[CQ-Contest] Operating Methods or Equipment?

[Peter Chamalian]

As the others have said, it takes time and practice.  As for equipment, yes,
you do need good antennas -- far more important than a KW.  

In my early days of contesting (mid '60's) I started with wire antennas.  I
did OK but could not get beyond a certain point with regard to higher levels
of competition.  In those days I was very active in the CD Parties which
were held 4 times a year.  K2EIU/5 (Now N6RO) and I (I was W1BGD then) would
battle it out with Ken being number 1 and I number 2.  I wasn't able to beat
Ken until I put up some beams and a new level of stations to work opened up
for me.  From then on, I was able to beat him.  Even with a kw, it was the
antennas that made the big difference!

My contest season started with the WAE in August and would end with IARU in
July!  If there wasn't a contest on some particular weekend then I was on
the air working stations.  

Currently I run a Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark V at 150 watts (I stopped using the
amp so as to not annoy neighbors).  Antennas are Force 12, C31XR at 80 feet
for 20-15-10, and MAG240N at 90 feet for 40.  80 is a delta loop.

My suggestion is to put your money into antennas and your focus into
operating -- get into as many contests as you can.  Consider them training
(which they are).  You will learn something from each one -- and that's how
you build your skills.

Good luck and stick with it!

Pete, W1RM


-----Original Message-----
From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of KE5CTY Bob
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 2:55 PM
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Operating Methods or Equipment?

This is really discouraging:

Not crying on anybody's shoulder, just trying to find out what I am
missing here:

I thought I did pretty well for my second contest *ever* and then I see
scores like the one below. As you can see, I was also SO(Single
Operator) but running LP(LowPower) and worked all bands CW(CW Only):

Call: KE5CTY
Operator(s): KE5CTY
Station: KE5CTY

Class: SO CW LP
QTH: USA - NTX
Operating Time (hrs): 15.95

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Mults
---------------------------
  160:    0     0       0
   80:   29     0       5
   40:   39     0       7
   20:   70     0      14
   15:   39     0      10
   10:   12     0       7
---------------------------
Total:  189     0      43  Total Score = 24,897

How can *one* person amass over a million points. There *must* be more
to this contesting than meets the eye. What operating methods are these
guys using? Are scores dependent more on operating methods or equipment?

Call: UP4L
Operator(s): UN7LZ
Station: UN7LZ

Class: SO CW HP
QTH: KOSTANAY
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Mults
---------------------------
  160:    15     53     6
   80:   167    697    30
   40:   381   1688    48
   20:   733   3309    61
   15:   310   1422    39
   10:     8     32     3
---------------------------
Total:  1614   7201   187  Total Score = 1,346,587

Granted I operated a *few* less hours, was Low Power and working on a
fan dipole 10-80 antenna up 25 feet at the apex, but even so, can
working just 10 or so more hours, going high power with beams and a
tower make *that* much difference in scoring??

7&3 fer nw,
Bob
KE5CTY (old calls WB5ZQU - WY5L)
10X# 37210
FP#-1141
http://www.qsl.net/ke5cty/
Code may be taking a back seat for now, but the pioneering spirit that
put the code there in the first place is out front of it all.




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