Greetings,
To pick up just *one* of the comments posted by Trey, specifically,
"o Know the bands. Nothing like knowing the right band to be on
to improve your score.", here are just *two* observations
I've made
recently. They may serve to demonstrate that some folks *work* at
being "highly accomplished contester[s]." And, just maybe, a
"secret" or two will be revealed in the process. What *really* makes
you good at contesting (or anything else, for that matter)? My 2-cents:
An experience from just last evening comes to mind. While tuning
around on 160 meters, I came across Matt, KC1XX, who was in the
process of comparing his recent ARRL DX CW log with another
contester who, apparently, had entered in the same class (multi-
single) as Matt. One (paraphrased) snippet of this QSO: "Okay,
what time did you make your first contact with Europe on [band]
meters?" Answer, "Lets see, we worked EA8XXX at XX:XX
UTC.
And judging by the other call signs in the log from that
time, it looks
like the band was open to southern Europe at that time.
And, "Okay,
our first one was at XX;XX UTC, so you switched to [band]
meters
about X minutes before we did."
Were they worried about who switched to that band first? Maybe,
but the main thrust here is that they were going through their logs
to *study propagation.* What band was open and to where--based upon
their logged contacts. Who switched to what band, and when, is
certainly
more work, this time they are attempting to *study strategy.* Does all
this work (study) pay off? Well, let's see who's rumored to be at the
top of the multi-single category from this contest--well, I'll be, it's
none
other than KC1XX. How about that? Secret: Analyze past
results/efforts.
One more quick story. While sitting next to Dan, K1TO, at a multi-multi
station *prior to* a contest, I observed him sitting off in one corner
of
a room adjoining the main station setup. He had a stack of papers in
his lap and was intently reading them. What was he doing? *Studying*
sun rise/set tables (as published in the ARRL Operating Manual) to
*learn* where the sun would be setting or rising at various times.
Later,
when he was operating, I watched as he consulted the tables--and
made (quick) "notes" as he made contacts. Sure enough--he pointed
out to me just how close (in minutes) the tables had predicted sun
rise/set times for various areas of the world and how call signs from
those areas were appearing in our log. Secret: Study propagation.
Hope I did not bore you! Nor offend or embarrass Matt or Dan--they
are however, strong candidates for my personal "hero" list, to be sure!
I can say that I know of no "list" of secrets--there is
no such thing.
Nor, do I believe there are any "secret societies" of
contesters.
I do believe that there may be some things known to those
that have
put in the effort to study, learn, ask questions and work
towards
excellence--and they have *earned* the rights to any
"secrets" they
*may* have uncovered during the process--if any. Secret:
Work hard;
and you will be rewarded for your efforts! ("The American Way," No?)
Whew, and that was two examples--from just one of Trey's points! HI
A great question--with no 'simple' answer, however. CQ Contest!
73, Glenn, KB1GW
A "second-tier" contester.
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