W6J callsign, mainly for running variations on
    the Japanese JIDX DX contest, while also joining NX6T in one of our 1st-place finishes. 
    Last year the rules for JIDX were changed, no longer allowing me to do both.  Now, I
    either join NX6T or else run as a Single-OP station.  The JIDX Ssb contest in November
    runs concurrent with the WAE RTTY contest, to enable running BOTH during the same weekend.
    
    
    
12. Blasts from the PAST: Worked All Europe (WAE) Cw contest
    
    
    Due to the sending of QTC messages, the Worked All Europe is the most complex of all radiosport contests - even more than the November Sweepstakes.  Thanks to the Ctrl-Z
    capability built into the N1MM software, sending QTC messages is about as easy as it
    will ever get.
    
    
    
13. Blasts from the PAST: End of August Contests
    
    
    The last weekend in August presents us with a number of disparate events.  In some cases,
    I ran the same event as WQ6X (from EB section) and NX6T (in the SDG section).  In all cases,
    the goal was to up the number of 3830 Score events submitted.
    
    
    
14. BLASTs From the Past: Cinco de Contest
    
    
    The 1st weekend in May I call Cinco De Contest, running for State QSO Parties and the Italian ARI contest.  I have won two 1st-place plaques in the 7QP event, one for LP and more recently one for QRP.
    
    
    
15. BLASTS from the PAST: Stereo CW and it's many Variants.
    
    
    While I have written about Stereo-Cw and its variants, I finally got around to writing a BLAST Blog about my audio filter discoveries since the original Blogs, which now include Stereo-Ssb and Stereo-RTTY.  Despite the fact I am a Californian, it is no secret that CQP is the most populous state QSO Party of them all.  Running for 30 continuous hour
    
    
    
16. BLAST from the PAST: 2024 Radiosport in Review
    
    
    Ending 2024, I did something new by briefly reviewing the contest activity for the entire year, beginning with the RTTY-RU in January, followed by the NAQP GiGs during the 2nd and 3rd weekends.  The above graphic demonstrates contest activity from 2020 - 2024.
    
    

WQ6X Blasts from the Past: a LooK back at a Look Back

One of the benefits of revisiting past radiosport competitions is that it allows me to genuflect on
what works and what doesn't.  Reflecting & Evaluating past events brings-to-lite changes that
can be made to the radio/antenna configuration(s) - as well as the software - for a given
operating location.

Recently I became curious about the many Blast-from-the-Past blogs I have written for the
WQ6X Contest Blog.  Here is a chronological list of what I have written thus far:

[x] BLAST's from the PAST: November Sweepstakes
     Why November Sweepstakes is my FAVorite Radiosport Contest

• [x] BLAST's from the PAST: WQ6X in ARRL DX Contests
        From NX6T, to Stateline to W1AW/6
• [x] BLASTS from the Past: JIDX Cw
        LIVE & Remote @ NX6T + W6J
• [x] WQ6X Blast from the PAST: All Asian Cw Contest
        Mt. Abel, Fallbrook, Concord & Alameda
• [x] WQ6X Floats a 24-hour Field Day w/K6QLF - Part 1
        With the W6SW crew, w/N6GEO, w/K6QLF and WQ6X solo
• [x] WQ6X Blast from the PAST: IARU Hf Championship
        NX6T live/remote, Multi-OP w/N6GEO and WQ6X solo
• [x] WQ6X Blast from the PAST: NAQP RTTY
        WQ6X/P WQ6X/Remote & Multi-2 w/N6GEO
• [x] Blast From the PAST: Hawaiian QSO Party (HQP)
        From Mt. Diablo, Phoenix Lodge and remotely from NX6T.
• [x] Blast From the PAST: All Asian DX Ssb Contest
        Portable from Mt. Abel, Twain Hart, Concord and NX6T live
• [x] WQ6X California QSO Party (CQP) portable operations from the following counties:
        Ventura, Mono, Modoc, Sacramento, Tuolumne & Contra Costa
• [x] WQ6X Blast from the PAST: NAQP Cw
        WQ6X @NX6T, w/N6GEO and /P from Alameda, Hayward & Concord in SF East Bay

You have often heard me advocate radiosport contesting as a unique form emergency preparedness exercises.  I wrote a BLOG ([CLICK HERE]) about this subject.  The above variety of different contest activities and locations has allowed me to experience operating under a variety of conditions, while overcoming obstacles to make communication happen, often around the world.

LooKing back on all this, I am amazed at the successes I and others have accomplished in the last 20 years.  It "takes a village" to make a radiosport event happen.  Even when we run solo operations, we are doing so in conjunction with the hundreds/thousands or participants in each event.

While I may be in competition with the other participants, nevertheless, we endeavor to contact each other as that is what make a radiosport event work; and on top of that, we receive QSO points for doing so.  Working you in a contest also tips me off as to your progress in relation to mine;
especially if we are handing out QSO numbers as we do in the SS, WPX, CQP & RTTY-RU
contests.  Additionally with the online scoreboard reporting systems now available,
non-participants can keep track of participant progress.

How often have YOU engaged in radiosport contest events?

Have you written those events up or kept some sort of a diary?

If NoT, WHY NoT?
Inquiring modems want to Know!.....

WQ6X Blast from the PAST: NAQP RTTY - Part 2

After having been informed that WQ6X took 1st-place in the QRP assisted category for the NAQP RTTY contest, K6UFO wrote me and asked for a write-up and pictures.  Altho I had just published
a Blog on that event, it occurred to me that the last Blast from the Past Blog on this contest was written 6 years, creating the impetus to create a Part 2 on this topic.

Beginning with the original BLAST Blog, there are quite a number of entries regarding NAQP RTTY:

• [X] - July 2019 - WQ6X Blast from the PAST: NAQP RTTY
• [X] - July 2019 - WQ6X Solo-OP's NAQP RTTY - It Ain't Over 'Til it's Over
• [X] - July 2020 - WQ6X Works a slippery-slope NAQP RTTY Contest
• [X] - July 2021 - WQ6X Negotiates another Summertime NAQP RTTY Contest
• [X] - July 2022 - WQ6X NiT PiCKs another NAQP RTTY Contest
• [X] - July 2023 - WQ6X Runs a near-Negligible NAQP RTTY Contest
• [X] - Feb  2024 - WQ6X Weasels a Weird Multi-remote Radiosport Weekend
• [X] - July 2024 - WQ6X SQUEAKs Thru another NAQP RTTY Contest
• [X] - Feb  2025 - WQ6X Wobbles thru a WEIRD CQ-160 + NAQP RTTY WeeKend

WQ6X Posts Contest Blog #500

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we move squarely into the 10th year of the WQ6X Contest Blog, reflecting on the different
topics posted, I am amazed (if not amused) by the variety of topics (with their myriad of pictures)
that has been posted in 9 1/2 years.  

During this time, several "Blast from the Past" posts have been posted.  I've even posted a Blast
from the Past about Blasts from the Past.  I guess we could call Blog Post #500 a Blast from the
Past about past Blasts from the Past about Blasts from the Past.

This Blog began as a simple contest activity diary of sorts, augmenting my Facebook page which
is a sort of diary about the happenings in my life overall.  There are people in the vicinity of my life who (I believe) don't believe that I say and do the things and events I claim to say and do.  NoT only
do I Say and Do these things, I publish the Blogs and pictures to back everything up.

Often, Blog posts beget blog posts.  What begins as just a collection pictures and ideas under
one topic header often becomes 5 or 6 parts as the years produce different events to engage with.  Contest blog material has frequently been used as a part of various presentations I have given for various radio clubs; the classic being from the 5-Part "The Role of Respect in Radiosport" series.  Thanks to the search engine built-in to this Blogspot system, I a can find things to reminisce about.

To date, there have been over 60,000 page views from the WQ6X Contest Blog.
I trust you've received as much enjoyment from the posted material as I do from actually
posting the content.

1. 001 to 100 - 2013 to 2016
2. 101 to 200 - 2017 to 2018
3. 201 to 300 - Thru all 2019
4. 301 to 400 - Thru all 2020
5. 401 to 500 - 2021 to 2022

Look for Blog Post #501 to serve as an index of sorts regarding many of the major blog topics.
The increased rapidity of blog posts over nearly 10 years leads me to wonder when blog post #1000 will make its appearance.  What will be happening in the world, and more specifically the world of radio at THAT time?

Somebody once said: "The only REAL way to know the future is to CREATE IT".
With the WQ6X Contest Blog, that is EXACTLY what we will do.

 

If you have benefited in any way from this Blog series, please let me know.
If there are any topics you would like for me to address, lemme know and I will see what can be done.

Blast from the Past: California QSO Party (CQP) - Part 2

With CQP 2024 safely behind us, scanning back to October 2019, it would seem that a "Blast from the Past" post for CQP was published reflecting on all the CQP events from 2000 - 2018.  This little ad-HOC Blog post is to revisit the CQP events from 2019 thru 2023.

To make it easier to find the Blog post to each event, let's begin with summary links to those Blogs.

• [X] - Original Blast from the Past Blog
• [X] - 2019: K6C #1 CCOS and NX6T #2 SDIE
• [X] - 2020: K6A #1 SDIE  and  K6C  #1 CCOS
• [X] - 2021: K6QLF #2 ALAM
• [X] - 2022: Confirming CQP: Some ThoTs on MaKing it All Happen
• [X] - 2022: Confirming CQP (Part-2): Contingency Plans for Contingency Plans
• [X] - 2022: WQ6X #1 CCOS QRP and K6Q #1 CCOS LP and NX6T #1 RIVE
• [X] - 2022: Some CQP After-Thoughts about CQP
• [X] - 2023: W6R #1 SDIE and WQ6X #1 CCOS and NX6T #1 RIVE
• [X] - 2024: WQ6X Successfully Navigates a 5-Way California QSO Party
• [X] - 2024: Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) runs a CQP Training Exercise

CQP 2019 - WQ6X as K6C "Kicks-it" for another California QSO Party [X]

For this 2019 CQP event, I decided to take the easy way out by registering the K6C callsign and repeating last year's dual-OP with NX6T from W7AYT's QTH in Contra Costa County.  

K6C (Kilowatt Six California) was used for state-recognition variety.

CQP 2020 - WQ6X Dual-OPs another CQP as K6C & K6A [X]

From the beginning, something about the 2020 California QSO Party (CQP) event seemed attractively different.  Heading to Concord Thursday evening, I did a thorough "inventory" of WQ6X's portable setup at W7AYT's QTH in Concord.

CQP 2021 - K6QLF Runs a Memorable 1st-time ever CQP Event [X]

For 2021, a new set of opportunities made possible a unique Multi-Operator operation introducing members of the Amateur Radio Club in Alameda (ARCA) to the world of Radiosport (in general)
and the California QSO Party (in particular).  LooKing for a SAFE location to run the 30-hour
event, it was suggested that we coordinate with the California Historical Radio Society (CHRS),
whose museum JUST happens to be 2-blocks from my office in Alameda.

CQP 2022 - WQ6X Triple-OP's yet another California QSO Party [X]

From the beginning, making this weekend happen was clearly an embodiment of what I call the WB6ACU school of contest organization (even tho I believe Joe rarely works radiosport events). 
The original idea was to organize the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) as K6QLF. 
Unable to secure a secure location for 40+ hours eventually the deciding factor, suggesting
that ARCA can always come back in 2023.

CQP 2023 - WQ6X as W6R Runs a Routine QRP Triple-OP CQP [X]

It really does seem like from the beginning, CQP offers up an expansive playing field to play
on (radiosport-wise) - each year I discover here-to-for undiscovered (for me anyway) ways to play
the CQP game.  When it's ALL over, the Question becomes, DiD the CQP contest overall adequately activate all 58 California counties [nearly] all of the time?

WQ6X Successfully Navigates a 5-Way California QSO Party [X]

The 2024 California QSO Party (CQP) was LOADED with participatory possibilities.  My personal operating goal(s) included engaging with as many of those opportunities as could be effectively experienced over a 30-hour contest operating period.  Having access to a Catalina-42 sailboat
before, during and after the CQP added yet another dimension to CQP as an operating event. 
My time was divided between 5-Events:

Do YOU ever work the CQP California QSO Party?

How many Counties are in YOUR LoGs?

WQ6X Blast from the Past: ARRL Dx Phone Contest => Part 2

While reviewing material for a flurry of "Blast from the Past" Blog entries, it occurred to me that during the current decade (6 years), the ARRL DX Phone contest has taken on a radically different operating form; from NX6T Division-winning Multi-OP operations, all the way to Single-OP QRP GiGs.
([CLICK HERE] to read Part 1 of this series.)

CZECH DiS OuT!:

• [X] (2020) - WQ6X Joins NX6T Dual-OP'ing another ad-HOC ARRL Dx Ssb GiG
• [X] (2021) - WQ6X joins NX6T remotely for another ARRL Dx Ssb Contest
• [X] (2022) - WQ6X Squeezes in Another ARRL Dx Ssb Contest GiG
• [X] (2023) - WQ6X Works a Wonderfully WEIRD Dx Contest
• [X] (2024) - WQ6X Works a WOBBLY QRP ARRL Dx Ssb Contest
• [X] (2025) - (Coming Soon)

(2o2o) - DUAL-OP's as WQ6X & NX6T

This event was from back in the daze where we ran Multi-OP (onsite and remote) while I managed
to put some time in as WQ6X running the modest antenna setup from the Concord California - East Bay (EB) section.  This was one of those contest years when the intentional 40-meter QRM was RAMPANT from many sources, including Ssb hecklers and random RTTY in the phone bands,
all of which followed me around as I changed frequency - proving that it was hardly an accident.

This was also the year I paid more attention to the ~7.039 Russian military beacons, offering indications of propagation favoring the Asian aspects of the globe.

(2o21) - WQ6X joins NX6T remotely for another ARRL Dx Ssb Contest

For the 2021 ARRL DX Ssb contest, the decision was made to run completely from my Alameda office rather than making the drive to the Concord QTH only to run remotely from there.  Unfortunately, the P-T-T switch in Concord, not my office.  Thanks to a leftover pill, a simple pushbutton switch and
a chopped cable from a previously failed P-T-T switch was all I needed to make it all work.

(2o22) - WQ6X Squeezes in Another ARRL Dx Ssb Contest GiG

This was the 1st ARRL DX Ssb contest run with the newly added FT-2000 at the
Concord QTH.  It was also around this time that the Art of Stereo Ssb was perfected,
important for a worldwide voice competition.  ([CLICK HERE] for the original Stereo Ssb
Blog.)  More was written about Stereo Ssb later in 2022 and even more in 2023 and 2024.
When it was all over, NX6T took 1st-place for Orange (ORG) section while WQ6X took 2nd-place
for East Bay (EB) section from the SF East Bay area - NoT bad for solar storm HiTs all weekend.

(2o23) - WQ6X Works a Wonderfully WEIRD Dx Contest

For the 2023 ARRL DX Ssb GiG, I was back to dual-OP running from Anza and East Bay
(EB) section.  The BiG problem was internet outages in Anza making running NX6T remotely
a considerable challenge.  The upside for WQ6X was more time to run on 40-meters from the
Concord location.

(2o24) - WQ6X Works a WOBBLY QRP ARRL Dx Ssb Contest

For this Ssb GiG, I accomplished two goals.  I perfected the Stereo-SSB concept making for amazingly coherent voice decoding.  It could be argued that is/was a major component in taking
a 1st-place QRP win for the Southwest Division.  The above picture contains all the details behind
the operation.

Bottom Line:  The last five years of the ARRL DX Phone contest have been thru some utterly amazing contortions.  The REAL Question is how to once again leverage running QRP to chase the OTHER QRP category for the Southwest Division.  STaY TuNeD!

WQ6X Blast from the PAST: NAQP Cw

"As this weekend's NAQP is barely 12 hours away, even at THIS hour it seems appropriate to reminisce and relish the variety of different kinds of NAQP operations I have been a part of, beginning as far back as 2010."

I wrote the above back in August with the intention of writing the rest of this Blog (below).  Somehow, contest participation itself kept me out of the "Blast from the Past" mode for this contest.  So, let's try
it again.  As you can see, there is LoTs of material to draw from, beginning way back in the year 2011.

JAN-2011
My first exposure to running NAQP Cw was in January at N6GEO's QTH.
More than anything this event taught me ingenuity thanks to N6GEO's idea of rigging two
manual antenna tuners feeding the 6BTV vertical adding 17 160-meter QSOs to the log.


AUG-2011
For the August GiG I took a quite different approach.
Making the drive to NX6T (in Fallbrook), I brought along a Neurosky Mindset to monitor
my Left-Frontal E-E-G while running the contest.

A series of videos were made from this event, now archived on YouTube.
If you copy the Cw and pay attention to the color bars, the Brain-Pharts
(tall RED bar on the left) become quite evident.

You can view the YouTube videos by clicking on the [VIEW] links below:

• [VIEW] - NAQP CW Aug-2011 while running a Frequency - Video #1
• [VIEW] - NAQP CW Aug-2011 while running a Frequency - Video #2
• [VIEW] - NAQP CW Aug-2011 while running a Frequency - Video #3
• [VIEW] - NAQP CW Aug-2011 while running a Frequency - Video #4
• [VIEW] - NAQP CW Aug-2011 while running a Frequency - Video #5

 

JAN-2012
For 2012 I put together a "tent station" in a back yard near crown beach in Alameda.  Having first used the tent during the 2011 Sweepstakes Ssb operation on Carpinteria state beach (near Santa Barbara), this operation allowed verifying the tent-contesting concept.

AUG-2012
For the August GiG I took a quite different approach operating from the 2nd story
of the Phoenix Lodge using a pair of Hamstick dipoles and an MFJ Apartment antenna.

JAN-2013
For 2013 I began NAQP operations again from the Phoenix Lodge, only this time I ran a newly acquired ICOM-7000 into the Hamsticks and Apartment antenna, this time using an MFJ 949-E antenna tuner.  Oh, what a difference a properly tuned antenna makes.

AUG-2013
In August I ran the NAQP GiG with yet a quite different approach; this time running the dual-Hamstick dipole from W7AYT's QTH in Concord (altho he was not yet W7AYT).  Lacking a pair of 20-meter Hamsticks put me at quite a disadvantage over the January 2013 event.  If the Hamstick-dipole had been the same height as the 2nd story lodge window, signals would've been considerably louder. 
I wrote this event up for the Contest BLOG.  [CLICK HERE] to read that.

JAN-2016
My next NAQP CW event came via a trip to Fallbrook to join the crew at NX6T for a Multi-2 event. 
As you can see, I was quite jazzed by working NP2M (considering that w/N6GEO we won the 2014 RTTY-RU contest from that location).
A YouTube video was made about this event.  [CLICK HERE] to see it.
I wrote a Contest BLOG about this event as well.  [[CLICK HERE] to read that.

AUG-2016
In August we now had a Comet CH-250 antenna, the 1st of several antennas to make the scene
at [the future] W7AYT QTH.  This was my 1st attempt at SO2-V with the recently acquired Yaesu
FT-1000mp.  This even was written up in the Contest BLOG.  [CLICK HERE] to read that.

JAN-2017
WQ6X opened the new year with another semi-portable operation from W7AYT's QTH in Concord. 
When it was over, 258 QSOs made it to the log.  An unfortunate aftermath to this operation was
my Honda Accord being STOLEN.  [CLICK HERE] to read all about that.

AUG-2017
For this August GiG I decided to join up with NX6T remotely from Alameda. 
This was an early implementation of using an Autek QF-1A filter to process RCForb's
remote audio.  [CLICK HERE] to read all about that.

JAN-2018
For 2018 I joined NX6T, again remotely. 
For this event, I played around with a pair of MFJ-752 Signal Enhancers for the laptop
receive audio.  [CLICK HERE] to read that write up.

AUG-2018
For August, as you can see, I chose to run barefoot in the already barefoot contest. 
While I joined up with the NX6T Multi-2 crew, I also found time to run as WQ6X from the
W7AYT QTH.  [CLICK HERE] to read the barefoot write up about this barefoot event.

JAN-2019
2019 is the year for Dual-OP operations of NX6T (remotely using an Elecraft K3/0) and
WQ6X from W7AYT's QTH in Concord.  [CLICK HERE] to read about this "not normal"
NAQP Cw event.

AUG-2019
This brings us to the August NAQP GiG.  Because the K3/0 had connection problems, I ran the remote aspect of this Dual-OP GiG using RCForb to run the radio.  WQ6X & NX6T operations were interspersed throughout the day.  I wasn't so much interested in a high score as I was in making the Dual-OP operation work.   [CLICK HERE] to read all about that.


Well folks, that's all we got.  ALL?  wOw! 
I guess I have been busy during NAQP Cw weekends over the last 9 years.

What about YOU?  Have YOU run the NAQP Cw during these last 9 years?

Is NX6T or WQ6X in YOUR LoG?

WQ6X Blast from the PAST: NAQP RTTY

 

In addition to running the RTTY RU and WPX RTTY GiGs, over the years,
I have discovered the NAQP RTTY to be an excellent 12-hour diversion from
the insanity of the world I live in.

LooKing back in the archive and past WQ6X Contest Blog entries, it would seem
that I have participated in the following NAQP RTTY events:

1. [x] - FEB 2013 - NAQP RTTY from the Phoenix Lodge
2. [x] - JUL 2013 - Multi-2 w/N6GEO from his Brentwood QTH
3. [x] - FEB 2014 - Multi-2 w/N6GEO from his Brentwood QTH
4. [x] - FEB 2016 - Remote operation from Harrah's Laughlin
5. [x] - JUL 2016 - Remote operation from the Clarion Hotel
6. [x] - FEB 2017 - Remote operation from Alameda
7. [x] - JUL 2017 - Remote operation of NAQP & DMC RTTY Events
8. [x] - JUL 2018 - Remote operation of NAQP & DMC RTTY Events
9. [x] - JUL 2019 - Remote operation from Alameda

 NAQP contests are unique in that the SAME contest is run during the winter months and then repeated in the mid-summer months.  The NAQP RTTY GiG is run first in February and
again in July.  If I completely screw it up in February I get another shot at it in July.

For WQ6X, NAQP RTTY began with a completely ad-HOC portable operation in Feb. 2013 using
a pair of vertical ham-sticks lashed to a pole shoved up a tree.  Thanks to the MFJ 949-E antenna tuner, I was able to put 90 QSOs in the log from all over North and Central America.

For the July (2013) GiG, I teamed up with N6GEO as we made our first test-run of the FLEX-1500
(5 w.) SDR rig into an HL-45b amplifier; the same configuration we used to drive the Alpha 87 amp
to 149.49 watts, enabling us to win the 2014 RTTY RU contest as WP2/WQ6X from St. Croix. 
([CLICK HERE] to read about that.)

NAQP RTTY-wise, I took 2015 off to play in various Cw/Ssb NAQP GiGs.  In 2016 a vacation at Harrah's in Laughlin allowed me to cash-in on a free room comp (with a speedy internet connection) and win some $$$'s at the Blackjack tables (one of my hobbies).  On Saturday morning I settled in for 10 hours to run NAQP RTTY remotely from Fallbrook; after which, it was back to the Blackjack tables - at The Golden Nugget, not Harrah's.

For the July 2016 GiG my vacation week found me lounging at the Clarion hotel.  Attempting to run the NAQP RTTY from the hotel was virtually impossible due to electrical noise from the construction site across the parking lot.  Because I was too lazy to go fetch the MFJ-626 noise canceller and a different antenna configuration to hang out the 25th floor window,  on that basis, the choice of remoting in to Fallbrook was a no-Brainer.

For 2017 I was back running remote again.  Different this time was that the DMC RTTY contest
was "wrapped around" the 12 hours of the NAQP GiG, allowing me to essentially run both contests;
at different times, of course.

For 2018 somehow I missed out on the February NAQP RTTY, choosing instead to write a Blog entitled WQ6X reminisces about RTTY.  Similar to 2017, the NAQP RTTY contest was again wrapped by the DMC RTTY GiG.  This time, a respectable 293 QSOs made it to the log and I had a splendid time doing it.

All the above brings us up to the year 2019.  In February, client commitments kept me off the radio leaving me to double-vow that I would not miss the July GiG; I didn't.  While it began as a disaster,
the exhilarating "Just DOIT!" attitude prevailed, putting 290 QSOs in the log; almost as much as 2017's 293 - GO Figure.

The NAQP GiG this year succeeded in shaking down both sides of the Alameda - Fallbrook connection, ensuring I will be ready for the CQ W.W. RTTY contest in September.

What about YOU?

Do YOU ever play in the NAQP RTTY Contests?

Is, WQ6X, N6GEO or NX6T in YOUR LoG?