[CQ-Contest] Station design and ergonomics

W0MU Mike Fatchett w0mu at w0mu.com
Tue Mar 7 14:26:50 EST 2017


Caffeine is not a friend of us on blood pressure meds.  I would also 
suggest avoiding the fake sugar diet sodas.  To each their own on that one.

Headphones are completely personal and I usually have a couple of choice 
to turn to if my ears start to bother me.  Some people love the ear 
buds, I prefer a noise cancelling headphone/set.  No need to buy 
expensive common ham name brands especially with RX/TX equalization that 
is in most rigs these days.  I use Able Planet noise cancelling 
headphones normally for CW only but I really like the Yamaha CM50's 
too.   The Able Planets are much much much cheaper than Bose.  Bose 
might work a bit better on an airplane but I can't tell in a shack.

Stand up if you can.  I want to buy the standing desk platforms you can 
buy but have not got around to it.  Move your legs a lot when sitting.  
Sitting for long periods of time can lead to blood clots and worse.

Sleep in 90 minute periods waking in the middle of REM sleep is tough.

I have never been THE CW guy but the older I get the more I seem to 
prefer CW contests over SSB contests.  Listening to terrible, 
overdriven, poorly recorded messages gets to me after a while.   I 
sometime wonder of those stations know just how bad their CQ machine 
really sounds....... Elecraft offers a 1.8 filter that many find 
tolerable.  Sometimes I find wider is better and let your brain handle 
the mess.

I would agree that backing off the RF gain is valuable.  Also use other 
antennas to listen to so that you can minimize the interference and make 
the station easy to work.    Null out the bad noise do not always go for 
max gain in the intended direction for RECEIVE.

Good Luck

W0MU



On 3/7/2017 11:34 AM, Peter Dougherty (W2IRT) wrote:
> Tim,
> The key is setting up a station that's ergonomically well designed and get a chair that's comfortable to sit in. This is the best $235 you will EVER spend on contesting: http://www.officechairsforless.com/Office-Star-Multi-Function-Task-Chair.html. I have bought two of these in the last 15 years and couldn't be happier--or more comfortable--when contesting. You want your monitors right at eye level or maybe very, very slightly below; keyboard and mouse at arm level.
>
> As for headphones and ear fatigue, that's a huge field with many answers. Get the best headphones you can afford. Forget HEIL, look at the Arlan radiosport headset. Pricey but I'll never, ever switch to anything else. This is the gold standard. If you're mostly a CW operator, look for a refurbished set of BOSE QC-15s. No mic for SSB but awesome performance on CW. Active noise reduction is a magical thing. Also set your filtering as wide as you dare, and also use the IF SHIFT function in your radio to make the audio a little more pleasant. It's a tradeoff, of course, and you'll find after a few contests you'll find something that works best for you. That 1.9 filter would be WAY to narrow for me. Even my 2.1 is rarely set that low. The high-pitched tinny sound below 2.1 is uncomfortable to listen to over the long term. Also consider something a bit better than the 706. It's many things, but a contest radio it is most definitely *not*. Filtering close-in strong signals is not something it's particularly good at.
>
> And speaking of ear fatigue, don't be shy about riding your RF Gain! You don't need it whacked out full all the time, especially when you're working the powerhouses out of Europe. I find myself padding down 10 or 15dB and reducing the RF Gain, especially on 40m SSB (ugh).
>
> Human factors. If you can live without it, stay off caffeine for a week before the contest, start off normally but then use coffee or colas for that kick in the butt when you start nodding. It will help a lot in terms of stamina. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I do love my Coke Zero! Sleep is a huge factor too. If you can, stay home the day before, sleep in, do very, very little of anything, then take a 1-2 hour nap ending roughly 90 minutes before the start. So here on the US east coast, I'll set my station up 100% ready, lie down around 3:30, probably be asleep by 3:45 or 4pm, up at 5:45-6pm and I'll have an hour to grab a bite, use the loo, change into my official FRC shirt (I don't dare operate without it!) and then be ready for a 7pm start. Add an hour for DST. I don't use supplements.
>
> Unless you're seriously running constant pileups, try to give yourself a break every couple of hours. Stand up, hit the head, walk around the house, etc. If the weather is nice outside, go for a short stroll or sit on the deck. In my case, when the weather is nice, I'll have a short 20 minute to half-hour cigar in the mid-afternoon when activity is extremely low. Really clears my mind to just sit out there and listen to nature before going back into the fray.
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> GO FRC!
> Peter, W2IRT
>
> www.facebook.com/W2IRT
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Timothy Holmes
> Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 8:32 AM
> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Station design and ergonomics
>
> Hi Folks:
> Got to work the ARRL SSB DX INTERNATIONAL contest this weekend, and really had a great time, made some amazing contacts on Saturday, (Tonga, Pitcairn, Australia and New Zealand) and finished up with a score of about 32,000 points on 139 Qs.
>
> While I was operating, I did notice some things that I have questions about. Im currently operating on a desk that is 43 inches long, 23 inches wide, and 26 inches high. I have an old office chair with an adjustable height that I sit in. My computer monitor is elevated 9 ½ inches over the desk top, putting it right at eye level. The problem is that I find myself getting sore as I am contesting, and need to get up and move every so often. I am curious to know how your stations are laid out and if there is anything I can do to reduce fatigue and soreness as I contesting
>
> likewise, I am also curious about how to avoid ear fatigue over the hours of the contest – I try to keep my volume as low as possible, yet be able to hear faint contacts, likewise, I use the phase reverse on my headphones pretty often to change the sounds a bit and keep my hearing as sharp as possible.
>
> When it comes to preparing for the contest, what do you all do as far as food, drink, sleep, supplements etc to give yourself stamina for the contest and allow you to be able to functional the day after.
>
> Lastly, I have found a 1.9 MHz SSB filter for my 706, I am wondering if that will help in the crowded band conditions to cut down the noise and allow me to narrow in on the signals that I am trying to hear.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> TIM
> W8TAH




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