Multi-Multi Record Breaker in WPX CW from the Galapagos Islands

by Ralph Bellas, K9ZO

In mid March 1999 I was invited to join the HC8N crew to have a crack at the record for WPX CW. It's a great contest and brings out a lot of unusual activity. I have fond memories of my first WPX contest as G5ATU in 1971 and a more recent XE7X operation. For months I had been working evenings and weekends on my graduate degree and needed a break. It didn't take much to convince me to go.

It would be great to operate from a station that was always loud and came through hours after the bands were dead. I soon found that a lot of interesting history surrounded the development of the site. There were early operations from tents under harsh conditions, intense devotion to goals, and finesse in acquiring supplies to build a competitive station in a remote location. Over the past year a handful of guys had been devoted to building a wonderful radio station on a site overlooking the ocean. It was time for me to give it a try!

Plans gave way to reality, and before long seven of us traveled to Quito, Ecuador. The group was organized by N5KO and consisted of me, N6TV, N0JK, KM3T, K6AW, and K1EA. We had a diverse group: an emergency room doctor, a programmer, a management consultant, a hardware technician, an engineering manager, and two networking specialists. Anything could happen and we would be ready for it.

Trey, N5KO, was already in Quito so he and Pedro, HC1OT met me at the airport. My job had been to transport an 80-pound amplifier and 500 ft. of guy wire. I had a custom-made canvas bag for the amplifier box, so it was easy to carry, and the wire was easy to spot, but I could barely lift the carry on luggage due to the transformer packed inside. To the customs agents in Ecuador the word radioaficianado must have a special meaning. Please let me in. I don't understand anything. I was a radioaficianado. And here was my USA license. It looks official. In what appeared to be a precision planned maneuver, I quickly made it through with just a minimal search. Immediately I felt at ease and quite enjoyed the cultural diversity that now surrounded me. The armed guards in combat fatigues could have been disconcerting, but I relished the differences compared to our little airport in Bloomington. Hey, we still have free parking.

We stayed at the Hotel Savoy and I found that many famous DXers and contesters had been there before us. The next day we were tourists and later met up with the rest of our crew. It's easy to spot the radio guys. The following day we took off for the Galapagos Islands, right on the equator and directly south of Illinois. Guido, HC8GR, who would be our host, met us at the airport. We stopped by his house and then were on our way up a dirt road for perhaps 10 miles to the contest site. We brought hundreds of pounds of gear: computers, radios, amplifiers, antennas, and wires and had to hire an extra vehicle for that. At the sea level airport on San Cristobal the climate is hot and dry, but the contest site was comfortable, yet damp, foggy, and rainy due to the elevation.

For five days we put up additional antennas and rearranged existing antennas. I became the quartermaster and brought order to the supplies. When we were finished each of the four towers had a pair of yagis -- one fixed north, and the other rotary. The 40-meter tower was a sight to behold. It was 130 ft. tall, roughly the size of Rohn 55, locally constructed of rebar and topped with a 2 element yagi. It was a great support for the 80 meter antenna. With the help of some local guys with machetes to cut through the undergrowth I added another beverage to bring the total to three. We checked the backup generators, and assembled six networked stations.

The radio shack was perfect. Actually it was an entire house for radio! The first floor had a large kitchen and dining area, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was a central staircase leading to the second floor that had a living room/bedroom, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. There was a balcony entirely surrounding the second floor. The third floor was the radio room. There were windows on all sides offering a splendid view and a counter for equipment encircled the room. There was access to the roof that held some VHF antennas. A balcony surrounded the entire room.

After dark there was some time for operating. The pileups were intense, and sometimes I was forced to stand by for 9's only. Who would dare to do that! It was great fun to work guys from the club and my hometown. Everyone generally needed to rest so we did not put a huge effort into activity before the contest, but with so many well-equipped stations there was usually one on the air. Guido's wife provided excellent meals throughout our stay. We all particularly enjoyed the wonderful natural fruit juices from the island.

The location may be one of the best in the world for radio. Everyone is loud. We had excellent signals to the heavily populated areas from Europe, the USA, and Japan. Frequently we were called by distant and exotic DX. The USA is straight north and the wisdom of having fixed yagis that direction was evident. Slightly turning the other yagi to follow the sun was all that was needed.

The first hour of the competition gave us an indication of just how good things were. We contacted 570 stations, exchanging signal reports and serial numbers. The next ten hours averaged over 450 per hour. It was amazing the experience 24-hour conditions on 10, 15, and 20 and watch the contact total grow. By the end we had contacted 12,600 stations in every corner of the world and set a new world record in the multiple transmitter category.

I had been assigned to 80 meters at night and offered relief to the other operators during the day. The big stations from Europe were audible soon after the contest started, but it took over an hour before they could be worked. That Midwest search and pounce training proved its worth on the low bands though. The static was high, and the conditions did not sparkle, but there were still plenty of interesting stations to work. I took a brief nap in the middle of the night during the transition time between Europe and the USA. Activity was a bit low, but with constant CQing the rate was OK. The JAs and Pacific trickled in during the first morning. Nearly one and a half-hours before sunrise the band went completely dead. I had not experienced this before. From the Midwest we can usually work a few minutes past daybreak, but not from here. The second night mirrored the first, however I did not nap. I was prepared for the beginning of the JA run and had a good solid hour of split operation that enabled me to work many weak guys. Again the band died an hour and a half before sunrise.

After the contest we quickly disassembled the stations to prepare for our morning flight. I must confess that I still had not had enough of radio and after everyone had gone to bed I took a radio off the shelf and set it up on 20 meters SSB. After 500 QSOs I was convinced that this really was a dream QTH. The pileup was easy to control so I could work it down to a lot of weak stations and I was happy to pass out just a few more K9ZO/HC8 contacts. It was hard to turn off the switch, but I finally gave out a couple of CQs without takers and time was short. I reluctantly went QRT and took a nap for a couple of hours before we left. I sure needed some rest, but it was hard sleeping on the plane just thinking about what had happened over the last few days.

Back in Ecuador Pedro again took care of our arrangements and we were fortunate to be able to have a meal with him and his wife before returning to the hotel. The morning came quite quickly as we all left for early flights to the States. It was hard to imagine that tomorrow I would be back at work. Actually, it became increasingly harder to imagine getting home after being delayed in Miami for 6 hours due to storms. Eventually I called my wife at midnight to have her meet me in Peoria -- the closest place to home that still had late flights. After all these years she still supports my avocation. I feel fortunate to have been included in such a world class group and to have developed such good friendships. Our hosts were outstanding. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to give us contacts during the contest.

Copyright 1999 by Ralph Bellas, K9ZO