01/06/2026
Another WPX CW is in the books, and we had a great time!
I was glad to host my longtime La Sierra Contest Group friends KP3J, KP3N, and WP4TZ. This time, we also invited KP4JRS, who proved to be a great addition to the team.
We planned this operation as a fully remote and fully solar-powered effort. Murphy visited us very early. One week before the contest, our KP3CW skimmer Red Pitaya receiver stopped working. We had one Flex 6400 and one Flex 6600 ready for the contest, but two days before the event, the 6600 developed the dreaded three red flashes on the power button.
The first hour of the contest was lost troubleshooting an issue with N1MM numbering. For some reason, it was sending serial numbers in the 3000s. After trying everything during that first hour, we finally solved it by creating a new database and configuring all PCs from scratch. Our apologies to those who contacted us during those opening minutes.
KP3N offered his Flex 6400, and by Saturday morning the 6600 was replaced, which allowed for more effective mult hunting.
Special thanks to KP3N and WP4TZ for their help with the antennas installation, which played a key role in making this operation successful.
73 de Eric, NP3A