[CQ-Contest] SECRETS OF CONTESTING, CH. 10

[James Neiger]

SECRETS OF CONTESTING, CH. 10

Above all other things, a contester is ENTHUSIASTIC.  From year to year,
from contest to contest, he strives to enter contests, as many as his life
(or wife?) may allow, with ENTHUSIASM.

He (or she, of course), may not always know the why of it, but maybe
participates merely because he always has, or maybe because his club has set
a goal, or maybe he had so much fun last year, that he enters this year with
a renewed spirit.  Or maybe he had fun on a contest DXpedition ten years
ago, and wouldn't it be nice to combine a nice family vacation to the
Caribbean with a modest contest operation around CQ WW time of the year?

Or maybe you wish to try and emulate Bud Bane W6WB, who as he approaches age
100 years, can be found in most of the major CW DX contests.

Or maybe Fred Laun K3ZO is your hero, as Fred continues to show the rest of
us 'how to do it' with his undaunted ENTHUSIASM, as he participates in so
many different world-wide contests, the rest of us don't even know how he
keeps track of them all.

Or maybe John Dorr K1AR, who keeps us all involved with his timely and
provocative comments EVERY month in his CQ Magazine contesting column.

etc etc etc

For the undersigned, as I enter my 48th year of contesting with great
enthusiasm, I simply set some personal goals that may, or may not be
achievable, but one thing for sure, if I don't at least make the effort, I
won't succeed.  Looking at the past 20 months, I have some very modest
successes, like:

2001 ARRL 10 meter Contest    No. 1 mixed mode from ZD8Z (but NOT a new
record), so

2002 ARRL 10 meter Contest    No. 1 mixed mode from ZD8Z plus a new record.

2002 WRTC    old guys like N6AA and N6TJ actually survived this most
intimidating of
             competitions as OJ2F and hoping they can participate again in
2006

2002 CQ WW DX CW   organized a nice little multi/multi from PT5A super
station with a few
                   good friends, and we're still talking, and maybe Top 5
from the most
                   challenging of geographies.  And it was fun too.
(Asterisk in the results
                   says: "they did it without packet")

2002 CQ WW DX SSB  organized a nice little 3 man (with K6NA and N6ND)
multi-2 from ZD8Z,
                   had a lot of fun, and actually No. 2 world.

2003 ARRL DX CW    fun little 48-hour jaunt as P40T from the P43P super
station, and a No. 2
                   ranking.  Gives me extra motivation to move up a notch in
2004.


All of which is ancient history, means NOT for 2003 and beyond, and what
have you done for me lately, Neiger (as my buddy Scott Redd K0DQ, would
say)?

 My only point is: if I can find some enthusiasm at Age 64, all the rest of
you too can help keep our hobby alive by signing-up for enthusiastic efforts
during the upcoming contest season.

So, to close out this "secret", I am hereby announcing, that after a year's
sabbatical, NEIGER'S TIGERS will again organize Team Efforts in the CQ WW DX
CONTEST, both modes, for this October and November.  All single ops (even
assisted), all bands or single bands, are welcome to join the Tiger Teams.

Drop me a note, please, and I hope to see you all from 'somewhere' this
fall.  With unwavering enthusiasm............(sounds like motivation for
another K1DG song?)


Very 73,

Jim Neiger   N6TJ