Hi Pete,
I'm in pretty much the same situation as you. I'm 79.5 years old, and
my interest in ham radio is fading a bit. There are a lot of other
things that I like to do, and I don't feel like I want to tie up an
entire weekend with contesting. Recently I have started setting some
reasonable goals for myself, such as 1000Q's and a sweep in SSCW
assisted, and 1000Q's/1M points in CQWWCW assisted. With those
relatively easy goals, I can spend weekend evenings enjoying a good meal
with the XYL, reading a good book, and watching British TV series on
streaming. With the easy goals, the pressure is off, and the actual time
spent in the contest is more fun, without worrying about competition.
Declining interest in contesting may have something to do with the
natural decline of testosterone levels in old age.
I still enjoy doing little technical jobs around the shack though, and
occasionally jump into other ham radio diversions such as the Frequency
Measuring Test. I'm glad to see that ARRL is allowing self-spotting in
their contests. That may get me more interested in SSB contesting
again. I still enjoy the shorter contests, such as NAQP's, Sprints, and
other contests where there is a limited-time entry category.
I remember having a similar discussion with K4BAI a few years ago, and
his view was that if life was better with ham radio, keep on going,
doing whatever you can. Nobody else pays much attention to what we each
do as individuals, so do whatever provides the most enjoyment for you.
73
Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Yuma, AZ
On 12/2/2022 4:21 PM, w1rm@comcast.net wrote:
I would like to have a serious discussion regarding contest burnout. I'm
not interested in nasty or snide comments but rather a real discussion on
those, like me, who are suffering from it and have overcome it.
I have been a serious contester since the late 1960s. I am a CW guy and
have won CQWW, ARRL DX, and a bunch of others. I have been a regular
participant in many of the majors for a very long time and have a wall full
of plaques for my efforts.
After 66 years of contesting, I'm faced with ben there, done that. At 80
years old, I am not going to win anything, and I know it. I don't have the
stamina. My station used to be very competitive, and it still is, but I
don't do SO2R, I only have one beam/antenna per band. I do have top-grade
gear, though.
So, I would appreciate some honest thoughts about how to combat contest
burnout.
Pete Chamalian, W1RM
W1RM@Comcast.net
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