SO2R is hard and 2BSIQ is harder. When I say hard, I mean hard to do well; anybody can dabble, but dabbling won't boost your score by much. These are difficult skills to master and there is no alternative to lots and lots of practice.
We should strive to remove obstacles that slow or limit our ability to perform at our best, whether we are novices or experts. Making changes to your station will not on their own make you a better SO2R contester but they remove barriers to operator skills improvement.
A lot of that can be achieved by organizing the operating position. The ideal 2BSIQ operating desk has to be effective, not necessarily pretty or compatible with non-contest operating. Hardware and software choices also play a role. This is a subject I've been contemplating for several months. Technology changes take more time and can be expensive but rearranging the operating desk is cheap and easy. The challenge is making the right changes.
I received good advice from a couple of other contesters. I hesitated to act for some time because their suggestions felt uncomfortable or violated my beliefs about what is best. However, they're better at SO2R and 2BSIQ than I am so I could not easily dismiss what I was told. The time had come to do something.
The picture shows the changes I made this month.
- The two rigs (Icom 7610 and 7600) are placed up front. They used to be off to the sides.
- The new shelf is for the PC monitor and rotator controllers. The old prop pitch motor controller on top of the Acom amp takes a lot of room but it will be replaced by a smaller controller that is currently under construction (far past the planned mid-2024 completion date).
- The monitor can lower the screen to just 4 cm (1.5") above the shelf. The low height reduces head and neck motion as my eyes move among the screen, rigs and keyboards.
- The amplifiers are placed on the outside since they not often manipulated yet are fairly easy to glance at to ensure all is in order. Broadband solid state amps with automatic band switching don't have to be on the desktop at all.
- The left BPF was moved behind the amp since it operates automatically. I haven't yet moved the right BPF from its perch on the Drake L7. I plan to move both BPF below the desktop. That will free up space for more monitors if I find the need (e.g. to monitor contest scoreboards, and software rotator controllers).
- The mouse is an obstacle that must remain where it is until other changes occur. One of those is a touchscreen for antenna selection.
- Other peripherals are out of sight. These are a WinKeyer, SO2R Mini, antenna switches, power supplies and PC(s). They are positioned for rapid access when problems arise.
That's the what. Now it's time to talk about the why.
Situational awareness
This is the primary reason in my opinion. There are so many things to keep track of when for SO2R and 2BSIQ that you need excellent visual and audible cues to keep track of each QSO to avoid mistakes and to maximize QSO synchronization. This has been a big struggle for me, and most SO2R operators have had similar struggles. There are highly talented individuals who do well at even in poorly optimized stations, but the rest of us need all the help we can get.
Let me begin with the N1MM entry window as configured for SO2R. Since I've never done SO2R with DXLog I will not speak of that. I don't know which might be better, and I can only mention that the best ops prefer DXLog to N1MM. One day I may give it a try.
Contest loggers provide a variety of visual cues to assist the SO2R operator. I've highlighted the important ones on the N1MM entry window.
I'll be blunt. I do not like N1MM's visual cues: they're insufficiently prominent. Particularly annoying are the small circles that indicate the receive and transmit focus and whether you are actively transmitting or have exclusive (mono) or dual (stereo) receive focus. You have to look directly at the indicators and interpret subtle colour shades (e.g. dark green vs light green). They ought to be so large or attention-getting that they are unambiguous and also visible in peripheral vision.
I don't often pay attention to the shaded function keys that show the next message to be sent during ESM (enter sends message). If my understanding of QSO state is so uncertain that I need that cue I am probably doing something wrong, such as accidentally pressing the wrong key. The information is useful and important even if I actively use it very little.
The frequency text at the top and the scrolling CW message at the bottom are too small. Again, eyestrain is the result if you rely on that information. I need to swivel my head and eyes to look directly at the scrolling text to time my actions on the radios. For example, extending a CQ to keep the QSOs in sync. With the rigs now up front, I use their displays to read the frequency, not the small text on the entry window.
Visual cues are especially important when using OTRSP commands to switch to mono on the rig with receive focus while the other is transmitting. Although mono provides more reliable copy, it is easy to lose track of which radio one is listening to during 2BSIQ. I have enough difficulty with it that I returned to stereo and manually select mono as needed.
Practice
will help, but better cues could help to improve situational awareness.
It is for the same reason that I use two keyboards. The increased
situational awareness is worth the cost of more physical motion of the hands, eyes and body. A swivelling office chair is some help with avoiding aches.
It is for
these reasons that I reluctantly moved the rigs in front from off to the
sides. Effective situation awareness requires it. I try to control the radios by keyboard alone but I need the
larger visual cues of the rig displays. These include frequency/band and
receive/transmit state. Losing track is a too frequent occurrence during 2BSIQ.
Distractions and obstructions
Some contesters like distractions and other hate them. External distractions that a few contesters like are windows or a muted television. They supposedly serve as a connection to the world outside the contest. I eschew those distractions. Moving around, talking and checking the weather and news during breaks is enough for me. To each their own.
Distractions that interfere with operating should be avoided. Too much information on too many displays can be distracting. I am a fan of minimal information and screens. If I'm looking at any of that information it means I am neglecting the opportunity to make more QSOs and hunt for multipliers. Remove the extra monitors and you remove the temptation.
Grabbing hold of the mouse is a distraction. Yes, it is necessary at times but the operator position should be configured to minimize the necessity. Keyboard shortcuts may be difficult to remember yet they are essential to avoiding the mouse, and keeping your fingers on the keyboard where they belong. I plan to migrate my custom antenna selection software to use small touchscreens to replace the mouse with what is essentially an extension to the keyboard.
This brings up another problem: desktop crowding. The biggest reason I was reluctant to move the rigs up front is that I have to reach over the keyboards to press buttons and spin the VFO. More than a few times I have inadvertently tapped overly sensitive keys. Raising the rigs a few inches would help. The downside is that the monitor must also be raised and that increases neck strain as our heads and eyes constantly shift up and down.
In the first picture you will notice that the paddles are on the desktop. During contests they are placed just under the right side of the monitor. Desk space is freed
since it is rarely used (the less the better) and there is less chance of keyboard contact when reaching for the paddles. I know operators that remove the paddles during contests and rely on keyboard CW in the rare cases where it is needed. Examples include saying hello to a friend or to tell an intruder "QRL". I'll keep the paddles for now.
Ease of re-configuration
The front and rear of the rigs project beyond the narrow (10") shelf. Not only does that allow more room lighting to illuminate the buttons (I hate the poor contrast of light gray lettering on an all black Icom front panel), it eases access to the rear panel connectors. The shelf was designed for maintenance and configuration, not for appearance. A boxed console is pretty but a dreadful idea in a contester's station.
There are many more interconnections in an SO2R station. These include the OTRSP box (SO2R Mini in my case), receiver audio, WinKeyer with its PTT and keying cables to both radios, microphone audio, computer audio, foot switch, monitor cables and possibly others. There are endless possibilities for loose connections and other faults that must be dealt with quickly. The desk is about 1' from the back wall so that I can slip in without having to lean over the stacks of equipment on the desktop -- it helps to be slim.
How it went (NAQP)
The contest did not go according to plan. I operated for just one hour. The reason is in my 3830 report, if that interests you. I may have more to say about what happened in a future article.
During that hour I did about 30 minutes of SO2R and less than 10 minutes 2BSIQ. That is not a fair test but it's all I have for now. I'll give the setup a better test in a future contest.
Based on my too brief experience I will make a few tentative observations:
- Situational awareness improved. The radios up front helped with that, as intended. I did not use them very effectively to understand which radio was receiving or transmitting. That can be addressed with more practice.
- I stuck with stereo reception except for stations where the SNR was poor and both ears were needed. As usual for NAQP, the call history file saved a lot of effort copying every last dit. However, also as usual, many names and states did not match call history. Call history should never be used as a crutch when copy is difficult or inconvenient.
- I had no difficulty spinning knobs and pressing buttons on the rig despite having to reach over the keyboards. There were no stray key presses as has occasionally happened before. Perhaps I'm just being more careful.
- I can't comment on the amp positions since this was a low power contest. Placing them out of easy viewing means that mis-tuning and faults (protection circuits) can go unnoticed for a while. This has happened numerous times during both single-op and multi-op contests.
I will update my conclusions and make station adjustments when I gain more experience with the new SO2R desktop design. I have no intention of competing with best; my objective is to improve my skills and results. Never allow the rut you've fallen into become your permanent home.
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