Yes, I had planned on doing the phone SS as a
single-op this year, but a bad cold and late nights
putting together the next NCJ got the better of me.
Called Scott, K5TA, at the last minute and the
two of us invaded K9RS's house while he and his family
were away for the weekend.
Main station:
FT1000 + DTR2000, KT34XA @ 60', 2-el 40 @ 70', C3 @ 50'
2nd station:
TS850 or JST245, L4B, multi-band dipole at 40'
The computer for the second station was a laptop (networked
to the main station's computer), so it was easy to move it
to the main desk for one-operator two-radio work during the
times when Scott went home (he was present for about 16 hrs).
I found that there were plenty of times when I was alone
on Saturday night that the rate on the S&P/second
radio (on 75 m) was higher than on the run radio (on 40 m).
Had a lot of fun dialing through the band working folks in one ear.
And the little JST245 seemed like a very fine radio. It has
some funny ergonomics, but is a solid rig.
Speaking of ergonomics, there was some discussion on the reflector
a few months ago about chairs. For the second weekend in a row,
I used one of those newfangled things with no back. You know,
the ones with the knee rests? I actually found it to be pretty
comfortable. Don't understand why, but I liked it.
Band breakdowns:
80 76
40 858
20 1285
15 82 <----- just horrible condx for us. Can't explain it.
------
2301 x 77 = 354 k
Got the fastest sweep I've ever been a part of: 4.5 hrs. Last: Nebraska!
Congratulations, N5RZ. Ralph, for someone who claims to hate phone
contests, you sure continue to turn in some outstanding efforts!
73,
Bruce AA5B
(and Scott K5TA)
>From Larry Schimelpfenig <lschim@mailstorm.dot.gov> Wed Nov 22 13:34:20 1995
From: Larry Schimelpfenig <lschim@mailstorm.dot.gov> (Larry Schimelpfenig)
Subject: PROPAGATION FORECAST CQWWCW
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951122082647.1527B-100000@mailstorm.dot.gov>
Following forecasts from IPS SYDNEY REGIONAL WARNING CENTRE and NOAA
respectively:
WEEKLY HF PROPAGATION REPORT
Propagation should be normal until 27 Nov when it may degrade.
SOLAR CONDITIONS FORECAST
Quite to unsettled for most of period. Recurrent coronal hole windstream
expected to disturb the field 27-30 Nov. Active to minor storm conditions
may occur those days.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
With any luck we may have fairly good conditions this weekend. Could be a
treat if the pre-event conditions are enhanced as frequently happens.
Only bummer is solar flux looks pretty low. I'm READY for the BIG ONE!
73 de Larry K7SV in VA - lschim@mailstorm.dot.gov
>From weinfurtner@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu (Greg Weinfurtner) Wed Nov 22 12:57:36
>1995
From: weinfurtner@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu (Greg Weinfurtner) (Greg Weinfurtner)
Subject: Contest Diet Summary (8K)
Message-ID: <v01510102acd8c67b476f@[132.235.72.11]>
All,
Hey, thanks for the really well-done "clips"! I'll do an update
next week if I get some others. I got some great responses... and as you
can imagine, some really funny ones! A lot of good advice here! One
general rule of thumb really stands out: Food that gives you gas is bad for
multi-op stations, but good for single-ops to keep XYL and kids out of
shack.!! (tnx AA3JU) So, take your pick, try whatever seems best for you.
Here is the results with credit:
*******************************
Garry, N6IT:
Do as I say, not as I do:
* Try to get in some semblance of physical shape before the contest.
Sedentary muscles tire more easily. I NEVER achieve this: there is
always too much to do, both to prepare for the contest itself, and to
make room for it by doing all the tasks you would be doing if you were
not contesting.
* Try to get a good night's sleep before the contest and get everything
done beforehand. I rarely achieve this. See above excuse. On both SS
weekends this year, I was blown out of bed early Saturday by a crew
brushing our roadsides: they decided to operate their chipper right
outside my bedroom window: try waking up to THAT! I lost my voice this
Saturday screaming at the crew chief over the chipper noise--not a good
thing to do before an SSB contest. And I almost got into a fight with
him--which I most certainly would have lost, badly. Having fallen back
asleep, I overslept and started late. Also not a good thing to do.
* Have a light but solid meal before you begin. Heavy input makes you
sluggish. I tried both to shower and eat in the little time I had left
myself--the eggs were left cold in the pan and I settled for coffee and
an energy bar, as usual.
* Have your food intake planned beforehand. I didn't. My wife took pity
on me and brought me things every so often. That much more I owe her.
*************************
Tom WA1GUV
For the SS recently I tried rum & tonics, which taste better than they sound,
about one every hour or two, plus some salty snacks. QRP + low sunspots =
leisurely pace, anyway, and I was more relaxed about it.
Sometimes when it is reeeaaalll slow I read a book or old QST's.
*************************
Doug//N3ADL//V26DX
Jeez you asked for it....Smoke a couple of joints and then follow that with
the ever present EPI pen..which is a BEE sting kit...synthetic Adrenaline.
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
:) :) :) :) :) :) :)
Being serious now...I find a good HI CARB Meal of Pasta before the contest
really helps....Finger foods during the contest and I drink diet coke by the
gallon and use empty 1/2 gal milk jug and a length of 1 1/2" hose with two
hose clamps so "P" breaks don't break the run... will be curious on how many
guys respond..
************************
Gary K7FR
Well...I consume mass quantities of tea. Converted from coke because the
sugar was making me revert back to
adolesant skin problems. Tea has a beneficial attributes:
a.) It doesn't gum up your vocal cords like sugary drinks (include high
fructose content juices).
b.) It has every bit the caffeine jolt that coke et al has.
c.) Being a diuretic (cleans you out), it makes you get up a go, so to
speak, often enough to keep circulation
going in your lower extremities (your butt on down).
d.) It's real cheap!
I also scarf down tons of fat free Tostito's with garlic salsa. The ensuing
indigestion makes sure that you won't sleep in.
************************
Bill Fisher, KM9P From a Single-op's perspective:
L O W F A T
1. Eat things that are no fat. When you eat things that are fatty, the
body takes blood to the stomach to do the work of digesting the food. It
takes a long time to digest and makes you feel sleepy and lazy.
2. Don't eat meals. It's better to snack (I don't like that word). By
snack, I mean eat small amounts of quality food all of the time. The idea
here is to take your body out of it's normal mode of eating schedules. For
instance... I normally skip breakfast, eat a big lunch, and very little for
dinner. If I did this during the contest, my body would be saying at
10:00pm that it's time to go to bed.
3. Eat fruit & protein. I eat turkey breast that I get shaved at the super
market. It digests quickly. Any kind of fruit is good.
4. Kick the caffine habit 2 weeks before the start of the contest. Don't
start sucking the cokes/coffee until Sunday morning if you absolutely have
to. Ever since I quit the caffine habit, I have more energy and waking up
after only 3 hours of sleep is much easier. Before, it would take me an
hour of running the boys before I was "really" awake.
5. I drink a lot of fluid (juice) during the contest. I'm not sure why,
but I believe this helps to keep the system from freaking out more than it
already is from the lack of sleep. Of course you have to keep in mind the
result of heavy fluid intake. I won't tell you my solution.... lets just
say I take my contesting seriously.
*****************************
Dave N0DH/7
Rumor has it, that around 3 in the morning Bill (See above) puts a rubber band
around a certain body part in conjunction with the fluid intake
noted above. The resulting pressure build up and pain keeps him awake
till sunrise. ~8^)
PS: In addition to some of Bills very good advice a brightly lit shack
also helps fool the body's rythmns. I add an extra lamp in the shack
of late when I'm doing an "all nighter". I have just shy of 300 watts
burning in a 10 x 10 room.
*****************************
K7FD
Take one swig (tsp if you prefer) of apple cider vinegar every
12 hours.
That combined with whatever else you eat will keep your eyes
wide open, believe me. Try it, you'll like it.
*****************************
Sean Kutzko KF9PL
I find that chips and VERY hot salsa does the same thing. (See Above)
****************************
AA3JU (george@epix.net AA3JU@W3PYF)
Kim Chee (A nearly rancid cabbage dish from Korea that is hotter than all
blue blazes!)
Chilli (The hotter the better)
Pickled Jalapeno peppers from the garden
Cheetohs (extra crunchy)
Lebanon Bologna and Kutztown Ring bologna (garlic)
Pickled Hard boiled eggs
Coffee 64 oz per day, Coke and Jamacan Ginger Beer
I really do eat this stuff! The high capiscain content will reduce your
appitite and make you feel full with out actually eating a ton of stuff.
One bite of Kim Chee will last hours. Also High protien is good for you.
Makes you more "animal" Hmmm The Cheetohs how to explain the Cheetohs.........
Ok the Truth I am a human garbage pit that will eat ANYTHING and the more
rank and disgusting the better I like it! Also this stuff will give you
UNBELIEVABLE gas. The kind that will drive the wife and kids out of the
house so YOU can contest!
**************************
Mike AA7NX (@W7RM SOAB for CQ WW CW)
I have tried many alternatives. The one thing I can say is don't eat too
much, but have something always available.
I like to have a bag of those little carrots that are peeled and washed.
Also, I get some trail mix and a couple bags of David pumpkin seeds. The
pumpkin seeds are great because they are not much intake but lots of effort
so they help keep me awake. I use them when I drive long distances too and
they have yet to fail me. An apple or orange is always a refreshing and
stimulating treat.
The best is W7RM's healthy, low fat home cooked meals! As an op at Rush's,
you can count on being fed well and I think that helps a lot. The really
junky foods like potato chips and candy bars just weigh me down after a few
hours. I watch out for the sugar roller coaster. First it agitates me, then
drops me like a rock. Also, I wouldn't touch caffiene. I have discovered that
after the initial agitation, it makes me really sleepy, so I don't drink it.
I always have water available. Sometimes a diet soda or juice too. I wouldn't
be without my Trident gum either. Finally (conditions permitting - no
stopping a good run), I find that limiting myself to 1 cigarette every 4
hours or so and washing my face and brushing my teeth every 8 - 12 hours
helps keep me fresh. I am not an iron man who can go all 48 hours without
sleep, but I can do alright if I take care of myself in the process. My plan
for this weekend is 2 sleep periods of 3 hours each and a quick shower upon
rising.
**************************
Walt K2WK
I read old e-mail from cq-contest!
**************************
Bruce AA5B
I drink absolutely no coffee during the rest of
the year, so a big mug goes a long way toward keeping
me awake during the second night of a contest (the
first night is almost never a problem -- plenty
of excitement with lots of activity).
Food? Light snacks, plenty of fruit. Lots of apple juice.
***************************
N6AZE/6E2T Team
CONTEST-ADE
2 QTs water
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup cider (brown) vinegar
Stir the cider and honey together vigorously in a 2+ QT container, until
it is combined. Add 2 QTs water slowly, stirring all the while.
Leave the container in the fridge or a cooler, and drink it regularly during
the contest for hydration and (alleged) mental clarity. It tastes a
little funky, but the beverage is thirst-quenching, and refreshing without
producing a caffeine or sugar hangover.
****************************
Thanks all! GL in CQWW 73 de
****************************************************************
* NN N SSSSS 888888 OOOOO Greg Weinfurtner AEE BSS *
* N N N S 8 8 O O Electronic Design Splst *
* N N N SSSSS 888888 O O Ohio University Athens *
* N N N S 8 8 O O *
* N NN SSSSS 888888 OOOOO *
* Canst thou send lightnings *
* Amateur Radio NS8O that they may go and say *
* unto thee,'Here we are'? *
* weinfurtner@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu Job 38:35 *
****************************************************************
>From Pete Smith <n4zr@ix.netcom.com> Wed Nov 22 14:16:36 1995
From: Pete Smith <n4zr@ix.netcom.com> (Pete Smith)
Subject: SS Rookie of the year
Message-ID: <199511221416.GAA07552@ix13.ix.netcom.com>
At 09:16 PM 11/21/95 CST, VE4GV wrote:
>>Gary Nieborsky <k7fr@ncw.net> writes:
>>I've found that contesting is self addicting. How about a
>plaque for each
>>high scoring SO 94-96 ck? Certificate...nice words in QST?...
>
>What a great idea ! How about a "Rookie" of the Year" plaque ?
>Entrants must have proof of original license during the past
>year. ( No club stns/pseudos please) In almost every other
>competative sport there is some acknowledgement of the "up and
>comer". How about it ARRL? What's one more plaque gonna cost ?
>I'd be willing to sponsor it.
>
>Rob VE4GV
>
I agree - a fine idea. And how about "most improved" listings for each
region and entry class? That could help with the problem of drop-off from
rookie through 4th year that Hans and others have noted.
73,
Pete N4ZR (n4zr@ix.netcom.com)
>From Pete Smith <n4zr@ix.netcom.com> Wed Nov 22 14:16:50 1995
From: Pete Smith <n4zr@ix.netcom.com> (Pete Smith)
Subject: Outlawing Duelling CQs in SS?
Message-ID: <199511221416.GAA07569@ix13.ix.netcom.com>
OK, I haven't gotten flamed in a while, so....
Should ARRL perhaps consider banning what Tree calls "duelling CQs" in SS?
I'm referring to the 2-radio folks calling CQ on two bands at once, as
opposed to S&P on one while CQing on the other. I have no problem with the
latter for those who are schizo enough to be good at it (or is the term
multi-threaded?). But given the length of the exchange for SS, duelling CQs
leads almost inevitably to frequency fights (or at least crummy frequency
utilization), particularly on Sunday. I lost track of how many times I'd
find a clear frequency, even ask "QRL?" once or twice, only to be told 30
seconds later by one of the 2-radio guys that I'd trespassed on his run
frequency. It was pretty apparent in many of these cases that the 2-radio
op had been diverted by a QSO on his other run frequency, causing a long
pause on the one I'd found. Doesn't strike me as a reasonable situation.
I'm sure there'll be objections on enforceability grounds, but we have lots
of important rules that aren't enforceable either, except through the
basically rule-abiding nature of most contesters...
73,
Pete N4ZR (n4zr@ix.netcom.com)
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