For the D4C team, preparations for this contest officially started at 0001 UTC on October 30th, 2023—the exact moment we wrapped up the last one. Over the past year, we not only built, bought, and restored different hardware, but also held countless team video calls, face-to-face meetings in Europe, and made several trips to Cape Verde to work on the station, test it during other contests, and (of course) occasionally enjoy the local beer (okay, maybe more than occasionally).

This year, we tackled a major project: expanding the shack with an additional room. We repurposed the outdoor terrace—because let’s face it, with 95% of the time being wind, rain, or clouds, no one was out there sipping tea anyway. The new space became the perfect home for our power amplifiers, freeing up the old amplifier room, which we turned into a “relaxation room” for operators. In theory, it’s a place for ops to rest while others take their shifts. In practice, it’s where we end up fixing things when the inevitable mid-contest Murphy strikes.

On the technical side, we’re making steady progress with upgrading amplifiers, as the humid environment takes its toll over time. We also replaced all the antenna switches at the bottom of the towers, maintaining our rotator-free station design.

A big shoutout goes to Max IZ4DPV, who achieved a personal milestone by visiting the island five times this year!

The first group of operators—Louis DK4EE, Heiko DK3DM, Piotr SQ9D, and Massimo IZ4DPV—arrived at the station eight days before the contest. They immediately got to work, repairing the 15-meter tower that had collapsed a couple of weeks earlier due to vandalism. Among other things, they also had to deal with an unexpected challenge: fixing control cables that had become an unwelcome snack for local rats!

15 meter tower collapsed

The second group, consisting of Kelly N0VD, Andrea HB9DUR, Giorgio I2VXJ, and Luca IK2NCJ, joined a few days later, followed by Marco HB9CAT and Tomi HA8RT. Together, they tackled pre-contest preparations, including repairs to the 160-meter vertical damaged by a hurricane and the 80-meter four-square array, which, for some reason, wasn’t working correctly.

On Friday—the day before the contest—we faced a final hurdle: the station’s power generator stopped working completely. Securing and installing a replacement on such short notice in Cape Verde was no small feat, but the team came together to get it done just in time.

Last minute power generator replacement

Despite a hectic lead-up, the contest itself was a rewarding experience. While Saturday presented challenging propagation conditions on 20 and 15 meters, 10 meters performed well throughout. The low bands, however, were below expectations, with 160 meters being particularly poor. A technical issue with the 15-meter amplifier did cause some distraction, but we ensured it didn’t hold us back for long.

Kelly N0VD

Louis DK4EE

This year’s result didn’t quite match the effort we put into preparation, but it provided valuable lessons and has made us even more eager for 2025! A big thanks to Marc D44FF for his excellent technical support and for keeping the team well-fed, and to Magic Mike DM5XX for his outstanding remote support.

Congratulations to CN3A on their stellar score!

2024 CQWW SSB D4C team