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Friday - November 01, 2013 - Amateur Radio at the Beach - Amelia Island - KH2D.net |
KH2D's Tips For CW Contesting |
CW Equipment:
An automatic device, preferably with memory is a must for CW contesting. Before the contest starts, it is imperative to load the memories and properly adjust the speed of the device. Use of an automated device also eliminates sending mistakes, which can be embarrassing during a contest. Try and think of EVERYTHING you will need to send during a contest and make sure it's programmed into a memory. CW Equipment Adjustment: Adjusting automated CW sending devices can be tricky, but if you follow this simple equation, you will minimize the problems in doing so. First, tune around on any HF band where you can find stations who are sending CW. Listen until you find a station who is sending at the MAXIMUM speed you can copy. Then, with your automated device in the 'off the air' mode, emulate that station and determine the speed at which he is sending CW. The number derived is your BASE CW SPEED number. Once your BASE CW SPEED number has been determined, the proper sending speed for you to use during a contest is found using a simple formula: (BASE CW SPEED) X (2.3) = CONTEST SPEED Yes, I know you can't SEND that fast MANUALLY, but don't worry, during the contest you will be using ONLY the memories in your automated sending device so nobody will know. Yes, I know you can't COPY that fast either, but don't worry, during a contest there are many tricks to get the other station calling you to slow down, which we will cover later. To be successful at CW contesting, you MUST realize that EVERYBODY in the world copies CW faster than you do, but unless you appear to be as fast as they are, you have no hopes of winning a CW contest. Fine Tuning Your CW Equipment: If you are fortunate enough to own an automated sending device with the capability of programmable speed changes, you should by all means program the speed of all the mundane stuff (like the words 'TEST' , '599', and 'K') to approximately 86 words per minute. You will save many milliseconds during the contest by doing this, and you will impress many other people with the automation capabilities of your station. Don't worry about speed changes confusing anyone. Remember, you MUST realize that EVERYBODY in the world copies CW faster than you do. Computer Equipment: It's 2002, and if you don't have a computer in your shack, you shouldn't be thinking about CW contesting. Why ? Simple. We have already established the fact that CW contests are run at CONTEST SPEED, and that everybody in the world can copy CW faster than you can. You will most definitely need a computer and some software to take care of the more mundane tasks associated with CW contesting, like figuring out what country or zone the guy you just worked was in because you couldn't copy the exchange at CONTEST SPEED. If you don't have a computer, go get one. Equipment Summary: Always send very fast. The faster you call CQ, the more other stations will call you because they think you are a REAL contest station. Use your equipment to it's fullest capacity. Never forget that everyone else in the world can copy CW much faster than you can. Now that we have our CW equipment properly set up, lets move on to operating skills. These, I feel, can be addressed best with the good old FAQ format of questions and answers. Frequently Asked Questions About CW Contesting Q. HOW DO I FIND A FREQUENCY TO
CALL CQ ? Q. THE STATION CALLING ME IS SENDING
TOO FAST. WHAT SHOULD I DO ? Q. WHEN SHOULD I CALL CQ ? Q. HOW LONG SHOULD THE PAUSE IN
MY KEYER BE BETWEEN CQ's ? Q. IF I ONLY CALL CQ, HOW DO I GET
MULTIPLIERS ? Q. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF THE GUY I
JUST WORKED STARTS TALKING TO ME AT CONTEST SPEED ? Q. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF THE SAME
STATION CALLS ME SIX TIMES IN THIRTY MINUTES ON THE SAME BAND ? Q. I'M TIRED OF CQ'ing. NOW WHAT
CAN I DO ? Q. HOW DOES THE SEARCH AND POUNCE
THING WORK ? Q. I HEAR SOMEBODY CQ'ing BUT I
CAN'T COPY HIS CALL. WHAT SHOULD I DO ? Q. I JUST TUNED TO A FREQUENCY AND
SOMEBODY JUST STOPPED SENDING. WHAT SHOULD I DO ? Q. I HEAR A GUY CQ'ing. HE's 40
OVER S9. HE WON'T ANSWER ME. HE WON'T ANSWER ANYBODY ELSE. WHAT SHOULD
I DO ? Q. I DON'T LIKE THIS SEARCH AND
POUNCE THING, IT'S TOO MUCH LIKE WORK. WHAT ELSE CAN I DO ? Q. I'VE GOT A LOT OF CONTEST EXPERIENCE,
I WON THE DELAWARE QSO PARTY. WHAT'S NEXT FOR ME ? 1. Always try and get on the island and operational a few days before the contest. Work as many people as you can before the contest starts. The pileup during the contest will be big anyway, and if you can eliminate the casual ops who need you for a new one before the contest, you won't have to deal with them while all the fun is going on. 2. Use the 47.75/.25 rule. CQ for the first 47 3/4 hours. Then use the last 15 minutes to look for all the multipliers you didn't work, especially those little islands out in Pacific, because those guys gave up calling the Caribbean years ago. You really don't need them anyway, you can work EU and NA until you turn blue, so why waste more than 15 minutes on them. 3. During the last fifteen minutes of the contest, if you do happen to hear a Pacific station calling CQ and you work him, ask him to stop what he is doing and QSY to other bands with you. Tell him to hurry, because the contest is almost over. Don't take no for an answer, be persistent. Get nasty if you have to. You reserved the last fifteen minutes specifically for working multipliers, and he has no right to screw up your plans. 4. If someone makes the mistake of calling from the Pacific for 30 minutes at their sunrise, trying to get you off the side of your antenna while you run Europe, and finally does get thru, don't let them get away until you have told them what bands/times/frequencies they MUST show up on to give you some more mults. Ask them if they have any friends on other islands they could call on the phone and get them up on frequency for you. Grasp the opportunity of the moment and use it. 5. If you happen to make the mistake of realizing the band is open to Asia, work only JA's. Never ask the JA's to hold still to see if anyone else you might need for a mult is calling you. Stations in the Pacific and Asia just love to sit in pileups with 3,000 JA's for an hour. You are enhancing their contest enjoyment. If one does happen to get thru the JA pileup, don't let them get away until you have told them the what bands/times/frequencies they MUST show up on to give you some more mults. Ask them if they have any friends on other islands they could call on the phone and get them up on frequency for you. Grasp the opportunity of the moment and use it. Well, that's about all I can think of to help you be successful in CW contests. I have a long list of things that you can do to make contesters unhappy, but I don't think I want to pass them out to the general public. Not yet, anyway...
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Friday - November 01, 2013 - Amateur Radio at the Beach - Amelia Island - KH2D.net |
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