Did OM0A manage to log more than a thousand contacts in the CQ WW RTTY contest? Take a guess!
A week before the contest, it occurred to me that I could try a SO2R setup. SO2R stands for “single operator, two radios,” meaning one person operates two radios simultaneously. Yes, this method is challenging—after all, it’s often exhausting even with just one radio—but it’s a way to streamline contest operations. I put the 5-band Diamond W-8010 antenna back on the air, but this time just as a slooper. I only needed to tune it on 80m. Michal OM0AAB lent me the TCVR, a Kenwood TS450S. I’ve been familiar with this solid TCVR for a long time, so I knew I could rely on it even without narrow filters. Logging via N1MM on two PCs on the network is a task that’s relatively easy to do.
Since I’m running SOAB LP assisted, I decide to search for stations rather than call out a call sign. Those 100W in a contest are like racing in the Porsche SuperCup in a Fabia. And I focus on multipliers and U.S. stations. They’re beyond the Tatra Mountains, so it’s always a challenge.
SO2R got to me right after the contest started. Completely. Imagine trying to repeatedly reach a valuable multiplier while the minutes are ticking away. Not with SO2R! The second station is free, after all—you can search for other stations and even transmit between calls on the first one. So you don’t waste any time calling the multiplier. The log takes care of ensuring that only one signal is transmitted at a time by blocking TX on the second station. Occasionally, I was a little slow to respond to the other station, but RTTY sessions are short, and a second or two went by almost unnoticed…
Operations are going smoothly; I just have to interrupt them a few times for work obligations. On the night from Saturday to Sunday, fatigue takes its toll, and I sleep for a couple of hours.
Statistical breakdown of contacts by continent
Both stations are performing excellently, although the lack of filters on the Kenwood is noticeable. If there’s another strong signal near the target signal, the AVC cuts it off and the weaker signal is lost. Despite this, nearly 45% of the contacts were made on this station.
Hourly count of OM0A contacts in CQ WW RTTY 2013
Hourly distribution of multipliers in CQ WW RTTY 2013
OM0A’s results for CQ WW RTTY 2013
And what is the answer to the opening question? No, we didn’t make it—the counter stopped at 999.