Why Do You Contest?

It’s time for ham radio herpes, that RF sore that shows up on most weekends. I just don’t get it. People say I want ham radio my way and maybe that’s true but I tired of rude hams wrecking nets and making the bands a miserable place for those that don’t contest. Yes I know we have the WARC bands but I don’t like to be bullied over to them when the contesters show up. Will someone please explain to me how you derive satisfaction from screaming into your mike to find people only to exchange some incremental number. After blowing up your whole weekend does looking at pages and pages of call signs make you happy? Apparently I’m in the minority because on contest weekends the bands are packed with these warriors. Even when propagation permits the entire gigantic 10 meter band is packed with these hams. When there isn’t a contest the bands are a lot quieter. Where do all these 800,000 + hams go? Have we forgot how to muster up the courage to have a normal conversation without exchanging a number? I know contesting isn’t new but why is it so popular these days? Has ham radio been infused with Nascar and all the competitive reality TV shows out there? Contesters, I really want to know why you contest? And if you say because it’s fun tell me why you think it’s fun. I genuinely want to know…

 

Got my license in 1948 and have never contested. Maybe it is an ego trip?

Also have not kept a log in many a year.

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

 

Probably because rag chewing for hours like a bunch of old grandmothers at a quilting bee is BORING. But I'm just guessing.

 

My 2cents,

Its a way to make contacts fast. Lots of hams do not keep a log, some only qsl via one way, others another way, and when you are new trying to get you WAS, DXCC or other awards you know conester's do keep a log. Also the hard to get dx stations are out on the band doing the same thing so chances are you may snag a dx spot you rarely hear. It is a good way to find the states that are needed to fill missing states and modes. Yes I agree sometimes the numbers do get carried away but as the contest rules want we have to play by their rules of info transferred. I feel call name rst should be good but then most people don't even look at their signal meter and everyone is 59.

On the other flip side, why are the nets up on weekends? or any net? what traffic do you send? One net I listen to i hear nothing of any importance transferred. They just talk amongst each other and see who has the biggest signal. Then when someone tries to join in they ridicule the person? Or if someone is on that freq or near it before they start their "net" they give that person grief till the qsy away.

With the internet now, most traffic is handled thru it, weather, roads, personal communications.

Then you have the hams that have the amps that are not filtered. One I hear from Florida is over 10hz wide. its just tears up a band when they are on. others just to see how much they can push.

Everywhere there is going to be someone disturbed by what is going on, It is hard to please everyone. But when you try to please one it makes others upset, when you try to please many it offends one. what to do?

 

So you don not get contesting.

OK... So why does anyone have to explain why they like to do anything?

You said yourself that contesting brings out the hams. How is more folks operating on a week end a bad thing? If a quiet band is what you want, just don't turn the radio on. I can guarantee a nice quiet shack if you do that.

Let's cut to the chase here: your nose is out of joint because the increased activity on week ends apparently disturbs your normal ham radio activity, what ever that is.

I put it to you that any increase in activity would have the same effect, whether it was a contest, or just more hams on during the week end. Some of us, and it apparently is quite a few still, work during the week. Saturday and Sunday are our days to get on the air. Contests, DX chasing, or just ragchewing, there are going to be more folks on the air during those two days. What would you have us do?

Wait until we too are one of the retired gentlemen with time enough for extended ham radio activity?

Or are you one of those who also still work but you cannot get on the air because of the crowded bands?


Which is it? Its important to know because remedies will differ based on circumstances.

As to your original question: We do it because it is fun. Any more explanation than that will fall on deaf ears. It could be turned around too, maybe someone out there will ask you the same question: Why do you: "fill in the blank"?

73 Gary

 

I like to contest because it's fun... Granted, there are a few bad apples. I was calling CQ on a frequency yesterday morning and a station started ragchewing just up from me. Did I move up there and give him hell? Nope. I moved on. Not everybody is like me though. So don't throw out the baby with the bathwater... Hating contesting because of contesters is like hating guns because some people misuse them.

 

take it to the SYSTEM!!

[video=youtube;GIm14Jk12nI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIm14Jk12nI[/video]
THEY DON'T CARE!!!!
200 MILLION DOLLAR LAWSUIT against the ARRL to stop all these contests!!!

 

It was popular 25 years ago as well, bands were packed just as much. People contest because they like it. What other reason do you need. Why do people run SSTV? I don't get it but I will go out on a limb and say they like it.

 

Another hobby of mine - hopefully everyone here has something else they do - is distance running. I'm not going to be confused with either Meb or Usain Bolt, so I don't do it to win my age group even in local races. I do it because of the rush I get and the chance to objectively see how I've improved over the year on an equal footing with everyone else that showed up that day.

Contesting is similar. I can't afford the kind of M/M station that'll win my division year after year, but it's a chance to see how my operating skills have grown, and whether or not changes I've made to the station have made an improvement to my score.

Road running, like contesting, has its fair share of detractors. Couch potatoes bemoan the road closures, and wonder why anyone would pay $80+ to get up at 5AM and spend 4 hours ducking in and out of porta-potties and spitting on the side of the road. All I can say is, you either get it or you don't...

 

And nets that serve no purpose other than to waste electrons are the Ebola of ham radio. Are all the net participants crystal controlled? If they are, then I guess they should stay on the same frequency. If not, there is a big knob in front of your radio. It allows you to change frequency and find a clear frequency. Bullied to the WARC bands? No, not really. But if you want to get away from the QRM, it's a great place to go.

Actually I hate "screaming into a mic" so I mainly use CW Therefore I don't derive any satisfaction from screaming into a microphone.

Actually I don't look at "pages and pages of callsigns." I haven't used a paper log since the late 80s. All I see is the breakdown per band and the total numbers.

How specifically do you "blow your whole weekend?" Sleeping? Watching TV?

 

By the way, why is this not in the Discussions and Opinions forum?

 

I don't scream in my mike, no matter what! Sometimes my voice is elevated in level to modulate the rig more, but FAR from screaming. I just turn up the speech processor to 11! And tune up the KILLERWATT so I get every MILLERWATT I can squeak out of it! For muliple CQs I will just program up the voice memory to repeat the CQ. Then I only hafta speak when someone actually answers me, which is ULTRA RARE!!!