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CQ WPX RTTY!!

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We are trying to put together a multi-operator, two-transmitter effort at W1AN for the WPX RTTY contest Feb 10-12. This is the same contest we are talking about winning and setting a new world record for at NP3U next year.

If we are to be prepared for the NP3U effort we need everyone who is interested in going to get involved, starting next week. Feb 2013 is a year away but there’s lots to do and only a few RTTY contests to work and practice with.

Many hands were raised when I asked who is interested in going. Now it’s time to see who’s really interested and to begin assembling a team. This is the first step. Please comment below if you’re able to put in the time. And please participate in the conversation in the WPX RTTY forum – everyone has something valuable to add or a good question to ask.

73,

Pat, NG1G

15 comments on “CQ WPX RTTY!!”

  1. Pat and John,
    For the contest, I will be available on Friday evening (after say 2200 local). Also, I can put in time all day Saturday and into the evening. I will need to disappear in the early Sunday morning (0300, 0400). I can then come back on Sunday afternoon.
    In the preparation category, I’m available when needed. This Saturday after the luncheon I can make some time. And then next week, I can adjust my schedule to help get the operating positions set up, software loaded and running. I also need to learn how to stack call signs.
    Are we going to use John’s smaller computers that we’d talked about using? I believe they are all using the same operating system (XP) so networking them should be less of a problem.
    What’s our backup plan if everything (N1MM Logger) crashed during the contest?
    73, Mike, K1DM

  2. I have the entire contest blacked out on my calendar so I’m prepared to be there when we have gaps, and as much other time as my endurance will allow. I’ll help out with prep as my calendar allows.

  3. I am seriously considering joining the gang at W1AN for this effort rather than operating from home. I can also bring along my K3 if we want to have an “all K3” set up to familiarize more operators with the K3 if that is agreeable with the leadership of this effort. I could bring it down on Thursday and get it set up. Friday is my b-day and my family is taking me out for dinner so I wouldn’t be able to get there for the start, but could come down *early* in the morning on Saturday and spend the rest of the weekend there. It is an hour and 20 min drive each way for me, so I am not going to commute. 🙂

    All of this assumes that the “cold bug” that’s got a hold of me now has run its course bu then.

    73, Ken K3IU

  5. Ken,

    I think your idea is an excellent one, and thank you for your willingness to lend your rig to the effort at John’s. Using the K3 takes a little getting used to, and if we take one or two with us to NP3U everyone will need to be proficient with its operation.

    Get lots of rest and drink plenty of water, and hopefully you’ll be right as rain come Thursday at the latest.

    73,
    Pat, NG1G

  6. Thanks Ken for the offer. If you decide to bring it don’t forget the cables! FSK or AFSK? And powers supply for the K3. This morning I lowered the inverted Vee for 80 and added a little length to bring it into the low end of 80 for RTTY and I added three feet to the 80 meter vertical for the same reason. All the antennas look good. I also did a hike over to the farm to the north with my vhf handheld which has the AM aircraft band and found one noise source. I did some quick tweeks to the electric fence wiring and now instead of a steady S8 noise level on most HF bands I am down to an S3 or S4. I need to spend it looks like almost a full 10-12 hours there in the next couple of weeks. The place has not seen any proper maintenance in years. The fence posts are rotted, leaning and everything is a patch job. Now that the noise has been reduced some other sources are discernible. BTW, not all electric fences give you that once a second pulse. The ones I am seeing mostly are the constant charge fences. Constant charge = steady noise.You can live with some of the noise on CW and RTTY, but the phone contests are coming up and that’s a different story.

    I am currently trying to clean up the shack.

  7. QSL, John. I’ll bring all the cables for CAT and FSK. I’m assumin’ that your puters have 2 serial ports (you gonna use the RTTY meisters?). I’ll also bring my l’il PS and power cable for the K3 and the cable for the keyout to the amp . Again, I’m assuming that it is a standard RCA connector. I don’t plan to bring any coax unless you want me to.

    Glad to hear that you made some progress with the noise source.

    Will Thursday be all right to bring everything over and set it up?? Morning or afternoon???

    Ken

  8. Ken, very good on the schedule. I will be here and will have my cell phone. We’ll use the HP PC’s. They have bokoo cereal ports. The RTTY Meisters will need some work to get ready for NP3U. Probably bring three. One is already down there.
    I thought I would give an update on locating some more radio noise. This evening I completed a temporary mobile install of my FT100 to do a drive around to find nasty number 2 noise NN2N. As you go up to higher frequencies you can close in on the noise location considerably. I did locate a strong RF noise source readable at least to 50MHz for either a house or nearby utility pole on the the road south of me about 1/2 a mile. Methinks it’s a bad consumer device as I don’t see much hardware on the power pole nearby. I’ll let you know what I discover tomorrow in the daylight. I hope I don’t get a shotgun in the face when I knock on a door. The noise is S9 at the bottom of the 80M band in the shack on both 80M antennas.
    John, W1AN

  10. Sure hope that you are able to find/cure the source of that noiwe. We gotta remember that RTTY only allowed below 3600.

    I’m guessing that you are planning on using your AL 1200s and I don’t need to bring my KPA 500.

    Oh… and Pat… it’s “Oot-Fray Oops-Lay.” I’ll bring a banana. :-))

    Ken

  11. To all:
    I will not be able to participate in the WPX RTTY fun at W1AN this weekend.
    I will operate from home using the call NA1QP.
    Sunday will be my strongest effort, but I’ll be casually on all weekend.
    I’m installing a 80 m 2 element phased vertical array on Satuday.
    It is end fire to EU/VK with 1/4 wave spacing.
    Simple switching from the shack.

    Hopefully it will work.

    The next few weeks are very busy radio-wise. Good luck to all at W1AN’s.

    73
    Dave
    W1CTN
    Radio Ansonia

  12. This is an update to the noise problem. So far I’ve been unable to meet the homeowner to help locate the noise source coming from his house. You cannot believe the strength of the interference from his house. I did leave a note under his side door handle with an explanation of the problem and my phone number. I would guess probably he already knows there is an issue but has no idea of how bad it is. It would be impossible to listen to an AM radio there.

    Late last night until about 9:00am this morning the noise had not disappeared but diminished considerably. So I am thinking the cause might be time of day or weather related. There is a satellite dish on the roof exposed to the sun… Who knows?

    John, W1AN

  13. Dave we’ll try to work you on all bands! And let us know how that 80 array works out. Most importantly, have fun.

    John, W1AN

  14. Good news! The source of the noise has been found to be an aquarium lamp. It’s an expensive fixture. The owner will try a few things to see if he can eliminate the noise. I left a power strip with him to try. It has capacitors for some noise elimination. The real answer of course is to replace the lighting fixture or its BY made ballast.
    Being narrow banded the RTTY operation should be OK for the weekend. Noise fixed or not.

    Ken K3IU and Mike K1DM are currently putting the finishing touches on the F Key macros. Ken brought over and setup the second station with his K3. It should be a fun weekend.

    John, W1AN

  15. NA1QP (W1CTN) POST ACTION REPORT
    Band QSOs Pts WPX
    3.5 34 102 16
    7 111 376 70
    14 170 395 142
    21 125 236 87
    28 36 88 35
    Total 476 1197 350

    Score : 418,950

    Approx 10 hrs of operation
    Jury still out on the vertical array

    I did have a Murphy visit. My rotor jammed on me. I forgot not to “park” it South.
    The square footage of a Ham 4 is 15 SF max. With the new 40 meter rotary I’m sure I am at that.
    So I have to watch what I do…and I didn’t !!!

    There was no way to get to it on Sunday afternoon, so I was ticked off. Then I remember reading somewhere that you can “bypass” the limit switches to un-jam a Tail Twister. I found the acticle online
    so this is what you do.

    Tail Twister…Ham 4 not much different and I had nothing to lose.

    On the rear terminal strip
    Jumper screw 4 to screw 6 for CCW movement
    Jumper screw 5 to screw 8 for CW movement

    It worked…just thought I would share that and save our Tower Climber (NG1G) from another drive to Radio Ansonia.

    73
    Dave
    W1CTN…aka NA1QP…aka K1C in May
    Radio Ansonia

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