ZL6QH GOES DARK AFTER TEN YEARS OF CONTEST MULTI OP EFFORTS

By Jamie Dupree NS3T 

For many contest operators, there are certain stations that are almost always on, a beacon on the bands, often with good ears, ready to grab your call and hand out a welcome double mult in CQ Worldwide DX.

That's been the case with the ZL6QH mutli-op (ZL6QH log) in New Zealand, which always seemed to hear this reporter on 40 meters, no matter how bad the antenna in W3.

"Our existing Quartz Hill antenna infrastructure is currently being dismantled and removed to make way for the construction of the wind farm," says team member Brian Miller ZL1AZE.

"Unfortunately this means that ZL6QH will not be active in the upcoming contest season," Miller added.

Among the many antennas being taken down in the weeks before CQ WW SSB, the ZL6QH Vee Beams with 300 meter legs, a series of 5 and 6 element monoband yagis for the high bands, a full size ground plane and radials for 80 meters and half slopers on 160 meters.

Oh, and don't forget the Rhombic with 100 meter sides.

"We are hopeful that we will be able to build new infrastructure and once again operate an amateur station, either at Quartz Hill or in another location," says Miller, who has been organizing the de-construction project.

Where that re-birth of ZL6QH occurs is still unclear.

"A critical issue is the compatibility of future amateur radio operations with the RF noise that may be generated by the wind farm," says Miller.

"However it will not be possible to make a decision on this issue until we have more substantive information about the level of radio noise that is likely to be produced by the specific wind farm technology."

That means Quartz Hill could be operational again if the Meridian power company wind farm noise is negligible, or a completely new location for future ZL6QH multi-op efforts.

"Either way it is likely that we will be QRX for up to two years," admits Miller.

In the meantime, the ZL6QH group is already planning for the future.

"We are considering a complete re-engineering of the antenna infrastructure," says Miller. "This new antenna farm will be designed specifically for modern amateur operations, including multi-op team contests, and capitalising on the considerable experience gained over the past ten years," says Miller.

As for what some of his teammates will do at 0000z this year?

"The ZL6QH ops will probably do their own thing this year, and I expect that some will take a well deserved break!"

See www.zl6qh.com for more information about ZL6QH, the latest developments at Quartz Hill, and how to join the ZL6QH supporters group.