[3830] WPX SSB KT4ZB SO(A)AB TB-Wires HP

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                    CQWW WPX Contest, SSB - 2020

Call: KT4ZB
Operator(s): KT4ZB
Station: KT4ZB

Class: SO(A)AB HP
Class Overlay: TB-Wires 
QTH: Savannah, Georgia
Operating Time (hrs): 27

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:     
   40:  317
   20:  546
   15:  154
   10:   16
------------
Total: 1033  Prefixes = 574  Total Score = 1,201,956

Club: South East Contest Club

Comments:

KT4ZB station is back on the air! Although this is a rather long read, some of
you might find it interesting. I have a slowly progressive muscle disease
(Inclusion Body Myositis) that has resulted in me being unable to operate ham
radio in the traditional sense. It became evident in 2017 that I was either
going to have to to give up my hobby or find a another way to operate.
Fortunately, we live in the age of technology where SDR radios and computer
operated accessories are readily available.

I can no longer type using a regular keyboard although I can use a mouse just
fine. I have Naturally Speaking Dragon on my computers and I use that along with
the mouse to control all my daily activities including e-mails. So I developed a
list of requirements that would have to be met for me to not only play radio but
to continue being an active contester. This means everything has to be
controlled by using a mouse including entering call signs and any exchange into
the logging program.

In addition, the station and tower and antennas required maintenance. The rotor
had failed and a variety of things needed to be repaired after weathering two
hurricanes. So the following was decided.

1. Change out the FT 1000mp radios and replace with a Flex 6400 and new
computer.
2. Replace tower motor and rotor. Remove the 2 element 40 m Yagi which along
with the TH6 tri-Bander was just too much for the Ham IV rotor. We also removed
the Arrays Solution remote sixpack at the base of the tower and the A3S that was
fixed on EU. (40 m Yagi is for sale).
3. Add an Yaesu Quadra amplifier that would band follow the Flex 6400. This
amplifier was chosen because it has an automatic built-in tuner and 4 antenna
ports for the tri-Bander, 40 and 80 m dipoles and 160 m inverted L. 
4. The rotor controller was modified using an Easy Rotor Control modification
kit and software to allow the rotor to be controlled by a mouse.
5. Entering contest data into the logging program (N1MM) is by using the Windows
10 virtual keyboard and using a mouse to type the call signs etc. Yes it's like
texting to N1MM while completing the exchange over the air. Something new for
this 76-year-old brain.

This is the 1st contest using the new station. There are still things to be done
such as adding the 80 m dipole and 160 antenna, but that will be fixed soon. The
station was left running the entire 48 hours of the contest and nothing failed.
The contest itself was great. I entered with the idea of making 800 contacts or
so and getting used to mouse typing call signs as well as using an amplifier in
what has traditionally been a low-power station.

I am very happy with the results. Running contributed about 50% of the contacts
including calls from Japan, Asiatic Russia (Friday night) and an unexpected
contact with New Caledonia. Total country count was around 74. 15 m turned out
to be a lot of fun with a run adding a lot of 1 pointers to the score that also
helped the prefix count. Even 10 m opened. Activity was good in my view as there
were still plenty of people to work at the end of the contest. I did notice the
limited activity from the Caribbean as everybody stayed home. Even so, 20 m was
brutal and I was never able to run EU. Thanks to the contest committee for all
their work, local Ham club members and friends who reworked the station and to
my lovely XYL for encouraging this effort and putting the headphones on and off
my head.

Looking forward to the next one – Jere

Flex 6400, N1MM+, TH6-DXX, and dipole for 40 m


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