Amateur Radio Station - K3LR - FCC licensed since 1972

K3LR Station designed and engineered specifically for Multi Multi DX Contest Competition Operations and high frequency Emergency Radio Response for worldwide communications via wireless High Frequency spectrum.

Towers = 13 (Includes 8 dedicated welded Aluminum Universal self-supporting towers used for the 80 meter full size, single band, base insulated (series fed) verticals that are configured in a two  phased 4 square array.

160 meters Station #1

The main TX and RX antenna is a 5 Element parasitic vertical Yagi, electronically relay switchable, Directional (4 directions with 32 dB of F/B and 5.5 dB of forward gain). 23,000 meters of radials. 37 meter PiRod #24 (24 inch face) base insulated tower for the driven element and four "T" wire parasitics. See ON4UN 4th and 5th editions of The Low Band DXing book for details in the Yagi chapter. Receive antennas include a HI-Z 8 circle and HI-Z 4 square. Can be phased – broadside to Europe together. Also a pair of VE3DO loops spaced 5/8 wavelength aimed on Europe and the southwest. At 160 feet on the 40 meter tower is the TopBeam Horizontal Waller Flag. The radio is an Icom IC-7851 with a custom single band, single 8877 amplifier.

80 meters Station #1

The antenna is two full size, self-supporting (23 meters tall x eight towers), phased, 4 squares that are spaced 5/8 wavelength apart (broadside to Europe). The squares can be fed broadside (45 and 255 degrees) or end fire (135 and 315 degrees). 31,000 meters of radials with two Comtek Systems Hybrids and a custom K3LR designed splitter switch. The operator can select one or two 4 squares in each direction. The radio is an Icom IC-7851 with an Alpha 77DX single 8877 amplifier.

**Interlocked with**

80 meters Station #2

M2 with W6ANR element coils - rotating dipole at 74 meters (102 feet long) mounted on the 20 meter tower mast above the top 20 meter Yagi. Can also access the #1 antenna (phased 4 squares) via the Twin Turbo (TNX W8WWV). The radio is an Icom IC-7851 with a custom single band, single 8877 amplifier. Receive antenna is the HI-Z 8 circle – 113 foot diameter spacing.

40 meters Station #1

4L/4L/4L = 12 element stacked array (15 meter booms- each antenna weighs 410 lbs.) full size OWA Yagi's. One 4L at 80 meters with a K7NV large Prop Pitch rotor, one at 59 meters on a K0XG Ring Rotor and one at 36 meters on a K0XG Ring Rotor. PiRod 24 inch face tower. Switching allows operator choice of TOP only, MIDDLE only, LOWER only, all THREE, Top TWO, Bottom TWO or HIGH and LOW feed. The radio is an Icom IC-7851 with a custom single band, single 8877 amplifier.

**Interlocked with**

40 meters Station #2

2L/2L = 4 element stacked array W6NL Moxon design (7 meters boom) at 57 meters (TIC ring rotor) and 37 meters (TIC ring rotor) mounted on the 20 meter tower. Switching allows operator choice of TOP only, Both In Phase, BOTTOM only or Both Out of Phase. Comtek ground mounted full size 4 square vertical array with 10,000 feet of radials. Used for receive only. The radio is an Icom IC-7851 with a custom single band, single 8877 amplifier.

20 meters Station #1

OWA Yagi design 6L/6L/6L/6L = 24 element stacked array (15 meter booms) at 71 meters (K7NV small Prop Pitch), next at 52 meters (TIC ring rotor), then 34 meters (TIC ring rotor), then 15 meters (TIC ring rotor). PiRod 24 inch face tower. Switching allows 10 combinations of antenna array selection by the operator. Top, High Mid, Low Mid, Low, All Four, Top Three, Bottom Three, Top Two, Middle Two or Bottom Two. The radio is an Icom IC-7850 with a custom single band, single 8877 amplifier.

**Interlocked with**

20 meters Station #2

OWA Yagi design 6L/6L = 12 element stacked array (15 meter booms) at 46 meters (K0XG ring rotor) over 31 meters (K0XG ring rotor) mounted on the 40 meter tower. Switching allows operator choice of TOP only, Both In Phase, BOTTOM only or Both Out of Phase. Comtek ground mounted full size 4 square with 60 radials per element = 5000 feet for receive only. The radio is an Icom IC-7851 with a custom single band, single 8877 amplifier.

15 meters Station #1

OWA Yagi design 7L/7L/7L/7L = 28 element stacked array (15 meter booms) at 50 meters (K7NV small prop pitch), then 37 meters (TIC ring rotor), next at 25 meters (TIC ring rotor) and at 12 meters (TIC ring rotor) PiRod tower (18 inch face). Switching allows 10 combinations of antenna selection by the operator. Top, High Mid, Low Mid, Low, All Four, Top Three, Bottom Three, Top Two, Middle Two or Bottom Two. The radio is an Icom IC-7851 with a custom single band, single 8877 amplifier.

**Interlocked with**

15 meters Station #2

OWA Yagi design 8 ele/8 ele = 16 element stacked array (19 meter booms) at 25 meters(TIC ring rotor) and at 13 meters (TIC ring rotor) Yagis (can be stacked or fed separate) mounted on the 20 meter tower. Comtek ground mounted 4 square with 1/4 wavelength verticals for receive only. There are 60 quarter wavelength radials per element. The radio is an Icom IC-7851 with a custom single band, single 8877 amplifier.

10 meters Station #1

OWA Yagi design 8L/8L/8L/8L = 32 element stacked array (15 meter booms) at 40 meters (K7NV small prop pitch), then 30 meters (TIC ring rotor), next at 20 meters (TIC ring rotor) and at 10 meters (TIC ring rotor) Switching allows 10 combinations of antenna selection by the operator. Top, High Mid, Low Mid, Low, All Four, Top Three, Bottom Three, Top Two, Middle Two or Bottom Two. PiRod tower (18 inch face) The radio is an Icom IC-7851 with a custom single band, single 8877 amplifier.

**Interlocked with**

10 meters Station #2

OWA Yagi design 8L then 8L/8L/8L OWA design = 32 element stacked array. 15 meter booms) at 85 meters (mounted 180 degrees out from the top 4L 40 using large K7NV Prop Pitch), then 66 meters with a 8 ele OWA Yagi (TIC ring rotor), then 25 meters with a 8 ele OWA Yagi (TIC ring rotor) and a 8 ele OWA Yagi at 15 meters (TIC ring rotor) all mounted on the 40 meter tower. Switching allows 10 combinations of antenna selection by the operator. Top, High Mid, Low Mid, Low, All Four, Top Three, Bottom Three, Top Two, Middle Two or Bottom Two. Comtek ground mounted 4 square with 1/4 wavelength verticals for receive only. There are 60 wavelength radials per element. The radio is an Icom IC-7851 with a custom single band, single 8877 amplifier.

80 meter dipole at 5 meters high for local 75 meter emergency preparedness nets tuned for minimum VSWR at 3.988 MHz. NVIS

8 circle HI-Z receiving array (113 foot diameter circle) phased with a HI-Z RX 4 square (500 foot spacing array center to array center) - using twelve active RX elements. Two ground rods per element. Three ground rods at array center. Used for 160 and 80 meters receive only.

5/8 wavelength spaced phased DX loops switchable at 45 and 225 degrees for 160 meters RX. Single DX loop for 135 and 315 degrees.

160 meter RX Horizontal Waller Flag by TopBeam Systems N4IS - mounted at 160 feet on the 20 meter tower on a TIC Ring Rotor.

Use DX Engineering Noise Canceling Controller (NCC-2) on 160 meters to combine receive antennas for best receive performance.

Transceivers are twelve Icom IC-7851's and one Icom IC-7850 (two 7851's are hot spares) all running latest Icom firmware/software loads.

VA6AM bandpass filters for TX/RX. 1500 watt Harmonic suppression filters at the amplifier outputs.

Amplifiers are custom Single band homebrew single 8877 tube - PI-L network running 1500 watts output. Spare amplifiers are two Ameritron AL-1500s (single tube 8877).

Headsets are Bose QC-15 with Heil HC5 boom microphones mounted per K1DG design.

Contest software is latest WinTest version on 13 dedicated Intel NUC 6i3SYK& 6th Generation Intel Core i3-6100U Processor (Skylake) - 2.3GHz Windows 7 computers built  by Dave, W9PA.

Twenty Six rotor controllers are Green Heron RT-21.

Stacking RF switching is done on the tower. Monostacker design by W8WWV.

Stacking controls in the shack design and constructed by W3YQ.

Wattmeters are Drake W4.

Network is Gigabit wired Ethernet CAT6E with shield and DXE ISO-PLUS filters on the ends of all lines.

CW Skimmer with seven Perseus SDR receivers (one is a spare) with 6 dedicated high performance Windows 10 custom Intel NUC computers built by Dave, W9PA.

Coffee brewing system - Flavia S450. 30 selections of Coffee and Tea available for the K3LR team.

CW Keys are Bencher.

Contest club - North Coast Contesters - Charter member and Vice President.

Also a member in good standing of The Mercer County Amateur Radio Club (charter member and current multiyear President), Mad River Radio Club (past President), President Emeritus and Fellow of The Radio Club of America, Chairman and founding member of the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF), life member of The Oklahoma DX Association, life member of the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, life member of the Portage County Amateur Radio Service, Fellow of the Antique Wireless Association, The CQ WorldWide Contest Committee and The Radio Society of Great Britain. Director of the ARRL Foundation.

Life Member of the American Radio Relay League and the ARRL Diamond Club - Maxim Society Member.

K3LR was Section Manager of Western Pennsylvania 2014 - 2016.

QTH is West Middlesex, PA - Mercer, County - Grid EN91se

K3LR Logs and instant QSLs via ARRL LoTW,  Direct cards OK (no SASE needed), Via the Bureau

K3LR DX Cluster (built Dave, W9PA) runs AB5K AR Cluster software supporting connections all over the world via telnet://dx.k3lr.com. WebCluster is http://dx.k3lr.com

K3LR Web page is http://www.k3lr.com thanks to Tom, K8CX

Email to k3lr@k3lr.com

Comments: Hope we hear you on the air in the next contest!

UPDATED July 4, 2022

This site is copyright by Tim Duffy K3LR.

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