[SMCARA] Contest Strategies Pt. 4

[Tom Shelton]

This is the final installment to help you prepare for the ARRL 10 Meter Contest, which starts tonight (Friday) at 7:00 PM local.  Full rules can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/10-meter

As a wise man once said – the job isn’t over until the paperwork is done.  

8. Miscellaneous: 

8.1. All logs generated by computer must be submitted as an ASCII text file in the Cabrillo file format. Paper printouts of the electronic file are not acceptable substitutes.

8.2. Hand-written paper logs are acceptable submissions.

8.3. All entries must be emailed or postmarked by 0000 UTC Wednesday, January 11, 2012.

8.4. Email entries only to: 10meter at arrl.org. Cabrillo log files require

exchange sent, category entered, power, and ARRL/RAC section, as defined in the General Rules for All ARRL Contests.

8.5. Computer-generated logs not in Cabrillo file format may be designated as check logs.

8.6. Paper entries should be mailed to 10 Meter Contest, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.

8.7. Paper entries must be submitted on current ARRL entry forms or an acceptable facsimile.

8.7.1. Forms are available by downloading the 10 Meter Contest Summary Sheet and the 10 Meter Contest Log Sheet.

8.7.2. Forms are available for an SASE sent to the Contest Branch.

8.8. Logs may be submitted via the web applet at www.b4h.net/cabforms 

8.9. See "General Rules for All ARRL Contests" at http://www.arrl.org/general-rules-for-all-arrl-contests and "General Rules for ARRL Contests on bands below 30 MHz (HF)" at http://www.arrl.org/general-rules-for-arrl-contests-below-30-mhz

It is an unfortunate truism that many people who participate in a contest, from the big guns with big scores to the casual operator who just makes a few contacts, either forget or just don’t submit their logs.  If you work a contest, even if you just make 5 or 10 contacts, it is considered good form to submit your log.  And why wouldn’t you send it in after you’ve done the work.  Procrastination is the enemy of contesters everywhere, so I make a point of sending in my log within an hour or two of finishing the contest.  If you do tend towards procrastination, logs are due within a month of this contest.  If operating a different contest, check the rules – some logs are due much earlier than a month afterwards (November Sweepstakes has a 2-week requirement).

Every contest logging program will prepare your log, in the appropriate Cabrillo format, for you.  If you are using a non-contest logging program, you can output either a CSV file or an ADIF file and manipulate it in MS-Excel to prepare a Cabrillo file.  You can get the header information and the format for the file at www.b4h.net/cabforms.

You can also still submit your log via paper.  Log sheets and summary pages are available for download using the links in the rules. 

As always, if you need help, I’m an e-mail away and will be happy to sit-down with you and help you put everything together for submittal. 

That completes the review of the rules.  Now for some general advice on contesting.

- Know your set-up.  Have your keyboard and mouse easily accessible from the operating position, especially if you are using CAT controls through your contest logging program.  

- Know your radio.  You should be able to operate the filters, modes, and adjust your frequencies (keeping within the limits of your license) blindfolded.  Know the nuances of your rig (how far can I move in frequency before I have to re-tune, etc.).  Know your antenna (if using a dipole, is it aligned N/S or E/W – if a beam, what is your beam-width, F/S & F/B ratios – for any antenna, where is it resonant without a tuner (CW or Phone band)).

- Have a comfortable operating position.  You’ll be sitting there for awhile.  A comfortable chair and ergonomic set-up of your station will make the time there easier and increase your Butt-in-Chair time.  That said, be sure to take a break once in a while, stand-up and stretch, get the kinks out, and don’t forget bathroom breaks.

- Practice before the contest – check out your macros to be sure they actually work as you expect them to.  About an hour before the contest starts, you’ll hear a lot of stations checking things out – make a contact with one of them and ask them to give you a report on your signal.  Of course, return the courtesy.  The time to find and fix a problem is before the contest starts, not afterwards.  Check your logging program: make sure you understand how to enter a contact, the limitations of the program, enter a few test entries (make sure to delete them before the contest), and prepare a cabrillo file.  Again, the time to learn your logging program is before the contest starts – OJT.

- Have a notepad and pencil at the ready.  Jot down any corrections that you want to make to your system (either during a break or after the contest).  Jot down frequencies and calls of stations with pile-ups that you want to come back to later.  

- Have a goal and a plan – Set a number of hours you will work the contest, set a number of QSOs you want to make – but be flexible with it.  The same with a plan – figure out when you want to operate, whether you’ll be running a frequency or in Search and Pounce mode, if you’ll operate CW, Phone, or mixed.  Again, your plan should be a guideline – be flexible – the overall goal is to come out of the contest with the best score you can, change your plans as necessary if those changes will increase your score.

What can you expect from a contest.  If you operate CW, your code speed will increase dramatically.  You’ll begin to hear words instead of individual letters (you’ll recognize your call at virtually any speed, you’ll be able to hear the report and enter it without having to interpret each character).  You may start by using a computer program to read for you, but you’ll end up just using the computer to verify what you heard.  On phone (and on CW) you’ll learn how to break-in to a pile-up – when to time your call perfectly.  At the beginning of the contest you may wait for minutes to be recognized, by the end of the contest you will be getting recognized on your first or second call.  You will also learn when to move on from a pile-up and come back to it later.  You will become intimately familiar with propagation – especially since this is a single-band contest. 

I’m sure there are a lot of other things that could be said about contesting.  I hope that these e-mails have stimulated interest in contesting. 


Tom Shelton, AB3IC

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