[W8MWA] CQ Worldwide SSB Contest

[Spence Graham]

The biggest SSB DX contest of the year, will be upon us in just a few
days!!!!  There are several great DX contests annually, but CQ WW SSB is
simply the best.  It has more DX participants than any other contest and
the exchange is quick and easy.  If you have ever thought about giving
contesting a try, this is the perfect time to start!


Folks, if you are new to Amateur Radio or contesting, there are so many
good reasons to participate in this contest it would take a book to cover
them all.  Suffice it to say, gaining experience, potentially working
nearly 100 different DX entities (or more) in a single weekend,
experiencing how propagation changes by band over the course of each day,
assessing your station (even if just a baseline), the fun of making a
connection, however briefly, with like-minded hams all over the world and
enjoying the experience are just a few of the many reasons.



If you don't have an HF antenna yet, consider an EFHW 80-10.  It covers all
the bands, neighborhood friendly and works well.
http://myantennas.com/wp/product/efhw-8010-hp/



If you don't have time for the EFHW 80-10, get yourself about 40 feet of
wire and a couple insulators from Home Depot and put up a simple 20 meter
dipole, oriented so that one side is radiating NE towards Europe.  That
simple, home brew antenna will be a fantastic first step!  Dipoles works
well, you will get a great feel, learn first hand what this is all about
and have a great time!  More details on building the dipole are here:



http://www.n3fjp.com/antennas/dipoles.html



You will have FUN!


SSB: October 26-27      CW: November 23-24

Starts 00:00:00 UTC Saturday    Ends 23:59:59 UTC Sunday


Check all your antennas now, in case some repairs are needed between now
and next weekend.  Don't forget, we may or may not have 15M, but 40 and 80
become even more valuable near the bottom of the cycle.  Make sure you have
good antennas oriented for EU on 15, 20, 40 & 80!!!  We will also have a
fair amount of Caribbean and South America stations too, but if you can
only favor one direction, choose 45 degrees.


Make sure your chair is VERY comfortable, everything is in easy reach and
you don't have to crane your head.  A comfortable environment is huge!
Most of us have found that two monitors aren't just a luxury.  To maximize
the fun, they are a necessity!


Use logging software!  I prefer the N3FJP suite of all contest programs and
the ACLog for total integration of all logs and rig control... but N1MM
will work, as well most likely.


http://www.n3fjp.com/cqww.html


Your contest exchange is...  RS + CQ Zone No.   So that means your Call
Sign + 59 + 5   (We are in CQ Zone 5)


0 points per QSO with same country (counts as mult)
1 point per QSO with different country same continent
2 points per QSO with different country same continent (NA)
3 points per QSO with different continent


Multipliers...

Each CQ zone once per band

Each country once per band


Total score = total QSO points x total mults


Upload your logs to http://www.cqww.com/logcheck/  by  2359Z November 1,
2019


Find Contest Rules at  https://www.cqww.com/rules.htm

-- 
73,

Spence

*Spencer W. Graham, II*
*WT8WV*
*73 Crosby Road*
*Morgantown, WV 26508*

*2017-2019 VP of Monongalia Wireless Association http://www.w8mwa.org/
<http://www.w8mwa.org/> *
*ARRL Volunteer Examiner *
*W5YI Volunteer Examiner*
*Laurel ARC Volunteer Examiner*
*ARRL WV Section Affiliate Club Coordinator *

*Check Out My Ham Radio Blog Site...  http://kb8fir.wordpress.com
<http://kb8fir.wordpress.com>*

*(ex-KB8FIR and ex-KA8LJO)*
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