Set your 200 range selection for maximum or near maximum position on the fine current adjustment for the desired amperage and to get maximum open circuit/no arc voltage.

You are absolutely correct ac vs. dc is an essential variable. Include it and qualify the procedure. FYI if the customer wants a low hydrogen weld deposit all the way out. They have the choice of GTAW, GMAW with solid or metal core wires, maybe FCAW if used with a low hydrogen wire and SMAW with the E-XX15, 16, 18, 28 or 48 electrodes. Tensile strengths can be had with any filler metal. Not so for low hydrogen deposits.

Sour service application. Amine and some hydrogen. Welding up in the racks where you may not be able to TIG or out in a cotton field welding up a compressor bottle. Several of the mid-stream companies use this procedure. I test about 10 -15 welders a month. Fail rate around 90% the first time. The company I work for requires a 2 inch sch 80 and a 8 inch schedule 80. That qualifies you for all thickness and all diameters. With a SA200 somewhere on that machine is a place the 7018 will run. If they let you put in a 3/32 7016 bead. Kobe is the one most of the guys out here run. You want the land and opening to be a little wider than the bead rod. If you are running a 3/32 you want to be able to drop the 3/32 through the gap. Same with a 1/8. On the 6 or 8 inch sch 80 a 1/8 will be faster and the fewer starts and stops you have the better. Putting your tacks  at 12, 3, 6 and 9 you should be able to run from tack to tack with one rod. Change the rod run to the next tack. A hint on the gap. If it scares you it is so wide, then you are about right. As for the land, some welders leave a smaller land and put the bevels closer. Others take a wider land and open the gap. On every welder I hav tested who passed this test on the first try, they all took a fat land and a oh my god opening. For 3/32" start at 130 and 45 and work down first then up to find out where the machine runs the best. On 1/8" 190 and 50 again work down then up. Most welders running SA 200 seem to be 190 and 40-45. Also be aware if there is a time limit on the test. The company I work for has one and it gets about as many as IP on the welders first try. If you are a fairly proficient welder, 3 or 4 coupons and you should have it down. It is more mental than anything when you get the heat figured out. And the heat on a SA 200 is the key. Let me stress again, somewhere on that SA 200 is a sweet spot for running a open root bead with 7018. Find it and master it. The welders I test, when they pass it, know how special they are. Good luck and let us know how you do. And dont be afraid to bust this test. There are some #1 welders who cannot do this. Again, a big part of it is mental.
BABRT's

In one situatuion in which I had to qualify the restricted access cuased the need. We welded on tangent tube waterwall tubes which were welded together at the tangent point to the next tube. A weld called a window weld (http://www.weldinginspectionsvcs.com/WindowWelds.htm) is made and it was difficult to get access. A stick rod worked well.