[CQ-Contest] Re: WAE Rest Periods

[Eric Hall K9GY]

Howdie from the HOT Midwest USA! 

Fitting the rest periods into (up to) three slots is an interesting part 
of this contest. I would be real happy with four slots but that's another 
topic. 

For the last two years, I stayed up until around 1:30/2:30am then got 
back at it around 5:30am EDT. With another rest period on Sunday afternoon.
So you could take three 4 hr breaks, 1:30a-5:30am (x2), 1:30pm-5:30pm Sun 
to get the twelve hours. 

During my first East coast experience in 1999, I didn't have to S&P 
until early Sunday afternoon. What an experience! 

Although this year, I looked at the QST prop charts and made a little 
spreadsheet with time vertically and band horizontally. Then I put a 
"1" in the cell if the band was open to either E/W EU at that time. 
I further "scored" the spreadsheet to weight the band by the 
multiplier factor (80=4, 40=3, 20-10=2). What it shows is that you are 
incented to operate from 00-08z due to the better mult factor. Take 
a very short rest from 09-10:30z (I like the 1.5 hr rest blocks). 
then rest again from 20-23z. This maximizes the opportunities for 
maximum amount of mult factor in the score, without considering 
the rate running ability (maybe need another parameter for that 
in the spreadsheet, hi). Anyways, this doesn't conform to the 
three rest periods requirements, but I thought it was interesting.

So I'm still in the process of somehow joining what I did before to 
my new findings. It's useful thing to do during the plane ride east, hi.

Become "radio-active" in WAE CW this year! 
http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/fedcw.htm 

W4AN and KC1XX will be battling it out in M/O. 
N2NC will be at N2RM, and I'll be at K4JA. 
So lot's of RF going to be on this weekend. 

BTW, Fred K3ZO pointed out to me in 1999 that QRU means no traffic 
at this time (in response to EU "QTC?" requests).

73, Eric K9GY
3rd place USA, WAE CW 1999 & 2000 (@ K3ZO QTH)
Looking to break the ONE million mark this year!


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