[SECC] NAQP Strategy

[Rick Walker]

I feel somewhat better now that I've heard Dan (W4NTI) and Greg (K4NO) both
indicate that they had trouble hearing local stations on 40.  During the
contest, I was of the opinion my problem stemmed from my lack of an NVIS
antenna on 40.

Since we were required in this contest to take time off in 30 minute
increments, I decided to experiment with a "CQ-Only" approach and not do any
S&P.  I did this for a couple of reasons.  First, I am behind schedule with
getting my SO2R configuration set up.  Second, I need more practice with
"running mode."  So, I simply took my breaks when my rate dropped off.  The
"local" multipliers I missed on 40 using my approach were AL, LA and SC.  I
made one exception to my "experiment" and actually spent some time on 40 and
80 looking for W4NTI and K4NO since I knew beforehand that they were going
to be in the contest.  I wanted to listen to the productivity of their
CQ-ing to see how my lack of an NVIS antenna might be affecting me.  Also, I
thought they might be in the same boat I was in and would want to "exchange"
AL multipliers.  Although I never heard Dan or Greg on 40 or 80, I felt that
they had to be on these bands somewhere due the lack of demand for AL that I
received from my CQs.

One other experiment that I conducted in this contest is that I downloaded
W6ELProp, configured it in accordance with my station capabilities, set it
to automatic update mode and displayed it constantly on my second monitor.
I wasn't sure that it would be very helpful, but I was pleasantly surprised.
It gave me a constantly updating visual reference, and it was surprisingly
accurate even on 40 meters.

My biggest weakness on this contest (besides the lack of a 160M antenna) is
a lack of understanding of how to effectively "move" multipliers in the
middle of a run without losing your CQ frequency.  Does anyone have a good
strategy for this that they are willing to share?