First of all, Thanks to KG2AU for passing along the message from Rob, WS1A.
There's some real meat there....
I would only add one thing which I think is really important for "new
contesters". Rob says:
>Contesting is competition -- plain and simple. There are no second-place
>winners. The term for those who don't win is "loser."
A key element is "who is the competition". It can be very frustrating to
try to match yourself up against people who have been playing the game for
a long time when you're just starting out. It has often been said that the
pleasure from contesting comes from meeting your own goals. So it's
critical that you set goals that at one and the same time "push the
envelope" of what you can accomplish, and at the same time are reachable
with some effort. Nothing but frustration lies ahead for the guy who
decides that for his first CW Sprint effort with 100 watts and wires, he'll
do 300 Q's or finish in the top ten.
What I learned (the hard way) was to carefully define MY competition for
any particular contest. Then do all the things Rob describes with regard to
analyzing other's past scores, other's logs, other's breakdowns, and so
forth. From that information, pick your "opposition" and set goals which,
if achieved, will win with regard to that set of competitors.
If the set of stations changes to include better and better
stations/operators, or the geographic coverage keeps enlarging, and you
maintain your winning position, then you know your making progress.
I'll be looking for all you cheeseheads this weekend--- See you out there!
73,
Bill, W1HIJ
Newport Beach, CA, DM13bo
ex WN1HIJ, W7GEG, AC6UH
Newport Beach RACES (ass't R/O)
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