[CQ-Contest] Past Prediction of the Future of Contesting.

[Joe]

Hi Kevan,

2-2-2 HA!  This is the first time I have heard this similar thing 
outside of DZC.

When we are mentoring new contesters here at DZC, we teach them our 
golden rule the "2-2-2"
The 2-2-2

When "Running" if not getting a Q at lest every 2 minutes, go to S&P

When S&Ping if can't work the station in 2 calls, move on.

When S&Ping if can't find a new station to work in less than 2 minutes. 
Go Back to CQing or change bands.

Funny!

Joe WB9SBD

On 8/25/2021 9:18 PM, Kevan Nason wrote:
> Bill, AA4LR,
>
> Well... Here is what I was responding to. You wrote:
> "If the band map is moderately full, you are better off tuning up the band
> and picking off spots as you go. " and "Second, when you do tune to a spot,
> it’s hit or miss on how fresh it might be. Fresher spots tend to be more
> competitive and it takes more time to get through, which hurts the rate. If
> you are clicking on recent spots, you will waste time."
>
> (A bit long)
>
> For the last several years I've held the belief that in most cases an
> experienced contester can tell within two or three seconds after tuning in
> a QSO if the runner is experienced or not. If the op is a good runner then
> an experienced S&P op has a better chance of quickly breaking through the
> pileup. That's true whether you are at a superstation like NQ4I was or at a
> little low power station like mine. I forget who it was, but a contester
> with a prefix of K2 put out a "rule of twos". Think I first saw that in a
> presentation by Gary, W9XT. If you can't bust a pileup in two tries (modify
> for your station) then move on and come back later.
>
> If the band map is moderately full then by definition there are a lot of
> spots available. Combining those two things above means you can jump from
> spot to spot, working or skipping as applicable, at a high rate of speed.
> If you jump you spend less time tuning and more time actually in the
> pileup. An op skilled at busting pileups can use the time saved by jumping
> to make more q's. -- even if some of the stations they jumped to are new
> and have small pileups. Ops who tune the VFO instead of jumping are going
> to run across stations who just started CQ too. Many times while turning
> the VFO I've seen a new signal that isn't yet associated with a spotted
> call sign pop up on the Spectrum Display. Just as you say Bill, if I dally
> and work a station or two before going to the new signal then a small
> pileup is often there when I finally get around to tuning them in. Didn't
> matter that I didn't jump to the signal. I still had to put up with the
> pileup even though I was tuning the VFO.
>
> I didn't use spots for years. I turned the VFO. I still use the dial and
> Spectrum Scope in contests like the NAQP's so haven't lost the ability to
> quickly tune in stations. (Yes, I sometimes jump to stations using the N1MM
> Spectrum Window too). With a bit of practice, and by maintaining the
> discipline to leave a pileup that you can't quickly break through, it is
> more productive to jump to spotted stations than it is tune to them. If you
> still maintain it's a waste of time because of new spot pileups, then tell
> your M&Q window in N1MM to put the oldest spots on top and move down the
> list that way. (One of my primary driving principles is if what you are
> doing now isn't giving you a good rate then try something else.)
>
> BUT -- I maintain that to win, besides jumping or tuning to spots the
> Assisted operator must both run and tune the VFO to find unspotted
> stations.
>
> I think it was Jeff, KU8E, who mentioned something I have also found to be
> true. The runner who combines jumping from spot to spot on the 2nd radio
> has a big advantage. That person combines mults coming to her that never
> call CQ with being able to find mults who mostly run so won't be picked up
> on her running radio. Other than 2BSIQ, I think you'll find more and more
> people that win are jumping with their second radio. Despite claims of a
> few years ago that Assisted ops can't compete with Unassisted, you are
> seeing more and more top ops enter the Assisted category. As they do,
> Assisted scores are beginning to be higher than unassisted. That's likely
> due to how they are using the second rig to pick up those mults. Having the
> ability to jump from spot to spot on the 2nd rig rather than mentally
> process tuning the VFO, and then being able to use recorded
> audio/CW/Digital macro F-key file transmission, frees their attention so
> they can maintain a decent run rate at the same time they are putting new
> mults and q's in the log on radio 2.
>
> I'm not very good at that 2nd radio stuff yet, but even I am seeing the
> benefits of the 2nd rig being used in that way.
>
> Kevan N4XL
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