[3830] ARRL Dig NN7SS(K6UFO) SO2R-24 QRP

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                    ARRL Digital Contest - 2022

Call: NN7SS
Operator(s): K6UFO
Station: NN7SS

Class: SO2R-24 QRP
QTH: WA
Operating Time (hrs): 24
OpMode: SO2R
Remote Operation

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:     
   40:  139
   20:  452
   15:  328
   10:     
    6:     
------------
Total:  919  Total Score = 8,055

Club: Northern California Contest Club

Comments:

I'm glad the ARRL is sponsoring an international digital contest.
I'm glad there was a lot of international participation.
I did my best, spending the effort to setup SO2R and operate all 24 hrs. 
That said, the contest design and FT* sequences have room for improvement.

Contest design of "no mults, just add distance points," made for a
long 
slog with no kicks of excitement by a bnew multiplier. Contest design that 
highly supercharged for distance gave the geographically isolated stations 
like PY, KH6, ZL and VK a large advantage. A PY station earns 20 points 
for a USA contact, while in the USA I can barely get 8 points. Interesting, 
but I'm not sure it motivates me to participate from the USA.

The FT* sequences are less than optimal for contesting, and inconsistent 
application of the calling, exchanges and acknowlegments was a mess, 
even before the regular watering holes were overrun when the contest 
segments ran out of participation. As a QRP operator, I will note that 
when everyone is packed into the same 2.5 kHz, there is terrible QRM, 
interference and the noise floor rises do that fewer weak stations can 
be copied. But nobody wants to spread out, they want to be where the 
signals are.

My remote station had a lot of changes the week before the contest, and I 
spent a lot of time getting my single remote radio, a Flex 6600, to operate 
remote SO2R, using external antenna switches on the ANT 1 and 2 outputs,
and using two PCs running Writelog and Digirite software. By design, the 
Flex 6600 is interlocked and cannot transmit on more than one band at a 
time. I have previously calibrated the Flex and external KPA1500 wattmeters 
so I can stay QRP. (Yes, the KPA1500 was in standby.) Once setup, the 
Flex 6600 worked well. Writelog was flawless, Digirite had a few hiccups, 
mostly trying to deal with me trying to deal with the inconsistent use 
of FT8. My job was to connect up and keep everything working, click on 
callsigns, and step in when the sequencer got stuck, like 50% of the time 
in the regular FT8 watering holes.

As QRP, I anticpated lower points (shorter distances), but it became 
apparent how extremely distance oriented the scoring was. As QRP, I 
expected it to be difficult to be heard, but inside the first 2.5 kHz was 
pure QRM. Outside the segment was crickets... I operated from the start 
for 12 hrs, slept a few hours, and operate a second 12 hours to the end. 
I saw almost no activity on 10m, and 40m stayed good late enough that 
I didn't need to go QRP on 80m. No interest in 6m or 160m for QRP c
ontesting. At an average rate almost 40/hr I don't think any USA QRP o
perator can do much better in a FT contest until the QRM is cleared and 
the exchange procedures improved. My NIL rate and penalties will be huge, 
but that's almost all a design problem. I know all about FT operating, a
nd ACK issues, and log checking, and I can't "just be more careful" 
without eliminating QSOs that ought to be in the log. It is a
"design issue" - not a problem of my skill or how careful I am. 

Nice to have a new contest from the ARRL, but the scoring, and the FT8 
procedures, need ahhh... adjustment.  Maybe I will be back again next year.

NN7SS(K6UFO) 

One Flexradio 6600 at 5 watts, two PCS running Writelog and DigiRite. 
15m, 20m: GXP 3 element yagi at 72 feet, C3 2 element yagi at 48 ft.
40m: GXP 2 element yagi at 72 feet.


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