[SECC] KT4ZB - Backyard Contest Station, Part 2

[kt4zb at aol.com]

Here is the 2nd part of my story about the KT4ZB station in Savannah. I am very indebted for all the help and encouragement that I've received from friends in the Southeast Contest Club. Hopefully my two-part article will help some of the new folks understand that you don't have to to be a megawatt station to have fun. I have included the 1st part of my article at the end of Part 2 for those who may have missed seeing it.
Jere, KT4ZB
KT4ZB – Backyard Contest Station, Part 2
I have a slowly progressive muscle disease (Inclusion Body Myositis) that after 20 years has resulted in me being unable to operate ham radio in the traditional sense. It became evident in 2018 that I was either going to have to to give up my hobby or find a another way to operate. At that time I could no longer reach out to turn on the radio or move the VFO. In addition, I could no longer manage the rotor control or the antenna switches. 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 still use a mouse. 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 and writing articles such as this one. 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 after discussing my dilemma with several Ham friends, I decided to slim down the station to a much simpler single op layout. So with a lot of help, we did the following:
1. Changed out the FT 1000mp radios and replaced with a Flex 6400 and new computer. It is seamlessly interfaced with N1MM and the Internet with incoming spots being displayed on the Flex window. All facets of the flex 6400 can be controlled using a mouse including VOX. 2. Replaced both the tower motor and rotor. Removed 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.3. We then added 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) was one of my biggest concerns . When I was researching for software that would allow me to use a mouse to enter letters into the program I discovered that there was already a solution in Windows 10. The program has a virtual keyboard that by using a mouse I can type the call signs etc into the logger.. Yes it's like texting to N1MM while completing the exchange over the air. Something new for this 77-year-old brain.
The tower is now slim and trim since we took off the 40 m Yagi and the Tri-Bander fixed on Europe. If I had to do that all over again I would have fixed the Tri-Bander on South America as I rarely used it working Europe. We rearranged all the feed lines and most everything was complete just before CODED19 arrived. I still have some work to do on the 40 and 80 m dipoles as well as replacing the 160 m inverted L.
The local hams that have maintained my station for the past few years were more than willing to do all the work and I'm now waiting until I can do a new multi-single with the gang. A huge shout out goes to Jeff, W4DD, who visited and helped in planning the station and then took care of interfacing both the rotor control and the Flex 6400 to the Quadra. None of this would've ever happened without all of these folks helping. I can manage the station with my XYL having only to turn on the power switches and place a headset on my head.
I was able to use the station during the March CQ WPX when I planned to try and make 200 Qs but found I had enough stamina to keep going until I reached 600. Needless to say I was pleased with the results and the station still plays well.
--------Thanks for reading and Part 1 follows---------------------------------------------
KT4ZB – Low Power Backyard Contest Station, Part 1
"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.




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