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 Previous: ARRL, IARU Continue Push for Limits to 70-cm Spaceborne Radars |  Next: Amateur Radio Satellite Pioneer Thomas Kieselbach, DL2MDE, SK |
By Anthony A. Luscre, K8ZT
Contributing Editor
October 10, 2002
In this installment, we prepare for the fall-winter contesting season with low-power (QRP) operation in mind.
Whether you compete, just want to make a few contacts or work toward an award; contests are a great place to try QRP. It is remarkable how well your QRP signal can be heard when it means a point for the contester on the other end of the contact.
Why Contest?
No matter your interests in Amateur Radio, a little QRP contesting may be just the way to enhance--or rejuvenate--your enjoyment. If your main interest is DX, worldwide contests provide a plethora of potential DX contacts--commonplace and rare. If you're interested in antennas, contests can be a great testing ground. For the award chaser, contests can help fill in those missing contacts--that last state for WAS, rare counties for the county hunter, a chance to work all provinces for that country award, grid squares for the VHFers and, of course, DXCC entities or WAZ countries. For more information on a wide variety of awards visit DX Awards.com, The DX Zone, hamradio.de and KO6LU's Award Page.
There are contests for everyone's favorite operating mode, including CW, SSB, RTTY, SSTV satellites, etc. Many contests have QRP categories or offer a power multiplier for low-power operators. Even builders have a chance to shine in special contests with multipliers for homebrew equipment. Of course, for the competitive amateur, the thrill is the contest itself.
Set Your Goals
One great aspect of ham radio contesting is the ability to set one's own goals. Goals could include such things as working a specific number of contacts (ie, 100 QSOs), working a specific number of multipliers (ie, states, countries, counties, zones, grid squares) or making a "clean sweep" (working all of the possible multipliers in a contest). Some amateurs enjoy competing against themselves, by surpassing their score from last year's event, being top-scorer in your ARRL division, section or even country, or finishing among the top 10.
One way to maximize your chances in a contest is to pick an entry category that best matches your interests, equipment, antennas, or level of competitiveness. For example if your entry category is single operator, QRP and single-band only, your results will be posted only with those in same category. Another way to garner a high-placing finish is taking part in "smaller" contests such as state QSO parties, club contests (QRP-ARCI, Michigan-QRP), or specialty-mode contests (PSK-31, CW).
Choose the Playing Field
Finding operating events that match your interests and schedule is very easy in this era of Internet information sites. To find contests, dates, times and rules try SM3CER's Contest Service, WA7BMN's Contest Calendar or ARRL's Online Contest Calendar. Ken Newman, N2CQ's QRP Contesting site is an excellent source of contest listings for the QRPer. For contesting schedules in print visit QST's "Contest Corral" or CQ's "Contesting Column." Many of the QRP Club publications--such as QRP Quarterly, QRPp, SPRAT--also include coverage of QRP contests.
Have a Plan!
Probably the biggest key to success in contesting is good planning. Planning can be divided into six phases--preparation, familiarization, review, goal setting, projection and scheduling.
1. Preparation of equipment and antenna systems helps to provide peak performance and reduces failures. Equipment failure means time of the air and fewer points.
2. Familiarization with equipment and software allows rapid, efficient and trouble-free operations. The start of a contest is a poor time to learn how to operate a new piece of gear or use that new contesting package. Time and previously logged contacts can quickly evaporate as a result.
3. Review of previous contests and predicted solar activity can be very helpful in planning operations in an upcoming contest. As Santayana put it, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I especially like to review my previous logs to note times when specific bands open to various geographic areas. This gives me a general idea of when I need to check other bands or beam headings. In two-day contests, I like to quickly review the first day's band opening and closing times to plan the second day's operations.
 Even a modest bit of aluminum, up as high as you can get it in the sky, never hurts when QRP contesting. The gain and directivity can help "boost" the low-power signal. The antenna is a Sommer XP-708 on a Glen Martin tower and Hazer. [Photos by author] |
4. Goal setting involves deciding what you want to accomplish and what you must do to achieve your goal. For example, if you want to do a single-band 80 meter operation, you are going to need to work during the hours of darkness, have a good antenna system and possibly an auxiliary, receive-only loop antenna. If you want to work DX on 40-meter SSB, you will need a radio capable of split-frequency operation and understand the typical operating style used by DX stations. If it is a multimode contest, you might want to decide on what balance of CW and SSB operation will maximize your overall score.
5. Projection is the term I use to describe what multipliers I should work. If it is a DX contest, I make a list with three columns of prefixes. The first column is a list of common countries which are usually present in any contest. I need to make sure I work them, but usually there will be multiple opportunities. The second column lists less-common countries/entities that often are available during contests but much fewer and farther between. If I hear one of these, I may call a little longer because I may not hear one again. The third column is "announced DX and/or contest operations." These are stations that have announced that they will be on the air during the contest. These stations often attract very large pileups at the beginning of the contest as both contesters and DXers not in the contest try to work them. These stations usually work the entire contest. As a QRP contester, it is often much easier to work these stations on the second day of a contest. Having a good idea of propagation trends probably allow the later contact. I write myself a note with the station's call sign, frequency and time heard plus a probable time to look for the station on the next day. To find out about these "announced operations" visit the Contesting/DX Page prepared by Bill Feidt, NG3K, ARRL's W1AW DX Bulletins and SM3CER's Contest Service.
6. Scheduling is your plan for when you are going to work each band and what geographic area you expect to contact. Veteran contesters often spend considerable time scheduling. Although you need to be flexible due to changes in band conditions, a well-planned schedule can greatly increase your effectiveness and overall score. I like to use a simple spreadsheet to plan my schedule. I start with a column of times divided into half-hour segments. Then I make a column for each band I will work. I use the background color function to code each cell to indicate times when the band is usually closed (black), open (yellow) and at its peak(s) (green). I then type in key targets (JA runs, African openings, etc.) I then schedule band(s) and antenna headings I plan on working during each half-hour period. Don't forget to plan your off-time, if the contest requires it.
Next Column
We will continue our contesting odyssey in my next QRP Community column. In the meantime, I have a little homework for you. Find some fellow hams at your local radio club who are contesters. Ask them if you can stop by and observe during an upcoming contest. Can't find any local club members who contest? Try e-mailing one of the many regional contesting clubs. Explain that you are interested in contesting and would like to observe one in progress. (Contest clubs often are eager to recruit and train newcomers--Ed.) To help you find a contesting club visit The DX Zone's Contest Club Links and for a list of well-known contesters visit Contesting's Big Guns by Andy Lueer, DJ7IK.
Reader Feedback
I received e-mails from a few QRP Community readers who spotted me in person as I made my hamfest rounds in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania or saw my photo in the QST article on this year's Dayton Hamvention (see "The Dayton 2002 Experience," QST, Aug 2002, p 46). Readers also shared some of their hamfesting tales--both the great deals and the ones that got away.
In the spirit of this month's column, thanks to those who congratulated me on my thirs-place USA QRP finish in the 2001 CQ Worldwide Phone contest and my tenth-place finish in the CW event. I definitely could use your help with a few contacts in this fall and winter's contests. Look for K8ZT QRP this fall in the Scandinavian Activity Contests, California QSO Party, CQ WW phone and CW, ARRL November Sweepstakes and any others that I can squeeze in. Also don't miss the January ARRL RTTY Roundup. Yes QRP works great for RTTY, so give it a try!
Please share your questions and comments and suggestions for future columns via e-mail.
Editor's note: Anthony Luscre, K8ZT, an ARRL member, lives in Stow, Ohio. He has
worked in the field of medical microbiology for 18 years and is now a
Technology and Computer Coordinator for a local school district. Luscre is an
avid QRP operator having earned DXCC, WAS and WAC using no more that 5 W
output. Readers are invited to contact the author via e-mail, k8zt@arrl.net
or visit his Web site.
| Previous: ARRL, IARU Continue Push for Limits to 70-cm Spaceborne Radars | Next: Amateur Radio Satellite Pioneer Thomas Kieselbach, DL2MDE, SK |
