[LCC] My experience at K8AZ for 2011 CQ WW SSB

[Scott Dickson, W5WZ]

The 2011 CQ WW SSB is now history!  I left from Shreveport on Friday
morning.  Once I got to Cleveland Ohio (aircraft mechanical problems, late
flight crew, missed connection in Dallas, rerouted to Chicago, near-miss
connection, and lost luggage), I had a great time with a great group of ops
(K8AZ,K8BL,K8MR,K8NZ,ND8L,W5WZ,W8CAR,W8WTS,WT8C) at a fantastic station.
Tom K8AZ and his golden retriever Shane are a first-rate hosts.


Pictures online at:  http://w5wz.com/main/page_10767_52.html


Here is the scoop on the K8AZ station:

House Tower:
• 5L 10m @ 80' (rotates)
• 5L 10 @ 50' fixed SE (switchable upper-both-lower)
• 2L40 @ 70' (rotates)

Pond Tower
• 6L15 @ 130' (rotates)
• 6L15 @ 65' (fixed EU) (switchable upper-both-lower)
• 6L20 @ 120' (rotates)
• 6L20 @ 60' (fixed EU) (switchable upper-both-lower)
• 5L10s @ 125'/100'/75'/50' (all fixed EU)
• Tower also supports a full-size elevated ground plane (elevated radials)
for 160m
 
TUP Tower (rotatable tower)
• 5L20 @ 120'
• 5L15 @ 110' 
• 7L10 @ 100' 
• 7L10 @ 75' 
• 5L15 @ 65' 
• 5L20 @ 45'
• Tower also supports ropes which support a wire 4-square (full size) for
80m
 
40m Tower
• 4L40 @ 130'
• 2L40 @ 60' (switchable w/4L40)

Receive antennas include a short-vertical 4-square and a 15' high dipole for
160m; a 15' high dipole for 80m, and the Hi-Z 8-circle rx array 

All antennas are available at all four positions; however the TUP rotating
tower requires coordinating which band controls the azimuth.  The switching
scheme is fantastic.  Everything is very well engineered.  Inter-station
interference was minimal - the station employs Dunestar 200watt band pass
filters between transceivers and amps, as well as some W3HQN high-power
filters after the amps (serial numbers on all were less than 15). There is
liberal use of copper grounding strap neatly in the entire basement shack.
All cables are neatly and consistently labels.  All controls are neatly and
clearly labeled.

Inside, the transceivers are three FT-1000MP Mk-Vs and one K3- all
fully-loaded with appropriate Inrad filters.  All homebrew amps: three 8877
and one 3cx1200.  The amps' power supplies are beefy, with two of them using
pole-pig transformers.

There are six identical computers running Win-Test for logging; 2 of them
are spares, but are up on the network during the contest with the log being
written to all 6.  That way, an in-contest failure only requires relocating
the computer. Win-test is different from N1MM but still easy enough to get
the basic functions down.  Tom insists on footswitch PTT (my favorite
anyway) and uses Heil Quiet Sets (no longer in production) with HC-4 mike
elements.

The M/S strategy was keep the run station running.  Anytime the rate got
down below 120 or so, we were looking to change the run band for at least
the 10 minute clock.  The other 3 transceivers were constantly tuning,
listening, and scanning the DX cluster spots for new mults.  Early in the
contest, we would 'stack' the band maps with mults to enable keeping the
mult station rate up for the 10 minutes, by simply point & shoot.  As the
hours went by and the mults were harder to find, often the 10-minute clock
was open (meaning we could change mult band at any time) and we would change
for a single mult.  Sometimes the rate would slow, so we'd have one of the
other receivers stack a band map, switch to that band to 'point & shoot' for
10 minutes, then switch right back to the previous run band.

Sharing time with the other 8 ops, I got 6 hours sleep on Friday night and 5
1/2 on Saturday night.

Observations- when the propagation is there, the Europeans are loud!  But I
think our openings in the south last longer.  Over the pole flutter is there
on more paths since the location is further north and the polar region is
appears wider.

There were several light-hearted comments about how slow I talk and about my
'hard-to-understand' accent.  I thought they all talked in FFWD mode ;)

And the best part -- I was home on Monday evening to trick or treat with the
family!  What a weekend!


                   CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB

Call: K8AZ
Operator(s): K8AZ,K8BL,K8MR,K8NZ,ND8L,W5WZ,W8CAR,W8WTS,WT8C
Station: K8AZ

Class: M/S HP
QTH: Ohio
Operating Time (hrs): 48

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
 160:   33    13       29
  80:  196    26       84
  40:  497    32      108
  20:  557    40      144
  15: 1299    38      146
  10: 1339    34      145
------------------------------
Total: 3921   183      656  Total Score = 9,408,546



73,
Scott W5WZ