Shack finally in order

 I've been trying to get the shack moved to the new location (same QTH, different building).

It's still a bit rough, but the shape is right and all I need is to fill that space with the KPA-500  (heh)

Everything is easy to get to, and cables routed conveniently.

I'm close to the coffee maker and I put the Yaesu Map Under the Plexiglass.  All notes and references around the outside under the glass.   This is exactly what I use and was hoping for.  A lot better than the old QTH for 16 years!

Equipment (clockwise)

• Steinberg UR-22 for FT-8
• IC-910
• UTC Clock
• FT-897D (and FT-891 on top)
• Palstar AT-AUTO (Kessler design)
• Heil Pro-7
• Vibroplex Keyer Deluxe
• Elecraft K3 /100
• Palstar DL2K
• IC-9700
• MFJ 25A power

WPX CW Re-cap 2023

Every time I work a SST or MST contest I think "why is it only an hour long"?  They are just so much fun.

Before I put the scores on 3830 I had a re-cap of my op during WPX CW

• After the SST contest, grabbed bite and then got into the WPX CW
  

• It was S/P all the way through -- I couldn't (with 90W) really get a hold of a frequency without being nudged around.  So, S/P was the main operation.

• 15, 20 and 40m were all fairly in decent shape, even until pausing 4am and then resumed in morning around 8 am.  15m was really doing well this morning.  10m (which  I would have liked to work more today ) was actually in good shape.  Re-worked some other stations I had on 15/20/40.    But even until 3-4 am today, the bands were still quite active and productive.

• Blazing fast CW though.   It's remarkable.  By comparison my 19 wpm seems quaint in the WPX CW Contest setting.   Crawl, Walk, Run. I'm going to focus on MST level speed as a goal prior to Salmon Run.

• I saw and missed several WWDXC people whom I wanted to log, but they were here and gone.
• By comparison the SST contest is like riding in the back of an Uber while the WPX CW contest is like being on the F-1 circuit.  

When I flipped the switch off:

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: WA
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Location: USA

Summary:   Compare Scores
Band	QSOs
160:
80:	4
40:	112
20:	137
15:	50
10:	2
Total:	305	Prefixes	221	Total Score	159,562

• There's a few things that I need to fix and repair -- the way in which I sent SN was based on what I heard -- and what I heard was the use of cut-symbols like "T" rather than "0" and I misunderstood this.  I thought it was a marker BEFORE the number like SN 134 would be sent as "T134"   So early in the contest I was getting plenty of "huh?" questions and so that slowed me (and the DX down, and I am sorry about that).
• I worked stations that had small pile-ups or no pile-ups.   When the pile-up was 3-4 deep, I moved on knowing I could come back (and did many times to get those that were popular 5 minutes earlier).
• I did have to adjust my speed to re-send numbers and my call sign -- is that usual?  The DX would be CQ'ing at 30 wpm and I sent my call at 21 and band conditions I suppose (or QRM) made me have to re-send a few times.  And I am also sorry about that because it slows other people down who just want to QSO after me.
• About 1/4 of the QSO there was no way I could copy the SN. 30+ wpm and with cut-symbols to abbreviate -- it was pure noise on my end.  I could hear the calls and recognize precisely when to drop mine, but the SN reports were also at 30+ wpm which was blazing fast.

I am looking forward to the next big thing.  In the mean time, SST, MST.

Cracked my goal

I was shooting for 1 QSO every 2 min on average.  The speed is above my usual.  So it was nice to do better on MST than K1USN SST. 

--

ICWC Medium Speed Test - 0300Z May 23

Call: W7BRS

Operator(s): W7BRS

Station: W7BRS

Class: Single Op LP

QTH: WA

Operating Time (hrs): 1

Summary:

Band QSOs

------------

160:

80: 2

40: 24

20: 7

15:

10:

------------

Total: 33 Mults = 29 Total Score = 957

Club: Western Washington DX Club

SST results are getting better

I was informed recently about the K1USN SST contest.   I have now adjusted my schedule to participate with the SST twice per week (Friday and Sunday, Pacific time).

My first attempt was feeble but I was still glad to work the contest and I had absolute blast.  So much fun, I was so disappointed when the time expired!  Just an hour.  Oh well, it reminds me to try my best to work as efficiently as I can.

This time around I decided to try to stick on a frequency and do a Run for a bit.  It was a slow start, but then the stations starting piling and I tried to keep up.  The Bard taught me the best pile up has one station.  As long as one at a time, I can work them.   But, that's OK.  I had a few moments of 2-3 at once and I took the strongest signal that I could copy.

That was great fun -- not using S/P and just trying to copy and copy the first time without a request for a repeated call.

Then I decided to check out the band -- the spot map was lighting up and so I tried to snag more contacts of the stations who were were spotted that I could hear.   

The goal this week was to improve my rate to at least 1 QSO every 2 minutes.  I almost made it.  I had 28 QSO and 18 multipliers (I scored myself too low when I posted the score rumor on 3830 web site).

My goal is to keep raising the rate and by the Fall (Salmon Run, WA-State QSO Party hosted by the Western Washington DX Club).

If I can get to a decent rate of about 2 per minute that would be a fine goal.  I could stretch the goal to more than that, but the goal is to gain ability to copy what I hear w/o delay and confusion.   It's getting easier,  I have to admit.

I schedule myself so that I can participate on the SST (K1USN SST), the MST supported by the ICWC.   The speeds are gradually faster between SST to MST.

MST is between 20 to 25 wpm.  And, SST is supposed to be under 20 wpm.  I set my keyer to run at 17 to 18 wpm on SST.

My latest score on SST:

https://www.3830scores.com/showrumor.php?arg=21aHzBygqismk

Special thanks to Rusty W6OAT, Hank W6SX and Mark W6UFO for encouragement and advice!

A post script -- the results of the Arkansas QSO Party were disappointing --- band conditions?  The 3830 showed considerable activity and scores, but I couldn't hear much from Washington state. Another lesson learned was to classify my station as Low Power not High Power since I'm just at 90 Watts .

And the "simple shack" is now moved.  No more stacks of radios, just the simple things.  Missing from the photo is the KPA-500 (that is on the list to get this Fall).

Hooked on CW QSO Parties

What is happening to me. I wake up to work Arkansas QP on CW

Any practice is good practice.

The Swing

It was not supposed to be an open band, the solar report was awful and the 20 meter band was really noisy.  But there was DX there, I could hear them on the Phone portion, so I switched to CW, tuned to 14,000 and starting rolling the VFO.. the way the Bard taught us.

And there it was.  at 14,0299 a faint signal, but building.  It wasn't that it was too faint, it was good copy except the swing was really odd.  The call wasn't making sense.  I hadn't heard swing like that before.  He was calling CQ, I think.  The swing was that off.  No, he was calling CQ but his call was..   9J  9J2 ? was that a 9J2B or 9J26.  6 made no sense.  Had to be B, 9J2BO   Ok I had the call right and he had no takers.

Nothing spotted either.   I looked up at the map and didn't see it right away.   I'll work him first and worry later.  The prefix did not sound familiar.

I dropped my call.   And he came back to me right away.  We had to straighten out my call with his copy but after a couple tries he copied it.   I was only running 90 W on a loop.

But we had a nice short QSO.  He was Brian in Lusaka, Zambia.  He said he'd been to Seattle before and I think he was talking about his station, I believe.  It got difficult to copy the speed.    I replied politely and tried to keep the QSO going but figured that there were several stations waiting to work Brian, I should try to wind it down.

OK this was a new one.  All time new one for me.  And on CW.

I was so excited, I tried to hold the QSO and maintain semblance of understanding.  But I think he figured out soon that I was fumbling around trying to thank him at the same time I was giving him my information.  I just sent out that I should finish it here and gave him a VRY 73 and TU for the QSO.

A card will go in the mail tomorrow morning.

I fired off an email to my club reflector for the spot and then I started hearing a flurry of calls to him but nothing on VE7CC cluster yet.   As that little pile up started to groan a little, I moved up the band and heard another weak flutter signal and copied a M4O but the first letter was probably T.    I might have mistaken it for TN not TM but anyway, I answered their CQ too and it was a quick QSO, they were a DX'p and upon looking up the QRZ they activated IOTA EU-32 Oleron Island just off coast of France near La Rochelle.  Still counts as France, but an IOTA that I probably won't hear too often.

I put them in the log too and then went back to 14,000 and the band was not as easy to hear then.  

Checking my email I noticed my friend Rusty W6OAT give me note about Zambia and that put a smile on my face.  It was all this encouragement to do CW contests that is building my confidence and what a day -- a new DXCC entity in the log and tomorrow, Friday will be a SST contest to do.   

The latest QST magazine cover message: "Fun in the Field".   Fun is right.

7QP M/S W6OAT HP Results

I worked the 7QP with Rusty, W6OAT.

Here's our work:

https://www.3830scores.com/showrumor.php?arg=BlaNzkygfimmj

                   7th Call Area QSO Party - 2023

Call: W6OAT

Operator(s): W6OAT W7BRS

Station: W6OAT

Class: M/S HP

QTH: WA

Operating Time (hrs): 17:00

Summary:

Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Dig Qs

----------------------------

  160:    7      0      0

  80:    58     14      0

  40:   220     46      0

  20:   287     65      0

  15:   100      3      0

  10:     0      0      0

    6:    0      0      0

    2:    0      0      0

----------------------------

Total:  672    128      0  Mults = 62  Total Score = 140,864

Club: Western Washington DX Club

Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/

Deep end of the pool

When Rusty W6OAT offered the chance for me to work the 7-area QSO Party this weekend from his QTH, I was honored.

I took him up on the offer.  I arrived very early Saturday May 6, 2023.  Rusty was already in the shack working CW on 40m for about 30 minutes after the start of the contest by the time I arrived.

We took a small break and he showed me where the essentials were - coffee and after getting a warm shot of Joe we were at the station and talked briefly about the strategy we would use.   We'd work CW first.

It was just a few minutes later when Rusty said, smiling, "Why don't you give it a try?"

Well, that is when I found myself in the deep end of the pool.  

I was using his rig and his software to call CQ on CW for 40 meters.   The key-presses of N1MM software were straight forward to figure out and soon I was dropping the call sign (W6OAT) and taking calls from all over the country and even some DX.

What I assumed was that I would work mostly SSB and Rusty would work CW, but that is not what happened -- and I am grateful.  I am grateful because the opportunty Rusty gave me was to work CW and keep working on that mode hour after hour.   At first I set the speed of the keyer to what I knew I could probably copy, 16-17 wpm.   Most stations came back to me at that speed -- so I had a good chance of copying most of their call.  Rusty helped me fill in the blanks during the exchanges.   I relied on Rusty's ear to pull out the call signs perectly but there is more to it than that.  The exchange, the tempo, the pattern all was what I was learning.

It wasn't only about recognizing the call signs, but also knowing when to recognize when to drop the call (again), or when to give the report ("59 WAKTP") for WA state and Kitsap County.  It was terrific fun to be able to get most of the call and log the contacts in the book.   We were on a roll soon.  100 QSO's then 200, and so on.  Then when the band conditions shifted during the day, we changed bands too.  We changed modes on the band.  I was able to use my new Heil Pro-7 and with the VOX work SSB --- I felt a little more comfortable with SSB, but to be honest I had the most fun working CW.  It is the mode that gave me the best experience.

I don't think I'll stop working CW contests.  The bug has bitten me. Pun intended.

Progress was getting better.  Soon I just had to turn up the speed, to 18 wpm then 19 wpm.   When I shifted to "hunt them down" (by clicking on the spot of the call, the rig and the antenna/amplifier system automatically tuned to that) and I was increasing the speed -- with confidence.

The unfortunate event was that the lower bands just started to get incredibly noisy (QSB, QRN).  The noise level was approaching S8-S9 at times.   Really difficult to copy, but Rusty was there to help fill in the blanks.

The other neat thing that happened was a lot of Rusty's friends came to work us when we called CQ, and offered an incidental 73 or "Hi Rusty" and it was nice to see a grin on his face with all of the friends coming to work his call.   

By the end of the run of the contest, we logged exactly 800 QSO and I think approximately 4/5ths of them were ALL CW.   We worked 160, 80, 40, 20 and 15 meters CW and SSB.   Our attempt to work 15 was also incredible too.  We logged over a 100 CW contacts there.   10 meters wasn't in shape to do us much good.

It's late now, after the end of the contest and I'm just really wiped out.  But I'm left with a great appreciation for the art of CW and contesting.   I have learned skills that really tested me.  I still have a long way to go, but I know it'll always be fun -- just as he told me it would be.  He was right.

I will have to check the calendar and find the next contest that involves CW.   I may not be able to wait for the WWDXC Salmon Run.  There has to be another contest or CW experience before that!

That's all for now.  I'll be re-summarizing this once I've had some time to digest all of the tutoring and gems of information that Rusty shared with me.

I hope you had fun working us, W6OAT.  And I hope you were OK with the mistakes I made trying to secure your call in the log.  I was working at fever pitch, but I think the log is nearly perfect.  Maybe a couple of broken calls only because I logged the wrong county.  But, we shall see when the logs are filtered by the 7-QP desk.

Oh and the other fun thing is that we worked the max DX (10) and we also worked 46-47 states.  We just missed SD, MS, and NM and one other I cannot remember.  We also worked almost all of the Canadian provinces.   Logs to come later.

Best 73!