[CQ-Contest] Operating Methods or Equipment?

[Dennis O'Connor]

Discouraging, ain't it?  Well, take heart, there is room for major improvements in your future scores, but not in his...  Power helps, but look at the scores of the QRP guys, and you will see that antennas, operator experience (skill), and the old realtors cry of , "location, location, location", play the bigger role...

A UP4 call is worth 6dB in any DX contest... 
A beam is another 6dB...
So, he was working stations 12dB below your noise floor...
Also, he was being CALLED by DX stations who battled the pile up to work him, were you?
He was listed on every DX web site during the contest, were you?

In general it is rare for american stations to best the top world operators in DX contests.. A number of reasons come into play... One reason is that in europe there are multiple DX countries to work, at the same distances where you are still working states... We are 4,000 miles from the multipliers and the 3 and 4 pointers, they are 400 miles (not a UP4 though)...


I put in a part time effort in CQWW as a single band, 80 CW, LP (about 60 watts at the antenna after a 500 foot coax run to get to a field to put up an antenna), and worked roughly 40 countries... No beams, but some vertical wires and a dipole did the work... There are tons of stations that beat my modest effort... I don't feel I am missing anything... I am not a hot shot contest operator but I have fun... If you can't improve your antennas then find a local ham who has the antennas, or the room, and wants someone to operate with...

cheers  ...  denny