[CQ-Contest] Sleep and Fatigue on Dxpeditions; looking for a solution!

[Ken K7ZUM]

Keith,

         Craig does take friends with him, but he tends to "hog" the radio,
and tries
to operate 24\7 before the contest, 24\2 during the contest !

De...Ken......K7ZUM... 8R1ZUM


> My opinion is you should take friends with you so you can operate 24/7 on
a
> schedule. :)
>
> 73, Keith NM5G/VP8DXL/9H3KD
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of ah8dx Craig Maxey
> Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 6:54 PM
> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Sleep and Fatigue on Dxpeditions;looking for a
> solution!
>
> I know us contesters have rehashed this subject over and over again and
> again but I don't understand why I haven't learned from my past mistakes.
If
> you can, please post your strategies that seem to work for you.
>
> On a contest dxpedition there are many negatives right out of the gate. To
> begin with, jetlag and the time change is the starter. Setting up
antenna's
> and equipment usually in a tropical place sets you back even more.
Changing
> your diet that you are used to is yet another negative. Staying up day and
> night before contests handing out qso's on the top band and needed modes
> such as rtty during the day also sets you back. Operating from a hard
chair
> and small table isn't anything like your comfortable chair and big
operating
> position at home. This list goes on and on and on.
>
> I usually can make it through the first night but that second night gets
me
> every time. A funny story from my recent trip to Guyana for the ARRLDX SSB
> contest.  I began to get tired about at midnight the second night so I
told
> my host to wake me up in 45 minutes. 45 minutes later, he was telling me
to
> get up and back on the radio. I told him to give me another hour in which
he
> did. One hour later he came in to wake me up and I sat up on the edge of
the
> bed thinking. I then told him that in order for me to run them fast on
> Sunday, I would need more sleep to do this. I told him to wake me up in a
> hour and a half. He came in a hour and a half to wake me up and by that
> time, I was more tired than I was than at midnight when I first went to
> sleep. It appeared that all of the tiredness had finally caught up with me
> from being sleep deprived for the past five days and I told him to wake me
> up at 6 a.m. The daylight and 6 a.m. came and I got up and started calling
> cq at the radio. When my host came in after hearing me at the radio, I
asked
> him why he let me sleep so long!
>
> Any ideas that have worked for you when traveling to do a contest? I sure
> would like to get to the bottom of this!
>
> Gud Dx,
>
> Craig Maxey, AH8DX & 8R1EA
>
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