NQ4I LOOKS TO CRACK TOP THREE IN USA MULTI-MULTI

By Jamie Dupree NS3T, radio-sport.net 

When you scan through the multi-multi standings from the US in major contests like CQWW, you usually find KC1XX, K3LR and W3LPL in the top three slots, followed by NQ4I.

"Our past record has been that we consistently score high enough to get 4th place," says Rick Dougherty NQ4I. "My short term goal is to make the MM race a top four, instead of the current top three."

"That means at some time we will need to beat one of the top three MM's," said Dougherty.

Dougherty started doing multi-singles in 1983 when he lived in Mississippi and then shifted into the multi-multi category when he moved back to Griffin, Georgia, not far from Atlanta.

"We started out with two towers and added a third soon after," said Dougherty, "now it's up to nine towers and 27 yagis."

Like others, Dougherty spends much of the time between the major contests figuring out which antennas are pulling their weight and which ones need to be replaced.

"Next year's plans will have to be in another e-mail," Dougherty told radio-sport.net, "it's too extensive for this mailing...hi."

Among the NQ4I improvements in Summer 2007, taking down a 3-element 80 meter yagi "that was consistently an under-performer."

"I took the boom, stretched it 26 feet and made it into an 8 element 20m yagi on an 86 foot boom," said Dougherty. "It was re-installed at the 185 foot level, and is hands down one of the best antennas on the property!"

As for the new 80 meter antenna, Dougherty used the aluminum from the 3-element 80 meter yagi. "I made three 52 foot verticals and installed a 3-element broadside array back in the woods."

While building antennas is important, so is building a team that can work, play and contest together.

"This is possibly the most difficult task a MM leader has," said Dougherty. "A few wins along the way helps a lot...as people love to be on a winning team."

Some familiar calls like K4BAI and WI4R have been with NQ4I since the beginning, but there's still room for someone new.

"There is an opening for next year on the 40 meter SSB run position that I will be searching for," said Dougherty. "I am mostly looking for the ability to work and play well with others...proven track record of contest results."

As for results, there's still that goal of getting into the top three in the USA multi-multi battle, a desire to have NQ4I swoop past KC1XX, K3LR and W3LPL at some point.

"My current strategy is to continue with antenna upgrades and improvements," Daugherty said. "We recently went to Win-Test for our logging program. It was one of the best steps forward we have made in many years."

"What's interesting is that our scores have been consistently improving by several percentage points the past few years."

"I would like to think that the top 3 MM's have leveled off in their potential and that our team is closing the gap," said Dougherty.

"The East Coast advantage is definitely there. They are one hop closer to Europe for the low bands...and it just means we will have to close the gap on the higher bands."

NQ4I may have summed it up best when simply asked "Why MM?"

"MM is the unlimited category, kinda like NASCAR racing! It takes a lot of effort, but is equally rewarding!"

Whether that effort gets NQ4I into the "top three" sometime soon, you'll have to check the results to find out.