[CQ-Contest] WPX Contest Question

[n5nj at gte.net]

Gary, 

The answer to your question is not a simple one.  There are many factors that contribute to a station being heard and able to attract many callers.

I know that I remarked to several stations during this past weekend's contest that they had great signals - but you have to understand the reference points. The reference points are those stations barely at the noise level and are very difficult to copy.  At times, a station that you can hear clearly, even if he's S2 or less can have a "big signal".  It's all relative.

Now, look at your station.  Are you running an amplifier?  What kind of antennas do you have?  Directional? Vertical?  Dipoles?  Those guys you hear that are 40 over S9 at your place are running stacked yagis and legal limit amplifiers.  Are you?

Next, are you aware of your surroundings?  What I mean here is do you know who is above & below your frequency?  Could they be covering you up and you don't realize it?  Is there a pileup on a nearby frequency that you might not be able to hear both sides of?

If you don't have one of the big stations and want to get a run going, you must isolate your signal from all of those big gun stations.  To make your signal stand out, find smaller stations to set up near.  This is not as easy to actually do as it is to describe it here, but the ability to gauge the surroundings is an acquired skill - you almost have to have a "feel" for what's going on.  You also have to have excellent equipment that is working perfectly.  You receiver must be very sensitive and you have to be able to discern weak signals.  I'm not talking about working weak stations, I'm talking about hearing what's going on around your chosen frequency.

Think about the above comments, and continue the discussion.

73,
Bob N5NJ

Original Message:
-----------------
From: Gary McAdams g.m.mcadams at worldnet.att.net
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2002 10:35:52 -0800
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [CQ-Contest] WPX  Contest Question


    
Hello Guys,


I have a question about the WPX contest.

My call is WG7X and with this call, I always
thought that I would be a popular fellow in 
the various WPX contests. This has not
been the case, ever, and I have participated
in quite a few of these tests.

Recent rules changes have made Q's on the
same continent worth at least one point, and
with my WG7 prefix I'm also a multiplier. 

During the SSB test, I was S&P'in and many
stations said: Thanks for the mult!" and quite
a few gave me the unsolicited "big signal"
report. (DX and Domestic)

So, given that I have a fairly good signal, and
a weird call, I wonder why I could not get even a
small run going? S&P got me to about 350 q's
(and almost every one a new mult) but I could not
get any answers to my CQ's...

Should I expect to be sought out as a needed
multiplier, or continue to participate in my normal
way in the S&P mode? W7's are literally a dime
a dozen and I've always thought that the WPX offered
myself and others a way to be popular, if only
for a short time.

Thoughts?

Gary, WG7X


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