[3830] CaQP W6R(W1NN) SOFixed LP

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                    California QSO Party

Call: W6R
Operator(s): W1NN
Station: WA6URY

Class: SOFixed LP
QTH: LANG
Operating Time (hrs): 24

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
--------------------
  160:            
   80:   132     0
   40:   220    19
   20:   287   214
   15:   247   181
   10:   145   116
    6:            
    2:            
--------------------
Total:  1031   530  Mults = 57  Total Score = 236,721

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

I operated from the station of Dan, WA6URY in Bellflower (LANG) using a remote
hookup from my home in Ohio.  So the radio and antennas were in California
while I was 1,900 miles away controlling things over the Internet.  It was
certainly one of the more interesting radio experiences I have had.

Dan has a great setup and I would like to thank him for making the station
available to me and helping me set things up over the two weeks prior to the
contest.  There was a lot to do to get ready for this.  
  
Dan has been doing remote for a couple of years now, and has been mentoring me
since I got involved about a year ago.  I am still at the basic level in which
I have figured out how to control a single radio with simple antennas and no
other bells and whistles â€" not even CAT control (except that I have managed
to set up Win-Test to key the radio).  Dan has a much more sophisticated
station with CAT as well as remotely controlled antenna rotators, antenna
switches, amplifiers, and other devices.  We are both using TS-480 radios (the
ones with detachable front panels) and the remote equipment and software
supplied by Remote Rig (www.remoterig.com). In order to operate the CQP using
his station, I would have to learn how to use all of these devices of his
(except for the amps).  

In getting ready for the contest, I had three problems.  First, Win-Test, my
regular contesting software, does not support the CQP, so I would have to use
N1MM, which I do not know well.  Second, I do not have an Internet connection
in the shack, and I would need two connections to do this contest (one for the
radio interface and one for the antenna rotator/witch interface), so I would
have to set up and operate in my office where my Internet connection and router
are.  Finally, 99% of my contesting is CW only, but there is no CW-only category
in the CQP, so I had to set things up for phone operation.  This was my biggest
headache.  Despite many hours of trying, the only microphone I could get to
work with Remote Rig was the handheld mic that came with the TS-480.  Worse, I
couldn’t get the wav files in N1MM to key the radio through Remote Rig.  So I
ended up making all of my phone contacts with my own voice while holding the
hand mic in my left hand and typing with my right hand.  That got old very fast
and I couldn't stand operating phone for very long at one time.

Things worked remarkably well in the contest.  About a dozen times the Internet
connection faltered for a few seconds, causing my sudden disappearance from the
frequency for 10-15 seconds, but I only lost the connection and had to reboot
one time.  There may have been a slight delay in my coming back to people but I
doubt that most people had any idea that I was not in California.

Conditions were pretty good on all bands (although 10 and 15 were long most of
the weekend) and activity was excellent.  I did not have an antenna for 160 or
75, but I don’t think this cost me much.  Strategy-wise, I was doing pretty
well on 20 SSB Saturday after dark (in Ohio, that is) so I didn’t QSY to 40
until 0130Z.  I probably should have been there an hour or two earlier.  I took
my off time in one block from 2 AM to 8 AM Ohio time.  I’m not sure if this
was the best strategy or not.

This was my second time doing the CQP from CA.  The first time was in 1992
when, as K8HVT, my friend Larry N2AZS and I traveled from NY to LAX, rented an
RV and operated mobile from five southern CA counties.  We had a blast and I've
been looking for an opportunity to return.  I never thought it would be 20 years
before I was able to do so, and I never expected that my next trip would be a
“virtual” one.  

Thanks again to WA6URY, the CQP sponsors, and all of the participants for a
great time. 

73, Hal W1NN


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