[CQ-Contest] Should contest ops QRS?

[Jim Brown]

On 2/8/2026 6:54 AM, Mike Smith VE9AA wrote:
> My reply to him/all is below his question.
> 
> Thoughts?

I represent the Pacific Division (NorCal, NV, KH6) on the ARRL Contest 
Advisory Council, and the major topic for the last six months has been 
how to save Sweepstakes. Participation has been dropping drastically, as 
OTs like you and me have been aging out (I'm 84, my first SS was in '57).

Solving this very difficult problem involves bringing a thousand hams 
into contesting, first through the contests with easy exchanges, then 
stepping them up to the more challenging SS. Working at the slower speed 
that Fred practiced is critical to that effort. For more than ten years, 
I've been part of a team with W6GJB and W6JTI that has won SS in 1A 
Battery more than half of the years we've entered. We work only CW, our 
speed tops out at 26 WPM, and we'll slow down for slow callers.

There's a LOT more to contest math than sending speed. All of us who can 
work faster need the little guys, the new guys, to work. This problem 
shows up late Saturday night in SS (my rate went into the cellar around 
06Z, causing me to hit the sack before 08Z, my midnight), and we all 
know that Sunday is dreadful. That's NOT because the contest is too 
long, it's because our stalwarts are aging out of being able to 
participate.

2025 CW SS had fewer logs than 2025 CQP. Think about that when setting 
your sending speed. Contesting is no fun when we've run out of stations 
to work.

73, Jim K9YC