[WWYC] WWYC M/?

[Scott Northcutt]

I accidentally sent this first only to Toby instead of to the
reflector.  Sorry Toby! 
-------------------------- 

Hi gang.

The WWYC multi-op sounds very intriguing.  Just for grins, I did a
little checking on airfares from my QTH (Nashville, TN in SE USA) to
Ponta Delgada in the Azores.  Since it wouldn't let me check as far in
the future as next September, I told it to check for Jan. 2001 which is
roughly 90 days from now...the airlines usually break prices at 90 days
or more advance purchase.  Several flight combinations were returned (I
did this online at Travelocity.com), the cheapest of which was just
under $900 (to turn this into your local currency, go to
http://www.xe.net/ucc/ ).  Prices went up to about $1300.  I told it to
plan on a week's stay.  This did not include anything other than
airfare.  For an Old Guy with kids, that is a big chunk of change. 
Unless it gets covered by a sponsor, I'll have to "cheer from the
sidelines".

Now as far as a category to compete in, the Multi-Single with a second
rig which is doing nothing but trolling for Mults (I'm almost 100% sure
this is legal) sounds like the best approach.  I'm sure that a rig maker
will happily donate 2 or 3 rigs (one spare) much more readily than 8
rigs.  Same goes for triband antenna and amp makers.  The full-blown
multi-multi would sure be more fun but with more bodies needed and,
consequently more money and equipment, perhaps the inaugural WWYC event
should start small(ish) with room to grow later.  Just a thought.

If the contest location is actually the Azores which are islands (very
important) and there are no huge mountains in the middle (which some
volcanic islands have - like Hawaii), the antenna requirements get
easier to deal with, especially on low bands.  If the operating location
is not terribly far from the ocean, modest tribanders on 10m masts
should play very well.  A 4-square on 40 and some top-loaded vertical(s)
on 80/160 or even dipoles for that matter should go like crazy if there
is sea-water within a few wavelengths of the antenna.  One of the local
contesters here has a 4-square array for 80.  He also has a contest
setup in VP5 (Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean).  There he uses
an 80m dipole at 50 ft/15m.  He says that the dipole beats his 4-square
every time.  Why?  Sea-water within a few wavelengths of the antenna for
360 degrees!  RF bounces off of that stuff MUCH better than it bounces
off of dirt and trees.  I say all this to say that we may not have to
import 20 sections of Rohn 55 with the biggest tribanders Force 12 makes
and a 3 element 80m beam to be competitive.  If RX antennas for 160 are
a concern, 4 pennants can be built with less wire than would be needed
for 1 Beverage.  Each one takes 75-80 feet of wire, a 900 ohm
terminating resistor and a simple transformer wound on a ferrite core. 
There are no ground rods or radials to worry about either.  Look at
pictures from nearly any DXpedition - they take the minimum required
equipment and make many tens of thousands of Qs.  In a big contest,
there should be no shortage of people to work.  If we could leverage a
contester's station (or even just a local ham who has a modest setup) in
the land of choice, that would be even better still.

Keep throwing the ideas around.  If there are local guys in your clubs
who have been on and/or helped plan DXpeditions, ask them for help!  If
nothing else, ask them for info on what NOT to do (mistakes to avoid) to
be successful.  Who knows...this might fall in place yet!

73 all.

Scott
N4JN

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