[CQ-Contest] "Serious" Contesting

[Jim Brown]

On 5/4/2019 5:45 AM, RT Clay wrote:
> It depends on your definition of "major": CW decoders are prohibited in CQWW contests for single ops;

It sure does -- CQWW may be the dumbest of all contests with a large 
number of stations active. For the majority of participants, the logging 
program fills in the exchange, and it's a one or two-digit number unique 
to most countries! All the op has to do is copy the call. ARRL DX is 
almost as dumb -- the exchange one of several cute ways to state TX 
power, or common state/provinces abbreviations.

W6JTI and I just worked 7QP from three county line setups in NV. The 
exchange is a five letter abbreviation for the county and state, there 
are about 275 counties, so nothing is familiar, and the station I'm 
working has to copy both counties which the ear hears as random 
characters with a slash in between. THAT'S a test of operating skill. As 
for our end of it -- we operated portable from three locations, driving 
200 miles from the first to the last, setting up and tearing down a 
two-station antenna setup at each, starting at 6am and finishing at 
midnight.

CQWW and ARRL DX are child's play by comparison.

73, Jim K9YC