StackMatch, StackMaster User ZX0F

The ZX0F Story - CQWW SSB 1999

Multi Multi Operation

By Atilano de Oms Sobrinho - PY5EG

Initial Planning - The Stage is Set

A major multi-transmitter/multi-operator entry during the 1999 CQWW SSB Competition has just

been completed from the Brazilian Island of Fernando de Noronha under the special callsign

ZX0F.

Led by Atilano de Oms, PY5EG, and organized under the banner of the Araucaria Dx Group of

Parana, Brazil, and with a great support from the Bulgarian team, an International crew of (12)

contesters from Brazil, the USA, Bulgaria and the UK began arriving on the island in late October

in order to participate in the contest from 29-31 October 1999.

Members of the team included:

Brazil

PY5EG - Oms - Team Leader

PY5CC - Peter

PY5GU - Gus

PY2KC - Rod

Bulgaria

LZ1JK - Vasko

LZ1JY - Nick

USA

K1CC - Rich

K1LZ - Krassy

K1ZM - Jeff

K2DM - George

N5FA - Jim

UK

PY5ZBU - Don

Support Team

David - Telecommunciations

Nicolau - HF Antenna Rigging

Andre (PY0FF) - Our Host and Facilities Provider

A few special words need to be said about our host for this operation. Our host was Andre

Sampaio, PY0FF, and the operation was conducted from Andre's lovely bed and breakfast

known locally as the "Pousada de Morena" on Fernando de Noronha. While Andre did not

operate or specifically work with the team during the contest, it would never have taken place

without his friendship and full support.

The idea for this operation was originally conceived at the Dayton Hamvention in May 1999 when

Krassi (K1LZ) and Oms (PY5EG) met and agreed to make a serious attempt in CQWW SSB

using (6) six new ACOM auto-tune amplifiers for the operation. Krassi wanted a chance to test

the performance of his new amplifier line and Oms wanted to see how competitive an International

score could be made in the highly competitive multi-multi class from a deep South American

location.

By way of background, the Araucária DX Group had already achieved several records in both the

WPX and CQWW contests operating in the Single band, Single-Op allband, and Multi-single

categories from the existing contest stations of the Group. One is normally operated with the call

sign ZW5B from the PY5EG home-QTH , the newest one is been operated with the call ZX5J

from "Boa Vista Mountain" near Florianopolis Sta. Catarina. In Fernando de Noronha Island, the

very well known Araucaria Dx Group has also built up a very competitive contest station normally

operated with the special callsign ZX0F. The property is quite small and does not have sufficient

space for a true multi-multi effort. Actually, it is better suited for multi-single, single-op all band or

single band operations.

Even considering these limitations, the Group decided to go for a multi-multi effort with the main

objective of learning some of the most important techniques for such operation, and also to enlarge

the know-how for a big future project. The idea is to build a contest station specifically dedicated

to the multi-multi category.

During the summer and early fall, intensive preparations were made and the group used email and

the Internet to finalize arrangements. Logistical planning was an enormous task and included many

advance shipments to the island. These included the Acom amplifiers, thousands of meters of

coaxial cable and wire for the antennas as well as helium gas for supporting various lowband wire

antennas. The experts in software also worked very hard to learn and adapt CT to DXTELNET,

and how to put both on a reliable communications network for use in a contest.

The plan was to run with stacked monoband yagis for 20, 15 and 10 meters, two monoband yagis

for 40 meters and wire beams/verticals for the lowbands 80 and 160M. Phased beverages would

be employed in order to optimize reception on 80 and 160m. One of the biggest challenges was to

solve the problem of intra-station interference between the stations due the congestion of antennas

on a small piece of land. Nick, LZ1JY, and Krassy, K1LZ, did an extremely efficient job on this

matter. It was amazing how they reduced the level of interference to a minimum in such a small

place.

Additionally, the group would optimize its multiplier search efforts by accessing several overseas

Dx packet clusters in the USA and Europe using the K1XX gateway in NH and the well-known

Dx Telnet software.

Arrival on the Island

N5FA (Jim) and PY5CC (Peter) were first to arrive on the island on the 20th of October along

with Nicolau, a trusted friend of PY5EG, who was the group's most experienced tower rigger on

the team. Although not an amateur, Nicolau sure knows his way around towers and was very

skilled in maneuvering huge monoband yagis with 15 meter long boomlengths. He and Peter made

it look easy - although we knew it was not!

While Peter and Nicolau worked optimizing the yagis, Jim, N5FA, set about stringing wire down

to the beach through the jungle for the various beverage RX systems.

On the 26th of October, members of the US and Bulgarian teams arrived including K1ZM,

K1CC, K2DM and K1LZ. (Fortunately for the team, our telecommunications expert, David, who

is not an amateur but, rather, an employee of Inepar, Br who works for Oms also arrived this day

to help with CT and network preparations. We soon learned that David was **damn good** and

without him we would not have kept our network working for very long. It seemed he was

everywhere before and during the contest making sure all the computers stayed up and on-line).

Due to a very congested business schedule, PY5EG Oms, PY5ZBU Don and PY5GU Gus,

arrived on the Island only late Wednesday.

O grupo agora estava dividido em várias equipes:

The group by now had divided itself into teams:

Station Setup team

Lowband Beverage Team

Network Team

Highband Antenna Team

A/C Power Hookup Team

Station Interference Minimization Team.

Work proceeded almost 24 hours a day for the next three days until finally the crew was ready to

go for the start of the contest. Only short breaks were taken for a minimum of sleep and for the

taking of meals in Andre's very fine Italian restaurant - the finest on the island.

0001Z 30 October - The Race is ON!

With several exceptions, the group shared operating responsibilities and most operators got to

operate on ALL the various bands at one time or another. Oms specialized on 40M SSB and

operated the first night on that difficult band making around 1000 Qs, but other ops on the team

also got to try their hand on 7Mhz on the second day as well. Everyone got the chance to

experience the high QSO rates possible using a rare call sign from a rare country - including our

developing younger operators on the team. That's what contesting is all about - trying to bring

along new blood into the hobby and then teaching them how to operate successfully in a major

competition. We feel we did a good job with this part of the operation.

As the contest progressed, rates peaked over 250 contacts per hour at several times on the

individual higher bands and the overall CT rate meter peaked at nearly 1000 a number of times

during the best European runs on the higher bands at sunrise on Saturday morning.

At the end of the first 24 hours we had 11000 QSOs and we felt that we could reach the 20,000

target Qs we had set for ourselves at the start of the competition. But, we were totally wrong.

During all the afternoon of the second day and portions of the night we had a propagation cloud

over us on all bands and the rate dropped to a very low mark. On the second day we made only

56% of the Qs of the previous day!!!.

When it was all over, the group was generally pleased with a solid score outcome of over 50

Million points - the highest score ever made from deep South America. While it is somewhat

disappointing not to *win* the contest outright, each team member recognized the geographical

distances involved between PY0F and the USA and Europe - knowing that teams like IG9A,

CN8WW and PJ4B were more favored operating locations. Considering our distance from

Europe especially, we were very pleased with our results.

Totals

16.935

49.355

2.91

200

816

=> 50.144.680

Aftermath

On Monday, the troops began scattering as soon as a ZX0F group picture was taken with the

ACOM amps in front and El Pico in the background. Pico is a 300m tall rock outcropping that

defines the island from a distance and lies just to the West of the shot from ZX0F towards the

USA.

K1ZM, K2DM, K1LZ, K1CC, LZ1JK and LZ1JY hung around the island just long enough to go

touring on Tuesday after all the lowband antennas had been disassembled. The group enjoyed

snorkeling with the dolphins and cruising the North side of the island most of the afternoon.

Like all good things, this operation had come to an end and the last of the team said it's good-byes

to Andre at Noon at the airport on Wednesday, 3 November. This gave Andre, PY0FF, some

much-needed "peace" on his lovely island and a chance to put his bed and breakfast back in some

semblance of order following the wild events of the preceding two weeks!

Where Do We Go from Here?

Well, it is hard to say for sure. But, the team felt a definite kinship (brotherhood) among the group

and will consider another effort at a point in the future - possibly for CQWPX SSB in March

2000. This may be attempted as a Multi-Single or Multi-Multi either at ZX5J in Santa Catarina or

at Oms' home station at ZW5B in Curitiba, or even another operation from ZX0F.

Many thanks to all of those who worked us. It was our pleasure operating at ZX0F and we hope

to see you from the next operation. Qsl's for the ZX0F operation are via PY5EG.

Our best thanks also to, ACOM, DXTELNET, CT(K1EA Software), WX0B (ARRAY

SOLUTIONS), and especially to K1XX for the extraordinary support with our packetcluster link.

What we will always remember - our best results of the contest:

1) The contest family we formed (Bulgaria+USA+Brazil+UK) fantastic!.

2) Effective solutions to station interference elimination (Thanks LZ1JY+K1ZM+K1LZ)

3) Computer network (Thanks to David + Krassy + K1TTT + K1XX)

4) Low band reception beverages (Thanks to N5FA + K1ZM)

5) Multiplier passing (Thanks to N5FA )

6) How to build up antennas in a small area efficiently (thanks to PY5CC and Nicolau)

7) How to keep our equipment running (Thanks to LZ1JK+PY5ZBU)

8) How to have fully automatic 2kw station band changing (thanks to ACOM)

9) Hospitality (Thanks to Andre & Morena)

Thanks also to God for this Gift!!!!

73 and hope to CU in the next one,

Oms - PY5EG