After one of our past Contest Crew conversations, Doug Grant K1DG, fired off an email reminding me that there ARE resources available to contesters - a book that he wrote (and that the ARRL publishes), and Contest University. So, I asked him to come on the show to talk about those resources. Doug is a worthy contest educator given his participation in 5 World Radiosport Team Championships (he medaled in 3) and his well earned place in the CQ Contest Hall of Fame. We also talk about learning options if you can't travel all the way to Xenia Ohio or just can't get the gumption to crack the tome that is "Contesting for Beginners" or the dense compilation of Contest University powerpoint slides. The bottomline is that you'll have plenty of options - including subscribing to this YouTube channel - if you want to learn about ham radio contesting. Thanks for joining the Crew for Episode 5.
So how does one go from operating at home to being invited to a club station? Do you submit a score resume? Hang around and fill in where needed?
Very often I think it's by invitation. I've been invited once. It was simply because he was a local "big gun contest station" with several regular operators whom I've worked many many times in contests - he was looking for another "good operator into contesting". But it's not really for me to be "a contester" at that level. I LOVE to contest but - I work them as I choose, not on demand and most of the big contest stations, the operators are all truly as a team, working any and every contest no matter what. I'm more of a "hey I think I'll work the ARRL CW DX for all it's worth" and decide 6 hours in "nah - I need to go clean the woodshop" But I'm sure most ANY contest group would totally welcome you approaching them - just chat it up: how long have you contested, have you ever won awards, have you ever done SO2R, etc. etc. I highly doubt any contest group would turn you down if you were sincere and had a pretty decent body of experience contesting. And I'd be willing to bet there are big stations willing to take on ambitious new operators to train in. Like most aspects of amateur radio, I'm sure it's a pretty wide spectrum. Dave W7UUU
I asked my Elmer Dave, K8CC (SK) what I needed to do to contest. He told me. 1. Get a Extra Class license. 2. Get you code speed to 30 WPM. Did both. You can too. 73 Thom KI8W
