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W5WZ visits K8AZ 2011 CQ WW SSB M/S High Power

W5WZ visits K8AZ

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W5WZ visits K8AZ. 2011 CQ WW SSB M/S High Power. How did this happen? 2010 CW WW SSB – W5WZ M/M HP team finishes 11 th USA. How did this happen? (cont’d). 2010 CW WW SSB – W5WZ M/M HP team finishes 11 th USA W5WZ & team wants to improve Seeking a top ten (in the box) finish - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: W5WZ visits K8AZ

W5WZ visits K8AZ

2011 CQ WW SSB

M/S High Power

Page 2: W5WZ visits K8AZ

How did this happen?2010 CW WW SSB – W5WZ M/M HP team finishes 11th USA

Page 3: W5WZ visits K8AZ

How did this happen? (cont’d) 2010 CW WW SSB – W5WZ M/M HP team

finishes 11th USA W5WZ & team wants to improve Seeking a top ten (in the box) finish

W5WZ contacts K3LR for tips to improve K3LR schedules phone call with W5WZ

Page 4: W5WZ visits K8AZ

K3LR comments are surprising Why do you want to do M/M?

Fun Competition Technical advancement

Have you considered M/S or M/2? Suggest you take sabbatical this year

Visit / operate another station Learn, go home and improve

Page 5: W5WZ visits K8AZ

The invitation comes K8AZ calls the next night

Long time friend of K3LR Team member K8MR is contest mentor to K3LR

W5WZ accepts W5WZ notifies W5WZ M/M team of

cancelled event for 2011 Plans begin to take shape to travel to Ohio

Page 6: W5WZ visits K8AZ

K8AZ sends homework Learn Win-Test (logging software) Listen to bands – for propagation Be familiar with FT1000MP, K3 operation Be familiar with K8AZ antenna farm layout

K8AZ sent pictures, written descriptions Aerial photos of tower orientations

Learn the contest rules all of them!

Page 7: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Most important assignment Just a well rested run operator. Oops!

Scheduled to depart SHPT Friday @ 6am. (aircraft mechanical problems, late flight crew, we departed 8am. Missed plane in Dallas, rerouted to Chicago, near-miss connection to CLE, and lost luggage)

Finally leave CLE airport at 4pm Contest starts at 8pm

Page 8: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Flight delays, rerouted to O’Hare I’d always wanted to visit Chicago!

Page 9: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Airport shuttle via K8MR Nice late afternoon lunch and tour of K8MR

station

Page 10: W5WZ visits K8AZ

The K8AZ team K8AZ – Tom, great host with golden retriever

Shane

K8BL – Bob, VP2EOH, ZL0AAE, VK4BTL + K8BL/ over 30 different DXCC Entities on all Continents except Antarctica

K8MR – Jim, aggressive run op

K8NZ – Ron, contesting with K8AZ since 1960’s

Page 11: W5WZ visits K8AZ

The K8AZ team (continued) ND8L – Ray, VP9/ND8L and VP9I for 2011

CQWW RTTY Contest

W8CAR – Dan, loves the low bands

W8WTS – Jim, has operated PJ2T

WT8C – Reno, also the official chef for the team

W5WZ – Scott, lowers the avg age of team

Page 12: W5WZ visits K8AZ

The K8AZ station Under construction / improvement since

1985 4 towers 4 operating positions

Three FT-1000MP Mk-V One K3

4 homebrew amps Three 8877 & one 3cx1200

Page 13: W5WZ visits K8AZ

House Tower 5L 10m @ 80'

(rotates) 5L 10 @ 50' fixed

SE (switchable upper-both-lower)

2L40 @ 70' (rotates)

Page 14: W5WZ visits K8AZ

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

Page 15: W5WZ visits K8AZ

TUP rotating 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

Page 16: W5WZ visits K8AZ

40 meter tower 4L40 @ 130' 2L40 @ 60'

(switchable w/4L40)

Page 17: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Perspective from driveway

Page 18: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Cable entry to basement shack

Page 19: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Cables to tower farm

Page 20: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Receive antenna Short-vertical 4-square for 160m 15' high dipole for 160m 15' high dipole for 80m Hi-Z 8-circle array for 80m & 160m

Page 21: W5WZ visits K8AZ

K8AZ at center of Hi-Z array

Page 22: W5WZ visits K8AZ

The K8AZ station complexity Most antennas are available at all four positions Everything is very well engineered Inter-station interference was minimal

Dunestar 200 watt band pass filters between transceivers and amps

W3HQN high-power filters after the amps Liberal use of copper grounding strap All cables are neat & labeled All controls are neat & clearly labeled

Page 23: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Switches for front or rear desk K8AZ personally switches these – no one else!

Page 24: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Front desk, positions A & B Rigs loaded with INRAD filters

Page 25: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Rear desk, positions C & D Rigs loaded with INRAD filters

Page 26: W5WZ visits K8AZ

The M/S strategy – And remember the 10-minute rule! Priority #1 - keep the run station running

Last 10 Rate < 120, change bands The Hunt – chasing multipliers

3 transceivers constantly tuning, listening, and scanning the DX cluster spots for new mults

‘Stack' the band maps with mults to keep mult station rate high for the 10 minutes

As mults became harder to find, often the 10-minute clock was open and we would change mult band for a single mult

Sometimes the run rate slowed; have another receiver stack a band map, switch to that band to 'point & shoot' for 10 minutes, then switch right back to the previous run band

Page 27: W5WZ visits K8AZ

K8NZ & W8CAR At positions A & B

Page 28: W5WZ visits K8AZ

18 hours into contest

Page 29: W5WZ visits K8AZ

W5WZ gets some sleep! Sharing operating / rest time with the other

8 ops

W5WZ rests 11 ½ hours 6 hours sleep on Friday night 5 1/2 on Saturday night

W5WZ operates 36.5 hours

Page 30: W5WZ visits K8AZ

39 hours into contest

Page 31: W5WZ visits K8AZ

48 hours – It’s over!

Page 32: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Post-contest antics W5WZ gets a celebratory shrimp!

Page 33: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Rough statistics 4-band DXCC 20m WAZ

3 other bands >32 zones

10m was the high QSO, high score band 15m only 40 QSOs behind

Page 34: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Preliminary 3830 submission  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

Page 35: W5WZ visits K8AZ

A new K8AZ record Across all contests

Highest QSO count Highest CQ zone count Highest DXCC total Highest total score

An apparent #2 USA finish Based on early 3830 reports

Page 36: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Observations When the propagation is there, the

Europeans are very loud! But, I think our openings in the south last longer.

Over the pole flutter occurs on more paths since the location is further north and the polar region appears wider.

The K8AZ call is recognized around the world.

Page 37: W5WZ visits K8AZ

Back home Monday night!