Deep Freeze

This the coldest time of year in most of the northern hemisphere. It occurs about 1 month after the winter solstice when incoming solar isolation equals outgoing radiation. From now until mid-summer the former will be greater than the latter so the temperature will gradually rise. 

While it's nice to know that we're over the "hump" we still have to survive the weather that comes our way. In particular, our stations have to survive. The topic seems timely with a major winter storm about to hit the US and probably us as well. It's -30° C on Saturday morning as I type these words.

Cold temperatures are not by themselves an impediment to tower work. I've lived in colder climates and I've done tower work at temperatures as low as -15° C. There is little margin for error on high towers since you must plan for the time it takes to get down before your extremities go numb. That can be disastrous. On shorter towers it is easy enough to climb down for a warm up. 

Despite the need for speed, never stint on the use of fall arrest equipment. It'll slow you down and you'll get even colder, but you'll live to tell the tale. When I was young I didn't appreciate the risks I was taking. Now I know better. So should you. It is all too easy to hit a patch of ice on a tower strut or lose your grip due to thick gloves or partly numb fingers.

A far greater serious risk than temperature is wind chill. I've lived in climates where there were regular warnings about exposed flesh at risk of freezing in as little as 30 seconds. I know many others that have lived and worked in colder climates, including the high Arctic. When I first moved to eastern Ontario long ago I used to joke, when asked why I moved here, that it was for the mild winters.

No matter your cold tolerance or your enthusiasm, it is prudent to build stations that can survive the cold. Better to stay warm in your cozy shack and operate to your heart's content than to find yourself trudging through the snow and biting wind to chip the ice off electrical enclosures to make repairs. You'll find yourself shouting words unsuited to polite company

I want to minimize the risk during the peak of contest and DXpedition season. We do tower and antenna work in the winter only when conditions are favourable. Many repair jobs should be left until spring for reasons of safety, no matter how important the malfunctioning item to your operating goals.

What can go wrong in the deep cold?

• Moisture and ice inside cables and connectors, both RF and control
• Grease that turns semi-solid
• Electrical components that fail or radically change value
• Water inside enclosures that turns to ice and shatters PCBs and other fragile components
• Hard plastics become brittle and will shatter, and the pliable ones become rigid
• Cable jackets crack and accumulate water and ice
• Tension on guys and cables increases
• Chunks of ice can fall from higher up onto fragile antennas and unprotected heads

Of course we all have our environmental challenges, even those living in warm climates. These include: hurricanes, salt, wildlife, intense UV exposure and more. This is not a contest over which group of hams suffers the most. The annual threat of frigid temperatures is simply what I have to deal with.

I will not delve into extreme detail on the matter of protecting our stations from winter's assaults. A few examples can prove helpful to ensure we make the right decisions. When everything seems fine in July it is difficult to imagine what that box of electronics will experience in January. A few careful choices will get us most of the way there.

In an earlier article I mentioned that the TH6 had failed. I opened the re-housed Balun Designs balun and found the ferrite and coax winding fully submerged. The PVC enclosure had a seemingly small crack and water got inside. That may have been due to the cold but could just as easily have been caused by a material defect. There is no indication of UV deterioration. Thermal cycling in our climate can be insidious.

I removed the water as best I could but that didn't help. There were no weep holes. Although that day was above freezing it is likely that the water had frozen and thawed, perhaps more than once. My time was limited so I couldn't positively confirm that the stress of the freeze-thaw cycle was responsible. Repairing or bypassing the balun could not be done quickly (winter days are short) so I left it for another time. I'll have to get by without the antenna.

There is a wide variety of electrical tape on the market. The cheapest does poorly in cold weather. It may seal effectively but it cannot be worked. Better tape is required to be usable in the cold. The above picture is an extract from 3M's spec sheet for Scotch 33+ tape. This is the minimum quality tape to use for effective sealing and cold weather use; I have better when needed. Note the temperature data.

Keep in mind that electrical tape that cannot be applied in cold weather can still work well after having been applied in warmer weather. In the cold it can't be worked so you can only remove it with a knife. The best tapes can often be removed and even reused in freezing weather. 

Even the best products have a low temperature cutoff below which you can't work with it. In very cold weather I keep tape rolls in a pocket or under my parka rather than a tool pouch so that it stays warm and pliable until needed. It will cool quickly when attached to cold metal such as coax connectors so don't dawdle. 

To reduce the need for expensive long runs of cable I've reduced the 8-conductors for Hy-Gain rotators to 5. Two of those conductors (#4 and #8) are eliminated by placing the motor phasing capacitor (it's a "run" capacitor, not a "start" capacitor) on the tower near the rotator. 

Many electrolytic capacitors are specified to operate down to -40° C. If suitably protected they are safe and reliable for outdoor use. The capacitor at right was an inexpensive product purchased online. I don't know whether the specs are to be trusted for these nameless Asian imports, but it has been reliable down to -20° C, so far. 

A different brand of motor capacitor that was used on an earlier side mount rotator is still fine after several years of service. It can't be seen in the pictures of the linked article but it's just to the right of the terminal strip underneath the wide angle bracket. The twin of the one pictured is on the tower with the side mount bracket for the rotatable 15 meter yagi. The rotator turns well in the current spate of very cold weather.

Motor capacitors, run or start, are intended for industrial and critical applications. They are usually located inside the motor, not on the outside as I am doing. The temperature inside a metal motor will not be much different from one that isn't enclosed, but it must be protected from snow, ice and sunlight. I wrap mine in UV-resistant plastic and mount them under the bracket that supports the rotator.

Relays are devices that do not always perform well or quickly in the cold. Above is an extract from the spec sheet for an Omron G2RL DPDT relay. I have many of them in my station. Note the temperature rating. I always check that line before placing an order. Some are rated to only -30° or even -20° C. That's insufficient where I live.

I have had relays stick or freeze in the cold. Several G5V relays from the same manufacturer occasionally need to be cycled on and off a few times in cold weather before they will operate normally. Sealed relays keep out moisture that can imperil relay performance and lifetime.

Any discussion about temperature has to include grease. Grease is most commonly used in our stations inside rotators and bearings. For the 6201 bearings above, it is generally better to use a double-sealing bearing like that on the right. However, check the catalogue to ensure that it is rated for the expected temperature range. Sealed bearings have a lower RPM rating at low temperatures due to the grease. In most high speed applications that is acceptable since its temperature will quickly rise. 

That is not true of rotator bearings. They are used infrequently, torque is relatively low and they turn slowly. This causes a different class of problems, such as fretting and cold weather starting. The shielded bearing on the left is easier to service if greasing is needed.

I used a variety of lithium wheel bearing greases for years on rotators with little trouble except at the very coldest temperatures. Synthetic greases have a wider temperature range and remain stable at high temperatures. The latter is important even in our climate since the inside of a rotator exposed to July sunlight can get very hot indeed. The grease should not thin so much that it oozes out.

The greases on the right were used on one of my prop pitch motor gearboxes. They work well in the cold but there are better products available. This is not a product review or recommendation! Specialty automotive shops can be a good source for the range of products we need in our stations. Shop online if you must but read the specifications carefully.

One last example is that of metal expansion and contraction. It is easy to think of steel and other metals as temperature stable. They are when compared to many other materials. Yet seasonal temperature cycling will have an impact.

Fasteners can loosen due to thermal cycling. The bolt and nut can have different coefficients of expansion (CoE) or the preload (initial torque setting) may be set less than expected due to friction when tightened. As the fastener cycles between temperature extremes the clamping force can be periodically reduced and they can turn (loosen).

This is more common for large size hardware used to fasten together tower sections, bushings and rotator housings. But it can occur on electrical connections, whether ground wires or terminal blocks for control cables. 

It can be difficult to diagnose after the fact since you can't be certain whether the preload was properly set, the screw never tightened properly or the copper wires being secured yield under excess force. I've had cases where I suspect thermal cycling as the cause.

Tower guys are also subject to thermal cycling. In our climate the preload on a guy can change by up to 10% between annual temperature extremes. For the CoE of the 5/16" EHS guys on my big towers the preload is specified as 1100 lb, or 10% of breaking strength. If you set it in January it may be 1000 lb in July. 

That isn't necessarily dire since the 10% value is not a rigid directive. However, as hams we typically don't use very accurate tension gauges. The Loos gauge I use is designed for the multi-strand cable common on sailboats. The correction is inexact and must be calculated. For this reason it is better to set the tension so that it is no less than 1100 lb in mid-summer. Higher tension in the deep cold of winter is safer than a low tension in summer.

Throw another log on the fire and keep warm. Spring will come again. 

NAQP CW using 2BSIQ

NAQP is an interesting contest: short, intense and high rates. Unlike the major global contests, the rates are not so high that SO2R is gruelling. 2BSIQ is perfectly doable by those of mediocre skill, such as myself. 

I had several challenges in this month's contest, some shared and some unique to myself:

• Conditions: The K-index was 6 early in the contest which mostly affected 20 meters and the low bands. That didn't disadvantage me since everyone was subject to the poor conditions, though perhaps less so for those further south. From this region low angle radiation was preferentially absorbed, favouring low horizontal antennas. For example, on 80 meters the inverted vee outperformed the vertical yagi until late in the evening.
• Antennas: The south-pointing TH6 and the south direction of the 40 meter reversible Moxon were not working. The major impact was on 40 where I only had the high 3-element yagi. As said, low horizontal were superior for the prevailing conditions.
• Preparation: I don't practice SO2R and 2BSIQ. My practice is participating in small contests. Practicing these skills bores me -- I can only take about 5 minutes of Morserunner before getting fed up. Better operators are better because they practice, if only in the days leading up to a contest.

The top 30 low power scores reported to 3830 are shown at right. I did better than I expected, though worse than those with superior skills and tactics, or a superior location. Antenna problems certainly didn't help but that's no excuse.

I parked the Skyhawk (tri-band yagi) at about south-southwest to compensate for the unavailable TH6. The upper 5-element yagis of the 10, 15 and 20 meter stacks were most useful for the western half of the continent so that's where I pointed them; I've done the same in previous NAQPs. 

I didn't worry about the east and northeast since there are few stations in that direction and they can usually be worked on back scatter. On 160 meters I stuck with the southwest Beverage receive antenna and relied on proximity to work the northeast.

The presetting of antenna directions is important since there it's difficult to switch antennas while doing SO2R and especially 2BSIQ. I switch antennas or bands when the rate drops to hopefully reach new stations. Never marry a run frequency; agility is key. Activity in NAQP starts on the high bands and gradually works lower as the contest progresses. You must follow the crowd to maintain a good rate.

My objectives for the contest were only partially about the score. Antenna and propagation challenges removed the pressure to do well. Further, I was not on a team containing high scorers. I felt free to experiment and practice my skills. This is what I set out to do:

• 2BSIQ: NAQP is an ideal contest to practice the skill since the rate is high but not too high. Usually there are no more than 2 or 3 stations calling at a time. Although the exchange is relatively lengthy it is pre-filled by call history in most cases. That saves typing but only if you confirm that the pre-fill matching what is sent.
• Receive switching: There are two alternatives for default receive audio switching, and I wanted to practice this as well. My choice until now has been stereo full time, in which the receivers are heard in one ear all the time unless I override to mono, to focus on one for better copy. The best 2BSIQ ops choose to hear the receiving radio while the other is transmitting the other. It is easy to lose track of which radio you're listening to. If both are receiving you hear one radio in each ear, just like for the first option. I set up N1MM Logger+ function key files for both options so that I could switch back and forth. DXLog has more options using its scenarios feature.
• Antenna assessment: I was curious how the antennas would play. That is, whether the less than ideal choices would affect my score. I'd rather not have done the experiment but with the TH6 and Moxon unavailable I decided that I might as well.

The Icom 7600 was limited to about 80 watts due to a DC cable problem which I couldn't entirely resolve before the contest. The 1 db power reduction likely only had a minor impact. The problem was resolved after the contest.

The solution surprised me. After extensive testing I decide my time was better spent buying a new cable. That was how I discovered that the same cable is used on the Yaesu FT950. I have one -- it's my spare rig. Swapping cables returned power to 100 watts. It takes very little resistance at 20 amps to cause a measured 2 volt drop to 11.8 VDC inside the rig.

Before talking about how I did relative to my objectives, the log analysis is worth a look. You can do the same with the Cabrillo file for many of the major contests online using the CBS tool. I used the web interface which is most convenient.

-------------- Q S O   R a t e   S u m m a r y ---------------------
Hour     160     80     40     20     15     10    Rate Total    Pct
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1800       0      0      0      9     49     32     90     90    7.5
1900       0      0      0     20     55     24     99    189   15.8
2000       0      0      0     25     64     33    122    311   25.9
2100       0      0      1     53     64      0    118    429   35.8
2200       0      0     48     66     26      0    140    569   47.4
2300       0      0     23     14     13      0     50    619   51.6
0000       0      0     60     54      0      0    114    733   61.1
0100       0    100     55      0      0      0    155    888   74.0
0200      14     59     55      0      0      0    128   1016   84.7
0300      73     41      1      0      0      0    115   1131   94.2
0400      34     25     10      0      0      0     69   1200  100.0
0500       0      0      0      0      0      0      0   1200  100.0
------------------------------------------------------
Total    121    225    253    241    271     89   1200

Compared to more skilled operators in this region my performance lags in the opening hours: my rate was about 50% lower. I am focussing on QSOs since multiplier hunting for non-assisted operators doing a lot of 2BSIQ will necessarily suffer. You trade multipliers for QSO points.

The reasons for my under-performance are twofold. One, I persisted with 20 meters at the start when I ought to have avoided it until later. Everyone was on 15 and 10 where the activity was much higher. I've been burned in the past trying too hard on 10 meters leading to the opposite mistake in this contest. I also did more S & P on 10 than I should have, hoping to find multipliers before the band closed. But 10 didn't close early.

15 meters stayed strong for a long time, including short skip to the mid-west US and back scatter from the eastern seaboard. It was a very productive band. My rate increased as the activity gradually concentrated on 15 and 20. Many high scoring stations in this region had more contacts on 15 than on 20. It was that good. I was late to the game. My various high band errors cost me 100 to 150 contacts.

My initial showing on 40 meters was poor, as expected with the high yagi. To deal with it I took my one and only off time from 2300Z to just past 0000Z. That wasn't the ideal off time, however I wasn't do well on 40 and the time fit with my personal schedule (supper time). I operated until 0430Z when I hit my 10 hour quota. 

That at least appears to have been a good decision. In previous outings I would take another 30 minute off time mid-evening to take better advantage of the low bands around midnight (0500Z(. This time the low bands were poor and there were few stations to work in the final hour. Skipping the last 90 minutes of the 12 hour contest worked for me.

Let's return to 2BSIQ now that I've analyzed my tactics and abilities, good and bad. Although I have no detailed analysis, my estimate is that 85% to 90% of my QSOs were by 2BSIQ. The remainder were done using classic SO2R: one radio running and the other hunting. That is far more 2BSIQ than I've done before. That counts as success. 

To be clear, by "success" I refer only to near continuous 2BSIQ operation and not my score. The negatives were fewer multipliers and frequent gaps (2 or 3 minutes without a QSO) that could have been filled by hunting stations. But you just never know since so many multipliers call when you're running, and many of those time gaps were followed by runs of 4 to 5 QSOs per minute. 

• When is a gap so long that you need to QSY or switch to S & P?
• Which mults and how many am I missing by not hunting? 
• Many others are also running all the time so I can't work them when I'm 2BSIQ. Does the rate from 2BSIQ compensate for the loss of not hunting the perpetual runners?

There are no easy answers. My typical tactic when switching bands was to start with S & P and resume running when I encountered a clear frequency. That took no more than a few minutes. Other times I'd pick a clear spot on the rig's waterfall spectrogram after a band change and jump straight into running.

Assisted operators were scoring 50 to 100 more multipliers than I was. The comparison is interesting but invalid since we were in different categories. It only shows the potential of how many mults were available. The comparison that mattered was to other unassisted operators. On that score I didn't fare too badly.

The truly talented unassisted operators would operate 2BSIQ almost full time and ask stations to move to other bands. That may be to the other band where they are running or they'd both QSY to the target band. Many stations are surprisingly accommodating to those requests. On the other hand, some say yes (to be polite?) and don't show up. But if you don't ask you won't get the mult. This is a skill beyond my ability. 2BSIQ and even classic SO2R is difficult enough for me.

2BSIQ in NAQP is easier than in major contests like CQ WW or contests with long complex exchanges like ARRL Sweepstakes. It isn't difficult to pick out a full call with no more than 2 to 3 callers; there can be far more in CQ WW. Nevertheless there are many times that I missed calls or copied only a letter or two because my brain was occupied elsewhere or the signal received on the other radio was loud. 

Copying errors cost time and can be embarrassing when you ask for a repeat more than once. The other op must wonder why I have difficulty copying a loud signal in the clear. All you can do is shrug and continue. If you let it bother you you'll abandon 2BSIQ or SO2R and that will hurt your score. As one friend put it to me, "shameless" 2BSIQ is the way to succeed. That is, don't worry about the mistakes and plow ahead regardless. Annoyed stations will come back or not, but you'll still come out farther ahead. Indeed, everyone benefits regardless since SO2R increases the overall number of QSO points scored by all operators in a contest. It's a matter of perspective.

I remain self-conscious about my mistakes though less than when I first attempt 2BSIQ several years ago. I am also learning and using techniques to improve QSO synchronization so that I make fewer mistakes and drive fewer callers away by unintended dead air. If I lose my run frequency it's easy to find another in NAQP. The loss can be more costly in CQ WW. CW skimmers will quickly spot your new run frequency.

I made ample use of call history in this contest. It is critical that it be used as an aid and never as a crutch. You are busy enough when doing 2BSIQ that the reduction of typing is welcome, but only if you compare the pre-filled name and state with what is copied. There is no excuse for blindly accepting the pre-fill, yet many do. The resulting error rate can destroy your score since call history is often wrong: names change (guest ops, and SK tributes) and people have more than one residence. 

The bottom line is that I'm pleased with my NAQP CW result. I learned what I can do and what I can improve. However, I am not ready to tackle 40+ hours of 2BSIQ in CQ WW, with a dozen callers on each running radio during the peak of openings to Europe. I doubt that I'll ever reach that skill level, and I don't know if I want to try. Maybe it'll be easier when sunspots recede and the high bands aren't all open at the same time.

I made improvements to my operating desk layout a year ago to improve situational awareness. I've kept it that way (see pic at the top). Both radios are up front with the monitor on top. There are several visible indications of the operating state:

• Transceiver LED and meters to distinguish receive versus transmit status
• N1MM Logger+ Entry Window TX/RX button lights.
  
• N1MM Logger+ scrolling text for what is being transmitted, or has just been transmitted

That should be enough. However I find the N1MM indications difficult to follow. The TX/RX indicators are small and must be looked at directly, since they are almost invisible in peripheral vision. The scrolling text is tiny and similarly difficult to see and follow unless looked at directly. Frankly, I don't like it. The rig power meter LEDs are more helpful since they're bright and large.

If you use one keyboard, the logging software places receive focus on the correct radio in this case so that what you type is for the correct radio. Although that would seem to favour use of a single keyboard the situation can quickly deteriorate when both radios are receiving. That is when 2 keyboards can be much better, by removing all doubt as to which radio your typing is for.

The core of the OTRSP commands for the N1MM Logger+ function keys originally come from N2IC and have been widely copied. These ensure that you are only listening to the receiving radio when the other one is transmitting:

F1 Cq,Test {MYCALL}{OTRSPOTHER RX}{END}{STEREOON}
F2 Exch,{SENTRSTCUT} {EXCH}{OTRSPOTHER RX}{END}{STEREOON}
F3 Tu,Tu {MYCALL}{OTRSPOTHER RX}{END}{STEREOON}

I made two function key files before the contest with and without these OTRSP directives. As in the past, it didn't last long. The combination of visible indication deficits and my own skill level defeated my attempts to follow the QSO flow. After 10 minutes of 2BSIQ I reverted to manual stereo control for the remainder of the contest. This involves pressing the ~ key to turn stereo on and off as needed to copy one station without the other radio getting in the way.

It's more work but I was never confused as to which radio I was listening to. Using the keyboard controls is a more sophisticated method of receive audio control than what I began with several years ago. Of course you need an OTRSP device, which in my case is the SO2R Mini.

There is much more to say on SO2R and 2BSIQ but this article is long enough. I may go into more depth in a future article. Not because I'm so good at it, which I am obviously not, but because it might be of interest to those considering SO2R and 2BSIQ. Others might benefit by learning from my successes and failures.

I'll speak briefly about NAQP SSB this past weekend. I made only 100 contacts since the contest doesn't have a great appeal to me other than as a casual operation and to say hello to friends. It can even be quite relaxing on a winter evening. My sole objective was to set the station up for phone SO2R which is more difficult than for CW. TTS (text to speech) has to potential to make 2BSIQ as easy as on CW, but that was not my purpose at this time.

I ran into numerous difficulties getting message playback from the PC to each radio's internal codec and to route the mic to each radio. When you speak the other station's call sign or anything other than play the pre-recorded messages you must ensure the mic is connected to the transmitting radio. You must also use VOX or a foot switch for that radio. I installed two foot switches as many do for improved situational awareness. Switching the mic and transmit focus isn't trivial and I ran into trouble setting this up with the SO2R Mini.

I need to get it working, not so much for myself but for requests I've received from prospective guest ops. This is one more project added to my long list of winter projects. Well, the wind is howling and the snow is piling up so I might as well see what I can do.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

To mark the new year this article will look back to my activities in 2025 and my plan for 2026. It is a tradition on the blog though not one held to rigourously. It can be helpful to honestly review what was accomplished and how that compares to what was planned. 

You are free to compare what you read below to that year old plan. I will not. My aspirations tend to run ahead of accomplishments since the former is far easier than the latter; that is, words are easier than deeds, which is true of any endeavour. I should also mention that I am an eternal optimist, so these things happen.

2025 accomplishments

Despite my best efforts to be distracted by non-radio activities quite a lot got done in 2025, both with respect to the station and operating. Distraction is okay since this is a hobby not a job. There is life outside of amateur radio.

First up are the antennas. There are new ones and improvements to old ones.

• The reversible 40 meter Moxon was built, raised, fixed, raised again and finally put into service in the early fall. This is now my favourite antenna. Its performance is excellent, instant reversing between Europe and the US, and a low SWR across the band. However the Ham-M used to turn it is under-powered: I had to reposition the mast once so far. It has allow developed a fault which I'll come to a little later.
• I don't use the 30 meter delta loop often since there isn't as much casual DX available as in the past. Its intended use is therefore for DXpeditions. The antenna performs very well on long distance DX. It is all the antenna I need for 30 meters. 
• While not a new antenna, the lower 5-element 15 meter yagi of the stack is almost rotatable. The bracket and rotator are installed and working. However the antenna remained firmly attached to the tower when winter settled in. One or two warm days should see the project through.
• I did less antenna modelling than in past years, reflecting the maturity of the station. I am currently exploring various antenna models for future implementation. Anything interesting will eventually show up in an article.

Other projects were started though not completed by year end. More about those later. A large tree fell across two Beverages a week ago. Fast work with a chainsaw returned them to service in time for the Stew Perry weekend. They'll next see heavy use during the CQ 160 CW contest later in January. 

The TH6 and one direction of the 40 meter Moxon developed faults in the first week of January, just in time for NAQP CW. I hope to be able to  repair both without lowering them to the ground. That will require careful rigging and more clement weather. Maintenance in a large station never ends.

Here is a quick summary of my non-antenna projects:

• Prop pitch motor controller: As reported, it works and is in daily use. However, I have not had time to implement more features such as the all important soft rotation limits -- prop pitch motors have no mechanical limits. 
• New PC: The main station computer was upgraded to deal with increased computing demands of skimmer spots and various contesting features. My early impression is that it helped only marginally. Well, I suppose it was time to move to Windows 11 anyway, and hard drives on old PCs are always a risk. I've had a few computers fail that way. Backups are essential.
• Solid state amps: I began my transition with the purchase of an Acom 1200S. That made it easier for guest ops to navigate the station's complexity. I will continue the migration in 2026. However, both tube amps -- Acom 1500 and Drake L7 -- will stay. The 1500 continues as my daily amp of choice for its clean transmit signal and duty cycle at high power. After repairing it protection circuit glitches occurred twice, and that will require a closer look.

With respect to operating, my interests haven't changed too much: DX, contests, 6 meters, etc. There were guest ops for a few contests, one multi op in CQ WW SSB, and then my own single op contest efforts, including CQ WW CW. Let's look at this in more detail.

With regard to operating there were events worth noting since my 6 meter mid-season update. My 6 meter DXCC worked count increased by 2. I now have 149 worked and 138 confirmed on LoTW. The 3 additions for 2025 were 4U1UN, 9J2FI and C5R. More were heard but not worked, including: VK, EL, 9L, HV and ZS, and others I've previously confirmed like FK, V5, VP8 and many others. There was one notable QSO this fall with an extraordinarily strong ZL1RS (who I've worked before). I worked him again in the first week of January. DX crops up when you least expect it.

With weak hints of a second cycle peak in 2026 we can cling to hope for better DX this spring. But with the number of countries I've worked the diminishing returns are becoming brutal. I've thought about a larger antenna or a stack but I doubt it would help all that much. It's unlikely to ever happen since the cost-benefit ratio is poor. That said, perhaps I'll do it anyway, though not this year.

There is little else to say about the 6 meter season so I was able to replace a season end article with two paragraphs. 

After skipping 2024 we resumed multi-op contesting in 2025. The big event was CQ WW SSB in which we did pretty well in the M/2 category. We were not globally competitive, nor can we be. Unfortunately there is little in the way of bragging rights (or an award) for winning Canada. A second multi-op (M/S) was in the RAC Winter contest. There were just two of us, where he (VA3UMM) did SSB and I did CW.

After failing to once again break 5000 QSOs as a single op in CQ WW CW -- mostly due to poorer conditions and my mediocre 2BSIQ skills -- I have to decide whether to try again in 2026 or to increasingly focus on multi-ops. Although I believe that I can improve my score with practice and effort, I am not very motivated to try in 48 hour contests. Long duration 2BSIQ can be grueling for mere mortals such as me.

2026 plan

New construction has slowed as the station approaches its tenth anniversary. There will certainly be more antennas and improvements to existing ones, but I doubt that any future project will be at the scale of what I've already accomplished. 

Any major improvements to the antenna system will require at least one new tower. I can easily acquire and put up towers so that isn't the problem. The problem is maintenance and the march of time. Eventually my climbing days will come to an end, hopefully later rather than sooner, but the end will come. More towers and antennas will become physically difficult to manage. My current physical condition and strength are excellent, but I must plan ahead.

As mentioned earlier, antenna trouble cropped up in advance of the NAQP CW contest. These jobs have been added to my 2026 project list: TH6 and the "south" direction of the 40 meter reversible Moxon -- it works fine in the "north" direction. Both antennas are conveniently close to each other so I climbed up and had a look. 

The problems were diagnosed and can be dealt with when the weather warms. The 40 meter Moxon will have to come down for repair (again) if I don't come up with a way to access the element switch boxes from the tower. It can be done, however the rigging details are critical.

The TH6 is a continuing problem, and has often failed in wet weather. My patience with this venerable antenna is running thin. When it works it is too narrow band and lossy (due to the traps). Guest ops have difficulty with the high SWR at the upper end of the SSB segments (tuning is optimized for CW).

The present fault appears to be repairable on the tower. I'll do that when the weather cooperates even though I am planning to replace it. I am investigating designs for lightweight mono-band yagis for 20, 15 and 10 meters. All of them will be fixed south for instant switching to the multiplier rich and QSO thin south direction. 

The following is a summary of antenna projects planned for 2026. One or more may be contingent on a new tower since there is little available space on the existing ones, or side mount options where destructive interactions can be avoided.

• Rebuild the 80 meter yagi: The first steps were taken before winter set in. It can proceed in stages during the year, with completion slated for the fall. Summer is the slow season for the low bands so when the antenna has to be taken offline for a few weeks it will not be a problem.
• SSB for the 80 meter inverted vee: The antenna is pretty much unusable above 3700 kHz. A standard dipole, unlike a vertical, cannot have a low SWR from 3500 to 3800 kHz. Although solutions are straight-forward, it's lower priority than other planned projects.
• Add SSB and an efficient 160 meter mode to the 80 meter yagi: The physical rebuild of the antenna is a prerequisite for these projects. It's at high risk of being deferred to next year.
• 12/17 yagi: After installing a 30 meter antenna in 2025, resonant antennas for the remaining 12 and 17 meter WARC bands are desirable. Non-resonant antennas, with transceiver ATUs or tube amps, are how I've operated those bands until now. Since the antenna has to be rotatable there will be a challenge finding a suitable tower position for it.
• Rotating the lower 15 meter yagi: The bracket and rotator have already been installed but I couldn't finish the project before the cold weather arrived. I hope to complete it this winter if the weather cooperates. It will provide more operating agility and stacking gain into Asia and the Pacific.
• More Heliax: I have sufficient LDF5-50 on hand for new runs to the 20-15 meter tower to support more antennas. A new trench will have to be dug before or after the farming season.
• New and improved rotators: I can't escape the need for rotators so I put up with their fickleness. I recently acquired a Yaesu G2800DXA that I hope to put to good use. I also acquired a Green Heron RT21 controller and two Hy-Gain controllers that can be interfaced with a PC. I hope to have all the rotators software-controlled from both operating positions. 
• Beverage replacement study: The never ending maintenance for the Beverages is annoying even though they're easy to repair. Alternatives include BOG (Beverage on Ground) and vertical arrays. Both require pre-amps that are immune to high signal levels for compatibility with SO2R and multi-op contests. That may be difficult. The existing Beverages do very well in that respect.

Projects in the shack will be to modernize the station's capabilities and to make contest operating as easy as possible. More agility in contests and for daily operating will be welcome. It won't come cheap even though I do a lot of home brewing since major hardware will need to be purchased. I might even discard one or more home brew projects and go commercial in the interests of time.

These are the most significant items for the shack and contest operating in 2026:

• Solid state amplifier: The intent is greater agility during contests and less training for guest operators. The latter is particularly important if I follow through on hosting more multi-ops. It's a difficult choice and I am continuing to evaluate the alternatives, yet stay on budget.
• Rewrite of the antenna selection software: I've begun but it is unlikely to be done before the end of this contest season. You would think winter is the ideal time for software development inside a warm shack. Other tasks easily distract me. When it's done, each operator will have their own antenna selection window, antenna choices will be clearly displayed, and expansion and maintenance will be made easier by means of configuration files.
• More 2BSIQ: Despite saying I'd rather not do this and my plan is more focussed on multi-ops, it is an important skill to learn. I improved my desktop layout for SO2R based on a friend's advice, and now I have to schedule practice to hone my skills. Close to 90% of my contacts in the recent NAQP CW contest were done with 2BSIQ. The live training was vital but it cost me multipliers.
• Encourage new contesters: I have started to encourage younger hams to try contesting by inviting them to operate my station. CQ WW SSB and RAC Winter contests are two recent examples. Too many hams of my generation fret about the future yet do nothing about it. The candidate pool is large: there are more hams in our country that ever before, and the same is true in many other countries. Although most are drawn to other aspects of the hobby, competitiveness is inherent to the human spirit. Awareness and opportunity can unlock that potential.

As usual I am over-reaching in my annual objectives. That's okay: it's better to aim high and fall short than to achieve what comes easily.

The blog

My productivity has had a sustained pace for 13 years. I promised myself a few years ago that I would aim for about one article per week, which I managed to do again in 2025 (46 articles). With so much of my available time dedicated to the station there is always a lot of material for the blog. I will never write "fluff" just to meet my schedule. Every article should have substance and be of interest to at least some readers. When I have nothing to write, I write nothing. 

As far as topics go, it should be understood that the blog follows what I am doing and thinking, not what others want or is popular. I aim to please myself and hope that it is interesting and useful to others. I am comfortable with the mix of technical and operating articles I choose to write about.

Despite no promotion the readership appears to have grown. I say "appears" since I do not use any tracking tools. It is based on the number of article hits and referrals (net of spam and bots), and sometimes comments. The previous article about digital seems to have hit a nerve with readers. Links to it have been shared leading to discussion on other forums and bringing some of them here to comment. Rarely does an article get so much reaction.

Although it isn't my intent to be provocative on controversial topics, I wanted to make a firm statement about the issue. I expect most hams to remain entrenched in their views of FT8 and its cousins. I won't shy away from what I believe are important issues facing our hobby that ought to be addressed. We need progress and renewal, not a desperate clinging to a mythical golden age that never truly existed. It's the future that needs our attention.

The blog will continue for as long as I have the drive and there are interesting topics to write about. I don't foresee a slowdown in the near future. 

The future

This fall will mark 10 years since I moved to this QTH and started building my present station. Time flies, and it will keep flying. That raises several questions:

• How much longer will I be able to do tower work?
• Who can I get to do tower work that is economical and knowledgable? 
• When I must downsize, can I keep the station and operate remote?

Entropy never sleeps. I was deeply affected by the passing of several friends and elderly family members in 2025. None of us will live forever.

On the other hand this is an ideal time to invest more in the station. With less time ahead of me I am free to spend more as long as I set aside enough for vital matters. It is time to write my shopping list. So it isn't all bad. I am cursed with optimism.

I look forward to seeing you on the bands in 2026 and for many years to come. 

Digital Modes Have Already Won

As we begin a new year it is traditional to look ahead and to look back on the year that was. I have a forthcoming article about the year past and my station plan for the new year, but in this one I'd like to take a broader view. In particular, the spectacular migration to digital modes on HF.

Let's consider factors that are contributing to the migration:

• No code licensing: CW is a vanishing art. Other than contest weekends and DXpeditions there is little to be found on the bands. When you do find stations to work, they are the same ones you worked yesterday. Which brings us to the next point.
• Less interest in communication: I rarely use the radio to communicate. If I want to talk to someone I text, email or call them on the phone. Years ago friends would arrange skeds or use nets to talk. Commercial long distance services were expensive decades ago! Quick QSOs that stick to the minimum exchange are becoming the norm, inside and outside of contests.
• Stations are smaller: New and young hams are less likely to install towers and yagis. Indeed, many mainly operate portable, leading to the popularity of POTA. Unable to do CW, many find that SSB is difficult with small stations (up to 100 watts plus wire antennas). Concurrently, elderly hams are downsizing and need to get by with small stations as well. 
• Convenience: Digital modes are easy. Connect a USB cable between your rig and PC, download free software, spend a few minutes on configuration and you're ready to go. Watch the signals decode, click on one and work them. The QSO can be automatically uploaded to LOTW and similar services. If you want to know more about the person on the other end of the QSO the software will take you to their web page (usually QRZ.com).
• Easier DX: From smaller stations DX can be reliably worked using digital modes. From all indications, hams young and old, new licensees and old timers, continue to enjoy DXing. Listen to the popular FT8 frequencies and you will be amazed at the DX available that is rarely heard on the traditional modes. Work southeast Asia from eastern North America on 80 meters? Sure! Try that on CW in 2026 and you will be disappointed.

Whatever your opinions about digital modes the migration is undeniable. In preparation for this article I tuned the rig to 80 meters one evening and took the following pictures. The first is the FT8 window at 3573 kHz. The second is a waterfall display of 3500 to 3550 kHz (CW segment) on my Icom 7610. They were taken just one minute apart.

The people have spoken: all hail the new mode king!

If you're active on the bands you already know. The picture is a little better when you compare to SSB rather than CW, but the magnitude of the difference remains huge. The ratio of digital to conventional mode QSOs is at least 5:1 (noted by several QSO matching services), contest weekends excepted. DXpeditions are spending an increasing portion of their limited time on digital modes since that's what people want. They say so when they donate their money.

Many of my generation, along with older hams and some that are younger, are not happy with the change. Griping from the curmudgeon crowd is frequent but growing quieter. They are aging out of the hobby (dying, to be blunt about it) or joining the migration by embracing digital. They know where the activity is and they are attracted to it like everybody else.

The call signs of many older hams are frequently seen on FT8 where they find the DX pickings to be good and the computer-assisted mode easy on aging bodies and senses. Like me they may first try CW when they walk into the shack each day and then, perhaps reluctantly, check out what happening on FT8. We're in a technical hobby so it is no surprise that they (we) have little difficulty adapting to the technology. 

With a big signal I can usually get answers to my CQs on CW and SSB when there is propagation. I work many new stations though it's mostly those I've worked before, whether on that band or another. The calls are always familiar. Listen every day and you'll notice that the same few stations are CQing on CW, and when they're answered it's the same stations. Routines like this foster friendships but we can too easily dig ourselves into a repetitive rut. Where's the fun in that? 

Those of my generation you see on FT8 typically fall into one of the following categories, at least based on my experience and observation:

• Filling band-slots for the DXCC Challenge award, FFMA (on 6 meters), DXCC Honor Roll, 5B WAC, 5B DXCC, and similar difficult and therefore prestigious awards.
• Increasing the success rate for working long path on the low bands into Asia and other points on the other side of the globe from us (North America). Signals are terribly weak but workable more often and for longer on digital modes. This is most common on 80 and 160 meters.
• Running robots day in and day out, flipping from one band to another, working everything that moves. The ethics of robots is debatable. I strongly dislike them because they pester me and they occupy valuable spectrum in the narrow 3 kHz windows currently in wide use. Others feel the more the merrier, so if stations work the robot surely both win.
• I notice many stations I remember from past contests but no longer see them contesting today. I guess that as we grow older contests become more of a physical challenge and many choose to "retire" to digital. Older hams that downsize may be disappointed by their relatively poor contest performance and find solace in a mode that is friendly to small stations. 

Above is another view of CW versus FT8. It was taken during the morning of the first weekend of 2026 when 12 meters was open to Europe. CW activity is above average due to the WWA activity in early January. There is still no comparison. 

Of course there are many newly licensed hams that have almost exclusively operated digital. As noted above, they don't know the code and SSB is difficult with a wire in a tree. Unlike when I was young, new hams typically don't have towers nor do they want them. Amplifiers are less common than small QRP rigs that they can take for POTA outings.

As to why I use FT8 and other digital modes is straight forward and practical:

• 6 meters: I first ventured into digital when almost all the activity on 6 meters migrated to FT8. I soon found that it had undeniable advantages compared to CW and SSB. I began an enthusiastic convert. Other than the occasional VHF contest all my 6 meter operating and monitoring is on FT8.
• 160 meters: On most nights there are very few DX stations to work on top band. As much as I like to see the activity I have little reason to call them. I've worked them many times before. When I call it is just to say hello. The bulk of top band activity is on FT8. Like on 6 meters, long DX paths can be short and marginal -- though more predictable than on 6 -- which favours digital. One sunrise between Christmas and New Year's I worked VK5, VK6 and VK9. At the same time no DX was heard on CW.
• Insurance QSOs with rare countries: If I can only make one QSO with a rare DX entity I don't want it to be digital. My preference is CW first and SSB second. If the DX shows up on FT8 before I've worked them I'll go ahead and work them if I can. That's my insurance contact just in case I fail to work them on CW or SSB. 
• Curiosity: Technology is a great attraction. Digital modes require sophisticated algorithms to have them perform as well as they do. I have played with FT4 and MSK144, just for the fun of seeing how they work and what can be done with them. In time I may use other digital modes if only out of curiosity. The technology underlying digital modes is truly a marvel.

Contests

What about contests? There are digital mode contests, just as there are for other modes. To date they have had only modest success. I can't speak for others but I can tell you what I think.

Contest success (high score) is determined by operator skill, station capability and location. The latter two are common across all modes. It is skill that is where the difference between modes is significant. Digital modes are synchronous which constrains operator agility. Further, algorithmic decoding removes operator copying ability (whether CW or phone) from consideration. 

Where does that leave operator skill? Even when I use FT8 it is often quite boring. The challenge is often just trying to scan the long list of decoded messages to find a station to call. Of course I can auto-respond (and override if I'm quick enough) or program a robot to do it for me, but it is not at all like contesting with conventional modes. It leaves me cold.

It can be better, just look at RTTY. That is also a digital mode. The differences are that it is asynchronous and operator skill is required in manually selecting and collating information from two or more decoders. The SO2R and 2BSIQ challenge is similar to that for CW and SSB. Although I have no interest in RTTY I can understand why other contesters take to it.

There is no fundamental reason why FTx modes must be synchronous. I can easily conceive of ways to make it asynchronous and therefore more interesting for contests. But if that's done, are we merely reinventing RTTY? Perhaps it would be an improvement over RTTY, but one of degree not kind. 

It will be a while yet until digital displaces conventional modes for contesting. Indeed, it may be that CW will become a primarily radiosport mode. For milder forms of radiosport, such as POTA, both digital and CW are popular. This is expected since both are friendly to the low power and small antennas typical of these lightweight portable operations. 

But, how do I feel about it?

Enough about the facts and cataloguing what I and others are currently doing. The important question is whether it is enjoyable or fulfilling? Should I go further with digital?

That question cannot be answered by pontificating. You have to get out there and do it. I've already listed the limited uses I make of digital mode (primarily FT8), so I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and did a little DXing on 3573 kHz. Not new countries -- although I tried that, too -- but just calling DX stations or CQing.

I limited myself to 100 watts to see what can be done without a dominant signal, but with my vertical yagi. That's still a lot more antenna than most have on 80. I worked several Europeans, and one each in South American and Australia. This was just after sunset and then the following sunrise. That's when interesting "gray line" openings occur, including long path to southeast Asia at sunset.

I noted quite a few people I know from contesting and DXing. It seems that they also like to go where the opportunities are. There are quite a few DXers that flip between CW and FT8 during the same openings. We may prefer CW but many are not shy about filling those band-slots any way they can. When the DX is on FT8 you must go there to work them. Many rare DX stations also flip between CW and FT8, often choosing the latter when CW doesn't garner the QSOs. You do what gets the job done.

Back to my experiment. While it was nice to work new DX stations on 80 meter FT8, I can't say that it felt enjoyable. The only time my interest level rose was when I heard a really difficult DX station to work, whether rare, on the other side of the planet, or via an unusual propagation path. A surprising number of DX stations replied to my CQs, and of course many DX that I called didn't appear to hear me. The latter isn't surprising since so many hams live in noisy cities and cannot put up more than simple antennas.

It should also be pointed out that the crowding in the FT8 windows is immense. WSJT-X algorithms are very good at decoding overlapping signals even when the overlap approaches 100%. As activity grows that isn't good enough. It's been almost 5 years since I wrote a speculative article about digital's future evolution yet little has changed. Why don't all modern rigs and operating software support larger windows? We certainly have the technology to do it. Nevertheless the evolution remains very likely in my opinion, though slower than I expected.

Despite my DX focus, quite a few W/VE stations called me. I've noticed that many stations on digital modes will call anyone they haven't worked before, and they will do so regardless of your stated preference: e.g. "CQ DX". Some are robots although most are not. I don't feel guilty not responding to them. 

Where does this leave me? Operating digital modes on HF is a personal decision, not one of right versus wrong. As I've said before: never mistake a personal preference for a universal truth. To do so is to slap a label on your forehead for all to see what you are. You will draw scorn, not converts to your view of the world.

It's likely that I'll increase my HF digital operating as time goes by since that may be where the activity is. My one strong opinion is to stay out of digital contests because skill plays a far lesser role in one's competitiveness; it's regimented by the current technology. Even DX pile up techniques are largely useless since it devalues skill and station building. Of course for many that's the attraction! C'est la vie.