Exceptional Journey to Contest Success: A Close Look at K8AZ Station and M/S Strategy

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

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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!

7. 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

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

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 40 meter tower • 4L40 @ 130' • 2L40 @ 60' (switchable w/4L40)

17. Perspective from driveway

18. Cable entry to basement shack

19. Cables to tower farm

20. 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

21. K8AZ at center of Hi-Z array

22. 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

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

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

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

26. 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

27. K8NZ & W8CAR • At positions A & B

28. 18 hours into contest

29. 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

30. 39 hours into contest

31. 48 hours – It’s over!

32. Post-contest antics • W5WZ gets a celebratory shrimp!

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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

36. 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.

37. Back home Monday night!