Caribbean Contesting Consortium

PJ2T Quick Operating Guide

Orientation in the Shack

Station #1 is in the corner, immediately to your right as you enter the main door. #2 is under the picture window, #3 is on the table at right angles (its linear is to your right on the picture window table), and Station #4 is at the end of the table, nearest the sink. Station #1 is the main contest run station, as well as the Single Op station.

There's a fire extinguisher in the closet to the right of the range.

Getting on the Air Fast

Follow the checklist that you hopefully had before arriving:

1. Make sure fuses 8, 9, 10, 12, 17, 18 in utility room are twisted in (on).
2. On the wall right of Station # 1, find the outlet box on the wall marked with red tape and labeled PLUG THE RED PLUG HERE, and plug in the red plug that you will find hanging nearby. This energizes the power duct for all the radios and computers. Never plug anything else into this red outlet, and never plug the red plug into anything else.
3. Turn on all five outlet strips on the floor.
4. Connect coaxes to the Station #1 linear and transceiver. Green taped coax for transceivers, blue taped coax for linears.
5. Be sure that the Astron DC power supply under the linear table at Station # 1 is turned on.
6. Select the correct antenna combination on the appropriate StackMatch box, then assure that the coax switches are selected for the proper station and band.
7. Plug in the AC power for the DSL MODEM on the left lamp table in the East bedroom and be sure the power for the blue Netgear router atop the linear for Station #3 is plugged in. After about two minutes you should have Internet connectivity.
8. ALWAYS USE the supplementary fans on the amps. The switch is on the outlet strip on top of the Station # 1 linear.

Stations

Station # 1

S/O and the main M/S run station.
W3NQN filter panel is switched automatically.
W3NQN bandpass filters are not in service on WARC bands from Station #1.
The Alpha linear is no-tune on 80, 40, 20, 15. Turn the band switch to the WIDE black mark on those bands. On 160 and 10, and WARC bands, use the presets on top of the amp for tuning. Keep the grid current LOW!! Run no more than about 550 watts out.
If the Titan III linear is in place at Station # 1, use the tuning presets on the front as starting points and monitor grid current closely. Keep it low and save our tubes!
Top-Ten Devices band switch will follow Writelog’s band selection in the "Auto" position.
Antenna is selected by the black switch panel on the right front of the table – just follow the lines right to left from the “Station # 1” label to the antennas.
80 meter antenna is selected by a combination of the rotary switch below and to the right and the black RCS-8V switch on top of the StackMatch boxes.
Always turn on the linear's supplemental muffin fan using the switch on the el-cheapo outlet strip on top of the amp.
Plug the CW paddle into either the Logikey or the WinKeyer, according to your preference. All other CW wiring is already in place. Be sure to select COM3 in Writelog for the WinKeyer.
Beverage cabling is in place – just push the RX button on the XCVR and select the correct antenna using the pushbutton keypad, which might be stowed behind the monitor.
To use the Europe Beverage, you have to get the 31 foot piece of coax that's leaning behind the Station # 1 linear table against the sliding glass door and connect it (in the dark, please, so the neighbors don’t have a fit) from the box outside the front wall by the road to the RG-8X lying in the weeds directly across the road. There are two cables in the weeds: one is a decoy and the real one is under leaves and sometimes under a small sheet of plywood. PLEASE be sure to remove the cable before it gets light to keep the neighbors happy.

Station # 2

This is the other run station for M/2.
The Astron DC power supply on the floor under the far left end of the table MUST be "on" or the W3NQN automatic bandpass selection system will not work.
The Logikeyer runs on a AA batteries. There are spare batteries in the radio closet if needed.
Select your antenna with the six-position switches below the XCVR. Be sure that the green Daiwa switches are where you want them. Also be sure you have routed your desired antenna to Station # 2 using the main distribution panel switches below the Station # 1 linear.
Beverage cabling is in place – just push the RX button on the XCVR and select the correct antenna using the pushbutton keypad, which may be stowed behind the monitor.
This is the WARC station for fun operating.
The correct W3NQN filter is selected automatically for 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10. For WARC bands, you must manually insert the filter in the place of the barrel on top of the Titan 2. WARC filters should be on the table behind the monitor.
Always turn on the linear's supplemental muffin fan using the switch on the el-cheapo outlet strip behind the XCVR along the window sill.

Station # 3

The LK-800 linear to your right is for Station # 3 – be VERY conservative with this amp – it only has two of the needed three tubes, and is VERY easy to mistune.
Always turn on the linear's supplemental muffin fan using the switch on the el-cheapo outlet strip on top of the table next to the LK-800 linear.
Select your antenna with the six-position switches below the XCVR and below the amp. Be sure the green Daiwa switches are where you want them.
Manually select the correct W3NQN filter using the black box on the top of the amp. Be sure the power switch on this control box is "on." (This filter panel is physically situated on the wall next to Station # 1.)
Be sure to turn on the 12 volt DC supply under the left end of the Station # 4 table.
Beverage cabling is in place – just push the RX button on the XCVR and select the correct antenna on the receive antenna box on top of the XCVR.
The 2 meter radio at Station # 3 is connected to a Ringo Ranger and easily accesses all local island repeaters. (146.76, 146.70)

Station # 4

Has access to most of the main antennas.
Beverage cabling is in place – just push the RX button on the XCVR and select the correct antenna on the receive antenna box on top of the XCVR.
Always turn on the linear's supplemental muffin fan using the switch on the el-cheapo outlet strip on the top of the Titan I power supply on the floor under the linear.
The six meter radio (TS-60) is connected to the 4.5 element yagi at 85 feet, and works fine.
Titan I tuneup settings are on the amp. Please limit the output to about 1 KW -- the tubes in this amp are old and frail.
Be sure to turn on the 12 volt DC supply under the left end of the Station # 4 table.

Antennas and Rotors

The green Daiwa switches below the Station # 1 amp are used to control which stations have which antennas. Any antennas that don’t have Daiwa selector switches are connected to Station # 1.
The big tower is for Europe – only the 40 yagi rotates. 20, 15, 10 are monobanders fixed on Europe .
The tower by the house is for US/JA, and only the CL-33 tribander and six meter yagi rotate.
WARC antennas are on the small aluminum tower.
The rotor boxes (except WARC) are equipped with intelligent point and shoot “Rotor-EZ” circuits. Directions are taped on top of the rotor control boxes.
The three element wire beam for 80 is tuned for 3.775 or 3.525, based on the position of the ceramic knife switches hanging from each of the three elements. Open for SSB, closed for CW. Don’t change anything else! It is loud in Europe but also gets into the States very well.
The 80 meter inv vee works on 80 CW and up into the 3.6 MHz digital region. It may be set up for 75 meters when you arrive -- if so, just unfold the extra three feet of wire on both ends (tape marks the correct location of the insulator) and string it back up. Don't cut the wire!!
The 160 Inv L is heard very well in NA and Europe. We have also worked VK/ZL and JA with this antenna. Just be sure you’re listening on the correct Beverage.
There is a three element tribander at 45 feet fixed on South America . It can be switched to Stations # 1 or # 2 and is VERY effective.
You can review the detailed antenna data at www.pj2t.org if you're unfamiliar with the antenna complement.

Computers

All of our PCs run Windows 98 and Writelog. They are Ethernetted together, and the network works 100% solidly, with no RFI susceptibility.
If you know what you’re doing with Writelog networking, all will work fine. If not, there’s too much to explain here.
The password to any PCs that ask for one is "password".
DSL Internet access is available at all four PCs. Plug in the AC power for the blue DSL MODEM on the lamp table in the East bedroom and also be sure to plug in the power on the blue Netgear router near the linear for Station # 3. Wait about two minutes for a DSL lock to be achieved.
You will have wireless access if you brought a laptop thus equipped. The SSID is "PJ2T." WEP code is 3CDCEE57F1.

Internet use charged at $3/hour for your contest use, but there is no longer a charge for use outside of the contest.

DC Sources

Each station has a RigRunner strip available under the table. If you want to bring gear that requires DC, bring some Anderson PowerPole connectors so that you can plug into the RigRunners.

Coax Stubs

There's a complete set of W2VJN coax stubs installed for EVERY band at the antenna bulkhead. Please don't mess with these -- their tuning is very precise. Interstation interference is very minimal at PJ2T thanks to these stubs, 27 W3NQN bandpass filters, liberal use of toroids, and Bencher low pass filters on all transmitters.

Generator

If you have a power failure, carefully follow the directions on the sheet attached to the generator.

Don’ts

PLEASE, don’t do any of the following – we have had a lot of heartache and expense with blown equipment, the support for which is 2500 miles away.

Don’t ever transmit on a band when any other radio is listening on the same band.
Don’t ever transmit on multiple rigs without using the proper W3NQN bandpass filter all rigs at all times, even WARC.
Don’t transmit on 80 or 160 when any other radio has one of the Beverages selected.
Don’t run the amps at any more than 650 watts out, which is the PJ2 legal limit. Tube life is very short here with 50Hz on the filaments and the high ambient temps in the shack.
Don't ever use the FT-1000 internal antenna tuner, ever. (This is because when a W3NQN bandpass filter is in line it will blow the filter.)
Don’t ever run more than 300 watts out on RTTY.
Don’t run the amps unless the muffin fans on top of the amps are turned on.
Don’t recable ANYTHING, EVER that is coax – this is our largest source of blown equipment. The station works FINE as is – don’t change it.
Don’t move any gear without checking with W0CG or K8ND first. Sorry to sound harsh, but we have some real horror stories.

Radio Closet

The tools in the Radio Closet are there for your use. Please put things back where you found them. Normally, there should be little need to get into the tools because everything at the station is well maintained and need not be changed.