What if you asked some of the best ham radio contesters in the world for their list of the best, and worst, contesting habits? Randy Thompson K5ZD, Dan Craig N6MJ, Chris Hurlbutt KL9A and Scott Wright K0MD (aka The Contest Crew) had a spirited conversation about this very topic on our call this Tuesday night. They didn’t always agree but there was usually a consensus about the best and worst operating practices in the world of radiosport. Bucking all the usual training trends, the Crew didn’t simply rattle off bullet points from a powerpoint presentation, they explained each suggested practice, related it to their own experiences and debated with each other when appropriate. Per usual, there was a lot of levity in the conversation and no one took themselves too seriously. It is a hobby, after all, even though these guys would gladly out score you if you give them any sort of edge. Tune in for the ham radio banter and learn from decades of contesting experience. Thanks for subscribing. 73, Kevin W1DED
Another great video from W1DED---thank you! Although nowadays I only operate contests rather casually for new DXCCs or grids I greatly enjoyed hearing these guys expound on their likes and dislikes---many of which also apply when trying to break a dx or dxpedition pileup. Keep up the good work, Kevin!
Thanks, excellent series with these super contest ops. I have learned a lot. Please keep it up! 73 & God Bless
Another great episode of the Contest Crew! I’ve learned to write out a script so I don’t say “please copy” or hesitate during my exchange. During the NA QSO Party this year I made a contact with an amateur radio YouTuber and was immediately so excited to recognize his call that I blurted out, “I love your YouTube show! I watch every week!” After learning more about serious contesters I realize the he was generous to break his cadence to respond to me and that I probably annoyed him (or worse)! Now I know to keep the rhythm of the exchanges and save the ‘fan girl’ responses for email!
My gut feeling has always been that entering a major contest with a just modest ham station is like entering a Nascar race with a Toyota Celica. You can do it for fun don't expect to win something, but hey, you never know LOL.
There’s only a limited number of hams that realistically have the skills, experience, and stations to consistently ‘win’ (#1 USA or #1 world) or place real high in the major contests. Overwhelmingly, the rest of contest participants are in it for many other reasons. But yes, you never know when participating in smaller contests and state QSO parties. Personally, living in an antenna restricted HOA, I enjoy the fast paced action going from one Q to another, increasing my skills (such as running SO2R) and scores from one year to another, improving station efficiency, comparing my scores to others in my contest club that have more aluminum in the air, and contributing to the club’s overall score. As I get older, my ability to keep my butt-in-chair for long periods has decreased, but the bottom line is the competitive environment and having fun.
Thanks Kevin. So... I have local restrictions and I'm limited to low power and a NVIS long wire antenna at 4 feet up, atop my fence. I do CW 98% of the time. Do I understand that the contesters would prefer I not answer them when they're calling "CQ," again and again? I'm not talking about pile ups--they'll never hear me anyway. And no, I'm not in the contest with the 15-20 QSOs I might make over the hour or two I operate. If I don't intend to submit a log, I should just stay away because I'll be hurting someone's score? Yeah, I always read the "exchange" section on the WA7BNM site, so I know what to send. And I feel embarrassed when I send a single or a double digit serial number back to someone in the 4-5 digits. But an analysis of the rules to figure out if my QSO will hurt the contesters' scores is beyond me. I don't understand much of the terminology, the categories, multipliers, or penalties. From time to time, it's nice to see if my 10 watts will reach Asia, South America, or Africa. Those are my operating highlights.
I just finished watching the video, and I think it is one of the best and most informative done so far by the "contest crew". I've experienced all of the 'pet peeves' and frustrations they pointed out, and this video should be a must see for those considering operating contests, or have only been contesting for a short time. Not reiterating what they said, but one pet peeve I feel they missed...not counting a major contest weekend, but in one that has three or four contests scheduled at the same time, the guy that just calls "CQ TEST".
Feel free to call. Contesters won't turn away points! And don't worry about logs. If you appear in just one or two logs, it might (maybe) raise a flag if the contester has a lot of "uniques" but more than a handful of QSOs is not a problem at all. Have fun!
Terrific and informative video. I have spent next to no time on amateur radio You Tube videos, for various reasons. I can see myself keeping up with this series though. To the point, no fluff, no goofy effects, or cheesy music. Just solid content. As a newer ham and contester, I picked up some pointers and strategy, and how best to deal with some situations that can arise. Thanks for an interesting watch, I’ll be back for more. 73 cal
Okay, contests have their place. But, what about the apparently few of us left that would prefer an actual conversation, rather than accumulating points, like a video game? Has ham radio now become only contesting? Check out the bottom end of 160m. If there's a contest going on, it's bumper to bumper cw. When the contest is over, it's basically dead. Where does everybody go? Stick around and QSO a bit. A good cw QSO is good for the soul. 73, Mike
"Has ham radio now become only contesting"? Seriously? Whatever happened to Monday through Friday, the WARC bands, or a mode other than the contest's? And other than contests, there's little incentive to go on 160M. Very noisy, and the majority of hams have no room for an effective antenna of that size. The manufacturers see all the activity during contests, and it gives them the incentive to make more and better radios. Be careful what you wish for. Where does everybody else go? I'd take a look at the FT8 frequencies for your answer. Talk about having an "actual conversation"!
I dunno. If you have a 160m antenna for contesting, it will also work for QSOs. The other bands? What happened to rag chews? The ARRL used to have an award for them. Now they seem to have gone the way of conversation at the dinner table, with diners now glued to their cell phones. Bless the manufacturers, they have brought hamming a long ways. But, how many of all those buttons, settings, memories, and features do you really have to have? Is that $12k rig really worth it? There are still some hams who have a ball with simple rigs, headphones, and a straight key. FT8? Never tried it. The other major digital modes at least allow for reasonable conversations, and can be great mediums for making new ham friends. Nuttin wrong with fone either. It must be very confusing to a new ham when he/she is inundated with the contest hype. They must wonder, "Is that all there is?" Mike WA6JJM
Whereas my main operation is contesting, I always enjoy a meaningful CW/SSB ragchew on the weekdays, and a lot of them are on the WARC bands! However, in my 65 years in ham radio, I do find that it’s harder to pull words out of people, seemingly since the advent of the PC and cellphone…emailing and texting. I do agree with you that verbal communication has become rare in today’s society. Personally, I wouldn’t buy a $12K radio…not in my budget…but it is desirable to those who can afford it, for whatever reason. But a $3-4K radio is within reason for many, depending on them needing the bells and whistles those radios provide. Having had many (fairly expensive) radios in the past, I now contest with two IC-7300’s. Their performance and ergonomics fit my needs. Others might need more ‘stuff’ packed into their choice of radios. The manufacturers provide something for everyone, and contest activity helps spur on their R&D. FT8? I tried it, found point-and-click computer-to-computer QSO’s terribly boring, and now the program is wiped off my computer. But when you listen to the bands, that seems to be where the action is. I don’t understand it, but I guess it goes back to my first paragraph comments. Contests are also a short exchange of information, but at least you have to humanly hear the other station, and respond in kind. Like any other hobby, new hams will go through a learning process as they delve further into the hobby. I doubt if they would be “confused” by contests, and they would certainly not think “that’s all there is”. There’s so many other facets and interests in ham radio that they’d eventually find their niche as they explore. 73, Bob K 7JQ
