To some degree there already is a SO1R category in one major contest. CQWW
Classic allows only one transceiver. You can also operate single band and
be very competitive with one radio in any contest. I have a number of
single band plaques and records, most done with a single radio.
To get the full benefit of SO2R you have to be almost super human. Watch
how easy N6MJ makes it look <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqkw05ClqQ4>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqkw05ClqQ4 . Even with only one radio many
of the winning operators would be tough to beat. Another way to improve
your score is by improving your antennas and location.
Since you asked I will list a couple of my SO1R highlights. In the 2011 CQWW
Phone Contest, I was in Aruba with my XYL celebrating our anniversary so
this was not a super serious operation. Also the DSL had a very poor
connection. Using the callsign P40A, I operated SOAB (A) and had the world
high score and came very close to breaking the all time record. (Since this
is the Writelog list, I should mention that I used Writelog). In 1999 I won
the low power category in the ARRL DX Phone contest using the callsign VP5J
and I set a new record with just one radio. In 2004, K9PG went to WP3R and
broke my record. also using one radio.
W2GD/P40W is an excellent operator who has won many contests and he always
uses a single transceiver. He does an amazing job of finding multipliers and
band openings while maintaining high QSO rates.
I plan to operate SO1R in the next ARRL DX phone contest as WP2AA.
73,
John KK9A - W4AAA
From: W2GR@aol.com [mailto:W2GR@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2015 5:48 PM
To: john@kk9a.com; WriteLog@CONTESTING.COM
Subject: SO2R vs SO1R
Hi John,
I am just curious ...in what contest ..in what category ...and year have you
won in the SO cat where SO2R contestants were operating?...?...This is not
to get into any pissing match...but just for someone who would like to know.
That would be very respectable...(not that I don't respect your operating
abilities now)
And guys like Don and Ed etc...their feats in operating I will probably
never get to that level as long as I live......definitely guys to look up to
in the RTTY contesting world..among others...as I have...However..
In the single op category in the contests...I just wonder...if there were
NOT a significant and winning advantage, why bother with the
expense...learning and aggravation of going to SO2R?...
I can answer that for you...to be competitive with the other guys that have
gone that route. The advantage...for the win....to be the best ...and that
is outstanding!...that makes the new guys running SO2R wanna be like the
others above and strive to better their operating skill etc. THATS A GOOD
THING! COMPETE WITH YOUR PEERS!
Shouldn't the ops that choose not to run SO2R have the same opportunity
regardless of their operational situation?..Be it a beam vs dipole...stacks
vs vert. ...East coast vs West etc....its still 1 rig and 1 antenna at a
time. A boy and his radio.
Seems to me...If there were a separate category for SO2R...maybe the SO1R
guys would start wanting to improve themselves..improve their station and
get better at operating in their category to get to the level of the ops at
the top...and spend more time in the chair?..that would be a good thing for
everyone...would it not?...that would be a goal to shoot for anyway...
What are the SO1R goals now competing with SO2R?...to be 30th?...
Probably 99% of the ops entered in the single op catagories in all the
contests are SO1R....
So my question to the guys that think there should NOT be a separate
catagory...
WHY NOT?..Why should there NOT be a separation? WHY NOT?
Mike W2GR
--------------------
In a message dated 1/8/2015 1:54:01 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
john@kk9a.com writes:
Ed does a great job running multiple radios, especially on RTTY. It is
definitely not easy, especially if you are operating from a high rate
area. Imagine working 200-300+ stations per hour on SSB on one radio
while looking for mults on another. There are operators that do this very
well. Anyone can set up two radios but learning to use both and maintain
this energy and motivation during the contest is the challenge. I see no
reason for a separate category. You should never under estimate what can
be done with a single radio. Many people have won using SO1R, including
myself. As Ed said, SO2R on RTTY is easier. You do not have to mentally
copy anything and the exchanges are often ridiculously long which give you
a lot of free time. The difficult part for me when running RTTY on two
bands is that you cannot legally transmit on both at the same time (as
single op) and sometimes QSOs do not sync well. Both may require my
response at the same time and sometimes I have to wait longer than I care
for before I can hit the appropriate F key for one of the QSOs.
John KK9A / W4AAA
To: <W2GR@aol.com>, <WriteLog@CONTESTING.COM>
Subject: Re: [WriteLog] P49X Prefill file & Message SO2R vs SO1R
From: "Ed Muns" <ed@w0yk.com>
Reply-to: ed@w0yk.com
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2015 06:54:28 -0800
How many of the "SO2R guys" who "push you down in the standings" are
operating from a "small city lot . 1 trapped beam, 1 homebrew short 160m
vert. and a very low 80m inv. V"? Most SO2R operators have already created
significant advantages with their station location and antennas, etc. How
many SO2R operators out score you from identical stations in identical
locations? That will tell you how severely tilted the playing field is due
to SO2R.
Of course, a skilled SO2R operator will likely outscore a skilled SO1R
operator in identical locations with identical propagation and identical
antennas. But the extent of this advantage is smaller than the advantages
gained from all the other qualifiers in that sentence. Most SO2R operators
have already gained significant advantage by optimizing other aspects of
their station and location.
By the way, for anyone wanting to improve their SO2R skills, spend plenty of
time in RTTY contests. SO2R is much easier because the operator is freed
from copying and can therefore apply his attention to perfecting all the
other skills needed to effectively manage two or more QSO streams on
different bands. The potential score advantage of SO2R in RTTY is also much
higher than in CW or SSB, but the SO2R skills developed in RTTY are mostly
applicable to the other modes. My CW SO2R skills improved much faster once
I started doing RTTY contesting.
Also, SO2R skills can be developed in any SO1R station that has a radio with
a reasonable second receiver. This is so-called SO2V. It is even more
challenging than SO2R because you can not listen to another frequency on the
same band (usually) while transmitting.
Finally, don't underestimate the skill it takes to operate SO2R such that it
actually is an advantage. My scores were lower due to SO2R for many, many
contests. To the extent that SO2R is an advantage for me today it is
because I invested thousands of hours struggling to learn it.
Ed W0YK
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