Another thing I've not seen mentioned yet is the
fact that it is a lot easier to stay motivated
for an entire contest IF you have a chance at
winning it. I seriously doubt that most of the
guys that can do 48 straight would do it from
anything less than a station capable of winning.
This is not to take anything away from the champs.
It's just a fact that motivation is a combination
of many things, and not simply iron will. I find
that I can stay a lot more motivated when I know
that I have a reasonable chance of winning.
In the 2004 ARRL DX CW contest, I operated 47 hours
from my home station, and I didn't even make the top
ten. I won the section and division, but no top box.
Some of that was due to my inferior operating skills,
and some of it was due to the fact that I'm west of
the appalachians, and don't have a super station.
I seriously doubt that one of today's superstar ops
could win a DX contest from my station, whether they
operated 48 hours or not.
The point is, they would never bother trying. When you
can compete at that level, you're going to be up against
great ops at great stations and locations, and you'll
have to do likewise in order to win. That's how the game
is played at the top levels today. Whether you go 48 or
42 hours, you'd better be LOUD and a GREAT operator.
Likewise, I don't know if I'll ever bother trying to do 48
straight again from my station. In many regards, it's just
not reasonable, not if winning the contest is the goal.
I was trying to prove something to myself, and I succeeded
in finding my limits. If I do it again, it will probably
be for similar reasons. I vote against time limitations,
but would be in favor of publishing more info like hours
operated.
73
-Kirk K4RO
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