Looks like everyone had a lot of fun in the recent CQ WPX CW contest! There were some big scores turned in by SCCCers, and several commented about how late 20m remained open to Europe on that Friday night.

SCCC #1 finished 10th in team scoring in the January, 2018 NAQP SSB contest. Team members KI6RRN, WN6K, N6WT, W6AFA and K6LA put up 313,891 points on the board. Our friends up north, NCCC #1 took top honors.

CQWW DX contest results are out.
In the SSB contest, W6TK, W6AFA and K6NA finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively in the 6th District all band, high power category. N6RV took the top spot in 6-land in the all band, low power catetory. WN6K was second. W6PH was tops in the all band, high power, assisted category. N6WIN and W6YI were 3rd and 4th respectively.

In the CW contest, SCCC placed 7th in the USA in the club category. Nice job, all! W6YA took 1st place, 6th District on 21 MHz. N6RV took 1st in the all band, low power category in 6-land. W6PH took 1st in all band, high power, assisted.

Full write-ups and line scores can be found on the CQWW web site.

The SCCC has won the Medium Club category in the 2018 ARRL January VHF contest! Five entrants put together 563K to take the gavel. PVRC was second (31 entrants, 406K points). N6NB won the Classic Rover category running 11 bands and visiting 10 grids. Wayne has now been contesting for more than 60 years! W6TE was second in the category. W6IT won the Southwestern Division Single Operator Low Power category. Meanwhile, KG6IYN set a new national record in the FM Only category! Congrats to all!

W6YI and team won the Multi-Op HP category of the 2017 ARRL November Sweepstakes Phone contest. W6AFA was the Southwestern Division winner Single Op, High Power. KK6ABZ won in the Southwestern Division QRP category. NX6T (op KK6NON) won the Southwestern Division Single Op Unlimited HP category.

In the 2017 ARRL 160 Meter Contest, K6NA placed fourth in the West Coast Region and tops in the SOHP category in the Southwestern Division.

The television sitcom LAST MAN STANDING featuring Tim Allen as Mike Baxter, KA0XTT (Tim's show call sign--his real call is KK6OTD) was cancelled by ABC in May, 2017. The show has been picked up by and will return on Fox this coming season. While Mike is not a contester on the show, nor is his show station shown all that much, any exposure on a national TV show is good exposure. And who hasn't strained to see if their QSL card is on his wall? (I'm guilty!) Tim and his TV crew were influenced by a crew member to get their amateur radio licenses. Does Tim get on the air and work us mere mortals? Of course he does!

Many of you have undoubtedly heard about the new Elecraft KPA1500 amplifier. The April, 2018 issue of CQ Magazine has a nice writeup on the amp written by W9KNI. Bob makes mention of things like small size, quiet operation, 32 watts drive for full 1.5 KW output, seamless intergration with the K3 transceiver, and a feature he really liked. The K3 can go automatically to a different preset power setting (typically 100 watts) when the amplifier is switched to standby.


Speaking of ham gear, Kenwood announced the new TS-890S at the Dayton Hamvention last month. The new transceiver sports a 7 inch TFT display, healthy receiver specs, and what appears to be a clean and easy to use front panel layout. Kenwood is billing this rig as "Best Performance for your DX life." This type of thing usually means great for contesting as well. Some dealers are now taking order reservations.

Yaesu also announced a new transceiver at Dayton, the FTDX101D SDR. And yes, it is an SDR radio with front panel knobs and buttons. Like the TS-890S, it has a large front panel display. The radio is designed with contesters in mind, harking back to the legendary FT-101 days. Look closely at the picture and you will see two front panel USB ports! Like the 890, some amateur outlets are already accepting order reservations.

According to an ARRL article, ICOM also debuted it's 7610 transceiver at Dayton. It too has a 7 inch display, something that is becoming more common in advanced transceivers. The 7610, like the FT-101D, is an SDR radio. And again, some outlets are taking order reservations. Both the 101D and the 7610 are not yet FCC Type Accepted and thus not available for sale in the USA as of yet.

From a CQ NEWS RELEASE:
The 2018 inductees to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame are:
    Andy Blank, N2NT - Nominated by the Frankford Radio Club, Andy has been the director of the CQ World Wide 160-Meter DX Contest for the past decade. A world-class contester with wins stretching back to 1979, Andy has also competed in five Word Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) competitions and was Director of Competition for WRTC-2014, held in Massa- chusetts. He is also a member of the advisory board of the World Wide Radio Operators' Foundation (WWROF).
    Tom Wagner, N1MM - Nominated by both the Yankee Clipper Contest Club and the Northern California Contest Club, Tom is best known for his development of and ongoing upgrades to the N1MM Logger, which has become the world's most popular contest logging software. The program supports more than 240 different con- tests, multiple operating modes and integration with any number of transceivers and station accessories. Tom now leads a team of developers who are developing further en- hancements and were recognized with the YASME Excellence Award in 2015.
    The CQ Contest Hall of Fame was established in 1986 to recognize those amateurs who have made major contributions to the art of radio contesting. This year's inductions bring the total number of members of the CQ Contest Hall of Fame to 71.
br> Should SCCC sponsor a contest plaque? I've floated this idea back in the 1980s as a Club officer, and I float it again now. I think we should. It's a way to give back to the contesting community. As a sponsor, we have a lot of options. We could sponsor an open plaque (that is, one needing a sponsor) in one of the major contests, domestic or world-wide. Or we could focus on a plaque awarded to a Southern California contester in a contest we choose. I've long thought we are missing in the California QSO Party, but I've had the same thought about some DX contests. We're better than this. Today, we don't sponsor any plaques at all as a club. Plaques cost about $80-$100 these days. AT $100, if 20 of us gave back $5 to the contesting community every year, we'd be in. I suspect most of us can afford five bux. Heck, skip one Starbucks or one time out at the fast food joint, and we're good. Some of us potentially could afford more. And believe you me, having myself donated in recent years to some things I care about (including amateur radio), putting in $10 or $20 (maybe more?) to a contest plaque (you wouldn't have read this far if you weren't interested in contesting) would go a long way. Sure, we get the SCCC name some recognition, but much more importantly, we reward a contester for a job well done. And encourage him or her to come back next year. And the year after that. A win-win in my humble opinion! Email me (webmaster) if you have thoughts on this subject and/or would like to contribute.

W6KY SK. SCCC sends its condolences to the family and friends of Art, W6KY. Art passed away last month. Services were held May 25 at Miramar National Cemetery.

Coming up:

June 9-11
The ARRL VHF Contest. With Sporadic-E season in full swing, 6 meters will likely be alive and kicking! FT8 on 50.313 will undoubtedly be the place to be, but CW, SSB, JT modes and even MSK144 should provide plenty of action. And don't forget the bands ABOVE 6 meters!

June 16-17
All Asian CW. Arguably, the west coast has a bit of an advantage versus the rest of the country in this one. And it's a lot of fun to work all of the Asian contesters on the other side of the Pacific!

June 16
Kids Day. Invite one or more kids to your QTH and show them how fun amateur radio is! If nothing else, get on the air and work the kids! They love it! Some will be motivated to get their own license and some day get a station of their own. It's these little things that got us all hooked!

June 23-24
ARRL Field Day. Many say "this is not a contest." But don't tell the SCCC that. Back in the day, the SCCC rolled out and put on full blown efforts, often winning their chosen category by a landslide. Whether you participate in a group that way, or just to have fun, do get out there with a local club and have a good time. Do some mentoring if you are joining a club effort where that club normally doesn't do any contesting. Most importantly, be a good ambassador of amateur radio!

Reminder. If you have station updates, pictures, your new ham web site, upcoming build or contest plans, etc, please send them to me for consideration in this space. Maybe you picked up a new rig, antenna, or accessory recently or would like to submit an equipment review. Let's get active, shall we?

73 for now,
--Dennis NE6I

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Over the past several years, I have made X-band contacts into Nevada and Arizona as well as up to Mt. Shasta in Northern California with this same basic set-up. One recently announced operating award has raised the interest of HF'ers in (Maidenhead System) grid squares, but VHF / UHF / microwave have been chasing them for decades. This past weekend brought my 3 cm grid square total up to 19.

Any of you who have had the opportunity to work with one of N6NB's loaner rover stations have had a taste of what the microwave bands can do. So, while you're waiting for sunspots to return . . .

Marty N6VI

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Station assets include an Elecraft K3 running up to 100w, a Cushcraft A3 tribander fixed NW (USA/JA), a Cushcraft A4 fixed NE (EU), and a 160M OCF wire antenna. All antennas are mounted on a Rohn 45G 80 foot tower. A rotatable mulit-band antenna is planned in coming months. There is fiberoptic internet service to the site. All HH2AA contacts are uploaded to LOTW almost immediately and QSL cards can requested from NR6M. The grid square is FK38uk.

Pictures and additional information about the station can be found at these URLs:

https://www.qrz.com/db/hh2aa and
http://www.remotehamradio.com/2017/04/hh2aa-is-back/ and
http://www.remotehamradio.com/2017/12/hh2aa/

I sincerely thank the owners of RHR for providing this unique opportunity to test drive HH2AA during the 2018 ARRL DX Phone contest. The original plan was to set the station up at the site of my own future 'remote' at KU2C/3 in Finland, PA. As you will read below adapting to rapidly changing circumstances can be an important part of this game we call contesting.

Timeline of Events Leading Up to Operating HH2AA:

Tuesday 2/21 Received the green light from RHR to use HH2AA during the ARRLDX Phone Contest.

Wednesday 2/22 Determined my 15 year old Dell laptop lacks the necessary horsepower to handle the task.

Saturday 2/24 KU2C comes up with a more powerful laptop and extra monitor (Thanks Pete!)

Tuesday 2/27 Lee, WW2DX at RHR and Pete, KU2C run proof of concept tests - everything works!

Thursday 3/1 Set station up at KU2C's QTH using my K3S. Test several microphones. Dial in the VOX settings. Integrate Win-Test. Everything is ready to go! My K3S and Win-Test control the K3 at HH2AA perfectly. Make 100 contacts to get the feel for remote operation. Leave KU2C that evening feeling totally upbeat.

Friday 3/2 10:30 a.m. Impact of a predicted major coastal storm begins to be felt by mid-morning. Snow and high winds start to make travel by automobile difficult.

3/2 11:59 a.m. KU2C sends a text to tell me he's lost commercial power due to downed trees. Estimated time to repair unknown (repairs were not made until late Sunday afternoon). Concurrently, while on the FRC Slack Chat Channel, developed a Plan B - I'll travel the 37 miles to KU2C, pick up station, and relocate to K3WW who has emergency power and internet.

3/2 2:30 p.m. Set off on the trek to KU2C/3 allowing several extra hours for possible travel difficulties. My projected ETA is 5 p.m.

3/2 5:35 p.m. Lee at RHR calls to tell me connectivity to HH2AA has been lost. It is a local Internet Service Provider (ISP) problem on Haiti. Tech will visit site in the morning. We discuss possible operation using another RHR site within FRC club territory until fate of HH2AA is known.

3/2 6:30 p.m. Have now been on the road for four hours and advanced just 25 miles. Have seen over a dozen cars and school buses off the road, many snapped utility poles, downed power lines, uprooted trees, experienced blizzard whiteout conditions, and most importantly have yet to find a plowed or treated road surface. Traffic is at a total standstill in the area of Perkesie, PA. Routes 313 and 113 are parking lots.

3/2 6:40 to 7:10 p.m. Take refuge in a restaurant and have dinner. Nothing is going well as you can tell.

3/2 7:15 p.m. Back on the road. Finally find a way to get beyond a major hill that has prevented me from reaching KU2C, only to be detoured again twice by downed trees and wires.

3/2 9:30 p.m. After seven hours finally reach KU2C in Finland, PA. We load the station into my car and I set off for K3WW. Immediately encounter another blocked road - tree down. Will this horror show ever end?

3/2 10:25 p.m. Reach K3WW. Driveway is blocked by nearly three feet of piled up snow. Call RHR. All NY stations are now off the network due to storm related problems (no power, no internet, etc.) Decide to drive home to NJ. You can't fight mother nature.

3/2 11:55 p.m. Arrive home after over 9+ hours of travel. Road conditions magically improved as I crossed the bridge between PA into NJ. Contemplate what to do in the morning.

Saturday 3/3 9:00 a.m. Talk to Lee at RHR. Technician has been dispatched by ISP to diagnose problem. ETA on-site is unknown. No guarantee internet service will be restored. Consider going to the W2CG M2. Set the station up (laptop and K3) on the dining room table "just in case" connectivity is restored.

3/3 2:00 p.m. Lee calls from RHR. HH2AA is back up on the network. EUREKA! We run through the setup procedure and quickly discover the ISP technician had mistakenly reset a critical on-site RHR router that was configured to provide external rig control and logging program support. No way to resolve this problem until Monday.

3/3 2:20 p.m. The only option left - use the basic RHR functionality regularly available on their station control page which provides antenna selection, band and mode selection, PTT, basic frequency control and tuning, output power monitor, a beta version voice keyer, and a basic logging program.

3/3 2:22 p.m. I weight my options and immediately decide I'll go forward with the operation. Being DX is far more fun than being a W2 during this event.

3/3 2:29 p.m. Began operating on 21.420. Called CQ just once. Instant pileup - the power of being a needed multiplier is immediately demonstrated.

The Operating Experience

Starting a contest nearly 20 hours late dictates some mental adjustment and recalculation of goals. I'd missed the entire first night (80 and 40 meter prime time) and most of the best running hours on 15M the first day. Came to the conclusion the best score I could hope for would be achieved by simply running on the band with the best rate and not worrying at all about multipliers (hoping they would find me). Besides, without contest logging software I was operating "blind" with no idea of what multipliers were needed on a band or how many contacts I might have on any band at any point in time. No contest software also meant no access to Super Check Partial to confirm call signs. At least I wouldn't be manual logging. :-)

It took a few hours to get comfortable operating without what over the years have become basic tools. I was probably bothered most by not having VOX. Have never been a foot switch guy and having to manually press the CTRL button (PTT) on thekeyboard for every transmission took some adjustment. The other thing I probably missed most was not being able to move between log entry fields by pressing the space bar key ... something I've done for over forty years using CT, NA, Win-Test and other loggers. It took several hours to automatically press the 'Tab' key after entering a call ... but it took concentration! Later on into the contest having to enter report data for EVERY contact (no report pre-fills after working a station on another band) became rather tedious.

Being the only station active from Haiti certainly attracted a crowd. It's probably been a decade or more since I've had Aruba all to myself in a major contest. I knew what to expect and was prepared for the massive initial response. This was one of the reasons I decided to proceed with the operation even with a somewhat limited tool set... I'm a rate junkie at heart and the prospect of big pileups was terribly appealing!

Needless to say I was not disappointed. The first five hours on 20M Saturday afternoon were consistent 150 hours ... the adrenaline rush was spectacular. Then as I transitioned to 40M and then 80M the pileups continued to be impressive considering I'm running just 100 watts to a 160M OCF wire through an auto tuner. It was heaven!

The only serious shortcoming of the station is the noise from the solar inverter system which covers 160 meters with S9 garbage. The RHR guys think they have a fix but it will have to wait until their next visit. On CW this racket is less disruptive when using narrow filtering. Only K3WW made it through on Top Band in a 'move' QSO from 80M. I tuned a few times, thought I heard K3LR and W3LPL CQing, but never well enough to attempt a QSO.

The Sunday morning sunrise run on 80 and then 40 was better than I had expected but then the morning doldrums set in. Both 20 and 15 opened to EU from the US which forced those of us to the south to take a back seat. The rate dropped like a rock - 20 an hour was the norm until about 1800 when the floodgates opened on 15M, yielding an exciting 177 hour - my best of the contest.

I set up a cluster window on a 2nd laptop during the slow period Sunday morning and watched ten meter call outs all day. Never saw a single spot for the HI8 or KP4 guys so had low expectations for an opening but kept trying some CQs from time to time each hour. There simply was never propagation from HH to the US - disappointing to say the least.

So what about the internet latency issue? To tell you the truth it was rarely noticeable. At times the internet would burp or my laptop would become over burdened and slow down, but this never stopped me from making contacts. Sometimes I'd simply hit a key that I shouldn't have on the keyboard and I'd end up disconnected and would need to restart. But in general, I found remote operation very easy and not all that different than the real thing. Using PTT, I had to be somewhat careful not to let up on the CTRL button too soon, otherwise the final "A" in HH2AA would get cut off (suspect if I had VOX working correctly this would have been a non-issue). No one complained that my audio was unintelligible at any point. And probably most important of all I felt LOUD most of the time. The HH2AA location is a winner.

Post Contest

When the bell rang at 2359 UTC I had absolutely no idea how I'd done in my 23 hours of on time. The RHR logger doesn't have a contact counter so the total number of QSOs logged was unknown. Monday morning Lee at RHR sent me a file of ADIF contact records. It was apparent there were almost 2,500 contacts but work was needed to create a log in valid Cabrillo format. During the contest I'd mistakenly entered report data in the wrong log entry field for about 400 contacts near the start, and without an edit check, throughout the weekend at least 50 section abbreviations were entered wrong but still accepted. These are minor things really, but time consuming to fix manually. I used a freeware converter to migrate from ADIF to Cabrillo format records. Fellow FRCer KE2D helped me correct some record format errors. Finally by late Monday evening, (early Tuesday morning), I had a log file I could load on Win-Test and obtain statistics. As expected 20M was my big band but I was impressed by the 40 meter multiplier total given the limited time spent there. I can't help but wonder what the score could have been if the original setup that had worked so well Thursday afternoon were available all weekend.

Bottom line, to me the HH2AA remote operation was an unqualified success despite the 19 hour delayed start and not having basic accessories. I'd love to do it again. Thanks RHR for this opportunity and for your first class support every step of the way!

73,

John, W2GD aka P40W/P44W

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