[CQ-Contest] ARRL 10m mult strategy

[K3BU at aol.com]

n5nu at inu.net writes:

> 
>    So...what are YOUR methods?  I am dying to know how these people can sit
>  there and work 2000+ QSO's and then have more mults than I do.  It behooves
>  me.  
>  

Disregarding the "being rare" factor, the "secret" is ANTENNAS, for there is 
no amplifier that can amplify signal that is not there (antenna didn't bring 
it in) and it magnifies the signals on transmit, helping to be heard. Having 
good signal and being able to hear gives one advantage to be present on the 
band with marginal conditions and helps to attract rare ones (one of few 
signals on the band - easy to find). Contests are won by being able to work 
all those that others can't. 
    The multipliers come with QSOs. If you have good signal and can sit there 
and work your own pileup, the multipliers will come with QSOs, except - there 
are those who do the same thing, don't look around, just sit and CQ. You 
could be CQing next to each other, without working each other. This happens 
with some multis and especially in all band categories. Stations just jump on 
the band, stay there until their pileup dries up and move to another band. 
Obviously, if you just CQ on your frequency you will miss them. 
    The strategy has to be good balance of CQing and Hunting around. 
Typically, during the rush hour of the contest, in the beginning, try to run 
up QSOs, some multipliers come with it. If rates slow down, tune around and 
pick some of the perpetual CQers. If you have puny signal, like QRP and are 
an "ordinary" station, then you could CQ your head of, only to be stumped on. 
Here the strategy is hunt esp. second day when the rush and QRM settle down. 
(Unless you are sitting on Annobon or some other rare place.)
    During ARRL 160m contest I fired up later in the contest, being new 
station, I wondered how many big guns would find me and how long would it 
take them. The result? Very few ever worked me. So it appears that they 
mostly sit on "their" frequency and F1.
    The ideal situation is to be able to CQ and tune around at the same time. 
That requires some antenna design and equipment setup, but it is being done 
and it helps. I find that I miss about 10 multipliers that I hear and can't 
get, quite often some of them are big multi operations or high scoring single 
ops. You win some, you lose some. Wins one who gets most of them. That comes 
with experience and the secret is: operate, operate, operate! 
    The other part of the equation is knowing the propagation, taking 
advantage of it plus equipment, location, but that is another story.
    The beauty of contesting is, that each contest is a new race, propagation 
is a big variable and depending how well you are prepared, your results will 
be proportional to your efforts and give you chance to compare yourself to 
those in similar "shoes". That is the big fun of contesting (and you can have 
life in between). 
    Hang in there, points will come with experience!

73 and GL

Yuri, K3BU, VE3BMV, VE1BY, P40A
Tesla RC N2EE, NT1E, VA1A, VC1A
http://members.aol.com/k3bu


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