ARRL DX Contest, CW - 2020
Call: W4LT
Operator(s): W4LT
Station: W4LT
Class: SO Unlimited LP
QTH: WCF
Operating Time (hrs): 3
Remote Operation
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160: 0 0
80: 9 9
40: 50 27
20: 61 30
15: 0 0
10: 0 0
-------------------
Total: 120 66 Total Score = 23,760
Club: Florida Contest Group
Comments:
Rig: Flex6400 in my garage + Maestro and computer on dining room table
Ant: 2 half waves in phase 40/dipole 80 @ 38ft - A3S @ 40ft - W6LVP Loop for low
band receive (80/40)
First attempt at doing a contest via remote to simulate "real" remote
operation via the internet to gain experience with operating the rig remotely.
My setup was as follows:
- Control point is my Dining Room table, Radio is in my Garage shack
- Maestro plus N1MMLogger+ computer on local LAN through a 5 port 100BT switch
- Switch connected to Netgear LB110 Cellular data modem via Ethernet
- Cellular modem to Cell Tower to AT&T NOC to Spectrum Cable NOC
- Spectrum cable to my house router
- Router to GigE switch
- GigE switch to Flex6400 in my shack's normal operating position
Sort of the long way to go the 25 yards from the Dining Room to the shack. But
this is the "real world" environment for operating the FlexRadio
remotely.
For Contesting operation, dealing with the latency of network connections takes
a little getting used to. You send CW and half a second later the transmitter
transmits. Full QSK not possible. I learned that the internal Semi-Break In
delay on the 6400 is not reliable, kept getting a hung MOX light (this is a
known problem with the SmartSDR V3 software). Able to work around it by setting
the Maestro for straight key operation and using a MicroHam CW Keyer to key the
Maestro. This (wonder of wonders!!!) allows sidetone on both local paddles
through the MicroKeyer and via N1MM F-Key keying!
Search and pounce is no different than when using a locally controlled rig,
although the latency does take some adaptation on how to sequence a QSO.
Running is another thing all together. The latency does mean that the turnover
time from multiple callers usually results in missing the first character or two
of a caller. So if you worked me and saw me call tail enders, now you know why.
First in the pileup with a station operating remote is not conducive to winning
the pileup.
MOX light lock ups happen a lot and they are very annoying in S&P and
disastrous in Run. Figured out that, to work around this, connecting the
MicroKeyer's PTT line and letting it deal with the TX to RX switching instead of
the Maestro's Semi-Break In delay helped a lot, but every once in a while, the
MOX light would stick and the radio stayed in TX at the turnover.
With my small antennas, the 6400'ds receiver worked fine, although using the
AGC-T control to reduce signal levels, especially on 20 with the tribander,
helped the receiver a bit. The point and click functionality of Waterfall Band
Map on N1MMLogger+ is wonderful for S&P. As in my other operations, never
needed to touch the radio at all (except when the MOX stuck on).
Learning to deal with this remote stuff. Someday, I will need it to operate from
an Assisted Living facility hi hi.
Good signals on 40 and 80, but 20 was really hot for me, much less "CQ in
my face" by other stations there. No rotor control (yet... next integration
challenge!) so the tribander was fixed on EU.
Thanks for the points. Learning Remote Contesting the "hard way".
We *REALLY* shouldn't schedule contests on Valentine's Day weekend. Leaves
little time for Butt in Chair and pisses of the XYL.
Lu W4LT
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