Inside Superstation NQ4I During 2007 CQ World Wide DX SSB

I want to thank Charlie, NF4A who is the 20-meter Team Captain at Superstation NQ4I for this groundbreaking moment in RadioSport. In fact, C50C and another multiplier went into the log followed by the traditional bell ringing as we spoke.

Charlie, NF4A said, "All hell is breaking loose on 160-meters."

I felt the rush and speaking of propagation which is the hot conversation going into the contest.

Charlie stated, "Conditions really surprised us better than expected."

Friday night propagation silenced Japan for the team but opened into VK/ZL territory. BX5AA and YB0ZZ were notable multipliers in addition to the VK/ZL opening according to Charlie, NF4A. Additionally, 40-meters presented a unique opening for NQ4I lasting from Friday evening well into the European afternoon.

Jim, VE7ZO will pilot the 40-meter operating chair and one can expect a full-throttle effort from this operator through the night according to Charlie, NF4A.

Furthermore, Charlie reported excellent openings on all bands as well. Currently, NQ4I reports 3449 -Qs and 647 multipliers according to Live Amateur Radio Contest Scores.

I asked Charlie, NF4A about the NQ4I Superstation web cam introduced for the first time last year. He initated a live web cam tour of the Superstation while we spoke.

Charlie said, "The north end of the Superstation is our 80- and 40-meter operating positions. You will see those positions as you walk through the door. The south end of the room toward the door is our 20-meter operating position. The web cam itself refreshes every minute. Likewise, we have live streaming audio complimenting our NQ4I Superstation web cam."

Charlie took me to NQ4I's rest and relaxation area during our virtual tour of the Superstation.

"The team enjoyed a carbo-load dinner prior to the contest Friday night consisting of lasagna and salad. Competition demanded a portable type meal this evening and the team ordered pizza and chicken wings." stated Charlie.

Zingers, sandwich fixings, salad, health food, and potato chips are included as part of the team's dietary needs during the contest. We had a good chuckle about the Zingers. They are turbo charged Twinkies for the contester.

Charlie, NF4A described the team's best moment thus far as working those elusive Asian multipliers. Additionally, team spirit is high as propagation is better than expected and the team is doing a good job sticking to its 4-hour operating schedule. Well, some ops slept-in but they worked additional time into their operating schedule according to NQ4I's 20-meter Team Captain.

Charlie continued, "Our new 8-element 20-meter beam at 185-feet is working beyond our expectations."

The new antenna is another contributing factor to great morale at Superstation NQ4I.

Lastly, Charlie replied when asked about the second half of CQ WW SSB 2007, "We have an understanding around here. First, Mr. Murphy is part of the team. Secondly, never let a band go without someone in the chair. And, a team doesn't have a commanding lead until it's over."

That's keeping the eye on the ball.

I want to thank the NQ4I Superstation team for this groundbreaking moment in RadioSport. Likewise, my hat is off to Charlie, NF4A 20-meter Team Captain for graciously answering my questions and giving me a virtual web cam tour of the Superstation. Lastly, to the Ham Radio operator who pulled all this together within hours, Bobby, KF4GTA. Right on!

Take a moment and check out NQ4I's new 20-meter 8-element beam on the Superstation's website. Plus the added bonus of streaming audio and web cam.

Contest on.

Reference:

Charlie, NF4A (personal communication, October 27, 2007).

NQ4I Superstation - Griffin, Georgia Retrieved on October 27, 2007 from http://www.nq4i.com/.

K5ZD Running Asia

The hour is right. The operator is right on and Japan is moving the s-meter. Listen in while Randy runs Asia and gains a few new multipliers. A Korean station just a minute ago.

• 2.8 Mpts

Reference:

K5ZD http://www.k5zd.com/index.html.

Approaching 24 Hours

Looks like a change in team composition at K1TTT as fresh op's are in the 160-, 20-, 10-meter chairs. The 40-meter Single-Operator 2 Radio (SO2R) operator still in the chair from this morning. Looks like search and pounce. An almost finished Coca Cola bottle resting off to the right. Twenty meter op getting ready for the long haul evening as well as the 160-meter operator. It looks like an F1 evening for 160-meters. The candy dish is half full and light's out on the K1TTT doghouse. The 10-meter operator is reading a book. I feel for the 10-meter operator.

• K1TTT, 4.0 Mpts, 2889 -Qs, 589 mults.

Web cam action at NQ4I looks like a multiplier just alerted on the computer screen. One op pointing toward his monitor. I'm currently listening to NQ4I's 40-meter operator. It's in the CQ working splits. He is working a rhythm on the CQ. The 40-meter op just scored an Italian and Portuguese station.

• NQ4I, 5.2 Mpts, 3313 -Qs, 625 mults.

Reference:

K1TTT http://www.k1ttt.net/k1ttt.html.

NQ4I http://www.nq4i.com/.

K5ZD Searching and Pouncing

Randy, K5ZD is working South and Central America while searching and pouncing (SP). According to Live Amateur Radio Scores, K5ZD has 2.3 Mpts at hour number twenty-one.

Contest on.

Reference:

K5ZD Web Site Retrieved on October 27, 2007 from http://www.k5zd.com/index.html.

Live Amateur Radio Contest Scores Retrieved on October 27, 2007 from http://www.getscores.org/.

NQ4I Multi/Multi Web Cam and Audio Streaming

I'm listening to NQ4I on 20-meters at this moment. This is RadioSport rockin' and a rollin' this weekend. The operator spins the dial searching and pouncing. There are four op's assigned to the 20-meter band and they are NF4A, K4NV, N4OX, and KY5R.

The NQ4I team is focused on the task at hand. Check out the web cam.

He's calling CQ switching between 'real' voice and voice memory keying. Will NQ4I maintain their lead against the Triple-T Team at K1TTT?

Listen too the titans battling in CQ WW SSB 2007 at the bottom, bottom of the cycle. It's guts and glory in the operating chairs this weekend.

Contest on.

Reference:

NQ4I Superstation Retrieved on October 27, 2007 from http://www.nq4i.com/.

K1TTT Multi/Multi Web Cam

Check out K1TTT web cam and catch RadioSport live as the team works through the day. Bonus feature allows you to pan and zoom around the shack. This is way cool.

The QSO gap between Triple-T and NQ4I narrows to a margin of four-hundred. One or two solid hours might swing the tide for K1TTT. The NQ4I team is ahead on the multiplier count as well sitting at 587 for this minute.

Let's see what happens this evening after 20-hours in the operating chair?

Contest on.

Reference:

Amateur Radio Station K1TTT Retrieved on October 27, 2007 from http://www.k1ttt.net/k1ttt.html.

K5ZD Running Eu

Listen to Randy, K5ZD running Europe right now. The frequency is hot.

2007 CQ World Wide DX SSB | Live Scores

The thrill of victory and the agony of the operating chair. I'm watching CQ WW SSB developments on Live Amateur Radio Contest Scores and thus far --

Multi/Multi.

• NQ4I, 2.2 Mpts, 1831 -Qs, 503 mults
• K1TTT, 1.7 Mpts, 1648 -Qs, 477 mults
• KB1H, 1.1 Mpts, 1082 -Qs, 409 mults

Score board numbers are less than 3 minutes old. Clearly, the team at NQ4I has taken a commanding lead in the battle of the Multi/Multi titans. Is propagation favoring NQ4I? Will the team at K1TTT get that needed opening on 15- and 10-meters? The race narrows between K1TTT and KB1H but, it is coming down to multipliers and the Triple-T team has an edge at this minute. Will the team at NQ4I maintain their grip on the lead? What about Triple-T?

SO H/P.

• K5ZD, 1.0 Mpts
• VO1HE, 54 Kpts, 292 -Qs, 63 mults
• K0RC, 38 Kpts, 128 -Qs, 118 mults

K5ZD is not reporting -Q numbers or mults. If you want to hear Randy, K5ZD live and in the thick of the action go to his website. He is netcasting live throughout the contest. A link to K5ZD is available in the multiplier section.

SO L/P.

• W3LL, 201 Kpts, 308 -Qs, 238 mults
• K2DBK, 4 Kpts, 42 -Qs, 46 mults
• WB8JUI, 792 pts, 18 -Qs, 22 mults

The Saturday morning surge is underway. Let's see what happens later today?

Contest on.

Reference:

Live Amateur Radio Contest Scores Retrieved on October 27, 2007 from http://www.getscores.org/.

2007 ARRL CW Sweepstakes Poll

The current polling results are not positive and do not indicate an overwhelming turnout of Sweepstakes CW operators going into next weekend.

The pulse check suggests the following according to survey results thus far--

• 563 votes
• 22.9% (129) will operate next weekend.
• 74.8% (421) are not operating next weekend.
• 2.3% (13) are prospective operators.

That is almost a 3:1 ratio of operators choosing not to participate in Sweepstakes CW. Is propagation a variable? Are operators burned out on Sweepstakes?

Vote 'yes' on Sweepstakes CW 2007. The poll is just below ARRL Products: What's New.

Reference:

American Radio Relay League http://www.arrl.org/.

1 Watt Expeditions

I repaired the center fed inverted-L doublet this evening. The winds from last weekend loosened a few wires near the center insulator. A few minutes worth of soldering and the antenna is ready to ply the ionosphere this weekend. I plan on operating in the CW bands during CQ WW SSB, follow Live Scores, and listen in on K5ZD's live audio. Plans are developing to guest operate during the ARRL Sweepstakes next weekend as well.

After completing my antenna chores, I pulled out the gel cell battery, Outbacker Joey tripod and instruction manual, RG58 coax with connectors, battery cables, battery charger, and DC adapter for the Yaesu FT100. The beginning of 1 Watt Expeditions to local peaks and beyond is underway.

Here's the beta as described in the owner's manual.

Outbacker Joey QRP Antenna.

• The core of the antenna is fiberglass.
• Copper wire is helically wound around the core then hand-tuned at various tap points.
• A 32" length of stranded wire known as a wander lead (WL) plugs into the WL-32 socket at the base of the vertical. The other end of the lead plugs into the desired band socket using a banana plug.
• It is important to evenly wrap the WL counter clockwise and not tightly against the vertical.
• A 15" stinger is used to fine tune standing wave ratio.
• Band coverage 80- through 2-meters.
• Feed impedance is 48 to 52 Ohms.
• The Outbacker Joey is rated at 20 watts peak envelope power.
• The vertical is a 1/4 wave helical.

The next step in the process toward Bishop Peak is cutting radials. I want to further research vertical performance as the instruction manual suggested paying close attention to grounding, antenna placement, and installing a large number of radials. The peak is granite. I'm thinking about using a fishing rod to elevate the Outbacker Joey as well.

The second game of the World Series is underway. I'm cheering for the Rockies. It's a great Cinderella story for me.

Contest on.

Reference:

Terlin Outbacker Antenna & Communications (n.d.). Instruction Manual 'Joey'. 11 McElligott Court, Canning Vale WA 6155, Austrailia.

Adventure Now

The latest dispatch quote from Erden Eruc who is rowing across the Pacific toward Australia.

• "There was cloud cover above me, yet the almost full moon behind them was creating a glow which helped me see around. The tips of my oars were flaring up with bioluminescence, phophorescent life forms which give off a green light when excited. While returning to the catch (position with legs bent, arms forward, just before the blades enter the water again), green glow dripped off my blade tips like paint off a painter's brush." (Eruc, 2007).

Reference:

Eruc, E (2007). Moving two steps forward, one step back. Retrieved on October 25, 2007 from http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/ano/.

Ham Radio and the Mountains

Now back too regular programming.

Recently, I introduced a new series of postings called Adventure Now as on-going coverage of adventurers and explorers who roam our changing planet. Well, I neglected the bug that kept itching against the back of my mind. I've read about Ham Radio operators hiking into remote locations and operating QRP. In fact, my featured video is of an operator running two watts out of the back country.

I bought an Outbacker Joey vertical many moons ago. It is lightweight and designed for the outdoors. The Yaesu FT100 also is lightweight, compact, and rugged enough to haul in the backpack. I have in the storage locker a gel cell battery as well.

That bug kept persisting in the back of my mind, "Scot, why don't you combine your passion for the outdoors with Ham Radio?"

The equipment is available and all I need to do is, "Just Operate."

I have a new project to write passionately about along with RadioSport. We have several peaks within San Luis Obispo County that offer ideal operating locations for Ham Radio. The first one to activate is Bishop Peak. It is now my goal to operate using 1-watt into the Outbacker Joey vertical. I'm going to survey available weekends after Sweepstakes then go for it.

Someone else might discover Ham Radio and take interest in our great hobby as well.

Now, I have committed to the goal of operating QRP (1-watt) from Bishop Peak before the closing of November. My equipment is an Yaesu FT100, Outbacker Joey Vertical, a gel cell battery, and Bencher Paddles. However, in the future, I want replace the paddles with a straight key, for the adventure of it. There is something about pounding out Morse Code using a straight key and the great outdoors.

Contest on.

The Fires in Southern California

We talked about the fires raging in Southern California through the day. Our area is a tinder box of dried vegetation as well. Recently, I spoke with a rancher about our water situation and he stopped watering his orchard a few months ago. The wells on his property are dry and they cannot support the needs of the fruit trees anymore. His story is not isolated. My photograph tries to illustrate the secondary effect of the firestorm. A thin line of haze blankets most of the Central Coast. Tonight, my eyes are irritated from spending the day outside in 80-plus degree heat. Whatever moisture we gain is quickly lost to evaporation. This quote taken from Nature's End, "A flash fire destroyed forty homes in the mountaintop Sky Estate Community in the Santa Monicas today. Winds in the area were driven to hundred plus kilometers velocities by the mountaintop effect known as 'lip compression' which causes mountain peaks and ridges to accelerate air currents. The fire moved so fast that it consumed the homes in less than half an hour. KTLA Regional Radio Cell, News Report, July 15, 2015." (Strieber & Kunetka, 1986, p 78). Has anyone else read Nature's End? The book is dedicated to the human future.
Reference:
Strieber, W and Kunetka, J (1986). Nature's End. Warner Books Inc. New York, NY. 10103. (p 78)

Off the Random Wire (Week 20): Mt Ritter 13,157'

I enjoyed one spectacular summer a few years ago in the eastern Sierras. The first hour really winded me because no one really slept well. We suffered between my snoring and altitude change the first night. The first photograph was taken in the ice chute prior to a saddle between Mt. Ritter and Mt. Banner. The second photograph is our base camp nestled below the ice field of Ritter just above 10,000-feet. We drank melted water processed with iodine from the snow field melt off. The water was delicious. The third photograph is Jon and I after practicing self-arresting using an ice axes. Fourth photograph is Frank who lead our adventure through the snow chute onto the saddle followed by an ice field. Frank also lead the route to the summit. He said, "If this ain't the summit. I'm calling it the summit." It turned out that he was right. We found the summit register just a few feet from Frank. We successfully traversed the northface of Mt. Ritter where John Muir nearly met tragedy (Moynier & Fiddler, 2002). Fifth photograph gives an idea of the descent through loose gravel and rock called scree. I paid extra close attention to each footstep and note the glacier in the background. My summit photograph after 8-hours of snow, ice, and rock climbing. We completed our traverse of the Class 3 route (Moynier & Fiddler) in 15-hours. The last photograph is Mt. Ritter ablaze in the light of sunrise.

Reference:

Moynier, J. and Fiddler, C. (2002). Climbing California's High Sierra. [2nd ed.] The Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, Ct. 06437.