[UK-CONTEST] Newbie Contesters

[Ian White GM3SEK]

Martin Snow wrote:
>
>If, it is as you are all saying – that you want to encourage the 
>newest and most basic Fundamental/Intermediate licensee to join in the 
>contesting fray, then he/she will have only the most basic equipment 
>(maybe only home-brewed TX & Rx [ideally ! ]) and quite possibly not 
>computer logging.
>
>I suggest that the present contests are fine. But a new section be 
>added on to the CCs, whereby the newbies can enter a basic paper log, 
>with perhaps only 5 QSOs therein, and for which he/she receives a 
>certificate to show that he/she has entered a contest!
>
>A certificate dropping, unexpectedly, on the door-mat will do more to 
>boost the morale and confidence than anything else. It doesn’t even 
>have to be a certificate, a simple letter, welcoming the entrant to the 
>world of contesting would do.

I came into HF contesting recently enough to remember very clearly how 
hard it was to get started.

HF contesting is very much a quick-reaction sport. Experienced operators 
do operate very much on trained reactions - they know what to do and 
just do it. But a beginner... needs time... to work out what to do... 
and...   crash - it all falls apart.

There are so many different things needing to be done, all at the same 
time: sending the right thing at the right moment, copying accurately, 
typing accurately, and driving the logging software. Each of these is a 
high-level skill in its own right. Even for someone who already has most 
of those skills, it's very hard to make them all work together.

It helps a lot if the inexperienced person gets the chance to operate a 
good station that will really stretch their abilities, and above all if 
there is an experienced operator on hand to pick up some of the load. 
With that in mind, another possibility for the CC events would be a 
separate "Operator + Trainee" section for teams of two.

I'm suggesting teams of two because it really does need one-on-one 
coaching. The trainee can spend some time "shadowing" the experienced 
operator to get the feel of things - not just sitting passively, but 
playing the whole thing through in their own mind and learning how to 
react to various situations. Then at some stage they can swap seats, and 
the experienced operator can act as logger, prompter and coach, 
supplying whatever help is needed to keep things rolling.

Gradually, the level of help needed will taper off until the 
inexperienced operator can fly solo without crashing... or if they do 
crash, they also know how to pick up and carry on.

Not every good operator can teach it; but there are also some people who 
can do far better as a teacher than as a solo operator. For sure, doing 
the contest alongside an inexperienced trainee is always going to be far 
harder than entering as a single-op. But this is a very effective way to 
grow new contesters, and for that reason I think it's worth some formal 
recognition and encouragement within the overall club competition.

Obviously there would have to be some rules for an "Operator + Trainee" 
section, to strike the right balance between coaching and 
competitiveness.  There would have to be some definition of an 
"inexperienced" contest operator (along the same lines as the "rookie" 
definition); some rule about the division of operating time between the 
two operators (so that the experienced op can't hog it all); and some 
rule about the level of success at which that particular team should bow 
out.

I'd be inclined to give these entries a very generous bonus within the 
overall CC championship, because they are actively contributing to 
contesting's future.


-- 

73 from Ian GM3SEK
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek