[CQ-Contest] contesting in general

[Rick Dougherty]

Hi all...kinda missed out on the thread about m-m stations and participating in other contests and having guest op's..was over in EU and didn't have a dsl line to use....I first off want to explain how I do things...not sure about LPL, LR, or XX but I am sure they have some of the same constraints.....
1. we do as M-M 4 major contests from here...CQWW SSB, CQWW CW, ARRL CW, WPX SSB....the ARRL SSB is too close the CW and its just too much to do, plus its one of my least favorites.....I would like to do the WPX CW but if falls on a bad weekend...hard to get op's, and hard to get the xyl to let me do the test....
2. XYL participation....my wife is very tolerant of my m-m contesting endeavors...she is ok with me having up to 18 op's in the home for a weekend etc...needless to commit to other contests in addition to these 4 biggies would be too much...so as a compromise we get to do the 4 and a few minor contest...
3. Preparation...there is untold hours of work to prepare for each m-m contest weekend...computers need to be networked and tested, keying line need to be checked, lock-outs need to be re-installed for each mode of use, antennas need to be correctly positioned on masts, broken elements need repairing, amplifiers need repairs, radios need repairs, etc, etc...just imagine what effort you spend with one or two stations, and I have 11 of them to keep up, 8 towers and 33 yagis...
4. Logistics....it takes approximately 24 rolls of TP, 16 rolls of paper towels, 100 soft drinks, 14 lbs of lasagna, 8 lbs of salad mix, 4 bottles of salad dressing, 4 dozen eggs, 4 dozen biscuits, 8 lbs of bacon, 4 lbs of sausage, 10 lbs of sandwich meat, 4 loaves of bread, mayonnaise, mustard, 2 jars of pickles, 2 dozen towels, 2 dozen bars of soap, 4 lbs of spaghetti pasta, 2 gallons of spaghetti sauce, and the list just goes on after that....you need sleeping facilities for all op's, internet computers for idle time, no telling how many lbs of cookies and chips....need I say more??
5. I get asked why we don't do sprint's and NAQP's...the answer is simple...I spend almost all my time all year getting ready for the big 4 contests we do....occasionally I will offer the station to one of the dedicated op's at my station and he/she will use it in 160 CW, 10m contest or what ever they prefer....I just don't have the luxury of being able to do any more contesting seriously the remainder of the year...
6. New Op's....participation at NQ4I is by invitation only! I invite the people who have indicated a desire, those who have helped me in the station construction ( they get priority), WRTC participants, and best friends....in all seriousness, I look for individuals who can get along, add to out contest effort, and am always looking for new/young contesters to add to the mix....
7. I recently received an e-mail from a JA who wanted to purchase a ticket from JA and fly here and participate and then fly right back after the contest...somebody with that kind of desire will certainly be welcome here....

Maybe I have been rambling too much, but wanted to pass along some of my perspective on the situation.....73 and good contesting de Rick NQ4I