[CQ-Contest] 5I3A - CQ WW CW

[Paul Young]

Two years ago I operated the CQ WW CW from Tanzania as 5H1X and toured
parts of the country.

One evening  I had dinner with the Dr. Richard Masika and his wife.
Richard is the Director of Studies at the Dar es Salaam Institute of
Technology. He told me that the college had an amateur radio club with
about thirty members.  Most were students but three were faculty.  This
surprised me as I had not heard of any local activity.  He then said
that none were licensed yet.  They were getting ready to take the exams
but the government had not given them in years and there was no question 
pool.

When I returned home I contacted the ARRL. They worked with the IARU
region and this problem was solved.  In March I received e-mail saying
that 21 novice licenses were being issued to DIT Communication Club
members.  The novice license has a 100 watt limit and frequency
restrictions.

Meanwhile, Ralph, 5H3RK, who worked at the Swedish Embassy in Dar helped
them get a station.  He obtained a TS-140S which I think was originally
owned by 5H3MS, and a log periodic from an embassy.  I think there is a
wire and maybe a vertical too.  And he arranged to have a license issued
to the club station - 5I3A.

Ralph has since left Tanzania and will soon be working for the World
Bank in W3-land.

I've been in contact with Richard, and Charlotte and I have been invited
to operate from the DIT.

Our current plan is to operate the CQ WW SSB along with as many students
as are willing to join us.  It will be a multi-multi, as I don't want to
deal with the multi-single or multi-two QSY rules.

Charlotte and I will arrive a few days early, set up stations, and start 
educating students as they have time.  I figure we will need to teach a
bit of geography, propagation, operating, contest rules, how to use the
contesting software, strategy, pile-up handling, phonetics, etc.  We
decided to do a phone contest because teaching them CW in a week as well 
might be stretching it.

Three radios is probably sufficient, given the power limitation and the
expected band conditions.  I have an FT-857 and an IC-706 IIg which I
can bring.  I'd rather have larger radios without menus, but these are
what I can carry.

We'll bring extra headphones and splitters, so we can operate with the
students listening and then swap off and have a student operate while we
listen.

I'm looking for other "stuff" and some ideas.

We don't have enough headsets.  Does anyone have a Heil headset they are
interested in selling?  This is a good opportunity to buy a new Proset +
and unload your old set.

We could also use a stand-alone voice keyer or two.  I know we could use
a computer sound card but we'll be using computers at the DIT and my
experience is that connecting sound cards in a hurry produces hum, RF,
and other problems.

I need ideas for antennas.  The existing log periodic is a good start
but I need enough for six bands and three radios.  Any aluminum must fit
in a 4' golf club carrying case.  I think we will be using the top of a
building.  Rotators are probably too heavy.  Fortunately we should be
able to cover Europe and the US with an antenna pointed Northwest.

And if someone is interested in joining this operation, that is a
possibility.  The safari opportunities in Tanzania are incredible.
Check out http://www.underwater.org/mermaid/tanzania/ to see some of
the photos we took in 2001.

We plan to leave the antennas and enough accessories that the TS-140S
can be used as a contest station.

Zone 37 has been one of the least common in contests lately, and with
Ralph gone it may become worse.  There are a group of college students
who were enthusiastic enough that they got licenses.  They are young and
learn fast.  If our operation is succesful we hope that the DIT club
will continue to operate in contests and the members will be comfortable
getting on the air.

                              Paul, K1XM / 5H1F