introduction to dxing & contesting. what kind of ham enters a contest? whats the object? getting...

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 LetoRADIOHAM@GMAIL.COM

good on QRZ…

SEE U ON THE HF BANDS

TNX for your time tonight !!!