[CQ-Contest] Contest Burnout

[David Hachadorian]

Hi Pete,

I'm in pretty much the same situation as you.  I'm 79.5 years old, and 
my interest in ham radio is fading a bit.  There are a lot of other 
things that I like to do, and I don't feel like I want to tie up an 
entire weekend with contesting.  Recently I have started setting some 
reasonable goals for myself, such as 1000Q's and a sweep in SSCW 
assisted, and 1000Q's/1M points in CQWWCW assisted. With those 
relatively easy goals, I can spend weekend evenings enjoying a good meal 
with the XYL, reading a good book, and watching British TV series on 
streaming. With the easy goals, the pressure is off, and the actual time 
spent in the contest is more fun, without worrying about competition. 
Declining interest in contesting may have something to do with the 
natural decline of testosterone levels in old age.

I still enjoy doing little technical jobs around the shack though,  and 
occasionally jump into other ham radio diversions such as the Frequency 
Measuring Test.  I'm glad to see that ARRL is allowing self-spotting in 
their contests.  That may get me more interested in SSB contesting 
again. I still enjoy the shorter contests, such as NAQP's, Sprints, and 
other contests where there is a limited-time entry category.

I remember having a similar discussion with K4BAI a few years ago, and 
his view was that if life was better with ham radio, keep on going, 
doing whatever you can.  Nobody else pays much attention to what we each 
do as individuals, so do whatever provides the most enjoyment for you.

73

Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Yuma, AZ


On 12/2/2022 4:21 PM, w1rm at comcast.net wrote:
> I would like to have a serious discussion regarding contest burnout.  I'm
> not interested in nasty or snide comments but rather a real discussion on
> those, like me, who are suffering from it and have overcome it.
>
>   
>
> I have been a serious contester since the late 1960s.  I am a CW guy and
> have won CQWW, ARRL DX, and a bunch of others.  I have been a regular
> participant in many of the majors for a very long time and have a wall full
> of plaques for my efforts.
>
>   
>
> After 66 years of contesting, I'm faced with ben there, done that.  At 80
> years old, I am not going to win anything, and I know it.  I don't have the
> stamina.  My station used to be very competitive, and it still is, but I
> don't do SO2R, I only have one beam/antenna per band.  I do have top-grade
> gear, though.
>
>   
>
> So, I would appreciate some honest thoughts about how to combat contest
> burnout.
>
>   
>
>   
>
> Pete Chamalian, W1RM
>
> W1RM at Comcast.net
>
>   
>
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