“What’s your best advice to a Technician class ham radio operator who wants to get involved in HF contesting?” That was the question posed to the Contest Crew and, despite the limitations on Technician Class licensees, Randy Thompson K5ZD, Christopher Hurlbut KL9A and Bill Fehring W9KKN, provide a clear path for techs to get started. If you're a Technician class and want to learn more about how you can take your first steps into the exciting world of ham radio contesting, watch the show. For all others, join us for the usual friendly repartee between "Team Contest Crew" and to learn what is on their short term contesting horizon.
If a technician can sit down and learn CW, it really opens up the possibilities with having CW allocations on 75, 40, and 15 meters. Even 10 meters voice can do well if propagation is good.
I would have to agree with W9AWX. CW on 75, 40, and 15 meters would be the ticket. That was my saving grace for years as a Technician. It is a very inexpensive section of ham radio of the ham radio hobby. A QRP Labs QCX Mini (or similar), a decent key (CW Morse or similar), a 3ah LIFEPO battery, and a DIY wire antenna. If I had to do it all over again, I would do nothing, but CW. I could have saved a ton of $$$, but I thought that I had to "talk" to the world by phone. Now I am so out of practice with CW, I am not sure I can return. I feel that 10 meters in the Tech portion is a waste of time and effort. I have made some contacts there, but they are few and far between...
When 10 is open a Tech can have a lot of fun SSB contesting. Remember though that there are contests on VHF and UHF where Techs have geatly expanded privileges
Well, I'm not going to get any accolades for what I'm about to say. Yet my convictions are what they are. I operated CW as a Tech Plus for about two years before sitting for my General, Advanced, and Extra exams. If I did not practice on the Technician sub-bands, I would never have passed the 20 wpm (and the 20 wpm I barely passed by a 7 out of 10!). It was a good move to put the mic down, step away from 10m SSB, and just hammer away at that J-38 (later, I got Bencher paddles for the last year or so of my Tech Plus ticket). I am convinced that the FCC should permit data on the Technician sub-bands. This idea is unpopular with many. I recognize this. It probably won't come to fruition. Nevertheless there is a segment of the new(er) ham radio population that has no interest in learning CW. I do not intend this to be a comment on intelligence or intellectual drive. Rather, not a few Technicians are interested in getting their General ticket so they can get on data and phone only. Why not just let them use data on the slices of HF allocated to Technicians? New(er) Tech hams interested in phone outside of 10m SSB will still have to earn a General ticket. That won't change. But, maybe digital on the Technician bands will help new digital ops learn best practices before "graduating" to 30m, for example. I don't operate digital, so perhaps I am too sanguine about Techs on digital. Perhaps I don't know what really would happen if Techs were allowed on digital. Still, I'd like to give Techs the benefit of the doubt. 73, Jordan AB2T
First, let me say that (especially for new Technician Class licensees) contesting should only be considered after they have gained a reasonable amount of experience learning the ins and outs and etiquette of being on the radio. I am not saying that they shouldn't try contesting but to hone the skillset before you dive into something that can be overwhelming. Contesting should not be a priority to jump into although if you like the thrill of competition it is a goal you can grow into. With that said, I already see comments about jumping right into CW. I say let them get their feet wet first. Maybe some of you will agree with this logic. Liken it to diving head first into the shallow end of the pool; not the best of plans, right? Can Technicians contest? Absolutely. There are UHF/VHF contests. There are 10m contests as well as 6m contests as well. But then, comes my favorite suggestion: Get with a General or Extra who can proxy/supervise you on bands you may not yet have privileges on and learn it from someone experienced who is going to teach you properly how to navigate the mayhem of pileups, logging and whatnot. Many clubs have a shack where radios can be used and solid folks to mentor you on everything from navigating rules to proper etiquette exchanges and most importantly Code of the Ham and DX Code of Conduct come to front of my thought process. I waited until I became a General before I attempted to try a contest. And I am told that I picked a doozy, the ARRL Sweeps for my first attempt. I had no mentoring prior to that chaos. I jumped in feet first and quickly had my head spinning. I had even done the research ahead of time and thought I at least had an idea of what to expect. NOT! I was schooled a few times and there were some kinds folks who helped me learn small things but I felt like I had jumped into quicksand. By the time the 10m contest came around, I had talked to my local club (at the time) members and other fellow hams along with (again) doing the research) to the point that I felt somewhat more prepared. The 10m contest was a far more pleasurable experience thanks to listening to my teachers and doing my homework. There is a lot to learn and not all contests are solely US based rules. In my opinion, one of the best ways to "jump in" should be Field Day. Put aside the fact that some say it is or isn't a contest or some say they don't like clubs. It is a great opportunity to learn how and what to do with a bunch of folks who can teach you tips and tricks that you may or may not find useful to how you want to do radio. I didn't do that and in retrospect, I wish that I had. Hunting POTA activators is also a good way to figure out the pileups, sort of. For some, contesting is the way to go. For me, meh, I like helping others get their points to chase paper that doesn't really mean much to me these days. I jump in here and there and there and make contacts if I feel like waiting and wading through a pileup for maybe that one state or country that I don't have in my logs. Lastly, find your niche first after you obtain the gear that is affordable and that is going to work for you. There is so much in this hobby from the CW so many crams at you on day one, to FT8/FT4, SSB Phone and on and on. Find the mode you feel comfortable with and learn it first. The thrill of the challenge is always going to be there but if you are not prepared, you are not going to have much fun.
In 2014, I worked 35 states on 10 meters as a technician and general with a 35 watts SSB on a HTX-100.
the channel is literally geared towards HF contesting. Not sure what else you thought would be talked about in the videos
Well, that’s not the purpose of the w1ded series at the moment. I’m sure you’ll be starting up your channel soon and sharing some of your knowledge ham knowledge; instead of complaining and whining all the time..
As N0GJW said, my emphasis lately has been on contesting since that's an area that I'm eager to learn about. However, my content also includes my recent interview with I4LEC who is passionate about antenna design and execution. I've talked to several hams about DXpeditions and, if new hams are into DX, they might enjoy hearing from Max NG7M about putting Swains on the air or James KB2FMH who was part of the team on American Samoa. When I reentered ham radio, the hook was POTA and I've interviewed POTA activators such as Annabel KQ4IGV, David HI8D, James VE3JLN, Dan WD4DAN, POTA founder Jason W3AAX as well as recapping my own 4 day 10 park activation trip in Midcoast Maine and my POTA activation trip to J8 St Vincent and the Grenadines. Youth operators who are bucking the idea "why would a young person get involved in ham radio," are of interest to me so I've interviewed Grace K8LG, Katie KE8LQR and, more recently, Sam WO5T. Importantly, whenever I interview someone for the first time, I make every effort to learn about their start in ham radio - before DXing, contesting, building, or POTA became a focus. I hope by always asking that question, others might be inspired to get started in our hobby. I hope you can check out my YouTube channel and I look forward to more of your feedback. 73, Kevin W1DED
