N9DG:
>FWIW I fairly regularly get into the top 10 for the Single Op
Low Power category for the various ARRL VHF contests.
I figured someone would mention VHF, but try the
serious HF contests, such as those necessary to qualify for
the recent World Radio Team Championship:
CQ WW, CQ WPX, WAEDC, ARRL DX, IARU, NA Sprint, Sweepstakes
http://www.wrtc2006.com/site/selectiont.html
An SDR might be great for listening to wide
BW unoccupied VHF spectra for the occasional signal,
but it makes less sense in contests that have lots of
signals requiring extreme agility. The above contests
all require rates several times the typical VHF contest.
For example, SOHP winners had the following QSO totals:
2006 ARRL VHF - 946
2006 ARRL DX CW - 3,596
2006 ARRL DX SSB - 3,872
A contest like the Sprint is even more demanding of
agility, where you must QSY every other QSO, with
winners hitting rates approaching 100/hour over the
4 hour duration.
If SDR had advantages over traditional rigs,
you would see contesters flock to them...but they aren't,
and the simple reason is agility. SDR may overcome
that issue someday but the present ones aren't even
close enough to bear serious consideration.
73, Bill W4ZV
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