[SECC] SS Strategies?

[John Laney]

For CW SS, the strategy is pretty easy.  Get on at the first of the 
contest, CQ all the time, work everyone you can.  Get some sleep when 
the rate drops in the middle of the night.  Get back on about sun up. 
Do single op two radio if possible to maximize the QSO rate so that you 
can get some answers to CQs on one band and look for new stations on a 
new band.

W4AN believed after the break during the night, you should take the 
remainder of your off-times in 30 minute segments throughout the day. 
He believed you should be on for the last hour or last half hour of the 
contest to catch those guys who only get on for that last run to the cut 
off time.  I never never found many of them.  The longer I am on at the 
end, the slower the rate gets.  This is true even with SO2R--but the 
overall rate will be faster with SO2R.

Naturally, you want to work all the multipliers you can, hopefully 
meaning all there are (80 now, I think).  You can pick up the rarer 
mults by the second rig by tuning on those bands where the CQ rate isn't 
very good while you are CQing on a more productive band.  When you are 
down to just a few or just one, get on the band with the best 
propagation to that area and point your antenna in that direction and be 
loud!  Listen to others running on that band with your second VFO.

The rate can fall so low that I will even S&P on the first rig.  If 
there are no answers to CQs, then do S&P.  Stay in the chair and on the 
air.  Take breaks only for 30 minutes at a time so you don't lose other 
time off the air.

 From this area, 20 meters is the best band to start on unless there is 
genuine short skip on 10 or 15.  If there is genuine short skip on the 
higher bands at any time, run on those bands until the rate drops. 
Don't forget to look back at 15 meters for a possible NE area opening 
about the time the band is getting weak to the west.   Your second trx 
will enable you to monitor for such an opening.  Rarely, this may happen 
on ten also, but on CW, there will likely be no one to work or only a 
few to work on 10 CW if we get a late short skip opening.

If the rate isn't good on 20 or begins to drop, run on 40 and use the 
second rig to search on 20 and 80.  Running on 80 is rarely productive 
from this area of the country, but it can be if 40 goes long early.

Send as fast as the rate of answers allows.  If you aren't getting many 
answers, slow down.  Sometimes, it helps to speed up.

Set up your program to send the minimum necessary.  Don't send "CK" 
before the year.  I don't send NR before number, but there is an 
argument that people don't get ready until they hear "NR" and not 
sending it results in requests for repeats.  Send the other guy's call 
at the beginning of the exchange unless you are searching and pouncing 
and are very confident that you are the one being answered.

Don't send the exchange until the other guy sends your call correctly in 
full.  Just keep sending your call until he sends it right unless he is 
such a LID that he will never do it, so you must just go on.

Don't send anything unnecessary.  Don't send K or BK if just stopping 
will do just as well.  Always run full QSK.  That way, you will know if 
he starts to send while you are sending your call or the exchange and 
you can stop and see what is going on.

Have fun!  No point in doing this if it isn't fun.  I don't mean quit if 
you aren't winning.  I mean make it fun.

Use for your run rig, the rig with the narrowest filters.  Keep it open 
to 500 hz unless the QRM is rough, but a 250 hz filter will help a lot 
on 40 M at night and it may be needed at times on 20 M.

If your speed isn't too good, operate higher in the bands.  Even if you 
aren't confident about your speed or your signal, try some CQs.  If 
everyone tunes around for new QSOs, there will be fewer QSOs made.  If 
the bands are very crowded, go higher in the bands until you find a 
reasonably clear frequency.  As your rate drops, work your way down the 
band.

If you are in S&P and you find yourself being beat out by the same guys 
over and over, switch to the opposite CW sideband and go in the opposite 
direction on the band.

If you hear somebody that you need doing S&P up a band (or down for that 
matter), go a little further in that same direction to a relatively 
clear spot and CQ at the other station's speed beaming in his direction.

Listen to the bands for a few days before the contest and know what to 
expect.  Make sure your contest software is up to date with all the 
latest multipliers and the lastest supercheck partial list including USA 
calls.

Make an extra effort to work any friends that you hear including SECC 
members.

I have never heard a SS QSO on 160 meters.

That's about all that comes to mind.  Keep at it for the full time, or 
for whatever period of time you can allow for contesting this weekend. 
If something goes wrong and you can fix it during an off period, do it. 
  If not, have a fall back position.  A transceiver backup, an amplifier 
backup, and backup antennas.  Probably a backup computer and keyer would 
be helpful.

I recommend using a keyer in addition to a logging program on a 
computer.  When the other guy stops sending, don't let any time elapse. 
  If you didn't get his call right into the computer, start sending with 
your paddle and use your other hand to get the computer caught up.  If 
you wait, you will lose the rhythm and maybe the QSO.  This is 
particularly true if you can't run break in.  If neither of you has QSK, 
you will both transmit at the same time, particularly if there is a 
pause while you are trying to get the computer program set up to send.

Need I say that you need to plan to spend extra time with the family 
before and after the contest so that they will not feel cheated by the 
time you spend in the contest?  Try to have a clear understanding of 
what you expect during the contest with regard to telephone calls, 
doorbells, meals, and other interruptions.  It is often helpful to have 
an extra RadioShack telephone interference filter and a high pass TVI 
filter on hand in case you get unexpected complaints during the contest.

Do whatever is necessary to avoid dehydration during the contest.  A 
small portable ice check with cold bottled water might be a good idea.

I usually take my first half hour break at supper time and eat with the 
XYL.  This is not the best idea for the highest score, as you really 
need to keep running until 2 or 3 AM with no breaks.  But, it is a 
compromise that I have decided upon, not because the XYL insists on it, 
but because my conscience demands it.  My XYL will not usually bring me 
anything to eat or drink during a contest (but my mother would!).  Many 
XYLs probably will.  It isn't too hard to eat during a CW contest, but 
the SO2R bit will suffer.  I find it counterproductive to try to eat 
during a phone contest unless I am in S&P mode with a very good DVK.

I also take a second break (often longer than a half hour) at Sunday 
lunch, when our grown children often come over.  This is actually a 
pretty good time to take some more off time.

With a tribander and wires and reasonably good conditions with 
reasonably short skip, 20 meters is the big band for CW SS from this 
area.  With a good 40 meter beam, 40 meters might be the big band even 
from this far south.

On CW, I have never been able to productively do CQ running on either 15 
or 10 meters in SS even the four year or so I did it from W4AN.  I 
realize that K4EA and K4WI seem to disprove that theory on 15 meters, 
but you must have a really good signal on 15 meters to productively run 
there and I never have been able to, except when we get short skip.  And 
even then, you run out of CW stations on 15 meters on CW a lot sooner 
than you would think.

Most of what I have said is directed to those planning a full-time 
effort.  But, I encourage everyone to be as QRV as possible with 
whatever rig and antennas you can put on the air.  Even a few minutes 
over the weekend will help increase the club aggregate score and can be 
a lot of fun.  If you can't be active early in the contest, you may find 
that you are as good as rare DX when you get on and CW later on.

73,


John, K4BAI.