[SECC] KT4ZB – Low Power Backyard Contest Station

[kt4zb at aol.com]

Nifty posts by Ben, AA4LR, Scott, KB4KBS and Kevan, N4XL. I thought that Ben's addition of a 40 m option was a very good idea and I wish that there would have been one for my old HyGain TH-6. Contesting on 40 m as a low-power station is really tough using just a dipole. And I can endorse Kevan's choice of buryflex; all of our main feed are buryflex. Below, is a short discussion about the build of the KT4ZB station.

KT4ZB – Low Power Backyard Contest Station
"Little Pistols" are the backbone of contesting. If it weren't for the large number of casual contesters and low-power folks, the so-called "Big Guns" wouldn't have anyone to contact on the Sunday of contest weekend. For those who wonder if a "little pistol" can be competitive, read on.
I started contesting using a Yaesu FT-990 and a 80m/40m combination dipole diagonally across a lot in midtown Savannah. Logging was done using CT and I was able to work over 200 countries with this set up. Contesting became my 1st love and one of my best efforts was the 2003 CQWW where I finished 6th in W4 and 34th in the US. I thought this was pretty good for a "Little Pistol " with only a dipole. This was my primary station until we moved to a new QTH in 2006. 
By 2008, I had designed and with the help of many friends built a station which included a 72 foot motorized tower, a Cushcraft A3S tri-bander fixed on Europe and a 6 element HyGain TH-6 tri-bander on a HAM-IV rotor. Additional antennas included dipoles for 40m/80m/160m. These were connected to the shack by a dual feed line 6 pack to FT-1000mp and FT-1000D transceivers; we later replaced the 1000 D by a FT-1000 Mk V. It soon became apparent that the station could be competitive in low-power contests. And, the fact that the location is on the edge of a large saltwater marsh certainly helps. This arrangement provided a number of top-five finishes in both W4 and US from 2008 until 2015. Hams never seem to have enough and are always looking to make the station even a little better. It was time to do some major work on the tower as weather and storms had done their usual stuff, so we decided to put a 2 element 40m Yagi above the tri-bander. I selected the Cushcraft XM240 and hoped that we could make a footprint on 40m. We finished number 2 in the US as a low-power multi-single entry and then took the number 1 spot in the 2017 CQ WPX as a low-power multi-single entry. The 40m Cushcraft was an absolute winner as we recorded 677 Qs on 40m during the contest. No other low-power station posting on 3830 was even close.
At this time I could barely operate a radio as my muscle disease had progressed to the point where I couldn't turn the antenna switches, the rotor and radio controls. I also could barely type with one hand and it was looking like my contesting days were entering a final phase. Hurricanes Matthew and Irma didn't do anything to help either. The rotor was stuck on South and the brake was damaged plus there were other problems with the tower. So it was time see if there was some way we could design a station that would fit my physical limitations. The good news is yes and I will describe what we did in my next post about the KT4ZB station.
If someone claims a station is competitive in a particular category, then as folks say, show me the proof. The station has multiple low-power wins all three of the major SSB US contests along with a total of 4 plaque wins. Some of the records are shown below and I hope SECC folks such as Kevan, N4XL, will break them in the upcoming solar cycle.
The station holds the US record for SSB CQ WPX Single Operator (AB) Assisted - Low Power (Tri-bander/Wires)
The station holds the following SSB Low Power records for W4
CQ WPX Multi-One Low Power (#3 in US)CQ WPX Single Operator (AB) Assisted - Low Power (#3 in US)CQWW Multi-One Low Power (#2 in US)CQWW Single Operator (AB) Assisted - Low Power (#12 in US)CQWW Single Operator (AB) 24 hour Classic - Low Power (#4 in US)CQWW Single Operator (10m) Assisted - Low Power (#10 in US) ARRL Single Operator (AB) Unlimited - Low Power (#5 in US)
Remember, Ham radio is a hobby and the idea is to have fun. And in many cases you can find a way to improve your station and make more contacts. For the guy or gal with 100 W radio that wants to play in a weekend contest, the next best step is to put up an antenna that works well for your category and bands. For me it was the 80m/40m combination dipole which provided a strong signal on 80 and 40 m and was easily tuned on 10/15/20m by the transceiver. Think about what category you want to enter and realize that using 100w your primary method will be S&P. If you are a casual operator, take a weekend and put in a full effort and see how good you really can be. You might try the CQWW Classic Overlay 24-hour category as you can plan your working time based on the band conditions that are best for you. And of course, spend some time playing in the NAQP where there are lots of 100w contacts to be made.
See you on the bands – Jere
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