CQ WPX MultiFlex Use

Craig K9CT

The MultiFlex has been tested in a contest environment. This is our contest report for the CQ WPX  SSB contest

Call: K9CT
Operator(s): AB9YC K9CT K9QQ KD9LSV NJ9R W9YES WT2P 
Station: K9CT

Class: M/2 HP
QTH: IL
Operating Time (hrs): 48 
Location: USA

Summary:   Compare Scores
BandQSOs
160:48
80:754
40:1836
20:1351
15:85
10:3
Total:4077 Prefixes1141

Total Score10,432,163

 

Comments:  Slow start as the storms moved in just as the contest started. Rained for hours with a 3 inch accumulation. The rain static and lighting QRN made for some slow times. After that, things started to improve for us. 

 We had three new operators on the team this year, Relu, NJ9R, Connor, KD9LSV and David, W9YES. Both Connor and David are Bradley University students and members of their ham radio club. Connor stayed the entire 48 hours and did some serious contesting! David had a senior project that needed his attention and just stayed for a few hours. They all contributed to the team effort and we appreciate their time at the station. 

 Prop seemed slower for us in the first 15 hours or so. After that, we had better luck with QSO rate and multipliers. Like others have noted, the bands were crowded and there was little wiggle room to run. 

 We tried something new this time. We were using an Alpha software version of FlexRadio V3.0 for multiFlex. This allowed us to use two Maestros on one 6600 per station into a PGXL amplifier. This is no different in one respect from having two radios interlocked, but only one radio to do the same thing. The main advantage was that we could interleave on the same stack and listen on a RX antenna full duplex giving us more gain. We would have to use outboard relays with any other setup to do the same thing. (Note that it would be easy to remote any of the clients) 

Mike-VA3MW

Craig, that is amazing.

Others, take a moment and read carefully what they actually did.  Very impressive.

Mike_N1MD

Awesome performance, Craig!
Excellent demonstration of the potential for the multiFlex strategy and the PGXL amplifier as well.

Kudos
Mike N1MD

John KB4DU

How did you coordinate the multi users of the same radio? I'm having a hard time conceptualizing(?) how 2 can both run, or 1 run and 1 s/p?

Chris DL5NAM

Yes please, tell us how you have done in practice.  Specially if your running station have a run with 200-250  Q's. How you guys use then Mutliflex for Multiplier search and work? Not asking about bandpass filtering, antenna switching and s.o.

 I was world winner in this contest as Multi/2 before man years - i am not a beginner. Will never stop learning to improving.

73 Chris
DL5NAM

ZENKI

WPX is a pure rate contest. If the main radio is running at 200-250 Q/hour, the second op should not be chasing multi. In this case the second op should be listening on a separate antenna, pointed in a different antenna or with a different polarization, and helping the main operator with hard to hear stations.

Craig K9CT

Hi Chris

The partner station should not be interrupting the run station when the rate is high especially in WPX. However, this was the first opportunity to test the MultiFlex and it worked.

Partner station only works multipliers when the rate slows and interleaves with the run station. They should only call stations that can be worked on the first call. As the rate slows, then the partner station will call any unworked station to clear out the band. 

Operating in the US is not the same as EU, especially in the midwest. Our only advantage in most contests is working more multipliers than our competition. 

When we had a lot of sunspots, we operated M/M. It was a lot of fun!

73, Craig K9CT

KI4P

My question also. In my feeble mind I can't comprehend how they Coordinate the use. If a video was made to demonstrate, that would be awesome, I'm a visual guy!

Craig K9CT

One runs and the other assists....either working mults or interleaving S&P QSOs. We use hand signals and watch the MOX light or the PGXL utility. We locate the PGXL utility right above the logging window and can watch the other station. 

I have a few videos that show how we interleave. If you use the same team from contest to contest, they get real good at it. 

Douglas Maxwell

Congrats, and thanks for the report. Do we have any results from a cw contest? I am concerned with operator fatigue listening to false receive hiss when not using the handicap of breakin/delay facilities.

KI4P

Cool. Would love to see videos