An Introduction to Contest Operating Bud Semon N7CW November 6, 2008.

An Introduction to Contest Operating

Bud Semon N7CW

November 6, 2008

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What is a Contest?

• An organized operating event where hams keep score to compare operating skills

• Contests vary from local to international– YARC’s 10M Contest last year with no

“scoring”– CQ World Wide where everyone in the world

tries to contact other countries and the competition is intense

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What is a Contest?

• Trivia Question – when was the first contest? (Answer later)

• There is a contest of some sort almost every weekend and some week days– Sometimes there are multiple contests on one

weekend

• Some fill the bands, others are hard to find

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What is a Contest?

• Some are very specific– California QSO Party (CQP) – the world

chases CA counties– Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) Islands

on the Air (IOTA) – the world chases hams operating from islands

– Operate only using QRP (less than 5 watts)

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What is a Contest?

• Some are very specific (cont’d):– County Hunters chasing Mobile stations– Operate only VHF bands or even only Earth-

Moon-Earth (EME)– FIELD DAY!

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What is a Contest?

• Unique Aspect of Ham Radio Contesting– You need your competitors cooperation to do

well!

• Every time you use a 1x1 call (e.g. K7A) you are contesting– Calling attention to yourself so that you can

work lots of stations– Many hams try to work all the 1x1 callsigns

• See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contesting

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Why Contest?

• Fun– Excitement of the chase– Variety of operating events

• Fulfillment– Beating yourself or someone else– Helping amateur radio

• Frequencies - Use ‘em or lose ‘em

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Why Contest?

• Friends– Regular contesters have friends all over the

world– Contester gatherings at every hamfest and

convention

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Why Contest?

• 3 types of operators– Competitive– Casual– Contest Haters

• For the competitive operator:– Improving is the goal

• Improvements come in operator skills, station design, equipment selection, use of technology, antennas, etc.

CQ CQ Contest!Contest!

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Why Contest?

• For the casual operator:– Get on the air (keep the radio warm)– Have fun – work a few folks– Fill in the awards

• New states for Worked All States (WAS)• New countries for DX Century Club (DXCC)• Islands, counties, grid squares, Japanese cities,

etc.

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Why Contest?

• For the casual operator (cont’d):– Improve operating skills– Learn about propagation– Get together with

friends for an 807

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Why Contest?

• If you’re a Contest Hater– Move to the other mode (CW

or RTTY during SSB contests)

– Move to WARC bands – 30, 17, 12 Meters

• No contests allowed on these bands

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Why Contest?

• Competitive contesters develop the skills to move the most information in the least amount of time, accurately– Logs are checked against each other for

errors• Errors cause points to be deducted

• Contesting develops your radio communication skills for use in other areas– ARES/RACES, for example

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What do You Need?

• A ham license

• Access to a radio (with an antenna attached)– HF is best – contests on VHF and above are

not as common

• Some free time – probably on a weekend

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What You Don’t Need…

A Super Station(OL7R)

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What You Don’t Need…

Antenna Switching(KC1XX)

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What Do You Do?

• Pick a contest and learn the exchange– Every contest has a unique exchange

• Might be your CQ Zone (we’re in zone 3)• Might be IARU Zone (we’re in zone 6)• Might be your county (we’re in Yavapai County)• Might be a consecutive serial number (1, 2, 3, etc.)• Lots of other possibilities – know it before you call

someone

– Almost every exchange includes a 59 (599 on CW)

• It’s a signal report, but it never changes

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What Do You Do?

• Get on the AIR!

• Find someone calling CQ Contest– Don’t be intimidated by someone going very

fast – they want you in their log – they will slow down

– Listen first to a couple contacts they make, so you know what they are saying

– Don’t tell them anything extraneous• No discussion of weather, your home town, etc.

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What Do You Do?

• Sample QSO– (them) “CQ Contest, this is Kilo Echo 7 Tango

Whiskey Radio”– (you) “Norway 7 Charley Whiskey”– (them) “N7CW, you’re 59 06” (IARU zone)– (you) “Thanks, you’re 59 06”– (them) “QSL, QRZed this is Kilo Echo 7

Tango Whiskey Radio”

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What Do You Do?

• Hints– Don’t repeat his call when you’re calling him

• You’re on his frequency and he already knows his call

– Don’t say “Please copy my 59 06” or “Roger that OM, I got you 5 by 9 in Prescott Arizona”

• Even the “you’re” could probably be deleted

– Use phonetics that have punch in them• Say Norway vs. November – which one is easier to

understand? Radio vs. Romeo? (Sorry, Lloyd)

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Real Contest Operating

• Calling CQ vs. Search and Pounce (S&P)– Competitive contesters almost always call CQ

continuously• There are many more casual contesters than

competitive contesters and they want to answer someone, not call CQ

– Tuning around and finding someone to call is called S&P

• This is how you fill in the countries or states for your awards

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Real Contest Operating

• Computer Logging– If you’re going to submit your log (to see your

callsign in print), it must be done via computer– You can log on paper and copy it into a

computerized form (on the Internet) to submit it, but why bother?

– See Patty’s presentation on N1MM Logger – it’s free

• http://pages.cthome.net/n1mm/

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Real Contest Operating

• Awards– Most are plaques or certificates– Some are cool

• California QSO Party gives a bottle of wine to the top 20 single operator stations

• Washington State QSO Party gives packages of smoked salmon to district winners

• Make a bet with a local friend – high score buys pizza

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WRTC

• World Radio Team Championship– The Olympics of Contesting– Held during the IARU contest (July) every 4

years – 2010 will be in Russia– About 50 2 person teams from many different

countries are selected on the basis of their operating skills

– Equivalent stations are set up by the host country

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Trivia Question

• When was the first contest?– The competition started when the third ham

was licensed.

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Contest Websites

• Definition of contesting– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contesting

• Contest Calendar– http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/weeklycont.php

• News, Stories, Surveys, Hints, Station Profiles, Email Reflectors– http://www.contesting.com/

• Free contesting software– http://pages.cthome.net/n1mm/

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Upcoming Contests

• 10 Meter Contest (CW & SSB), Dec. 13/14, 0000Z to 2359Z – Techs can participate– Propagation is marginal, but there will be

some activity

• North American QSO Party, SSB, Jan. 10/11, 1800Z to 0600Z– Lots of activity, everyone restricted to 100 W

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Questions?

Bud, N7CW

n7cw@cableone.net

928-771-8267