A few things I noted during the contest this weekend while operating back in
Missouri (missery) at K4VX/0 using NS0Z for a callsign...
1) 36 hours really does suck! 30 hours made offtimes interesting, the
contest a bit more unique, and the east coast a little less advantageous.
2) After operating from Georgia for 5 years and going back to Missouri for
this contest a few notes on propagation comparing GA and MO...
10/15M: Much better in GA in almost every direction. JA's are even good,
just not for as long.
20M: Better in Missouri. Mostly due to propagation, but Lew has REALLY good
antennas for this band including a rhombic that is a killer antenna! Oh...
20M is much better in GA at the top of the cycle when we get a mid-night
opening to Europe that the guys up north (even W1) don't get. Since I've
been here it is the single best band opening we get. Mostly because we
aren't competing with the entire country... Just W4's and W5's.
40M: Better in GA by far. Signals are stronger, seem to work another tier
of stations. JA's in MO are nonexistant on this band. Good signals from the
few JA's that called.
3) Why was I called by so many US "contesters" on as many as 4 bands? I'll
exclude WZ1R, NQ4I or other multi's that were obviously not networked.
4) 2 radios only works if 2 bands are open. This was not the case the 2nd
day of this contest!
5) It is amazing how many so called "good ops" will just fire up a CQ
without asking QRL or anything.
6) You don't have to know the code to do well in a CW contest. Sunday
morning I came by one of my competitors and at 29 WPM I sent SLOW? He
responded SL0? 599 ####. Wonder what his unique percentages look like?
7) It was alot of fun operating with good friends. I knew before it started
it would be a good contest, regardless of score.
73 and thanks for the Q's
Bill
>From ballen@morgan.com (Brooke Allen) Thu Jun 2 14:43:16 1994
From: ballen@morgan.com (Brooke Allen) (Brooke Allen)
Subject: WPX CW Scores
Message-ID: <9406020943.ZM8508@is.morgan.com>
Here is my results from: N2BA--20 Meter Single Operator
1152 Q x 552 Multipliers for 1,518,000 Points
Rig: IC-781, Amp Supply Linear to stacked 204BAs at 50' and 110'
IC-761, Clipperton Linear to R-7 on ground 700' away as spotting stn.
Observations:
I operated 22.7 hours, almost all on the first day with split headphones
and two rigs. Spotting on the same band for lound multipliers (mostly
stateside) while running spiced things up a bit, but my R-7, and all the
coax, makes for such a poor ear that signals were 5-7 s-units down from
the beam. On Sunday, I couln't hear anything on the R-7. In fact, I could
hardly hear anything on the stack.
In fact, things were so bad, I told my family I'd decided I'd rather
spend Sunday with them than operate the contest.
Now I've got to convice them it was a Solar Flare on the Sun, not a
Sea Change with Me!
The solar flare had one big benefit: We can reset it to 30 hours without
there having been a bunch of unbeatable records from 1994. 36 Hours means
I have to go to work Monday as a Zombie; 30 hours means I have to make
strategic decisions. If we can't go back to 30 hours, do as Steven Wright
would, replace WPX with another identical contest during the same time
with a 30 hour rule.
73, N2BA (Brooke Allen)
ballen@morgan.com H: 201-509-1830
>From tardis@atd.mke.ab.com (Bob Citkowski) Thu Jun 2 04:00:25 1994
From: tardis@atd.mke.ab.com (Bob Citkowski) (Bob Citkowski)
Subject: Recruiting/Motivating New Contesters
Message-ID: <9406021400.AA06647@hammer.mke.ab.com>
hi,
one of the best ways to get into contesting that isn't high pressure is to
participate
in state qso parties. for the most part they're low key and friendly enuf for
new
contesters to get started with.
bob
>From Skelton, Tom" <TSkelton@engineer.clemsonsc.NCR.COM Thu Jun 2 16:33:00
>1994
From: Skelton, Tom" <TSkelton@engineer.clemsonsc.NCR.COM (Skelton, Tom)
Subject: UW9AR/UA9BA
Message-ID: <2DEE11AA@admin.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM>
Are UA9BA and UW9AR the same guys? Did Willy lose his UW9AR
call??? 73,Tom WB4iUX (Tom.Skelton@ClemsonSC.NCR.COM)
ps: I've tried to send stuff directly to Willy with no luck, thus the
reason
for the net response.
----------
From: owner-cq-contest
To: CQ-CONTEST
SUBSCRIBE
QUIT
---
73, Willy, UA9BA
----------------------------------------------------------
JV "Challenger Ltd" phone : 351-260-0190
Internet : uw9ar@chal.chel.su fax : 351-237-1756
>From fhmoore@nemed.b11.ingr.com (frank moore) Thu Jun 2 15:11:50 1994
From: fhmoore@nemed.b11.ingr.com (frank moore) (frank moore)
Subject: Attracting new contesters
Message-ID: <199406021411.AA08972@nemed.b11.ingr.com>
Comments by N4ZR
>On the downside, I can recall, as a new contester, nearly being turned off
>the sport for good by the arrogance of some of our number.
I agree with Pete's point. Being made to feel silly or inferior is the last
thing that someone wants to do with their free time. If you add this to the
fact that it is not easy to contruct a competitive contest station for most
people and that this is a hobby that takes alot of practice, then its a wonder
that we attract many folks at all.
I have to admit that at times contesting reminds me of my brief foray into
national sports car rallying. It was alot of fun at first, even when we got
lost. But I noticed that the competitive, highly skilled teams seemed to spend
most of their time arguing about rule infractions. People were hesitant to
stage a rally because of the intense scrutiny over rules. In short, rallying
at the national level didn't seem much fun and we dropped out. (I wonder how
the sport is doing today)
Anyway, the bottom line is that if we want to attract new contesters then
we had better work to make it fun for them. Its no skin off their nose if we
don't they'll just find something else to do, and we'll talk to each over and
over on Sunday afternoon from big multiop stations out in the boonies.
Frank, KE4GY
fhmoore@ingr.com
>From aj6t@thetech.com (Walter Miller) Thu Jun 2 14:53:40 1994
From: aj6t@thetech.com (Walter Miller) (Walter Miller)
Subject: June VHF contest
Message-ID: <6RPaNc1w165w@thetech.com>
I AM LOOKING FOR SKEDS DURING THIS WEEKEND'S VHF CONTEST. OPERATION
WILL BE FROM MY HOME QTH IN CM87 ON THE FOLLOWING BANDS:
6M, 170W/5el, CQing ON 50.140
2M, 400W/17el CQing ON 144.215
223.5FM 10W/5el
432, 100W/21el
1296, 35W/45el CQing 1296.1 SSB AND 1294.5FM
HF LIASON: 3818, 3843, 14.345, 28.885
INTERESTED IN RUNNING SKEDS VIA TROPO AND METEOR SCATTER. THE METEORS
FROM THE ARIETID SHOWER MAY BE PRODUCTIVE ON 6 AND 2 DURING THE FOLLOWING
PERIODS: 13-16Z AND 20-23Z. PRIOR TO THE CONTEST CONTACT ME AT DXPSN, OR
N0ARY BBS, OR AJ6T@THETECH.COM, OR (408) 354-5828.
73, WALT
--
aj6t@thetech.com (Walter Miller)
The Tech BBS (408) 279-7199 San Jose, CA
>From robert penneys <penneys@freezer.cns.udel.edu> Thu Jun 2 15:55:16 1994
From: robert penneys <penneys@freezer.cns.udel.edu> (robert penneys)
Subject: Intergalactic Field Day
Message-ID: <9406021455.AA29234@freezer.cns.udel.edu>
It certainly can be appalling watching a thread take off on whatever dubious
topic.
My vote is certainly NOT to escalate Field Day into a more competitive,
exclusive
event for a dwindling amount of participants. Those of us who want to knock
ourselves out have every opportunity, and the rest should have as much fun and
socializing as possible, perhaps to have a pleasant taste of amateur radio.
So, please listen closely for the N.E.R.D.S. first battery powered QRP effort.
I've wanted to try it for a couple of years.
Bob
Bob Penneys, WN3K Frankford Radio Club Internet: penneys@pecan.cns.udel.edu
Work: Ham Radio Outlet (Delaware) (800) 644-4476; fax (302) 322-8808
Mail at home: 12 East Mill Station Drive Newark, DE 19711 USA
>From KD1ON <levin@BBN.COM> Thu Jun 2 15:59:46 1994
From: KD1ON <levin@BBN.COM> (KD1ON)
Subject: Recruiting/Motivating New Contesters
Message-ID: <6287.770569186@bbn.com>
|My prescription for recruiting is simple -- use events like FD, the IARU,
|the WAE, and others where the stakes aren't so high (for us Americans,
|anyway) to invite younger hams in for a casual multi-single. And in all
|our dealings with new contesters, remember that we were green once and
|NEVER, NEVER put them down!
Agree 100% with this (and the suggestion to include state QSO
parties). I was first licensed two years ago (tech+) and got a real
kick out of operating 10m SSB in our club's novice station (I hadn't
yet put a mike on my own rig yet). My first contest, on my own with
no help, was the 1992 sweepstakes: real low scores, relatively, but
a lot of fun (and since I was the only log submitter in NH who
signed /T I got two 1st-place-in-section awards from the ARRL,
somewhat to my astonishment). Last year at FD I sat next to Rex,
K1HI, and learned more about SSB operating than I thought possible -
and our station, 20m SSB, got the highest single station score in
the entire 15A operation at N1NH. My personal contest scores since
then, such as they are, are probably 50% higher than they would have
been if I hadn't had that experience.
Last year our club reactivated the club license for the NH QSO party
as well, and a number of people participated for the first time
there.
Another suggestion is what is going on in my area. Recently Warren,
WB1HBB, started a monthly interclub sprint with competition between
a couple of clubs in N.H. and Mass., which has since expanded to
perhaps four clubs. He started it mainly as training for FD, but
its popularity may take it beyond June. It lasts an hour following
checkins on a local 2m repeater, includes 20 minutes during which CW
may be used (for double QSO points), and takes place between 28.4
and 28.5. CW speed is limited to a maximum of 10 wpm. Scoring is
honor system, totals are reported following the sprint on the
repeater, and Warren gets certificates out to the clubs in time for
their next meetings. This is a friendly little local competition
and is perfect for inviting a guest op, including those who don't
(yet) have code, and for new operators using their own stations.
/Joel
|