[CQ-Contest] Hints and tips for NAQP

[Kelly Taylor]

Another rookie mistake to avoid (had this happen once, we set him straight right quick):

You: CQ contest, Whisky 8 Tango Alpha Hotel
Her: KB0VVT
You: KB0VVT, go ahead.

Should be

You: KB0VVT, Tim Ohio

Don’t overuse phonetics: Rebecca knows her callsign, she doesn’t need you to kilo-bravo-zero it. Use phonetics for your exchange only for a fill. If you are CQing, there’s a good chance the other guy knows your exchange before even calling you. In some contests, the other guy probably knows your exchange before he even knows you’re on the band!

As Jim suggested, give tailenders a chance, but don’t let too much dead air pass before CQing again. Some guys tune quickly and will miss you, while some guys pounce on an ‘open’ frequency quickly… A two-count before resuming should be enough.

73, kelly
ve4xt


> On Aug 19, 2016, at 10:09 AM, Timothy Holmes <taholmes160 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Wow. More really fantastic stuff.  Thanks guys
> 
> TIM
> W8TAH
> 
> On Fri, Aug 19, 2016, 7:16 AM Bruce Horn <bhorn at hornucopia.com> wrote:
> 
>> As a reminder, the NAQP exchange is Name and State/Province/NA Country.
>> Some participants don't realize that North American countries outside of
>> the US and Canada count as multipliers. As Jim said - familiarize yourself
>> with the rules.
>> 
>> 73 de Bruce, WA7BNM   (bhorn at hornucopia.com)
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jim Brown K9YC" <k9yc at audiosystemsgroup.com>
>> To: "cq-contest" <cq-contest at contesting.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2016 9:55:06 AM
>> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Hints and tips for NAQP
>> 
>> On Tue,8/16/2016 5:21 PM, Timothy Holmes wrote:
>>> As we start to roll into contest season 2016, I am curious as to the
>> hints
>>> and tips you would be willing to share for the NAQP SSB.
>> 
>> Hi Tim,
>> 
>> Thanks for doing this. Some concepts.
>> 
>> 1) Read the rules for each contest before you start. They're usually
>> pretty short and pretty simple. They define the exchange, how the
>> contest is is scored, the contest time, who can work who for credit,
>> whether spotting clusters can be used, and things like operating power,
>> and operating frequencies.
>> 
>> NAQP, for example, has a 100W limit, does NOT permit the use of a
>> spotting cluster. The exchange is NAME and STATE. It's a 12 hour
>> contest, and a station must take two hours off in increments of at least
>> 30 minutes.
>> 
>> 2) On the air, keep everything short and sweet. Learn to avoid wasting
>> time with extra words. Avoid "lidisms" like "please copy," don't repeat
>> the exchange the other guy gave you, don't waste time with "thanks for
>> the QSO, 73, good luck in the contest." Most good contesters use
>> "thanks" or "thank you" to tell the other station the QSO is over, and
>> they're ready for the next one.
>> 
>> 3) When calling a station, send only your call, and only once on CW and
>> SSB. Listen for a second or two, and if the other station doesn't come
>> back, send your call once more. And listen. (Two or more stations may
>> have called at the same time and the other station didn't copy either
>> one.) On SSB, say your call with standard phonetics, with good
>> articulation.
>> 
>> 4) When answering a CQ, NEVER send your exchange until the other station
>> has sent you his exchange and you have copied it. For example, if he
>> says "Kilo 8?" only send your call again. If he sends his exchange and
>> you don't copy it, ask for a repeat, and do it with as few words as
>> possible. For example, "K9YC Name?"
>> 
>> 5) NEVER repeat anything that the other station has copied correctly.
>> This is particularly important when you're weak or there is QRM or
>> noise. Sending your call again wastes time, AND, more important, it
>> makes him think he has it wrong, so he may ask you to repeat it, wasting
>> more time. :)
>> 
>> 6) When you're the station calling CQ, make your CQs short. "CQ Contest,
>> Whiskey 8 Tango Alpha Hotel, Whiskey 8 Tango Alpha Hotel" is the longest
>> CQ to use.
>> 
>> 7) NEVER use "QRZed" to finish a QSO -- the stations who want to work
>> you are tuning the band looking for stations to work. They want to hear
>> your call! When you're the CQing station, finish your QSO with "Thanks,
>> Whiskey 8 Tango Alpha Hotel." When you only say "QRZed" that tuning
>> station doesn't know your call, so it will waste time (yours and his)
>> for him to find out. Or he may just keep on tuning for someone who DOES
>> say his call. :)
>> 
>> 8) When you're the CQing station, always give a station who may be
>> waiting a chance to call you as soon as you've said "thanks." In other
>> words, don't start another CQ after each QSO until you've listened a
>> second or two for a station who has been waiting.
>> 
>> 9) Have fun. Keep a smile in your voice.
>> 
>> 10) Work on getting your station to SOUND good. This applications note
>> tells how to adjust your radio so that the other station hears you better.
>> 
>> http://k9yc.com/ContestAudio.pdf
>> 
>> 73, Jim K9YC
>> 
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>> 
> -- 
> 
> Tim Holmes - W8TAH
> Sent from my LG Stylo
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