[CQ-Contest] SSB contesting skills

[Jeff Maass]

Others are pointing out some published materials, but here
are a couple of random Rules for Success in contesting.
Others will disagree and have other tips to add.

1) Make your station as reliable as possible. There's no
    time during a contest to fix or reconfigure.

2) Have reasonable spares available in case something 
    does fail, and never use equipment failure as an 
    excuse to quit during a contest.

3) Make your station as simple as possible, requiring a 
    minimum of manual operations during a contest.

4) Know Your Radio. 

5) SO2R at all costs. Beg/borrow/buy a second transceiver,
    and make/buy filters and stubs.

6) Read about operations that have been successful, and
    consider what made them successful. Read their reports
    in the 3830 archives. If you can't figure it out on your
    own, ask them via email. 

7) Listen to known-successful operators on-the-air when
    they are Practicing Their Craft. 

8) Have your station ready and tested the day before the
    contest starts, and make no changes thereafter. 

9) Be on the air for every possible contest, and between
    contests as well. Get as many operators familiar with
    your callsign as possible.

10) Be fresh and rested at the beginning of the contest.
    Bank some sleep in the hours before the contest.

11) Set goals before the contest, including goals for 
    intermediate points (four hours in, 8 hours in, etc.).
    Keep track of how you are doing against those goals
    during the contest.

12) Keep your butt in the chair during the contest. 

13) Unplug the telephone. Fill the dog bowls for two days
     use. Send the family to Disney World for the weekend.

14) They can't hear you if you don't transmit. CQ if
    you can, pounce when you must. SO2R lets you do 
    both simultaneously.

15) Be as loud as you can into the target population 
    centers.

16) Transmissions short. Minimum.

17) Make use of technology, training and common sense
    to *preserve your voice*.

    A) Speak softly. Transmitters have audio amplifiers
        inline with the microphone. DON'T YELL!

    B) Use a headset to keep the microphone a constant
        distance from your mouth and allow freedom of head
        and body movement.

    C) Keep a beverage on hand, small sips often (a straw
        helps when wearing a headset).

    D) Use a voice keyer for CQing.

    E) Use a footswitch without shoes for positive transmit
        control.  VOX is a fad for people who live in
        soundproof bunkers, not for those in the Real World.

18) Eyes on the Prize. If you quit halfway through the 
     contest, you've wasted half your weekend plus all
     the preparation and planning time. "Never give up,
     never surrender!" 

73,

Jeff Maass  K8ND
       

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Guy Molinari
> Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2005 3:49 PM
> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] SSB contesting skills
> 
> 
> I've done about a half dozen or so SSB contests and am interested in 
> improving my operating skills in this regard.
> 
> Does anyone know of any articles, web resources, etc. that could help me 
> hone these skills?
> 
> Thanks in advance
> 73's
> Guy, N7ZG
>