[CQ-Contest] Rules Question M2 CQ WW

Sat Oct 8 22:10:29 EDT 2016

I understand what is going on now.  Maybe it has always been this way.  
It seemed in the past that M2 and MS were much different than they are 
today.  Maybe I was just naive, maybe I still am.  I am still trying to 
wrap my small mind around the new definition of transmitter.

W0MU

On 10/8/2016 7:20 PM, Kimo Chun wrote:
> Mike,
>
> N1MMplus makes it easy to run M1, M2, and M/M and NO you are not limited to
> using only two physical transmitters in M2, but only two signal sources at
> a time, any two at your disposal in any combination you want.
>
> It sounds like Tom may be mixing M1 and M2. In M2 you may run
> simultaneously with both transmitters (any transmitter) each on its own
> band. Unless in his case, for some technical reason, they were forced to
> use the 2 radios (say on one desk) that are hardware interlocked and it
> somehow prevented using both transmitters at the same time on different
> bands as well. There is no reason to be running M2 and be restricted to
> running on one band while doing mults on the second.
>
> However, back to your question. At the KH6YY contest station (aka currently
> KH6J in multi-op, formerly KH7XX, KH7X, KH7R) we have 6 desks with one
> band/station per desk. Unfortunately, we've not gotten sophisticated enough
> to have two interlocked transmitters per band for various reasons. Since
> the original design brought all the antennas for their respective band to
> the specific band desk we ran M1 or M2 using all six transmitters. You used
> the transmitter for the band you wanted AT the designated band/desk. So you
> physically moved to the appropriate band/desk to use that equipment
> to search for and contact the mults. That's just the way it was. Not the
> most efficient but it worked.
>
> We networked 6 computers (all wirelessly, formerly wired)
> using N1MMplus adding a 7th Master computer and the software would keep
> track of Transmitter 1 or 2 logging but the OPON login by the operator
> forced them to select which of the two integrated log streams you were
> going to add to. Since we didn't change constantly and mostly ran it wasn't
> much of a problem to just have a moveable sign by the No 1 and one by the
> No. 2 transmitter. The op wanting to use a third position would ask to use
> one or the others run log stream for a 10 minute or longer mult chase. Or
> in the case of M2 we'd have to monitor the band changes per hour which, I
> believe, N1MM could indicate for you as well (at least time since last
> change or conversely time remaining). If both were stations were running
> the relieved operator would give up the sign to the new position if it made
> sense.
>
> We've since modified the station so we have two operating desks with access
> to all antennas through a common Array Solutions 4 x 8 pak. The 8 pak will
> not allow both desks onto the same antennas (i.e. band) unless we have a
> big operator error and go to the log periodic which would allow us to
> mirror the mono-banders. So far, nobody has been that unconscious. I could
> just unplug it for the duration but it serves as another antenna for
> searching for mults easily.
>
> The other 2 inputs go to another operating position at the other end of the
> room which is dedicated to two radios that Alex, KH6YY, uses as his
> everyday station (Desk 7).
>
> If we want to run full M/M we just disconnect the coax runs to the switch
> at each desk and hook in the band specific antennas directly to its
> respective desk. Our problem (more so when at a sunspot peak) is finding
> enough operators, let alone two at each desk should we decide to have more
> equipment.
>
> I hope I explained this alright.
> 73, Kimo KH7U  station manager
> KH6YY Contest Station
>
>
> Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2016 12:58:12 -0400
> From: Tom Haavisto <kamham69 at gmail.com>
> To: W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com>, CQ Contest
>          <cq-contest at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Rules Question M2 CQ WW
> Message-ID:
>          <CAKNnRU6RDVAB8_0bS_Aahg6LNUf4=Fses+ETRS6HHGfTtU4Q6w at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> I did an M2 at NQ4I a couple of years ago.  We had two radios per band, and
> a total of six radios.  Two radios per band interlocked - only one could
> transmit at a time (hardware interlock).  One run radio, one mult radio.
>
> When we did a band change - say "radio 1" was going from 10 to 20 meters.
> We would stop TX on 10 meters, designate 20 meters as "radio 1", and away
> we went with a different pair of radios.  That was one band change.
>
> With M2, you are assisted - allowed to look at the cluster.  We could line
> up 20 meter mults, ready to go when TX moved to 20.  Once we worked a bunch
> of mults of 20, we could then move back to 10 meters (ie radio 1), and this
> counted as band change # 2 for radio 1.
>
> This activity was independent of what "radio 2" was doing.
>
> The TX must be identified in the Cabrillo log file - radio 1 or radio 2.
> Logging software takes care of this.
>
> Does this help?
>
> Tom - VE3CX
>
>
>
> On Sat, Oct 8, 2016 at 11:40 AM, W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com> wrote:
>
>> I would like some clarification on the Multi 2 transmitter rule.
>>
>>  From the CQ WW Rules Website:
>>
>> *2. Two Transmitters (MULTI-TWO):* A maximum of two transmitted signals on
>> two different bands may be used at any time.
>>
>> The log must indicate which transmitter made each QSO.
>>
>> Each transmitter may make a maximum of 8 band changes in any clock hour
>> (00 through 59 minutes).
>>
>> Total output power must not exceed *1500 watts* on any band at any time.
>>
>>
>> Line one says Two transmitters.  Does this really mean just two
>> transmitters per the contest period?  Rig 1 and Rig 2 and you can have as
>> many receivers as you want and operators but all contacts need to be made
>> using rig 1 and rig 2?
>>
>> W0MU
>>
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