For the last 4 years I've been contesting, so I guess I'm still a newbie
even though I got licensed as K3FIV in 1963. There's a lot of newbies in
my neighborhood - the ones with the 2x3 callsigns who started as 2Meter
Techs. Some got interested in HF, and found the cash to get a simple rig
and antenna for HF.
There's a sporadic but steady supply of new 2x3s. I've tried to get some
interested in contesting. A few have even tried several contests and liked
it. But none are still in the game.
You'll rarely hear a 2x3 call in a contest, even though there are hundreds
of thousands of them. (My perspective is from the US, but I suspect
similar situations exist elsewhere)
Where did they all go...?
Some discovered that, to be even remotely competitive, you need a modern
transceiver, and an antenna much better than their G5RV. That transceiver
that they got for a few hundred dollars used just won't do the job. That
wire dipole or vertical is a joke if you want to compete. Facing thousands
of dollars/euros in expense, or HOA police, or neighbor's or spouse's
wrath, they found another hobby.
Some remained. Some of them discovered that, to be remotely competitive,
you need to computerize your entire station, and figure out how to hook all
the software and hardware together. Simply turning the dials and using
pencil and paper wasn't going to work. Many found another outlet for
their enthusiasm.
Some remained, and overcame many obstacles but finally jury rigged a
rudimentary computerized contest station. Then they learned that, to be
remotely competitive, they needed to have not just a radio, but at least
two completely separate radios and antennas, so they could be two operators
at once. They discovered that such stations don't cost just twice what a
single-radio station costs. There's also the costs of filters, switches,
and other stuff to make such stations feasible. Many found another way to
spend their hobby time.
Some remained. They discovered the mailing lists, and lurked in the
woodwork to learn what to do to become a Contester. They listened to the
Winners' Circle members commenting about their own plans for improving
their own stations. Multiple towers, stacked beams, phased arrays of
verticals, Beverages which you don't drink. All sorts of stuff. One
Contester comments that his planned station improvements are only going to
cost him about $100K or so. Many find another hobby more suited to their
hobby budgets.
Some remained, They learned that, in many contests, the most important
thing to being competitive is something called BIC time. They realized
that, in addition to having a SuperStation, to be competitive they need to
be a SuperOperator, able to stay awake and "playing" for 24, 30, 36 or more
hours at a stretch with little time for breaks. Sometimes they even need
to leave the country to go to a foreign land where the points flow more
freely. Instead of a few hours on a weekend, winning a contest might take
days of hard work. It doesn't sound like much fun. Most remember their
skis and golf clubs, and start planning their trips for fun rather than
contesting which seems more like work now that they understand it.
A few remain. They decide they'll never be a SuperOperator or own a
SuperStation, but they can still have some fun and just compete with others
like them. After all, there must be lots of people who don't have the
resources or stamina to be Super class and who would enjoy a friendly
competition They look at each contest's rules to find the category for
"Simple Station" entrants. Sadly, they discover that contests have many
categories for entrants, but all of them are dominated by the SuperStations
and SuperOperators. There's no category for them - no way to enter the
contest and compete with "others like me" - the many thousands of hams who
have a transceiver and a simple antenna. They go play at the neighborhood
ball park instead.
I am alone.
Arguing about which technologies are allowed in which categories is a great
pasttime, but if contest organizers really want to cultivate a stream of
newbie contesters, I'd suggest they think about categories and scoring that
gives such people a place to compete too.
73,
/Jack de K3FIV
On Mar 23, 2013 7:28 AM, "James Cain" <jamesdavidcain@gmail.com> wrote:
> Contest after contest, my CW log fills with short call signs owned by
> people from the "one radio and paper log" generation. People like me.
>
> We are the generation who "populate" the logs of the SDR/RBN/Packet/SO2R
> Type A operators who are obsessed by "winning." I am always glad to work
> them, but they are few. Where are the hundreds of new hams/contesters in
> their teens, 20s, 30s, 40s?
>
> 50 years ago, W4KFC and W9IOP worked hundreds of newbies like me. Today, I
> can count the number of newbies I work on two hands.
>
> Jim Cain, K1TN
> (40,000 contest QSOs, 40,000 QSOs sent to LotW, since 2004)
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>
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