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Introduction to DXing & Contesting
By W0IWJoe Leto
Waterloo Iowa December 14th 2013
What kind of ham enters a contest?
What’s the object?
Getting started in contesting
The variety of contest types
How to win a contest
Online contesting resources
What we’re covering tonight…
Contesting
Even though you may be just a Pup, you can still have fun contesting with the Big Dawgs!
Big Gun or Little Pistol
N0NI Rippey IowaN0NI Rippey Iowa
You…!!!
WHY CONTEST…!!!
1. You built the best station you could engineer.2. You have worked for years to become a ham..
3. Now contesting tests you and your station to its upper limits…
The W0IW contest station…
Even Iowa has a few world class contesters
The N0NI super station near Boone, Iowa
Aerial photo of N0NI’s antenna farm…
The Casual Contester
A desire to just have some fun, improve operating skills, and work new countries, states, counties, etc. from the smorgasbord of participating stations
The Feisty Contester
A desire to compete
The Committed Contester
Able to leap tall buildings with a single bound
Able to master the art of sleep deprivation
Who enters a contest and why?
CQ Contest!
Joe W0IW in action
It’s just FUN Gets the competitive juices flowing
Improves operating skills Excellent preparation for emergency
operations
An excellent use of our allocated spectrum
Remember: “Use it or lose it.”
Benefits of Contesting
Multiple radios usually Yaesu ft-1000 or Elecraft k3’s
Legal limit amps .. Alpha auto switching amps
Multiple towers stacks 5/5/5 monos/ prop pitch rotors
Serious station automation stack matches
run top/bottom/all ants at once flip-flop bip-bob
Massive listening arrays and curtains.. Receive
beverages thousands of feet sometimes miles long…
What makes a super Station?
But …You don’t have to be a Big Gun to have.. Big …Fun… contesting!
You buy the best radio you can afford! ( Cry once buy Once ) or upgrade as you can !!!
Own at least a three element tri band beam with good SWR and get it up in the air…
The biggest amps you can afford ! You will need a amp for 40/80m /160m…
Use N1MM and get familiar with it everyday logging and spotting
What makes a Little Gun Work
Work a lot of stationsWork as many “multipliers” as possibleWork smart
Make good band change decisionsUse efficient operating techniques
Don’t waste time or words (( Let dupes happen ))Work em all sort em later when you run dupe checks…
(similar to emergency operations) work fast fast fast Know when to “Run” and when to “Search & Pounce”Know when to take a break … If you get a run stick with it till its done !!!
How You can “Win a Contest”
Multiple Antennas already pointed in selected directions using high end antenna switches like the Array solution 6/8 pak
The Ability to switch directions in seconds not waiting for rotors and antennas to find contacts…
The Dirty lil secrets that win contests
EAST
WEST
Different antennas at different heights allow for different take off angles…
Having a tall tower and running Monoband antennas at 30ft /60ft/ 90 ft/ 120ft/ 200ft
Using stack antennas sound like stereo compared to mono audio
Its all about the take of angles
To let you work them all…
HEIGHT MAKES MIGHT !!!
N0NI Rippey IowaN0NI Rippey Iowa
FIRE IN THE WIRE…
A Contest for All Seasons/Tastes
ARRL Field Day
ARRL Schools
on the Air
ARRL DX
NAQP
Winter fieldday
CQ WW DX
ARRL 160
YL ISSBContest
State QSO Parties(Many)
ARRL VHF
CQ WPX
IARU HF World Championships
ARRL Sweepstakes
ARRL RTTY
ARRL UHF
Sprint
Beginner to Expert
Iowa QSO Party
160m top band challenge
ARRL 10m
contestTODAY
Jan
Dec
Single operator Assisted/unassisted
Power QRP, low, QRO
Single band and/or mode (some contests) Multi-op, single transmitter Multi-op, multi-transmitter
Multiple categories. . . designed to let you compete on a level playing field
Usually on weekends
Starting/ending times vary by contest Durations as short as 4 hours As long as 48 hours Max operating hours also vary
Good on-line contest calendar: www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/
When are contests run?
ARRLwww.arrl.org ARRL Rate Sheet newsletter
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/Contesting.com
www.contesting.com National Contest Journal
www.ncjweb.com
Online Contesting Resources
1. Field Day
2. Straight Key Night
3. Iowa QSO Party in October…
4. Many to choose from
5. 10-10 meter contest
6. CQ WPX ssb free for all
7. Work everybody…!!!
Best contests to get your feet wet
A radio and antennas A logging system
Pencil & papero Tried and true, but hard to keep track of dupes
Computer based logging softwareo Many options from freeware to networked
DOS-based: TR Log ($60-75) www.trlog.com Windows-based
N1MM (free) www.n1mm.com Writelog (~$75) www.writelog.com N3FJP ($39-49) www.n3fjp.com
o Some like N1MM can even trigger pre-recorded voice, CW, or RTTY exchanges
What’s Req’d to Get Started?
Serial, USB and Parallel Options
Why do it?Logging automation: less work
for you = higher QSO ratesDate/timeFreq/modeContest exchange
Integrated “point-and-shoot” DX cluster operation
Trigger transmitted exchanges
Advanced Operation:Interfacing Your Radio
OfficiallySnail mailEmail
Cabrillo file generated by most computerized logging programs (may be req’d to be declared a winner)
Unofficially3830
On the airhttp://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
At the Club
How do I report my results?
1. Trophies, plaques, certificates
2. Goodies
3. Example: WA State QSO Party “Salmon Run
4. category winners receive smoked salmon
5. QSOs toward non-contest awards
6. The awe and respect of your fellow competitors (aka “bragging rights”)
What Can I Win?
The purpose of the Iowa QSO Party (IAQSO) is to encourage contact with Iowa amateur radio stations by other Iowa hams and hams worldwide. Stations outside of Iowa work Iowa stations only. Iowa stations work everybody, including other Iowa stations. See the rules for the rest of the details.
You can enter as aSingle or multi op or mobile operator…
http://www.wa0dx.org/IAQSO/
The Iowa QSO Partyran by the
OTTUMWA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
Credits
But really…. the real reason you should
contest is… ???
Chicks really dig contesters…!
.. -- .. ??? ??? ? ..--.. ..--.. ??? ? ??? ?
Do we have any questions..?
Best 73 de W0IW Joe [email protected]
good on QRZ…
SEE U ON THE HF BANDS
TNX for your time tonight !!!
