[CQ-Contest] 24, 48, etc.

[Hanlon, Steve]

NP4Z wrote:
>>I dont see how highly commited individuals or single parents or guys
with two jobs can keep trying to improve their level of competition and
improvement if they know that something along the way will create a
complication for some part of their weekend.<<  

i'm a young guy, 31, have a toddler and loving wife - we just reached 5 years of marriage.  we are working out a system that requires each of us to mark down on the calendar when we have upcoming events.  we do this on a quarterly basis.  if we have a conflict, the obviously more important event wins.  if both are trivial, we put both down on the calendar and when we get closer to that date, we decide then.  i rate my events based on desire level.  3 stars is a con not miss - no star is  sort of interested.  so far, it has worked out well since implemented last fall.  

in the ARRL DX SSB contest, my wife had things come up, i just worked watching our son into the contesting schedule.  the more disruptive conflicts were of my own doing.  i volunteered to help a marathon event before i was a contester.  i also gave up going to my contesting club meetings that are held on a monday because she has a meeting every monday - i get to play radio and see gets to go to her meetings.  she also gets other concessions, i know her ring size very well.

there are ways to work things out.  i guess i'm lucky in that i don't need permission from my wife to do anything, i just have to give her enough of a heads up so she can plan around it.  i think for the WPX, she is going to visit a friend out of state who has a son the same age as our little guy.  she knows i'd be bored out of my mind if we all went so she is taking advantage of the "free" weekend.  

i don't even know what i'm, going to have to do as payback for Dayton though.  i'll be gone for 5 days.  i better get a lock on the big contests next fall right away.

-steve hanlon
KB3KAQ