[SECC] SS Tips

Fri Nov 6 16:50:32 PST 2009

WIN THE GAVEL BACK!

Thx Hal for this good information. The SS exchange can be an intimidating one. However, it is predictable. If you aren't comfortable starting out with a CQ, build your confidence making S & P work for you. This will be a contest where folks will sit and CQ for hours on end  and will give the S & P'er an excellent opportunity to ensure the exchange form the other station is correct before responding. Didn't get it all the 1st time - listen to his/her next exchange and the next if need be - you will get it eventually and know you have a valid Q.

By the way - who answers the guy CQ'ing? The S & P'er right! 

At some point you will want to CQ to get the rate up and the Q count growing more rapidly, but go at your own speed. The quality contester will respond to you at your speed. If he/she doesn't - send a ? or AGN or QRS and he/she should get the hint. Generally speaking move above or below where the main action is if you feel uncomfortable in the 'fray'. I have run QRP many times and by necessity need to distance myself from the HP and even LP stations or I won't be heard. That means moving above or below the 'fray'. Guess what - folks find you and oftentimes your freq. will be more clear than those in the 'fray'. Give it try.

I'm sure there is a lot more wisdom out there that the experts can share and please do so. 

Most of all - get on the air and have fun! 

Let's go SECC - We have done it before - let's do it again. 

WIN THE GAVEL BACK!

Will YOU contribute to the club score this weekend?

GL I Will CU in there,  Brian NA4BW 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Hal Kennedy 
  To: secc at contesting.com 
  Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 11:15 AM
  Subject: [SECC] SS Tips

  For those who might have missed the recent mention here that the archives for this reflector have been reset from "closed" to "open,"...well they have and it seems to me to be a great idea.  I just spent a very enjoyable 30 minutes reading the year 2000 archives which will tell you all about how the club was formed and what was on people's minds at the time.  It's fun reading and informative.

  Anyway, with the indulgence (but not permission J) of those who wrote up SS Tips in response to W4AN asking for any and all, I have pasted a few from the archives below.  Have fun this weekend..I will be away from the radio for CW unfortunately, but on for SSB

  73, Hal

  N4GG

  Ill go first before I cut and paste:

  1.  CQ the most on your best band.  At N4GG it is 40M by far.  I have worked over 1000 Qs just on 40M several times - that's with a KW and dipole at 75 feet.  You can start the contest on 40 and let the band conditions take you across the country as darkness falls.  Just about everybody shows up on 40 sooner or later.

  2.  A lot of guys seem to like to show up in the last two hours to run big pileups.  Virtually none of these folks S&P, you can't work them by calling CQ.  If you only have one radio, you may do better with S&P the last hour than with calling CQ.  I have found the last two hours to be very productive, but the last 15 minutes is usually near-worthless.

  3.  There is a temptation to start on 15 from the East Coast as you will typically hear plenty of West Coast CQs.  This is heavily biased in favor of the West Coast.  You won't get many mults out of the way doing this, but they will.  You get no style points for working things on a hard band like 28 or 1.8. 

  4.  Don't get out of the chair the first 8 hours - per W4AN - I agree 100%.

  5.  Log all dupes.

  6.  Avoid over-use of cut numbers - as in any contest.  N is okay for nine, the rest will get you into trouble.

  7.  Don't be afraid of changing entry classes in mid stream.  If you are running LP and sending "A" and its just awful, flip on the amp and keep sending "A."  NEVER change your exchange during the contest.  Just make sure when you submit your log that you make it clear you were sending A but you are entering as "B."  Same goes for turning on packet half way through if you feel like it.

  8.  I usually work VY1JA on 40 in the very early morning - typically around 1030Z-1100Z.  He has called me several years when I was CQing around 7010.  J likes to tune from the very bottom of the band on up and stays up very late at his local time.  Shhhhh, don't tell anybody.

  9.  With regard to 160 - it used to be a waste, but, two years ago there was a discussion on the top band reflector asking the hard-core 160 non-contester guys if they would hand out some points.  The time picked was 0500Z.  I picked up about 12 stations that year I never would have had otherwise.  Check 160 at 0500Z.

  10.  My personal philosophy is to "turn everything on" which includes running HP and packet, as this provides me the most points and assisted class is still slightly less competitive than unassisted.  Lots of people have their own philosophy - do what makes you happy.

  11.  Submit your score for SECC, no matter how big or small (assuming you are within the club circle).  I'm sure Brian would be happy to hand you a gavel if we win one!

  N4GG

  Tips from November 2001:

  ----------------------

1.  I guess one tip from a low power perspective is to start in the extra portion of the 20M band.  The big guns will be .025 and up, and for the past several years I have had no trouble finding room a little below 14.025, with rates around 60/hr. to start. 2.  Don't wait too late to go to 40M.  If you wait until it goes long, you will (obviously) miss some of the close-in stations and mults. 3.  We always hear about SS on Sunday afternoon.  You know going into the contest that Sunday afternoon is going to be slow. It can be so slow that it's painful, especially for low power folks.  Leave yourself some off time so that you can take it on Sunday afternoon.  In addition, I have never had much luck going late into Sunday evening.  I will probably not operate past 8 p.m. local time on Sunday. 4.  Remember the number one tip for any contest: call CQ.  If you are not real comfortable with CW, call CQ at your comfortable speed on Sunday afternoon.  I guarantee you that the 24-hr contesters will be thankful you are there and will gladly send at a speed in your comfort zone. 5.  If a CQing station is going faster than you can easily copy, just listen long enough so that you can get the exchange.  When you have it, give him a call.  I used to do that all the time. 6.  I've been listening to tapes of CWSS for the past week, driving to and from work.  It helps me get the feel of the contest before the starting bell.  You might find a good station and tape some of his QSOs so you can learn how he/she does it.  Somewhere I have a tape of CWSS when W4AN was operating Val's station. Having said all this -- bear in mind that as much as I enjoy CWSS, I've never done particularly well in it! Good luck and I hope to see you all this weekend. -        Jay, K4OGG-        ------------------------------------ My experience is almost all QRP, but my suggestions should apply to a lotof low power ops as well. 1.  There are no style points for using all bands.  40 and 20 are the mainbands. Period. Sure, 20 is frustrating on Saturday, but Sunday morningcan be great. 2.  80 provides good action for short periods of time. 15 and 10 can begood multiplier bands. Monitor with the 2nd radio or do quick scans ifyou use one radio.  Forget 160 unless you need the SO2R practice. 3.  QRP and LP can get a CQ frequency on a less crowded band; try itonce in a while but get out quickly if it's not working.  I consider a runof five a success. 4.  If you make 1000 QSOs, 1 multiplier is worth about 12 QSOs.  If youmake 500 QSOs, a mult is only worth 6 QSOs -- Gauge your time in apileup accordingly.  (Sweepstakes has been won without a sweep!) 4a.  Most rare multipliers will happen without special effort.  Bymid-morningSunday, I had all but one mult for last year's QRP sweep.  Luck happens. 5.  Contrary to K4OGG's comment, I have had some very good rates atabout 22-2300Z Sunday. Save a couple 1/2-hour slots for later, maybe0100-0130 and 0200-0230. 6.  Check the weather map.  Extremely nice weather in the Upper Midwestwill make Sunday afternoon even slower! 73, GaryK9AY -----------------------My tip: Don't worry about multipliers for the first 12 hours. Well, maybe about YU/NWT. Concentrate on rate and the multipliers will come. You'll have time to look for missing sections during the slow Sunday period. I've never gotten a sweep on CW, but I've done it 5 times on SSB with low power. (I'll be part time on CW, watch for me all-out in the SSB portion) Bill Coleman, AA4LR  this is one of my favorite contests. a small station with good operating strategy can do very well. tribander / wires can have lots of fun and be competitive. 20 and 40 are the most important bands from the southeast. with low power, 80 can be good as well. the extra class portions of the bands are sometimes less crowded than above 025, and can be an advantage for running. i have never had great success running on 15 or 10 on CW. i have picked up a few novice and tech Q's on 10 on sunday afternoon. the biggest challenge in SS CW is keeping your lowest rate hours from killing your score. i will not take a break usually before 0900 Z unless the rate goes far below what i have set for my average rate goal. your rate can and will go down on sunday. sunday evenings have been productive for me in the past. read all of the stuff on contesting.com about SS. it will give you ideas. read W4AN's two radio article as well. if you are only going to be on for a short period, please find as many club members as possible. this helps not only each station, but the club score as well. have fun and hope to cu this weekend!   73 donW4OC    That's it for 2001, but there is lots more good reading on the archives.

  73

  Hal

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