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? (contd) 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 W5WZ contacts K3LR for tips to improve K3LR schedules phone call with W5WZ

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

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

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!

Most important assignment Just a well rested run operator. Oops! Scheduled to depart SHPT 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

Flight delays, rerouted to OHare Id always wanted to visit Chicago!

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

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 1960s

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

The K8AZ station Under construction / improvement since towers 4 operating positions Three FT-1000MP Mk-V One K3 4 homebrew amps Three 8877 & one 3cx1200

House Tower 5L 80' (rotates) 5L 50' fixed SE (switchable upper-both-lower) 70' (rotates)

Pond tower 130' (rotates) 65' (fixed EU) (switchable upper-both- lower) 120' (rotates) 60' (fixed EU) (switchable upper-both- lower) 125'/100'/75'/50' (all fixed EU) Tower also supports a full- size elevated ground plane (elevated radials) for 160m

TUP rotating tower 120' 110' 100' 75' 65' 45' Tower also supports ropes which support a wire 4-square (full size) for 80m

40 meter tower 130' 60' (switchable w/4L40)

Perspective from driveway

Cable entry to basement shack

Cables to tower farm

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

K8AZ at center of Hi-Z array

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

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

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

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

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

K8NZ & W8CAR At positions A & B

18 hours into contest

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

39 hours into contest

48 hours – Its over!

Post-contest antics W5WZ gets a celebratory shrimp!

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

Preliminary 3830 submission Band QSOs Zones Countries : : : : : : Total: Total Score = 9,408,546

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

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.

Back home Monday night!