I know us contesters have rehashed this subject over and over again and
again but I don't understand why I haven't learned from my past mistakes. If
you can, please post your strategies that seem to work for you.
On a contest dxpedition there are many negatives right out of the gate. To
begin with, jetlag and the time change is the starter. Setting up antenna's
and equipment usually in a tropical place sets you back even more. Changing
your diet that you are used to is yet another negative. Staying up day and
night before contests handing out qso's on the top band and needed modes
such as rtty during the day also sets you back. Operating from a hard chair
and small table isn't anything like your comfortable chair and big operating
position at home. This list goes on and on and on.
I usually can make it through the first night but that second night gets me
every time. A funny story from my recent trip to Guyana for the ARRLDX SSB
contest. I began to get tired about at midnight the second night so I told
my host to wake me up in 45 minutes. 45 minutes later, he was telling me to
get up and back on the radio. I told him to give me another hour in which he
did. One hour later he came in to wake me up and I sat up on the edge of the
bed thinking. I then told him that in order for me to run them fast on
Sunday, I would need more sleep to do this. I told him to wake me up in a
hour and a half. He came in a hour and a half to wake me up and by that
time, I was more tired than I was than at midnight when I first went to
sleep. It appeared that all of the tiredness had finally caught up with me
from being sleep deprived for the past five days and I told him to wake me
up at 6 a.m. The daylight and 6 a.m. came and I got up and started calling
cq at the radio. When my host came in after hearing me at the radio, I asked
him why he let me sleep so long!
Any ideas that have worked for you when traveling to do a contest? I sure
would like to get to the bottom of this!
Gud Dx,
Craig Maxey, AH8DX & 8R1EA
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