51 On Air Transmitters! The Record Breaking Field Day Tactics of W3AO

Looking through the telescope from the wrong end. No, it has advanced to the point where some of the very best ops in ham radio have put out a world-class effort and sustained it for going on 30 years, demonstrating a non-tax-funded communications capability, totally independent of government (other than licensing and FCC rules) -- and also setting an example to everyone else of just what is possible -- and completely willing to share that know-how. I recommend going to W3LPL's open house every June and learn a few things. And there is plenty to learn whether you're an attic dipole in an HOA or a budding super station builder. This kind of effort doesn't happen from first-year-licensed guys; this is a group of ham radio experts. - KE3Q

 

Thank you! Yes, I notice this with some of the local clubs nearby here. Lack of motivation. It's hot at FD, many ops are rarely on the air, maybe never have been, and most know little about setting up antennas, less about operating, etc.
Heck, I was very complimented when I was asked to teach an operating course for 100 STEM 9th graders over four full days, 25 per day. They were broken up into five groups of five and we had each for 45 minutes. W3LPL taught a propagation class, K3RA taught a basic electricity/electronics class, AE3D taught a "foxhunting' class outdoors, someone else ran a soldering, etc. class in the workshop. I had XYL W3AMY join me in teaching our classes. I learned as much as the kids did, teaching the same thing over and over so many times. I had something else I had to do briefly (my job) and another guy filled in. A newer guy, all he knew how to do to try to make QSOs is tune into this net, then another net, then another. He did not seem to know how to find a freq and call CQ, or turn the dial and find someone else calling CQ, or to join an in-progress QSO -- the way QSOs were typically made over the decades. The same beginner-level skills are what a lot of guys bring to FD (not at W3AO!). FD is the biggest activity of the year for a lot of clubs and for a lot of ops, it seems, it's the main time they get on the air, for the whole year! I understand that. The reality of people's lives, so much else to do, job, family, other hobbies, you name it. The nearby club will set up 3 stations typically, put a couple ops on each one. One guy will tune the band for QSOs and the guy sitting next to him will write calls, write the exchange, etc. on a scratch pad. After a QSO is made they will consult, discuss, and then enter the QSO into the computer. After giving up on an attempted -- aborted -- "FD at home" during the covid years -- I decided to do 5W battery and was not having fun -- Amy and I went to the local club at 10 PM or so Saturday evening and watched for a while. I was amazed. These pairs of guys would make a couple QSOs per hour. Not to shortchange them, maybe they made four QSOs in an hour. And they seemed amazed at the idea that anyone could operate and log real time on the computer. At W3AO we get rates of 100, 120, even more per hour, peak rate! And I think virtually every one of our operating positions is willing to have even a stranger sit in, look over their shoulder, probably they have a second headset ready for that purpose. So much to learn for those who have a lot to learn! Or you can pooh-pooh what a group like W3AO does. Learn from us! - KE3Q

 

hihi, tnx. Yep. KE3Q

 

W3AO has never used an octopus. As far as I know none of us even have one at our home stations. No, we have single, dedicated, bandmode stations, each with an op. But we have made a point of seeing what a dedicated operation, well done, with a top op, can do. Hence, I think 20 SSB broke 2,000 QSOs once . 20 CW, 40 CW, 40 SSB I think virtually always break 1,000 -- maybe 1,200 or so. "digital" has hit almost 2,000! (In this FT8 era particularly).

And we never pushed to a higher tx number intentionally, to impress people, or whatever -- no, we just let our category float to the number of bandmode stations, ops, antennas, we had, and tried to be reasonable. On the "reasonableness" point, as an example, I do not think we ever did 160 digital. The ramp-up 4A year when we beast the all-time 4A QSO And point record, we had dedicated bandmode stations/ops on 20 SSB, 20 CW, 40 SSB, 40 CW. The previous record holder had one op doing both 20 modes and one op doing both 40 modes. After learning how W3AO did it -- I explained it, shared the info -- that other group adopted our approach and reclaimed their record! And that's... O... K... good guys and I don't begrudge them that at all.

So, unlike other clubs that insist (I've seen clubs have major splits over this) -- inside "We must do 3A because that's what we do every year, always have!" two different Maryland clubs I know of actually did win the 3A category -- over the last few decades, and then they insist on always doing 3A, kind of reliving that glory moment. (ha)... No, W3AO has always let our category float. Yeah, once we saw how it was playing out we did try to choose a new category we'd never done before. W3LPL and K3RA choose that every year. Now that have "like" all the records in the 30s, 20s and teens, we're down to single digits now -- so yes, we're on 80 less, as an example -- and the same op will switch over to 10 -- do 80 and 10, but not at the same time. Other bands and modes same, one op will go back and forth. No cheating, no octopus, anything like that. very straightforward... KE3Q

 

finally someone thinking like me who's gonna try and set up 51 stations before a hurricane or tornado that's crazy fun but crazy AND if you have 51 your going to have people operating on the same bands with that many SO....how do you negate that?

 

i previously explained I started for as many as 6 years in the B category -- never 2B -- always 1B1 or a couple at 1B2 -- oh, the year W0VTT and WA2DFI joined me, that would have been a 1A. I forgot that point, and can't remember how we did out in the marsh. But that first year I decided to go 1A -- then K3RA asked to join so we went 2A -- the idea was there was no reason to limit it -- it would be nice to get a couple local good ops to do a few hours in the middle of the night or whatever -- more antenna setup help -- share the fun around. So we've never viewed it that it's in our interest to compete in the lowest possible category -- though I see the typical local club tries to stay at a low number -- a number they can handle the antenna and radios setup and have decent (at least, I hope!) ops. But not every guy aspires to be a "top op." Ham radio is supposed to be fun too! Getting on every June and making a few contacts, getting some nice food and beverages -- a cookout and social event with a ham radio theme -- that's all good too. And those of us who want to break 10,000 QSOs NEED you guys out there to work us and are grateful!

KE3Q

 

Yes, local clubs here too have trouble getting ops or anyone to put in a significant effort. One club just started up, new club, based on their frustrations with the existing club's deteriorating approach. And the local club is impressive, really getting into it! Just did their second FD.
- KE3Q

 

Yep. We have not intentionally chosen categories no one else is in. This year we were 10A and I think we worked 2-3 other 10A stations. 10 is typically near the upper end of number of stations any club does. Occasionally there's an 18 or something (other than us). But yeah, measuring your success (competitively, to the extent that matters to your group or not) within your category is typical. Like the groups that win 4A or whatever repeatedly. That's fine. We tend to look at the overall -- and see how we've done versus our previous results -- points and QSOs. And we know bandmode by bandmode, etc. what we typically do -- so we have benchmarks. We measure our "winning" based on the things we're into. We like having and developing good operating skills and effective station-antenna combinations. Throw in Morse key (a crummy one, one that's not working right, would be frustsrating) -- microphone, headset/mic, foot pedal, computer logging -- all efficiency factors that add to our pleasure in doing it. And being able to look around and see some of the best operators in the world at each station -- that's a good feeling too.

Hey, fielding 10 stations or 20 or 51 can be a hassle. Doing a 3A or 4A or whatever every year would be a lot easier, less effort, easy to get that many super-duper ops would be easier. By the way, one of my analogies is a MLB (baseball) team wants to have the very best starting pitcher(s). But then you want relievers that are equally good. At W3AO we strive for that too. If you watch any sports, you can imagine the pleasure of being an integral part of a really, really, good team. You can imagine the teamwork a top FD station takes, various people responsible for various critical aspects (LPL used to bring 10,000 feet of coax -- I've heard it may be as little as 5,000 feet now -- rarely if ever has there been a piece of coax that was too short or was lossy or anything.) K3EJJ currently doing our generators for some years -- flawless. We have specialists at each critical aspect! I suggested to LPL we -could- (if we're old, not feeling well, anything) -- could run on generator and op in his basement, air conditioned, super station, no antenna setup, etc. Let's say a 10E category. Nope, not the least bit interested. The "going afield" part is an attractant. I used to be responsible for bringing 12 of the portable masts -- the last few years I'm only asked to bring 4 -- I bring the tables and the GOTA station. LPL has made all the Yagis, he and I go over with my truck and trailer and pick them up and bring them to the site. K3RA lines up the ops, the tent, the port-a-potty, reserves the site -- and his XYL Audrey does the food. K3EJJ also has the power distribution cabling. Each bandmode op brings his own gear. For some years I brought all the computers -- that evolved and now KD4D handles that -- and I inherited (yay) the previous set -- every few years we do an upgrade to newer, faster computers. KE3Q

 

Why not? I can set up one of our AB-577s solo in 30 minutes and be on the air. I think the better question is "why would we?" And I accept that point. In an actual major emergency I think we would tend to stay distributed, one station, but as many as 51 networking together, as needed. But that's not what FD is. It's an exercise to see if a bunch of guys can come together on one site and put an effective station and "operating" on the air. That's what we do. If an actually emergency ever needed 10 -- or 51 -- stations and ops, we certainly could do that. So, in our setup, if you have an open mind about it, we have a bunch of guys being prepared to put up as many stations as needed, and operate them effectively, over a dispersed geographic area... KE3Q

 

Absolutely right, it's an operating event, an activity weekend (different things to different people, yes -- for some a roll up your sleeves serious thing, for others a fun little picnic, and that's OK, ham radio is, as some say in politics "a big tent") -- and its an emergency communications exercise. Like the 20-mile runs (or whatever) carrying a hundred-pound pack (or whatever) that the military do, FD can be viewed as that sort of a serious extend the envelope capability measurement... KE3Q

 

Yes, oh so much more, hihi -- KE3Q

 

haha, I've addressed this in my other comments -- there definitely are ways to do 50 or more -- even 69 or 70 if you really tried. And all co-exist on the bands too. That's part of the point, that we CAN. The nearby local club, nope, they struggle with having two on the same band.

OK, a small point. Long ago, maybe our 4A year -- if not it was the 7A year -- I was on 40 CW and K3RA was doing 20 CW -- Rol took a bathroom break. Seeing him leave his radio, I chose a 20M freq 5 kHz from his and began calling CQ, had a 40 per hour rate, which is what he had been getting before taking his break. He came back, on his original freq and started CQing. Breaking the rules -- but it was a worthwhile experiment -- I continued CQing 5 kHz from where he was. No problem interfering with each other. Interestingly, he went back to his 40 per hour rate, I continued at 40 per hour, a combined 80 per hour. He had no idea I was there nearby. Yes, it was a brief, unintended, rules violation -- tho' I was no doubt losing QSOs I would have been making on 40 CW, so it came out even -- but an interesting experiment, two good ops, 5 kHz apart and we coexisted just fine as if neither of the others was there... KE3Q