BD3SK 2026 CQ WPX SSB Monthly Operating Report
The participating stations in this event, along with the supporting stations providing technical assistance: BD3SK, BI3ARY, BI3AO, BA3XM, BD3MQ, BD3CRE, BI3ASB, BD3RAD, BI3AR, BI3AMGBI1OIY, BA7OVA, BI3BHQ, BH3CSF, etc.
Radio receivers: IC-7610, IC-7300, SunSDR-2dx, Ftdx101MP, etc.
Antennas: 15m/10m 8-element; 40M 4-element; 15m 4-element; 10m 5-element; 20m 4-element; OB11-3; 80M-Loop, etc.
In early March, after participating in numerous competitions for 25 years, we decided to formally organize a large-scale competition. After discussing with teams like BD3SK and BH3CSF, we finalized the decision to create multi-person distributed groups. This would allow us to utilize the diverse antenna configurations currently available, while also maximizing the experience for participants who couldn't participate in the entire competition or had other difficulties. However, this approach also significantly increased the complexity of coordinating the entire event.
Overall, the final results of the competition did not quite match the initial expectations, but that's how it turned out. Let's learn from this experience.
The competition started with a series of setbacks from the very beginning. At the Xiqing base, both the old tower's rotator failed, and ultimately, a new 10m/15m 8el antenna was installed on the roof. However, this installation proved to be difficult, and the planned completion date was set for July 21st. On Sunday, the following day, the Chinese team requested a test run, but during the final lifting stage, the mast aged and broke, and the next day they tried to purchase a 15m mast from a local warehouse. Although this also involved wind rope issues, they eventually managed to raise the antenna in the afternoon. However, temporary testing revealed that the antenna was experiencing standing wave problems: with a standing wave of over 1.4 meters for the entire 15-meter section and over 3 meters for the 10-meter section, the 10-meter section was completely unusable.
3.25 PM: I went back to adjust the antenna again, ensuring that the overall feed was securely installed. The 10-meter whip antenna remained stable with no movement, and the lowest SWR reading was 2.8. After rechecking, I essentially ruled out any installation issues. I contacted [饭后] and they suspected it might be a problem with the antenna model. Therefore, I decided to withdraw for now.
On Friday afternoon, I arrived at the base to connect the output feed line for the RUN1 radio and configure the RUN1 computer and other accessories. In the middle of the day, I met with BA7OVA to debug the newly installed 8el, 10-meter transceiver. We reconfigured the excitation oscillator and the first two driven oscillators, as well as changing the feed point locations. The 10-meter band showed two resonance points at 27.4 MHz and 29.2 MHz with a VSWR of less than 1.1. However, the overall 10-meter band still had a VSWR above 2, making it unusable. In the afternoon, OVA handled the configuration of the RUN1 computer, including N1MM software for EESDR. I also quickly fabricated a manual switch for the 2x8 antenna switching system.
In the evening, I discovered that the modeling hadn't taken into account the impedance issues between the two sets of excitation oscillators, and received updated parameters in the middle of the night. However, due to the late hour, I postponed attempting repairs until Saturday morning. BI1OIY arrived from Beijing in the evening, bringing with him the 7300 radio and other accessories used by RUN2, and completed the main computer configuration for RUN2. However, due to time constraints, I was unable to test other functions.
3.28 Saturday, I arrived at the base two hours early and adjusted all the resonator lengths according to the latest antenna parameters I received. However, I underestimated the overall workload, and working alone was inefficient. Finally, I completed the antenna repair and raised it into position just 15 minutes before the competition started. Fortunately, this time, after considering the matching cable impedance, all the 8el indicators returned to normal.
The competition started at 8:00 AM. BI3AO began a 10-meter call on BA3XM's equipment, while I was just finishing repairing the antenna, and the nearby 8:00 OP had just arrived. This resulted in a rushed startup test, with me scrambling to find a frequency, identify the location, perform propagation tests, and check for standing wave issues. During the slot allocation process, there were two brief instances of malfunction, resulting in very low gain. Suspecting another problem, I immediately shut down the high-power amplifier and handed over the 15-meter band to RUN2's 7300. However, it seemed that RUN2 was also experiencing the same issue. Ultimately, I had to use the 7300 on my own station to scan at 150 meters, then, adopting a "desperate measure," I performed surgery on the RUN1 equipment to replace the antenna. Fortunately, after replacing the antenna, the gain returned to normal. However, I encountered another problem: the MIC gain of SUN SDR was too low, and the audio input from N1MM could only output extremely low power. Attempts to use a pre-amplifier were unsuccessful. Finally, I had to forcibly increase the N1MM audio by 30 dB before adding another 40 dB to achieve a barely usable output level.
Meanwhile, the remote operator also reported a serious problem: real-time log synchronization with N1MM was failing. Since WPX uses waveband-based numbering, we had to rely entirely on the software's prompts. Fortunately, experienced operators from BI3AMG, BI3AR, and BI3BHQ arrived during the time I was replacing the antenna, and they were able to re-establish the network connection. Eventually, it was discovered that the problem was related to clock synchronization. After synchronizing the clocks, everything returned to normal, but we did lose a few log entries from the initial setup.
Around 10:00, RUN1 and other equipment had mostly recovered. I experienced low blood sugar, so I transferred RUN1 to BI3AMG and BD3RAD for intermittent cleaning at 15 meters and communication with the main station; RUN2 continued using OIY's 7300 direct-to-air transmission at 20 meters, but the signal was very weak, and it was almost impossible to connect to the radio stations.
I then handed over the BD3RAD value to another team, and I attempted to repair the RUN2 amplifier. However, after several attempts, it still wasn't very stable, so I eventually gave up and used the 7300 directly for transmission. The 2x8 antenna switch, which was originally planned to be put into use on Friday evening, also failed to complete the soldering of the control box, so during the competition, we manually switched antennas using a flange head, which provided a more stable setup, although it was somewhat inefficient.
由于本次比赛众多OP对于比赛的经验较少，加之一早的“事故”周六白天一整天都较为混乱，也没拿到什么QSO，下午两三点，15米主叫无果，最后进行扫地尝试先通联尽量多的电台，然后转战10米扫地，不过这是个我的一个错误决定，周六的15米波段一直到晚上EU不断，10米却少的可怜，后又从10米回到15米拿到了些许QSO，可惜传播基本上已经下去。
晚上的40米非常具有挑战性，我们仅有Loop和3单元八木可以工作在40米波段，八木朝向90°是个不折不扣的对日广播电台，虽然说能拿到不少日本的QSO但是也只能拿到日本，夜间可以收听到EU的电台却打不过去，着实令人挠头，夜间BA7OVA和BI3AR值班，我在午夜时分撤离基地休息。
周日吸取了第一天的种种教训，对整体进行了规划，由于第一天已经失利，而且第二天的电台数量通常会减少半数，所以说我们必须要先拿到更多的QSO，周日一早的传播体验一般，NA和EU都能听到但是非常微弱，上午先使用15米YAGI主叫日本，后将8el转向南方收货了不少的印尼，大洋洲的的电台，但是信号并不强烈，仅仅有一两次短时间的堆叠，我们也不得不在主叫和扫街之间频繁切换。
Around midday, the 15-meter signal gradually weakened. RUN2 had been trying to make contact on 20 meters in the morning, but due to limitations with the antenna and power, it only managed to connect with a few dozen stations. After readjusting the direction to 8el, the effect remained poor. Therefore, I directly aimed at the EU frequency for the afternoon's 15-meter band.
After lunch, OIY initiated a quick withdrawal. I attempted to contact EU on 15 meters, and after about two minutes of trying, I encountered a strong buildup of EU signals on that frequency. This lasted for approximately two hours, providing the most reliable QSO opportunity for this contest. Learning from Saturday's experience, we focused intensely on 15 meters. Around 4 PM, the EU signal gradually weakened, and I switched to using an FT-891. I then returned to rest. BI3AO and BA3XM used OB11 on 10 meters in the afternoon, but overall propagation was not very good. We could only make intermittent contacts. BD3SK and BI3ASB also made a few QSOs on 20 meters.
On Sunday evening, there was a blue alert for strong winds, with gusts potentially reaching level 7. At 8 PM, the weather showed that the wind was currently at levels 5 to 6. The 8el support pole had already become noticeably bent. To ensure safety, I and BI3AR retracted the 8el around 8:30 PM and prepared for strong winds. Around 9:00 PM, we heard some domestic and Japanese radio stations on 40 meters. At night, we could clearly hear that European transmissions were fully open. Several powerful European stations repeated CQ calls very clearly. The signal from LZ25W was comparable to a broadcast, but after repeating it dozens of times, we had no success. Fortunately, the next morning, BD3SK's Loop gave us a strong call. We also occasionally heard North American radio stations, but due to limitations in our antenna, we could only passively receive without any response.
From Sunday morning until around 6:00 AM, the wind gradually subsided. After a simple plan, I decided to try transmitting towards North America, and then re-oriented the 8el towards North America. Unfortunately, the transmission was very weak in the early hours, with almost no signal on either the 10m or 15m bands. Occasionally, I could pick up a few signals, mainly for identifying content. I also tried calling some Japanese stations, and eventually switched to 15m Yagi-Uda towards Japan. The high-frequency interference from the base station continued until around 6:30 AM. At 7:15 AM, the 15m band started to improve slightly, and I re-oriented the 8el for general scanning. I was able to contact several North American stations. However, everyone was focused on chasing the WPX factor at that time, and without a spot, it was impossible to make reliable contacts. Therefore, I reverted to my previous strategy of alternating between calling and scanning, trying to obtain some WPX information.
The final score of the entire competition was not ideal. There was a significant difference compared to the planned 900-1,000 QSOs; however, this was mainly due to the confusion on Saturday morning and the overall deployment planning, so achieving at least 200 QSOs was certainly possible.
The challenges in this competition were numerous, but it can be considered a first attempt. The main issues stemmed from a lack of understanding regarding propagation, radio equipment configuration, and personnel allocation, as well as the absence of a comprehensive and rational plan. Furthermore, the extensive debugging of the 8el antenna took four days instead of the planned one day, neglecting testing of other equipment and overall system integration. Many functionalities were only conceptual, with no consideration given to potential practical issues. Finally, after reviewing the results, it was discovered that the amplifier itself was not faulty; however, it had been connected to the antenna tuner without being tested. This resulted in the amplifier remaining in a protected state due to impedance issues. After replacing the components, the antenna tuner was removed. This led to a significant gap on Saturday morning, and the results showed that 10-meter propagation was not optimal. The effort spent debugging the 10-meter antenna was also unproductive. However, these were all lessons learned after the fact, so it is important to learn from them.
Some of the operators participating in this contest essentially lacked prior experience, and even had limited familiarity with using N1MM. Only a few operators were capable of handling peak-hour transmissions. The fact that we didn't consider this beforehand was a mistake. On Saturday morning, we spent a significant amount of time teaching the operators how to use N1MM, including communication procedures, terminology, and operating standards. We had initially planned to introduce Inband due to RUN2's technical requirements, but ultimately did not attempt it.
Another significant issue is the lack of clarity regarding the overall planning for radio stations, frequency bands, and operating procedures (OPs). The original plan was to limit the number of radio stations and determine their operation based on actual results. However, this approach resulted in extremely short response times and made it difficult to control operations at any time. Therefore, a comprehensive plan for the entire frequency band is essential, including station locations, antenna usage, orientation angles, and calling purposes.
The experience gained from competitions, the judgment in communication, and the allocation of personnel are all accumulated through repeated attempts. Although the results may differ from expectations, they were not entirely satisfactory, but many valuable lessons were learned during the competition. I would like to thank my friends for their support at the end. While the final result was slightly disappointing, the joy of the competition lies in this. The new OP also requires time and training. This was my first time organizing a competition and writing a summary, and there are many areas where I need improvement. I would appreciate any feedback from other stations and seniors.
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