On Becoming a Big Gun

Over the years I've operated from all kinds of stations: big and small; QRP and QRO; portable or mobile; wire antennas or stacked yagis; noisy urban environment or quiet rural. But until recently I've never really built and operated a so-called "big gun" station. I've operated the big stations of others in the past, mostly in contests, but never before could I wake up in the morning, turn on the rig and be able to put out a big signal. It's convenient and it has become routine.

I don't have the biggest station. It's big but there are many that are bigger. That said, there's little doubt that I'm now a member of the 1% (on HF). Many hams love to visit or look at pictures of big towers and antennas even though they'd never try to do it themselves. It takes a lot of commitment and is wildly incompatible with the lives of all but a few. You have to be in a position to do it and you must really really want it. 

Even then it's a big decision. You not only have to build the station, you must also maintain it. There are also improvements to be made to retain your big gun status, if that's your objective. It's a long term commitment. Most are content to get a vicarious thrill from the efforts of others while enjoying the stations within their means and that don't interfere with their lives.

Now that I've built this station it is interesting to see how it affects me and my operating style. There are differences and similarities; some things change while others do not. Consider this a newly minted big gun's perspective on what it's like being one.

Overwhelming force

This is perhaps what first comes to mind when thinking about big gun stations. There are pile up and contest techniques that I need less. Very often I can jump into a pile up on a rare DX station or contest multiplier, send my call once and log them. That certainly requires favourable propagation and that the called station infrequently changes their listening frequency. It doesn't matter how powerful your signal might be when they're listening elsewhere. You must still find the sweet spot to make your call.

In a major contest it can be difficult to find a clear frequency to run. When you find one there will be others trying to "muscle in" from time to time. In rare cases it's a deliberate attempt to steal the frequency. More often another big guns clicks on a temporarily blank spot on the spectrum map (while I'm listening, not transmitting) or doesn't hear me because we're in each other's skip zone.

In the past I would find it difficult to defend the frequency. Now I can. To use a hockey analogy, when you get in a tight spot you put up your elbows to keep others out of your way. Instead of having to QSY it is usually sufficient to keep CQing. They will soon disappear. Although I don't use my muscle to intentionally steal another's run frequency, unintended conflict can occur anyway. For example, when I get no reply to a "QRL?" I wait a few seconds and launch a CQ.

This next point is you might not expect. I sometimes feel shame when I jump into a pile up and push through with my big signal to quickly make the QSO. Yes, I still do it but outside of contests I feel a little uncomfortable jumping to the front of the queue ahead of many others who have invested more time and effort into making that contact. It doesn't seem fair.

Attracting pile ups

Many hams are attracted to the strongest signals on the band. The weak signals are passed over because they're more difficult to copy and there is less prospect for a conversation. Yet those weak ones may be rare DX or contest multipliers.

When I call CQ on any band open to a populated area -- most often Europe -- I will quickly attract many callers. That happens on any day, not just in contests. There are many big guns who love the attention and thrive on it. I do not. Pulling call signs out of a pile up can be hard work and there's pressure to work them all. Of course I can't because I don't spend all my time operating. Without exercising discipline, you will find yourself constantly running. That's necessary in a contest, so I do it despite not liking it that much.

For ordinary non-contest operation I tend to call others rather than CQ. I find it more relaxing because there's less of a time commitment. Even then I will often sign off from the QSO with a quick note that I am QSYing. When I don't there is a good chance that several stations will call me. They don't know it isn't my frequency.

When I choose to run, the pile ups can be immense. VE3 may be one of the most common prefixes on the planet, yet they still call. Since I don't do it often outside of contests, non-contesters, especially on SSB, are occasionally surprised to discover that we've never worked before. It is unusual to hear a ham with a big signal that they've never met before. We tend to stand out. 

Most hams just want to talk and a big signal is very conducive to that. Those with simple antennas and low power have learned from experience that it is easier to contact a big station than a small one. I try to accommodate them because I know what it's like. I've been there. I honestly enjoy pulling their weak signals out of the noise and making the contact. When they're QRP it's even more fun.

Satisfaction

A surprising number of North American hams are wealthy or have ample funds to fund their hobbies. That is not too surprising since the majority are boomers and they (we) are the wealthiest generation in human history. I am not wealthy but I am free to spend what I have on what I want. For me that means a big gun station.

When you have the money it is a simple matter to contract out the work to build the towers. You pay someone else to do the hard physical ground work and then buy antennas, shack equipment and all the peripherals. That is, if you have a family or professional situation that allows or indeed supports your big gun aspirations. Many will spend less than their means to do the best they can with their retirement property and leave the bulk of their money for other things and to support their families.

When you hire others to build your dream station, does that lead to satisfaction? For many, the answer is yes. The business of aluminum, steel, concrete and silicon is a chore that must be overcome before the fun of operating begins. There is nothing wrong with that, but that approach would not satisfy me. I feel satisfaction when I've done the work: planting and building big towers; designing, building and raising large antennas; and designing and building control systems. 

Many big guns must feel the same way. They stay involved in building their stations to the extent of their abilities and resources. It is rare that no professional help is hired for part of the build. For example, excavation and cranes. On the Bell curve of personal involvement I'm at the tail end where my involvement is maximized. That puts me in the minority of big guns. It's a fat tail so the minority is quite large. There are many station builders that labour behind the scenes because only those closest to them know what they've done. Others garner the recognition by winning contests from their stations.

Guest operators

Which bring me to guest operators. Builders gain satisfaction from building -- I understand that well. They may also enjoy the achievements from operating the station. It just doesn't have to be them doing all the operating.

I am a middling contester and DXer. Despite my enthusiasm, I am not especially talented and I rarely strive to win. I practice the skills needed to excel and fully exploit my station's capabilities. However, I'll never be a great contester, nor do I particularly care. As I said in an earlier article:

"It is not enough to put up big towers and antennas to do well in a contest. You not only have to know how to use them to best effect, you must also be skilled at running, SO2R, hunting stations and have a keen eye on DX openings that can be marginal at best with small antennas at a lower height. I have much to learn and relearn."

I track the countries that I've worked and confirmed but I've never applied for DXCC. For anyone who has been reading this blog for a while it should be obvious that I get most of my satisfaction from building the station. A further satisfaction is inviting others to operate, whether it be for a contest or just for fun. 

It came as a surprise that many of my friends who have helped me the most with building this station decline the invitation. They prefer their own stations, even if they're small ones in a crowded and noisy urban or suburban setting. I have come to understand that: there is more satisfaction from operating from one's own station, no matter the circumstances.

Many big gun stations outside of the US and Canada are club stations. The clubs may be associated with institutions, a property owner and a group of supporters/operators, or a club of peers. Here the big gun stations are almost always privately owned, like mine. Guest operators may come and go but station building and maintenance is solely the responsibility of the owner. 

There are also big gun stations that can be rented for on-site or remote operating. Many partake of that opportunity. As long as you don't overdo it, it is less expensive than building your own. You pay to operate from a station someone else built and you avoid major commitments. It's a business transaction.

A private station rarely has a padlocked gate. Guests operators are regularly welcomed to join a team for contests or for single-op contests and events.

I recently held my first multi-op contest and there will be more. They get to enjoy operating the station and I get the satisfaction of building a team and seeing them enjoy themselves. I get a lot of satisfaction from it.

Propagation

Every ham operates at the whim of propagation. No amount of steel and aluminum is enough if  nature doesn't cooperate. A 10 db edge over other stations can't compete against 100 db or greater swings in signal strength due to the vagaries of propagation. Big guns and little pistols share the same fate.

As I've discovered many times, lesser stations that are not far away will often have a large propagation advantage over a variety of paths throughout the day. That, too, can render a big gun station impotent. I am far enough north that even stations near Toronto (300 km to the southwest) regularly beat me in the pile ups. The difference is greater just a little to the south in the northeastern US. 

I really can't complain too much. When I started in this hobby half a century ago I was a VE4, and that was a dreadful location from which to DX and contest. The propagation to Europe and most of Asia had to pass the gauntlet of the auroral zone. 

Not long after moving to VE3 over 40 years ago I often considered moving back to VE4 for reasons of friends, family and culture. Had I done so there would have been little incentive to build a big gun station. You can't fight propagation. Since DX propagation is far better here the incentive exists.

Retro operating

With a large antenna system I often don't need or use an amplifier. The amplifier is turned only in certain circumstances: difficult DX pile ups; some contests; for contest practice; and challenging propagation on 6, 80 and 160 meters. I typically leave the amp on after its intended use in case I decide to make further use of it even when it isn't strictly necessary.

Not only do I leave the amplifier off, I will often increase the challenge by operating QRP in contests. It's good ongoing practice to ensure that I don't lose my DXing skills. Besides, I still love low power operating. It always puts a smile on my face when I make a difficult DX contact or I do well in a contest with QRP. Of course the antennas have something to do with that! Nevertheless, it is a lot of fun to work DX while putting 5 watts into a big antenna.

That's what I mean by "retro" operating. When being a big gun becomes too routine or easy, I deliberately challenge myself. Other than QRP, I may use one of my smaller antennas or an antenna pointed in the wrong direction to increase the challenge in a pile up. Although I no longer want to be limited by low wire antennas and QRP -- since I'd have to operate that way all the time -- I like variety and challenges. 

Having it easy all the time diminishes one's skills and interest. To be blunt: being a big gun can be boring if you don't watch yourself. I'm a big gun now but don't be surprised if the next time you hear me on the air that you can barely copy my signal.